On a Quiet Evening Walk

No, this is not me though I wish it was... the streets where I live are not as beautifully treed. I really like this image, though, because this is what I do on winter evenings... I go out by myself for a walk in the cold.

Pondering His Goodness while out this evening and Thanking Him:

65. For the awesome expanse of starry skies above.

66. For the clearness of the Big Dipper.

67. For icy cheeks.

68. For the feel of fresh cold air in my lungs.

69. For the ability to take deep breaths.

70. For health that allows my to be out walking on nights like this.

71. For the bright colored Christmas lights that light up the neighborhood.

72. For the glow through the windows of trees lit within.

73. For people who leave the blinds open while they gather
around the table to eat so that I, who am walking by, can see
the beauty and loveliness of "family".

74. For the warm coat that my dear man bought me last winter which withstands temperatures of 40 below quite tolerably well.

75. For the delight that my children show me when I come back
into the house after only twenty minutes of being gone.
"Mommy, you're home! I missed you, Mom!"

76. For the warmth pouring from our fireplace that warms me when I come in.

77. And for the warmth of loved ones surrounding me.

78. For my DH who so generously tucks the boys into bed each evening.

79. And that he takes the time to pray with them and talk with them before turning out the light.

80. For a nice slow Saturday of being home... together as a family.

*****

Learning to "live out loud"

Something about this photo of Tasha Tudor just speaks to me.
I think it's because this is the way I want to be "when I grow up".

I don't want to just stop learning things as I get older.

I want to use everyday of this beautiful life given to me to learn new things and to "live out loud". When I saw this photo in a magazine that did a story on her, I immediately ripped it out for my homemaking journal. I didn't have to even think about whether I really loved it or not. I knew that it was perfect.

One of my goals is to learn to paint with watercolor. I especially want to learn how to do closeups of flowers.

I haven't read up on Tasha Tudor at all but I just think the pictures of her are so inspiring. Take a look here if your interested.

Click on the picture to read the quote about living out loud.

fphoto Friday

My youngest, Allan. Summer of 2007

Click on the picture to see him up close... it's worth it... he really is just that cute!
(I'm not biased or anything *grin*)

More fphoto Friday pics at Natalie's blog, Married to the Preacher.

Pay it Forward Challenge

A couple of days ago I signed up over at scraps in bloom for a "Pay it Forward " challenge. I thought it would be fun and so here is the way to sign up if your interested in joining us as we share our creativity around the world. Quoted directly from Krista's blog:

• be the first 3 bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me!!!
• be willing to post this challenge on your blog, (meaning, that you will then ‘pay-it-forward’, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers that leave a comment on YOUR blog!!)

as far as i can tell, the gift can be any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item.

which means, you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. (end quote)

So what da yah think? Should be fun, eh? Leave a comment if you wanna join!

And Happy Thanksgiving Day to all o' you in the United States!

In the Good and the Bad

"At all times and for everything

giving thanks

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

to God the Father" Ephesians 5:20

I am finding it easy to thank God for what I consider to be good things in my life and I know that's what He wants... That we acknowledge that we know all blessings come from Him and that we thank Him for it. But how about the times that we consider things to be not so good? The bad times. There have been a few tough things in our lives right now and I want to learn how to thank him in everything... to learn to see the good in everything and when there is just no good that I can see, to thank Him anyway, because He is in control no matter what.

So here are a few of "the bad" things that I am thankful for:

The Bad: This mess on our driveway of construction materials ... The Good: Shows that I have a hardworking husband who cares so much about our financial future that he took on this huge project of bringing in a house and renovating it from top to bottom in the hopes of making a good profit on it. The Bad: Said house is still not sold!... The Good: This has taught us some major lessons in trusting God for his perfect timing and for His provision in our lives while the finances are tight.

The Bad: Longing for another child and not having that longing fullfilled... The Good: Again, learning to trust in Him for His perfect timing. And thanking Him for the three wonderful boy blessings that He has already so lavishly bestowed upon us.

