Hiking Part II

Im telling you, this hike was so great Im still reliving it ;) 

 Colby's 1st time in the back & it went well. He only pulled my hair and grabbed my earrings about 100 times. And I pretended I was in better shape than I am.  I also like this picture because my kids are getting better at taking pictures - our heads aren't cut off and it is in focus!! 

 What happens when I say, "strike a pose!" 

 They make me believe that every boy should have a brother. They are getting closer by the day. 

Determination. 

That's my girl. 

Halloween Recap

 We love Halloween around here! Our family Halloween Motto is that it isn't a good Halloween unless you wear your costume at least 3 times :) We trick-or-treated at Stone Zoo, there were school parades, Parties at Nana Ruth's Residence, and of course Halloween itself. So, a good Halloween it was.

 Two T-Rex dinosaurs, a mommy Dragon and of course the baby Dragon. They were a good choice this year because I could stuff them all with extra warm layers! Colby was the star of course :) He figured out real quick how to walk up for candy give a little "ah, ah" grab the candy and put it in his bucket. No watching from the stroller for him!

There are always the pictures I don't take. Like my mother as a witch in full face make-up with fake teeth hiding in the bushes to terrorize the neighborhood! Like my dad hiding behind a dumpster on a long dark driveway to do the same (are you sensing a theme here?). Like Drew yelling "Trick or Treat for Unicef!" at every door and collecting loot for "children in other countries."
Today we will drop our candy off to add to packages being sent to troops. Because shouldn't everyone enjoy Halloween?!

This Moment: Corn Cannon

Landed

When we have gorged ourselves on sandy shores and blue horizons, when we have packed away all but one bathing suit (just in case), when hot cups replace the iced...we head inland.

Sometimes it is a paved path surrounded by perfectly pruned beauties. Sometimes we zoom by nature on scooters and bikes. Sometimes it is well marked trails with neat bridges to discover or a perilous (for 5 yr olds!) summit to conquer. Sometimes it is just a patch of wild between home and the neighbors.

No matter which flavor of nature we chose, we dig in. We breathe deep, lengthen our strides and oscillate between adventuring off on our own and slowing up to hold a hand. If the beach is our church, the woods are our chapel. A place to come together a little closer, to connect to something bigger, and to appreciate.

Today we met friends and buzzed around the nature center enjoying conversation, fresh perspectives and flexing our social muscles. But when our friends pulled out of the parking lot, we hung by our car reluctantly. We weren't done. We headed back to the trail map and picked a doozy. A perfect loop carpeted with pine needles and just wide enough to push a sleeping baby in the stroller. There was a steady stream of chatter:: school, moss, friends, food. They scurried ahead, they hung back to hold my hand.

Sometimes my mind can zoom off to a million places, but today I took a breath, looked at where I was and at their faces...and I landed.

Jumping into Fall

We turned the page on the calendar to October this weekend, and I was a little disappointed with the warm muggy air. It is Fall after all and Im ready for sweaters, hoods, apple picking, pumpkins and the other gems of the season. 

On Sunday just after lunchtime, I felt goosebumps on my arm. That was all I needed. I quickly did a little research on the computer, picked out cute Fall outfits for the kids and packed everyone into the car. We were going to find Fall. 

And we did. 

Although the sweaters were soon tossed into the stroller, we ran through hay, jumped into a corn pit and shot corn from a cannon. We stayed celebrating and ushering in Fall until closing. 

I think Fall appreciated us welcoming her with style, we were rewarded this morning with crisp, cool perfectly Fall air.