Upon a sun-dappled autumn afternoon

We raced from the house, grabbed our bikes, and rode endless circles around the leaf-clad driveway.






H1 joined in...almost.


The wind blew in gusts, kicked up dervishes, while the trees spit their leaves down upon us. It is days like these that we live and die for. Perfect, idyllic.











Until the bikes turned into bumper bikes, and the helmets were no longer just a precaution.

H1 wouldn't stop eating leaves.

And the temperature began it's steady evening decline.



That's when we headed back inside.

The apples

We picked them.

And ate them.

Oh, and there were doughnuts, too.

My favorite fall activity.

What H1 does all day

The first time she climbed all the way up, she cried while climbing because she was scared.

Now, she giggles.

And then laughs even harder when I grab her and bring her back downstairs.




Excuse me while I head to the basement to find that baby gate.

This...

... is what we did today.

A bin on wheels. Doubling as a kayak.

Fly swatters as paddles.

An afternoon trip through the whitewater.

Did I tell you it was raining today?



P.S. Don't pay any attention to those boxes stacked in the background, waiting to be unpacked. I know I don't.

what I heard this morning while cleaning up the breakfast dishes

L1: W1, read me this book.

W1: But, I can't read!

L1: W1, read me this book!

W1: Just a minute!

L1: W1, read me this book!

W1: Okay, sit on the couch.





A few beautiful minutes of civility between bouts of wrestling and sword fighting.

New

New digs.

New striped wall.
New (dirty brown) rug.
New chair cushions.
Newly walking girl. Or newly stepping. She's still working up her courage.

Today

I stood in my kitchen looking out into the living room, watching W1, L1 and H1 play harmoniously on the rug with a large mountain of Legos.

The fact that there was only one bag of Finding Nemo fruit snacks reduced two of us to tears. Were the fire engine fruit snacks a sufficient substitute? No.

I have Hitchcock on the brain. Ever seen Dial M for Murder? If not, see it. I watched it the other night, sitting on the couch next to several baskets of laundry that I intended to fold. They didn't get folded.

We had waffles this morning with vanilla syrup. Because we were all out of maple. Not as delicious as you would think.

The high for the next 10 days isn't supposed to be more than 70 degrees. I discovered today that W1 only has three pairs of pants that fit. And I really don't want to go shopping. Or do laundry every 3 days. Leggings?

We steam cleaned the rugs last night. I vow to never again buy a cream colored rug. You are my witness. I'm thinking a dirty brown color...


And, the most wonderful of all: We finally have reliable internet!