And on a lighter note: )

The Bad: Piles of Dirty Laundry needing to be washed: The Good: That I have 3 messy, happy boys and a large yard where they can run and play and get dirty.

The Bad: A stack of worn towels... The Good: We have clean water to bathe in daily, a nice bathroom and shower and at least we have towels! Also, a washing machine and dryer that are probably the culprits of this but I'm sure thankful I have them!

The Bad: Holes discovered in the knees of boy pants while folding laundry... The Good: That said boys have the energy and health to be so rambunctious.

The Bad: The sometimes grating sound of stumbling fingers over piano keys... The Good: That He has given us music and the sense of hearing to enjoy it. That the boys are so eager to learn new songs. That we have this beautiful old piano to practice on.

The Bad: Sticky fingerprints that show up so easily on my red cabinet doors... The Good: That there are little fingers in this home that put them there. That we actually have cabinets to put our food in. That we actually have food that causes the sticky fingerprints and that I got the red kitchen I've always wanted.

Gift List #'s 48 to 64

The Way it Is.

I have been wanting to write out something along these lines for quite some time now and just never seemed to be able to put the words together in my head until I came across this quote at the bottom of Prairie Chick's blog, the Prairie Prologue, and when I read it I thought, "that is pretty much exactly what I want to say!" So instead of racking my brain trying to come up with my own thing I am just going to copy... with proper quoting, of course! So here it is:

"Well, first I must just say – because the thought of another Mama out there feeling somehow inadequate just about breaks my heart – that I most certainly do not ‘do it all’. Sometimes the nature of blogs – and particularly the way that I keep mine focused for the most part on the joy - can create a bit of a false illusion. So I hope no one ever forgets that what you might see on a blog is just one paragraph of someone’s day, or what they’ve chosen to focus on from their day."

Amanda Soule from SouleMama

As an example, here is just one short half hour or so from my Friday last week. Not to say that the rest of the day was bad... it was just a regular day. I helped clean my sister's house in the morning, did some babysitting in the afternoon, threw in a bit of schoolwork for Jayden, etc., etc. You know how it goes! : )

Now, the following pictures (by themselves) may seem like I am the type of mom who bakes with my children all the time and lavishes them with yummy goodies fresh from the oven on a daily basis. The reason why I took these pictures for my blog was to remind myself in the future that I did occasionally do this kind of thing. Seriously, it's such a big deal for me to make dough and roll it out that I wanted to capture the moment in case it never happens again. Of course it will, one just can never say when. ; )

Here's how it really went:

Jayden asks me to roll out the dough for some tea biscuits I have decided to make because I am craving something sweet and I can't find anything in the house that falls into that category, not even chocolate chips! ; )

Now, I haven't baked in ages because I am finding it to be a lot easier to buy the 50% off baked goods at the grocery store when I can get there early enough in the mornings. I would love to be like "the mom who bakes bread, etc. everyday", for my kid's sake, 'cause I think it makes for some good memories, but I'm just not. I don't really like the mess and I didn't even really want Jayden to help me, but I did, and I'm happy about that.

Here is the dough sprinkled with cinnamon and coconut. If I had taken a wider shot of this picture you would have seen three pairs of little hands trying to grab a taste. Even wider? Three children. Two up on stools leaning over the counter and one ON the counter! Gasp! I know! Not very sanitary, eh? But I'm sure your kids have done it too! ; )

And here they are fresh from the oven! "Rich Tea Biscuits" from Company's Coming Cookbook, "Muffins and more". You can imagine what I was hearing while taking this picture. "Mom, can I have some? Mom, mom! Can I try some, mom?!" and so on... "Yes, but hold on! Just let me get a picture! It's not everyday that I bake, you know."

You think they're tired of me and my camera yet? I wonder what sort of memory that will make for them. I can just hear them in the future saying, "Mom was always taking pictures of the oddest things!" Hmmm...

