Falling in love with Fall...

Let's just say, I'm a spring/summer girl.  Usually when cool breezes begin a blowin', I begin a dreadin' the cold weather...winter, being cold...oh so painfully cold.  BUT, this year, I welcome fall...in fact, by next fall before it even gets here, I'm going to be looking forward to it!  I'm falling in love with fall.  What you ask is the difference this fall?  (Well, aside from a newly discovered hypothyroid diagnosis and a tiny magic hormone pill that balances it back out and eliminates one of the symptoms of being freezing!) Inspiration.  Fresher perspectives.  Loving life more than ever.  Realizing the importance of all of the seasons...not just the weather, but the seasons of life.  We couldn't appreciate the beauty of spring and new fresh growth if we haven't experienced the cold, bitterness of winter.  And pruning...with pruning comes growth.  And I have grown, and I hope I never stop.  As for growing, so are my boys, and I'm soaking up every single second of them that I can.  I await the day one of them notices and asks, "Mommy why do you stare at me so much?"  Well, I have my answer ready.  It's because I never ever ever want to forget a single second of them.  Not a single stare into the depth of their beautiful blue eyes.  Or the lashes that practically bat their own breezes.  Or their voices or smells...all of it.  I don't want to forget ANYthing.  So I stare.  I play.  I sniff their soft heads.  I tickle.  I rub backs.  I squish chubby thighs.  I poke bellies.  I snuggle.  I nap with them.  I squeeze them.  I hold them.  I smother with hugs and kisses.  And at the end of many days, I still think I could've fit more in.  So enough dialogue...here are just a sliver of pictures that have attempted to capture my loves.  And our fall together so far.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Isaac.  

Mixin' the wet ingredients of yummy whole wheat PUMPKIN BREAD.  And pumpkin, by the way helps with NIGHT VISION, which is important for superheros, so we like it.

And this is what happens whem Mommy walks 4 feet to the kitchen to get the measuring spoons.  Flour fest!  And lots of giggles.  Why not scoop a little onto the bench to play in??

Smile for the camera, boys!  Oh.  

The Pumpkin Patch field trip with DI's preschool!  He is holding a tiny green worm that we found on the stem of the perfect pumpkin that was calling, "pick me!  pick me!"  We endearingly named the worm "Pumpkin McFarland" and held on to him until he took a plunge in the saw dust by the bunnies.  We love you, Pumpkin McFarland.  Rest in peace.  Peace not being in the warm hands of my excited little boy.  

Cupcake picnic.
Cupcakes compliments of Nana, Daniel Isaac and Noah David. 

Mmmmmmm.....

Candy corn-colored drool.  

Gardenias in bloom just in front of where I park my car!
Oh the lovely fragrance greeting me each time I come and go!
Literally, causes me to stop and smell the flowers.  

And what do little boys do with pumpkins once their mama has repremanded them from throwing or bowling them?  Ride them of course!

This is how we do it...

We love weekends.  We love having Daddy home and extra playing and projects and staying in our p.j.'s for longer than normal...as in until after nap time in the afternoon.  We especially loved last weekend because we had Daniel home for 4 straight days since he'd been in Uganda for 9 days.  I got 3 sets of the most beautiful eyes to look at all four days.  Two dimpled little boys loving life, and me enjoying being their mama and Daniel's wife more than I can adequately describe with words.  The house...well, lets just say that the pile of laundry that could have it's own mountain name, the floors in desperate need of a good moppin' and the unmade beds were more than worth the family time we drank in.  Soaked up.  Slirped down.  Breathed in.  Rolled around in like a big pile of freshly fallen autumn leaves....this is how we do it.

Leg hugs are the best.  

Rolling around in the leaves is fun, Mama!

Thanks for helping us rake, Dex!  

I'm big.  I rake.  

I will not smile for the camera, but I can make a smashing funny face!

And I can help my little bro make a funny face...see?

Leaves are for rolling around in.  

What's a weekend without a good project?  Pinecones slobbed with peanut butter (yes, Noah David ate and wore his instead of putting it on his pine cone) and then bird seed liberally sprinkled...yarn tied, sling it over a limb...voila!  I wish I could say that we've enjoyed the cardinals and blue jays and robins munching away on the provisions we've made for them.  Heck, we'd be equally excited about seeing a squirrel or chipmunk try to get some...but nope.  Nothin'.  So far we just have 4 pinecones hanging from a pretty tree.  We'll take it.