Our big outing of the day was to the Pumpkin Patch in Richmond. What a lot of fun! We stood in a very long lineup to get in (until Eric managed to score some tickets in another lineup no one had noticed yet) and then stood in another long lineup to get on the hay ride. Note to self for next year – go a couple of hours later, when the crowds are smaller … or on a weekday. We sang (and Nicholas danced and cheered) on the hayride, wandered through the corn maze, and played in the pumpkin patch for a while before selecting the one we wanted to bring home. I took some great shots of Nicholas and Mathias together. My goal for this week is to get pictures from the last 2.5 months posted to Flickr!
Big change I’m making on my blog today … I’m no longer posting “Nicholas” stories to the “baby” category … I’m adding a new category – toddler. He walked so much today that there is just no question – he’s definitely not a baby any longer. Although nursing him while I squatted on a pumpkin in the middle of the patch was sweet – he felt baby-like in that moment. 
<start rant> I gave this guy a hard time because he dropped his cigarette on the ground, stepped on it, and walked away. I was really ticked that he did that! I might not have had the nerve to say anything at all, but it was still smoking, so I piped up. He was apologetic and put it out, but he still left it there. I’m so not a shy person – why couldn’t I say what I really meant in that moment? I didn’t want him to just put it out, I wanted it NOT THERE at all. I didn’t want Nicholas to crawl over and put it in his mouth. As a father, I’m surprised he didn’t understand that. Granted, it’s my responsibility to watch what Nicholas tries to eat, but still … community raising the child and all that, eh?! <end rant>