So there you have it. My life isn't all roses but it's beautiful in it's own way and I especially wouldn't give up having messy, loud (but joyful) children for the world!

" In every season of life

there is something to celebrate."

~ painting and quote by Marjolein Bastin

I have this quote on a bookmark that I got from my dear friend.

Isn't it just so true?

Special Moments

Continuing gratitude:
36. For the view from my bedroom window this bright November morning.
37. For the mature trees on our yard that provide privacy
and a place for the children to climb and play.

38. For quiet moments with Allan when he comes to me for a cuddle.
39. That it happens often.
40. That he sucks his thumb when he sees me and is planning on coming to sit on my lap. It's like he associates me with comfort and I love that.
41. For the chair that I moved by the window so that the winter sunlight could fall in on whoever sits there... usually me when I am cross stitching or reading or just relaxing with my kiddos.

42. Sunlight falling on His words that give me strength for the day. Psalm 145 and 147 are really helping me lately.
43. The rocking chair in my room where I can come for moments of peace and quiet.

44. My children playing outside in the sunshine this morning.

45. The amazing warm weather that we have been having off and on this November. Each warm day has been a blessed surprise, so unusual for this time of year.

46. Sheets hanging on the line, flapping in the breeze, for what will most likely be the last time this year.

47. Ice skating with Jayden this afternoon. Just me and him... special time together.

Wonder...

I absolutely adore this picture of my middle child Marcus that I took in January of 2005 when he was just 11 months old. I try to tell the boys that Marcus is "talking" to that baby in the hole in the floor but I can't seem to fool them...seems pretty believable to me. What do you think? ; )

I joined the Gratitude Community and will

be continuing my 1000 gift list that

I started a few months back,

(listed to 35 and so will continue from there)

cultivating a heart of thankfulness to my Lord.

As Ann says "Let's Give Thanks to Him who

Gives and Gives and GIVES!"

Will you join us?

That's just how I FEEL!

My dear sister, Tracy, gave me a "peep behind the scene" as to

all the emotions she felt yesterday and asked if

anyone wanted to join in.

So here is my list of all the feelings I felt today (highlighted in bold).

abandoned adequate admired afraid
amazed amused angry annoyed
anxious apathetic appreciated apprehensive
ashamed awkward bashful betrayed
bitter blessed bored cared for
certain competent concerned conflicted
confused contemptuous content courageous
critical daring defensive degraded
dejected delighted demeaned desperate
detached disappointed discouraged disgraced
disgusted doubtful driven ecstatic
edgy embarrassed empty enthusiastic
envious excited excluded fearful
fed up fortunate fragile frantic
free frustrated gloomy grateful
guilty happy helpless hopeful
hopeless horrified hostile humiliated
hurt ignored impassioned impatient
inadequate included incompetent indifferent
indignant inferior invalidated invisible
irritated jealous joyful lethargic
lonely loved mad manipulated
misunderstood mixed up neglected nervous
oppressed overburdened patient panicky
passionate popular powerless proud
rebellious regretful rejected relaxed
relieved remorseful resentful respected
sad serene shocked shy
strong supported sure suspicious
tender tense terrified threatened
trapped unappreciated uncertain understood
undervalued unhappy unloved unpopular
unsure upset used validated
valued vengeful vulnerable weak
worried worthless worthy

Wow... I had more than I thought. Can all these things go together in one day?

I tried my best to be completely honest... so, I guess so.

I think a big thing about today was that I had a real open and deep heart to heart talk with a really good friend of mine. I love these conversations because they make me feel all these things, both the good and bad.

How 'bout you?

He's just so much like me...

Lately my middle son Marcus(4) has been getting up in the morning and going straight to the bathroom to do this...

