happy beautiful saturday...

and yes, she almost always looks like this at the end of the day!

happy finally fall to you...I am finally feeling at ease as I glimpse out the window this lovely fall morning and I see all the yellows, oranges and gold's that are filling the trees. The house is cleaned, T is up for a mid morning snooze, and lil man is watching an animal program. Ahhhhh, fall.

Here all is more or less good, kiddos have been battling yet another head cold, though have really been troopers about it! No fussing, just drippy noses and glazed over eyes, but overall, happy kidlets.

Looking forward to some girly grounding time this afternoon, as Leah and Stefania will be making their way out to the Homefront, and I am so excited to have some playtime....some stress free time.

Props to my dad, as he received a HUGE honor at work yesterday, and we packed up the gang and headed over to watch him get his award, and be notified that he will be receiving an even bigger one next week...
as the presenter said...."he' s just good folk...." WE AGREE, and are so proud of you!

off to do some baking....hugs and fall sunshine to you all....

fall delights.....

after our last bbq weather of the summer, we have all pulled on our cozy socks and sweatshirts and are so ready to celebrate fall as it arrives this saturday.


today the kidlets and I spent the morning with the gilbert crew and had a wonderful time....did some much needed apple picking, (though I was utterly disgusted by the amount of white residue on the apples that our beans were touchig, amazingly not one of the 3 mobile kidlets even attempted to put one in their mouths...)

the weather was warm in the sun, chilly in the shade, just the perfect balance...

we picked a big bag o' apples, then came home, and Nin treated us to some tasty pizza and the babes played and amused each other while the mamas had some chat time...it was a much needed morning for this mama...



the little man, is absolutely smitten with his girlfirend gracie, and it is just absolutely the stinkin most adorable relationship to watch bud...




Nin, I must say our visits are so grounding, refreshing, inspiring....centering. So love spending time with you and your crew, wished today as you left, that we could buy some land and farm it up...let the babes run wild and the mamas too....
hugs, and happy apple crispin your way...

tommarow I am the helper mom at lil man's school, I am so excited to watch him in his element and learn more about his class buddies.

all else is well, a parting pic, just for kicks, my bohemian baby....

a wedding weekend...

after a lengthy week of headcold craziness, things came to a head with weekend wedding madness.....

my boys looked incredibly handsome in their tuxes, which the lil man lovingly refers to as his "tuxmeeno"....but my goodness, how stinkin' cute he looked....

it was a beautiful weekend, and the wedding went off for the most part with out a hitch...the kiddies were fantastic, and danced the night away, with very little fuss, and generally wonderful dispositions.

our very good friend Eric was the photographer, and I am thrilled, as I know he snapped lots of great shots of the kiddos, and I cannot wait to get my hands on them...

To all you folks who were fabulous with the kids at the wedding, Mimi, Pa, Auntie Max, Brooke, Ben and Sarah, it was so nice to feel like they had lots of eyes watching them and I didn't have to be in constant motion...was nice to drink a cup of decaf and take a five minute breather at the end of the night.

so, coming to us now, is a QUIET week, I am so refreshed, and ready to relax, with no more major events in store for a good long while...

wed, nin, i CAN'T WAIT....apples and decaf, and hanging....cannot wait to visit and spend some time planning out the commune......

FANIA!!!!!!!!!!Call me and let's set a date....I am so anxious to see you girls....


hoping to see all your smiling faces soon....

i was that mom....

so those of you that know me well, know that I am a total germaphobic mama...my kids despite this fact, do things like lick the shopping cart handles, or put their fingers in strange places when we go out, and everything goes in their mouths. I know this is the age, and that's what kids do, but my kids pick up every cold and bug that is available....

hence, we have begun fall with a head cold...runny noses and scratchy throats. Delightful...however, Lil man with the help of some Elderberry syrup, seemed to kick the bug in just a few days, so alas, when Tuesday arrived and he reaaallllllly wanted to go to school, I said fine, he had barely a sniffle left, no temp, and looked fine....

forgetting of course that my lil man repeats everything he hears...

so, out came, "HELLO MRS. JOY, TODAY I HAVE A STINKIN' HEAD COLD."

I love this child.

Later getting topsoil with dad..to the check out lady, "hi, my name is Myles, and I have a head cold...."

