Tuttle's Orchard.

As promised, here are the rest of the pictures from our trip to Tuttle's Orchard last weekend. It was so much fun this year, now that the Big Man is big enough to enjoy it. We'll definitely be going back!

First things first, we had to go say hi to a real Llama Llama Red Pajama (one of Luke's favorite books) and a random baby goat. Luke wasn't really that impressed. Apparently the book was better.

We headed off to the kids' area where there was a very cool hay maze. Luke was very good at finding the dead ends.

Eventually he made it to the center of the maze.
Very anticlimactic.


"What the heck? How do you get out of this place?"


"I've got an idea! Follow me, Daddy!"


Free at last.


He spotted the big red tractor and was not at all concerned about its maximum capacity.


I guess the kiddos saw him coming and got scared. He ended up having the whole thing to himself for a few minutes until a brave little boy came and joined him.


He was very serious about driving.


Mommy forced him and Daddy into one of her favorite things in the world-- a field of sunflowers. Heaven will be full of sunflower fields, don't you think?


The tractor-pulled hay ride went by while we were there and Luke was mesmerized.


Once the trance lifted, he found a sandbox with several big trucks. Of course he wanted to ride on them all. Poor guy doesn't realize that not all cars/trucks/tractors are made for riding.


Thankfully we found a tractor that was made for riding!


And then the big tractor passed by again and nothing else mattered. (It just so happened that Luke's friend Jackson, the one in the middle, was there with his friend. Jackson is the one who is 3 months older than Luke and half his size, but in every other way is SO much like Luke.)


Finally it was our turn to go on the hay ride!


Then we headed to the orchard to pick apples. They were out of little red wagons and Luke is way too heavy to hold for long periods of time, so the stroller saved the day.


"Huh. They really do grow on trees."


Later, as we walked out to the pumpkin patch, the tractor passed by yet again, this time much closer. So cool.


Luke quickly found the perfect pumpkin.


And another. And another.

Mommy was so excited about all the cute pumpkins.
Daddy and Luke not so much.

It wasn't long before they both gave me an "all done" and started heading home.

Sneak Peek.

Last weekend we went to Tuttle's Orchard, a fall hot spot out in the boonies, which is never too far away when you live in Indiana. I don't have time to do a full post about it now, but here's a sneak peek...

Headed to the kids' play area with Daddy.



Finally.
Proof that Mommy exists in Luke's life in another capacity besides narrator of his blog.



With all the tractors, Luke was in heaven.

He even got to drive one himself.

Picking a pumpkin from a real patch. Which one will we choose?

When?

When did my baby become such a big boy? Why does he look like he's 12 and waiting on his plane to arrive for his first solo flight down to see his grandparents? Someone please tell him to slow down and stop growing up so fast.

He won't listen to me.

At the Charleston airport, waiting for our plane to take us home. Via Detroit. Because that is obviously on the way to Indianapolis.

Vacation?... What Vacation?

