this is what happens when we stay inside all afternoon

The pictures don't do it justice.



Do you notice the gap on the wall where a picture should be? It may have fallen on W1's head while he watched a little PBS this afternoon. He was a little traumatized, but L1 thought it was really funny.

Why, yes, they ARE undomesticated.

Today, we gathered up our courage and went to the ZooBoo at the Seneca Park Zoo. We hoped that if we disguised our children as zoo animals, no one would notice if we let them run wild for a while.


W1 and L1 practiced their nicest "trick-or-treat's" and "thank-you's", and H1 practiced relaxing in the stroller while chewing on still wrapped candy.


The weather was beautiful, the polar bear was active, they were handing out chocolate, and we were done shortly after noon. If that isn't a recipe for success, I don't know what is.

a visit to The Falls

W1: L1, what do you think?


L1: It's biiiiiiig.
W1: Mmmhmm.



W1: H1, any thoughts?

H1: I like granola bars.

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.