You Don't See That Every Day

It's November!!! I am so looking forward to what is in store for us these next couple of months, even though I can't tell the future -  I just feel it's going to be great. I was ready for November about the middle of October. Is it because my daughters have been playing Christmas music since September? (No!) Or maybe it's because the change in the weather and the colors of the leaves, have me enjoying the cycles of life. For Halloween we walked the neighborhood for trick-or-treating with our youngest two, and some neighbor friends. Walking with friends made it even more fun this year. And the weather cooperated wonderfully. The stash wasn't as big as it has been in years past when we had 3, 4, 5 kids collecting, but there is still plenty of sugar and chocolate to go around. Little K dressed as a 50s girl, and was quite excited to get to wear make-up. The other sister went as her Dad (although he doesn't actually have a mustache). That's what she threw toge...

November has been busy and fun! It's one of my favorite times of year. Not just because of the upcoming break from school or the feast we are planning, but because it is basketball season! One of the girls and I spent a Sunday afternoon making Christmas cards at my sister's house. It's one of my rare crafty times. The fall leaves are coming down in torrents, but they are so beautiful that I don't mind raking them up (or watching the kids rake them)   The girls and I made a little video for our Hawaiian friend, and for our Friends in Peru  - this is the road we drove down towards the school. It is just gorgeous in the fall! The video doesn't do it justice though, And our girl, the Chef, is playing basketball! The team has lost one game so far, out of 7. She has even scored a basket, and we have seen her skills improve in just the short time she has been playing. She played a couple of years on the Upward Basketball team, but the school team is a step abo...

Just a little warning ahead of time, this will probably end up being a pretty random entry. The unifying theme here is the kids, and the month of November. The girls have been taking piano lessons since October, and it has been so fun to hear them play now. The first week ... well the little key -plunking got old really fast, but their enthusiasm never waned. Just like the leaves from our trees. The girls would go out one day and rake the leaves from both the front and back yards; the next day it would look like they hadn't even been there. They haven't been discouraged yet. Maybe it's the novelty of jumping in the leaf-piles, or the fun of climbing in the bin to pack the leaves in a little, whatever it takes, they keep going back out happily, to rake the leaves. Big Miss M. got to go to a little party at a neighbor's house. They made these cute, yummy, little turkeys - they really did look better in person when they were fresh. This was taken a day or so later...

We are now 9 weeks through the school year; Math is a not a favorite subject this year for more than one kid; but we're working through it with each of them. The girls at home have started piano lessons this month. So far the older one is progressing pretty rapidly in my opinion, but then I am still stuck in the beginning modes of piano.M and M both love playing, so I expect to be hearing masterpieces from them in no time. (ha!) Every year I try and take a pumpkin photo with each of the kids. I've been doing this since the oldest was just a 10-month old. So far this year I've gotten these 3 out of the 5. Those older two kids - being gone at school so much makes it really difficult to take their picture! I sure love this time of year for photos - the crisp air, the afternoon lighting, the fall colors!   This week really feels like fall is here! Even though the local football season and cross country season is just about over, the nights are finally turning cold...

I love the sunshine. Really. Love. It. Even if it is cold outside. When the sun comes out, everything just looks better (except my dirty windows. but that's another story) So I set aside the school books for a little bit this morning, and took the girls out to play in the sun and the leaves. 'Cause really, what's better than brisk fresh air, sunshine and crunchy leaves in autumn? Maybe ice cream, but not much else. Can you see the joy on their faces? I told them to just throw a bunch of leaves in the air, and this is what I got. Love it! Do you know how hard it is to get an 18month old to stand still, look at the camera and smile pretty?  Didn't happen quite like I wanted it too. But the others were willing to oblige me with plenty of posing. I've got some ideas for Christmas gifts from all of this ... but I won't spoil it in case the recipients are reading. I'm pretty excited about though. I love taking pictures and my girls se...

It has been an almost ideal day for me. The sun is shining; and although it is cool and crisp outside, it is warm and cozy in our woodstove-heated house. This morning I was able to prepare a ton of applesauce and can 2 batches of it, while the girls sat and did their schoolwork. Well, they didn't really sit for the whole morning. But they did get their work done! And when that happens, it is always a good day! I even heard one of the older girls helping the younger one read and learn her history lesson for the day. Even little K 'helped' make the day go well. (Except for that little incident involving a cereal box dumped all over the not-swept-up-yet kitchen floor.) She pushed the step stool over to the sink and 'helped' me with the applesauce. As I cut the apples, (I'm not one to leave the seeds in, just the peels stay on) little K would place each ready one in the waiting pot. I cooked them up, and then ground them down in the food mill, and voila, we had ap...

They say autumn starts in September. I don't believe it. Fall doesn't really start until I smell woodsmoke, and eat freshly picked crisp apples, and pick out the pumpkin from the patch, and watch my babies playing in the first leaves that came down from the tree, That's when Fall really begins.