Yes. Slick down his hair. I cringe when I see it because I think it looks silly. But really he is just so much like me when I was a little girl (just in a boy sort of way). I have to force myself to not make negative comments about it because he really thinks that it makes him look nice. I did the same things as a little girl... I remember. I shudder now to think of the funny ways I dressed or did my hair... but I was really just trying to look (what I thought was) my best!

Isnt' he cute? I just wouldn't want him to do his hair like that in public. You know where that stems from, right? I feel too often that my children are a reflection of who I am and that if they look or act silly then I must be a silly mom. I know this is wrong thinking. My children are their own person and not my "possessions".

Even though this post is about outward appearance it also has a lot to do with behaviour, as well. I want my children's hearts. I want them to do things for me because they love me and want to please me, not just because "Mom said, and I better obey her, or else...".

Last week, when I was talking about homeschooling I mentioned that I was reading an article (a 26 page article) and that it was really helping me. I wasn't going to bother you with a link but here it is anyway! It's mainly about how to have your children's heart, about not over-sheltering, and about letting them see us have a genuine relationship with our loving Saviour.

This homeshooling father writes that there is no one way to raise our children except to trust in the Lord. We so often are looking for a proven formula and hope to find it through self help or parenting books. Though these may help, they are never the "be all end all". Having a deeply true and right relationship with our Father God (one that shines through to our children in our every day life) and trusting in Him for our children, while still gently guiding them in right decision making, is the only way.

How does this tie into the part about Marcus slicking down his hair? Well, I just feel that if I make an issue about it for my own sake (because I don't want people to think I do his hair funny) that, even though this is a little thing, it could pertain to bigger issues in the long run. I want him to know that he is okay. That I love him and except him for who he is no matter what.

I hope this all makes sense... it seems to me I'm just rambling. But if I've peaked your interest, go read the article and then let me know what you think...

I'm getting there!

This is a huge project I started way back in

Autumn of 2006.

Slowly but surely I'm getting it done.

I'm just giving you a sneak peak...

to motivate me to get it done so that I can show you the whole thing.

My goal was to have it finished by the end of the year.

Hmmm...

I'm definitely running out of time.

Thinking about babies tonight

and how especially precious newborns are.

I wish I could tell you

that another little one is on the way...

but I can't.

Photo: My newborn Allan.

Just 3 hours after he was born on October 17, 2005

What have I done?

I found this over at Lori's blog, "The Simple Life at

Home", and thought it would be fun...Things that I have done (Highlighted in bold)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (uh, ick!!!)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Only 24??? Wow... looks like I don't get out much!
How 'bout you?

Full Moon

How like a queen comes forth

the lonely Moon

From the slow opening curtains

of the clouds

Walking in beauty to her

midnight throne!

~George Croly, Diana

Full moom last night. Did you all enjoy it as well?

"I Want the Snowman One!"

I have three bowls in my kitchen that DRIVE ME CRAZY...

Well, I guess it's not actually the bowls that put me over the edge

but the way the boys are about them.

On the mornings (which is almost every morning)

that I open the cupboard to get bowls for the oatmeal

and realize that these three are the only clean ones I cringe.

I know that as soon as the boys come into the kitchen

I will here things like:

"I want the snowman one!"

"I don't want the angel one!"

"Quick, get the bear one!"

"Ha ha, Allan has to have the angel one!"

Or visaversa and so on...

"Argh! Don't worry about it!", I say. But it never

seems to help. Why does it have to be such an issue!!??

I never know which one to give to which kid because

I know that whatever I do someones not gonna be happy.

Am I giving my kids a complex by giving them the angel one?

When I do, I here things like:

"I always have to have the angel one!"

"I hate the angel one!"

Do they think I love them less for giving them the angel one?

(I do try to make it even.)

They think it's for girls even though I've tried to tell them that

the only angels I've ever heard of where boys...

believe me, I've tried everything. ;)

EXCEPT: Throwing them out and getting some

simple thrifted plain ones!

Yeah! Maybe that's what I should do!

Now I just gotta remember next time I'm in town....

