leaves

Whenever we consider an easier way around the mountains of leaves in our yard... like buying a leaf blower, renting one, or even borrowing one for that matter... we always end up saying 'but raking is good exercise' and pull out the splinter-giving tools every year.

This is our yard. We live in the woods...and come fall, a new chainsaw starts looking like the perfect gift once again.


But with such perfect weather last weekend...we were able to accomplish this: All pumpkins were thrown away, all leaves were meticulously piled and bagged, and the lush green moss carpet that was hidden under the sea of brown was exposed and vibrant. We all stood around admiring the work, smiling with a sense of pride that we had done it.


It's amazing how a clean yard calls us out of our dusty home to do this:


And encouraged by his father, Joaquin even rode down the steps of our porch on his bike. Three times.
Until the wipeout.
A few tears were shed, and several bruises added to the collection, but I'm sure he'll be at it again. After all, it is Evel Knievel we're raising here.

But the winds have stirred, and now the rest of our unraked yard is slowly covering up that beautiful green. Just a few more weekends, and hopefully we'll have it up before the first snow.

beautiful things

looks like fall

You should hear me as I drive down the street. The kids are probably sick of me gasping and saying, "Look at those trees!" But really, could they be any more beautiful?

We brought some of the color inside, last night. We printed GIANT leaves we found at Maymont.


Glitter haunted houses, that look more like sparkling gingerbread houses under a winter snow.


Hoot owls from toilet paper tubes and cupcake holders.


And a precious squirrel I found at Goodwill. He's waiting for us to collect some acorns for him. We'll get them soon, but for now he'll have to wait. I keep finding him all over the house anyway...someone keeps moving him.


And our grateful banner...in Spanish, G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D.


It makes me thankful just to look at it. (Never mind those wind chimes blocking it...I've moved them.)

October's Party

October's Party
A Poem by George Cooper


October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came-
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.



The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.


The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;



All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.



Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.



Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."

a chill in the air

It's really coming! I'm not sure why I'm so excited about fall this year, but I actually get butterflies in my stomach if I stop to think about it for too long. So when we woke up this weekend to a chilly house, I grabbed the camera to take our first shots of this new season. It was so cozy to walk around in sweaters and slippers...with the smell of those apple turnovers in the air.

We'll see how long I go before I switch on the heat...it'll give us a little practice if we ever go camping.

our fall table

Finally.
I've finally done something I've been wanting to do for probably two years. A nature table. Or a seasonal table. I don't even know what you call it, but I know I've been wanting one.
I mentioned it to my cousin the other night, and as soon as I got off the phone, I started gathering things from around the house. At first I thought I'd only be able to find some pinecones from outside. But it turned out I had a lot more than I thought. The kids were very excited about it. I brought over a small table, just their height, that is rarely used...then let them arrange it how they wanted. Joaquin was very particular about where things should go.





So what's on the table? Who knows now. Here are some of the things it started out with:

A corn husk doll we made last year
Some apples we made from red material, stuffing, and pipe cleaners
A bowl of wooden beads
A bat
A bear
Leaves
Pinecones
Pumpkins
A Native American play set
Books on fall and apples
Fake cherries in a pail( I know that's not fall, but they look good and are fun to play with)
A cinnamon stick
Candles that smell like cinnamon and pumpkin and fall
A native american rattle made from a stick
Totem poles we made last year



Diego loves it and is the one that spends the most time messing it up. It doesn't look this neat anymore, but I try to clean it up everyday so that it's still fun to play with. We'll put more thanksgiving stuff out in November, change the books each month, and change the stuff each season and holiday. So even though I can't seem to be able to decorate the house much, I think I can handle this.

pumpkin patch

This was our weekend to go to the pumpkin patch....and by our weekend, I mean we had a coupon for two free people based on our zip code. We still paid $24 dollars for the kids, but it was definitely worth it. This year, everything is included...hay, corn, sand, ducks, goats, you name it.

The corn maze was unbelievable. I thought the kids might get tired of it after awhile, but they loved it.


And I liked how they made it educational by asking questions about bees to help you choose which way to go at the crossroads. We knew some answers, guessed some, and will always remember the ones we got wrong that got us lost....hives stay at a temperature of 93 degrees, and....well...I already forgot the other one. But it was definitely educational.


Cheese.


Did you know corn had roots that looked like this? I had to look it up when I got home...these are the brace roots that help keep the stalk stable. It also has normal roots that run deep underground.


Oops...wrong way.


I knew he'd take off if I let him out of his stroller.


I was a little hesitant to let Diego ride the wagon barrels, knowing how he likes to stand up in his high chair now. But I pulled the seat belt nice and tight. He seemed to like it.



But this was his face after the second time around.


Here's that big smile again...I think that can of soda had something to do with it.


"Peanuts!" Oh, that's corn. I saw some little kernels on the floor in the bathroom later...I guess it was in their pants, too.


My favorite part was the hay bales.


It looked like so much fun, although I did hear a lot of sneezes and some "ouches"...maybe it's pokey.


But it's definitely fun. I'm kicking myself that I didn't climb up there, too.


A huge pile of heaven for Diego. Sand.


Oh, and there were pumpkins, too. After all this, plus corn cannons, duck races, goat walks, moon bounces, a pirate's cove, and paintball...the pumpkins were almost an afterthought. But there's nothing like sitting on that bale of hay, bumping along as the tractor makes it's way to a field spotted with orange.

God smiled on us today...the skies darkened as we rode out to the fields, but the first drops didn't fall until we were on our way home.