Our trip home to St. Louis (and Altenburg!) in September was very nice — well, if you exclude the 4-hour plane rides to and from LA. Flying with Max is…um…challenging. Let’s just say changing diapers in the on-board bathroom (aka poorly-lit broom closet) is no fun and Max IS that little kid that sits behind you and kicks the back of your seat – incessantly. But once we arrived in STL, we had a great time. Between surprise guests greeting us at the airport, fishing at the ranch, visits with friends, catching up with parents/grandparents/great-grandparents and of course a Ted Drewes run, it was a fun 10 days!

Once back in LA, we experienced our first rain showers since the move. Seriously…4 months without rain. The first time, Max and I just sat and watched the shower with the patio door open. It was glorious. Who would have thought I’d miss rain? I was actually excited to hear thunder, and Ethan was equally excited to get out his Spiderman umbrella (can’t you tell by the expression on his face?)

And for those who say California has no seasons, I beg to differ. While I know I won’t get to build a snowman in my front yard this winter, I definitely want to point out that Los Angeles DOES have a Fall. I’ve seen some chilly gray days with brown leaves on the ground and beautiful colors in the trees (see in the background?). That said, we all know the true sign of the perfect Fall is when your hometown baseball team wins the World Series, right? WAY TO GO CARDS!!! Congrats STL! (By the way, Ethan received several cheers when he wore a Cards shirt to the Farmer’s market last weekend, so I know there are other Cards fans here as well!)

These days, Max’s new tricks include kicking the soccer ball around the house (see video), spinning in circles until he gets dizzy (see other video), walking backwards and holding his own bottle (finally). He cannot give Bailey enough daily hugs…he yells “Doggy” and then wraps his arms around her and coos. He also loves books (thank you Aunt JJ, Uncle Tim, Emmie and Sophie) as well as playing with his new water table (thank you Aunt Katie, Uncle Scotty and Lili)!

Max Playing Soccer

Dancing in Circles

Ethan is learning how to spell…each day we work on how to spell a new word. He’s not always the most willing to participate in said game, but I (like most parents) am mastering the art of bribery. Ethan is also learning to not just nurture and protect, but also fend off a little brother. He sets up action figures only to have MAD MAX destroy them in a blink of an eye. HULK SMASH!

Alyssa (Aunt Lizzy) flew out to spend some time with us again and we had lots of fun checking out some of the touristy things as well as some of our favorite spots including the mountains, the Getty, Hollywood, Walk of Fame and the Pier. Lizzy’s favorite was the Walk of Fame – and I have to admit it was more amusing than I anticipated. Lots of character-dressup and just a very lively atmosphere. However, once Ethan caught a glimpse of a few horror-movie characters, that was the end of our fun…Do not pass GO…Do not stop for a photo opp with Transformer Bumblebee….or Spiderman…or Sponge Bob….Game Over. And thus we had to cut our Hollywood visit short.

Alyssa and I had both trained for a small local triathlon held the weekend she visited. It was a reverse tri, so it started with the run, then the bike and finished with the swim. I loved it….However, at the start of the tri it was so foggy that you could maybe see 10 people in front of you, but thankfully by the finish the sun came out. The event was held in the Pacific Palisades – a great coastal community that neighbors Brentwood. If we decide to stay here long-term, it would probably be my top choice for house-hunting. I think we may drive over there to Trick-or-Treat!

On a final note, we invited a few of our new local friends and neighbors over for a small pumpkin carving party while Lizzy was in town — so she could carve her very first pumpkin with her nephews. Ethan picked a doozy for her…he wanted a haunted house! It took her over an hour to carve, but it turned out awesome. (And then mold and bacteria quickly destroyed it within a mere 48 hours.)

So I’ll leave you with this SPOOOOOOKY gross Jack-O-Lantern (alas shortly before it hit the dumpster) and we wish you all a Happy Halloween!