I bought those bowls before I ever had children...

if only I had known!

I've definitely learned my lesson...

never again will I buy cute bowls with pictures on the side!

P.S. I know this is all pretty trivial but I wanted to blog about it just for fun. ;)

Learning at Home Continued

So after that little rant that I posted last night, I am a bit embarrassed and very much want to delete it before anyone gets the chance to read it. But I won't. Because that is really how I have been feeling and it's good to be honest about how we are feeling, right? And I must admit that it helped a lot. I feel so much better about the whole thing. I have been reading this great article that I found on the internet about homeschooling ( I won't bother you with it... it's 26 pages long!) and I feel that I need to write down the reason why I have chosen to homeschool and my goals and beliefs as well.
I have been told to do this before but never have bothered and now I feel that the lack of it is causing me to sway too much back and forth in what I want.
I also need to put together a homeschooling journal in order to record our learning for each day. I seem to think that if we haven't done any "book work" on any given day that we haven't home schooled and I right away feel like I am failing. But if I really think about it, we do a lot of learning through out the day that I forget about because I don't consider it "schooling". If I can remember to write these things down in a journal then I can look back and think, "wow, we have done a lot of learning this year... look at how much we've accomplished!".

I've also reorganized my space for all the "school stuff". Originally I had it in a cupboard in the kitchen. Out of sight, it was often out of mind, except for when I let myself think about it and feel guilty that we weren't "doing as much as we should". Now I have it out in the open and I hope that will motivate me to keep it more organized and neat... And to actually do it!

Well, that's it for now. I know I could write a whole lot more but I am feeling a bit vulnerable about what you all will think. However, I do know I am not the only one who struggles with all this home school stuff. There are so many opinions and ideas out there that it can be very overwhelming!

Learning at Home

I've been having so many mixed feelings

about home schooling this year... so many pros...

but sometimes I feel like there are too many cons

to keeping my children at home to learn.

I've had to have many serious talks with my 6 year old lately

about the way he behaves when it's time to do book work

and he just never seems to get it.

He whines, he complains,

he mumbles when it's time for him to practice his reading.

His mind wanders and he gets distracted easily.

I know... he's only six! "Let him be", you say. BUT HOW?

I want him to be able to fit into the proper grade for his age

in case the situation arises where he may NEED to be in school.

And how does unschooling work.

I guess I kinda know but I am the type to want

to SEE progress on paper!

He's definitely smart.

He does really well on everything he puts his mind to.

I just have serious problems with his attitude

and I don't want to bribe him every time I need him

to do his schooling.

ANYWAY... that was a bit of a ramble.

Just needed to get my thoughts down.

I've been feeling a little "YUCK" about it all lately.

On a brighter note:

This is where Jayden did his book learning today...

" UNDER the desk is way better than AT. "

Marcus loves to watch him and I know he's learning lots by doing so...it's just that he can be somewhat distracting for Jayden at times. I do try to let him as much as possible, though.

And REALLY. He is such a delight!

Me and my boy...

growing and learning through life...

TOGETHER.

I'm Smiling...

I just have to show you what I did this morning...
I'm so proud of it!

Yes, SCRAPBOOKING!


The words on the 1st page say:

"I'm smiling 'cause you're my brother
and I'm laughing 'cause there's nothing
you can do about it!"

And the words on the 2nd page say:

"A brother is... All boy, best buddy, loyal, dependable, brotherly love, protective and a friend.

I took the pictures a few weeks ago especially for the purpose of using those words and they turned out AWESOME if I may say so myself.

(Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Project Unveiled

So this is what I've been doing lately.
Inspired by some of the home making journal's I have been seeing

around blog land, I decided to start one myself.
Here's how I'm doing it.
I just brows through old magazines
and if I see something I like, I rip it out.
I don't think too much about it;

Love it? Rip it.

It's really neat to go back and look at what I chose.
It definitely tells me something about myself.
So far?
I absolutely love nature and beautiful things... who doesn't?