LOVELY. Might I say in my defense, he really was over his cold, and today he appears as though there is not a trace remaining...but my goodness, I must look like that mom that drags her kidlets around and does her errands anyway because it's just that important...

what can I say, my bad....it won't happen again!

baby belly update.....

click on the pic to see him bigger...
it's.....another little man. I am thrilled.
Monday a.m. was the big appointment....the new bean is doing wonderful, it was so nice to see and watch the lil one move all around. The tech did a 3-d and 4-d as well, which was just amazing to see. She was stunned, as I couldn't stop crying it just was so super grounding and healing to know that I will be able to name this child in honor of my beloved grandfather that passed away during the winter of last year. He was one of the most important people in my life, and it was so wonderful to know that I will have this special man's memory and legacy live on....
always.
So love you....
In some small way, it is the first time I truly feel settled about his passing. I know it was long past his time, and that he had suffered more than any soul should, but I missed him so much, as do the rest of his family....
and I think I am finally at peace...
(excuse the blurs, the photo is out of focus in the original, but as my mom says, it just captures his spirit...)



Teags is rockin' out in Lil man's jammies, and I am so handing everything down....she can do army pants like it's nobody's biz...
Her cold lingered a bit longer, but I think it is on it's way out now.
She is very excited about the new bean, but insists that Bry has one in his belly too.
Oh, well, what she thinks she knows, certainly won't hurt anyone, and it is amusing in the meantime....

The foot doc was a wash AGAIN...2-3 possibly four more weeks, til this bad boy heals. Delightful. Nothing like a boot hobble and a preggo waddle to compliment each other. Fantastic.

Peep shouts....
Nin, your Sept.11th post...heartbreakingly honest, as you are, and beautiful, as you are. I miss you, and am so desperately looking forward to next wed. as those apples are calling, and lil man may start walking to see gracie if we hold out much longer...are we up on pen pal fun?
Oh, and put me down on the created commune, I am all over that part of your life list...

Fania, hearts,hugs, and smooches, after this weekend we get to pick a day right???? I would love to see you and Leah, and maybe even have a ladies night out to dinner?? I can drive with a shoe, and then put the boot back on....
hi and, can i just tell you when I run spell check, Fania's correction, is fanny...

Chels. Hang in...we are thinkin about you, and can't wait til thanksgiving. (For the turkey and cranberry sauce of course:))


anyhow, off to make some apple crisp...
hugs all...
coziness, and fall delights

Al

school dayz....

well folks, we are home. it was a successful morning, though leaving the house was a bit rocky. Lil man clearly was in a rough mode to start the day, and had an all out fuss fest with me before we actually got to the car, hence, all my preconceived ideas about a bunch of smiley pictures and happy faces on the way to the car were diminished over screaming fits about which backpack we should bring, and why his pjs didn't need to go in the laundry.....
so, when we finally did get out to the car, it was a little bit less climactic than we all thought it would be. The school is just a few miles down the road, yet by the time we reached the school, the home fussies were long since forgotten...




I could not believe my lil man, so big and independent. He was "all set" with holding my hand once we got out of the parking lot, and I actually had to step out of the room, as I got a little bit misty eyed, and I was clearly the only basket-case looking mama in sight, but lucky Bry was there to laugh at me and smile reassuringly that indeed I was the only basket case there snapping pics through my teary eyes...there was a dozen other children, half or more of whom were clinging for dear life to mom, and my lil guy, and girl for that matter who were ready to check us at the door. He just wanted at those kids and toys. I was one proud mama for sure, he walked right over to his teacher and proudly introduced himself and she was just so smitten.

Overall it was a positive experience the little guy got acquainted with all the other little beans and his classroom, and his teacher Mrs. Joy, yup that is really her name...and we got to watch our little man take his first steps out there into the beginnings of his own little world....

After a good-bye and a hug from Mrs. Joy, who is just to kind and sweet for words, he hopped of to grab his back-pack out of his cubby and off we were to hang for the rest of the day.



So, tommarow is a new day, and we will be back to school, and lil man will be on his own to play and learn and explore....I am so thrilled that he has made the transition thus far as smoothly as he has!

In other news here is wedding craziness, as my sister in law is getting married... in two weeks and we have some bachelorette fun and bachelor party madness followed by spa-ing, a rehearsal dinner and wedding delights!

all our love to you and yours, and as of monday a.m, there will be baby updates....

fall cozies and cups of decaf!

Al

Good morning all, well, we are off to take Lil man to his preschool orientation, to meet his teacher, and see his classroom....

I am chock full o' anxiety, excitement, and saddened a little that it is already time for him to be his own lil person all by himself in this big old world....but I know he will be great....

more to post later, and fill you all in...

happy fall. happy cozy sweatshirt mornings. happy macintosh apples are almost here....