This year the Tatum clan started a new tradition.
(at least I'm hoping/praying/begging that it be a new tradition).
Phil's parents rented a beach house in Charleston for a week for all the kids and their families. It was a FABULOUS idea, and we were soooo excited for our big family trip to the beach. It was to be Luke's very first trip to the beach, and I had been day dreaming for months beforehand about doing all the adorable baby's-first-time-at-the-beach things with Luke and taking the most adorable pictures of my Stinker discovering the wonders of sand and surf. Well, we had 2.5 whole days of pure joy and vacation bliss....and then it was over. We arrived at the most fabulous beach house late Saturday afternoon and by Tuesday morning Luke had developed a fever. The fever was just the beginning of what we later learned was foot and mouth disease. By Thursday when we took Luke to the doctor, he was covered in the ugliest blistery rash, still had a fever, and was not really eating or drinking. The worst part by far, though, was that the virus had turned Luke into the most EVIL MONSTER to ever walk the earth. He must have felt absolutely miserable and been determined to make the rest of us feel the same way. His behavior and over-all demeanor was unlike anything I had ever witnessed before in his lifetime. It was BAD. And on top of all that, he figured out how to climb (read: nose dive) out of his Pack 'N Play, making it completely impossible to contain the evil. All this to say that Luke's and my vacation was over as of Tuesday, more specifically Tuesday at 10:00 pm when he woke up screaming from a deep sleep and was awake and miserable until 4:30 am. I felt like I was dying a slow tortured death. I can't imagine how bad Luke must have felt. Anyway, because our 7 day vacation only lasted 2 days, we only have 2 trips-to-the-beach-worth of pictures. Most of the pictures were taken just after we arrived, when I was wasn't even there. I was at the grocery store, stocking up the house with Grammy, and missed Luke's introduction to the beach. Oh well. The first 2.5 days of our Tatum family trip were wonderful, and it was great to see the family and be together. In the end, I guess it was better than being stuck at home with a sick kiddo all by myself while Phil escaped to the adult theme park that is the working world. I can only hope that the Tatum Trip to the Beach becomes a tradition and the Vacation-Wrecking Illness does not.

Luke's very first trip to the beach. Uncle Brian carried Luke the whole way, proving just how strong he is. Despite the look on his face, Luke was actually very happy and comfortable with Brian. He's loved Brian from the very beginning.


Piggies, meet Sand.
Sand, meet Piggies.


The belly.
(also featured here)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the belly.


Headed out with Daddy.


Daddy was just as excited as Luke.


Hmmmm....this is interesting.


Gettin' the Stinker ready for the big waves, wettin' the belly.


Oooh...not so sure about it at first, but once out in the big waves (no waterproof camera = no pics in the big waves) he loved it!

Day 2:


Armed with a bucket and shovel, Daddy and Luke are ready.


Big Man taking charge.


LOVE. THIS. PICTURE.
Three generations of Tatum men....


...in pursuit of someone else's abandoned toy truck.


My men.
And a green ball in mid-levitation.


Bathing Bubba. The winged version.


Luke totally dug the beach.
(i crack myself up)


*Thank you SO MUCH, Aunt Emma, for taking all of these pictures. Without you I'd have zero documentation of my baby's first time at the beach and would have to shamefully turn in my Mom card and reluctantly resign from the position forever.*

Fun in Tampa.

You may have noticed that there were next to no posts during the month of September. That is because Luke and I were traveling for most of it. We started out with a 6 day trip to Tampa. It was such a fun trip, because it was the first time we had been there since Luke was just starting to walk. It was amazing how different it was this go-round. He had an absolute blast playing with all sorts of family and friends. Flipper and Pops spoiled him rotten, as did the rest of the family, and we had such a good time. We can't wait to go back!


Flipper bought him a tunnel at Ikea, and after luring him into with an iPhone, he couldn't get enough.


This was his first time making it all the way through.
At first he would only go in, get the phone, and then back out.


He wanted so badly to ride this little tractor.
He LOVES all things tractors and trucks.


He carried these vintage tops from my parents' vintage toy collection around everywhere he went.


Going for a drive.


Mom bought him a giraffe costume and surprise, surprise, it was too small for the Big Man.


But it sure did make for some great laughs.


Watching him run around the house was absolutely hysterical.


With three of his faves before bedtime: his bottle, Eddy the Elephant, and Grandma.


"Sliiiiiiiiii!!"


Second try at the water fountains. This time was much more successful than the first. My dad tried taking him the first time and Luke hated it. He ran away, got one of his shoes, and said, "Go! Go!"


Doing "Ride a Horsey" with Flipper. He now has to do this at least 100 times a day. Every day. Thanks so much, Mom.


Workin' the 'hood with Pops.


Taking it easy with Mommy's diva glasses, camo shorts, one shoe on, one shoe off, and of course, Eddy.

"You got a problem with that?"