After gaining a pile of ripped out pages about an inch thick
I sorted them all into seasons
and put them in separate folders
so that I could arrange them in order in my journal.
I want to start in January
recording little things that happen throughout my day.
Appointments, quotes, cute things the kids did or said,

romantic things from my hubby, etc.

Just a bit of my life recorded for history.

Would you like to do one too?

Let me know. I'd love to know who else is joining me
and it would be great to see some of your pages as well!

That's Why!

As I was going along today, thinking about a blog post I have been working on, I suddenly had a revelation about something. This is it:

The reason why I like getting "comments" so much is because... I am a "words of affirmation" girl! You know the book, "The Five Love Languages"? Well, I give love and feel love through words of affirmation! I always wondered why it was so important to me. Originally, when I started this blog it was simply for the purpose of keeping a bit of a record of my day to day life. I wasn't even sure whether I would give out my blog address to anyone. So why is it so important to me that people actually read what I write and then let me know if they like it? Well, that's why.... words of affirmation... I feel loved when I get good comments. Does that sound really lame? Probably. But that's just the way it is.

Now no pressure... I don't want you all to stop reading just because you're scared that every time you do I'll be expecting a comment. I understand that some don't think it's too important
because you have a different love language. Either that or you just don't love me! :( Just kidding! ;) I know you love me. So please don't ever leave a negative comment or I just might shut down the whole thing and call it quits!

So, there you have it. That's me!

And about that blog post I've been working on? Hopefully, I'll get it up tomorrow...

Psalm 1 by Memory

This is what Jayden and I have been working on for the past 7 weeks.

It's so special to be able to memorize scripture together.

He's very proud of himself so I told him I would put the video on the "computer" so that Auntie's and Oma's and whoever else is interested could see how well he's done.

Leave a comment... he's waiting to hear what you think! ;)

First Snowman of the Year!

Woke up this morning to this. 7:00am and the boys are asking to go outside. Gave them breakfast and then did this while they played around me.
Flipping through magazines (ripping out pages... more on the reason for this in another post) in my chair by the window with my favorite mug of coffee and my nice cozy sweater.

Glancing out the window at this...

Taking pictures of this.... Allan all bundled up...

Mr. Snowman created by ... Jayden...
And 10 minutes later...

Drying by the fire.

Doorways

" Between every two pines

is a doorway to a new world."

~John Muir

Took a leisurely ramble down to the pond yesterday morning

with my sister, her two littlest, and my three.

So glad we took the time to get outside in the fresh air

on what looks to have been the last warm day for a while.

I'm gonna have to get real creative with warm clothes

in order to keep this up through the cold prairie winters! ;)

Getting Outside

"It seems to me that we all

look at Nature too much,

and live with her too little."

~Oscar Wilde

So... Inspired by the chapter "kids... beyond the backyard" in this book, we set out as a family yesterday afternoon to the lake for a stroll through "the wild".

The weather was beautiful for this time of year (19 c) and I was all excited, thinking that even though it may get a little chilly towards evening I would just bundle the children real well with warm coats and even brought along mittens just in case!

Low and behold, when we got to the lake, I proceeded to get out the coats and found that I had forgotten Allan's coat in the stack I had taken!

Well, we decided we'd just have to make do and so Marcus' coat went on Allan, Jayden's coat went on Marcus, Daddy's coat went on Jayden and Daddy?... well, Daddy just had to freeze, that was all there was to it. First we took a trail along the side of the lake.


When I wasn't carrying Allan...We were doing this.

We we got back from our walk we made a fire and roasted wieners. Then a rousing game of tag with all five of us, a big pile of leaves for jumping in and burying each other and a ramble through the trees in the twilight looking for sticks to put on the fire.

We drove home through the dark with the boys falling asleep in the back seat...

So thankful to have made these beautiful memories of crisp Autumn moments.