"you are fall..."

hey all....hoping all you out there are doing well, including all you lurkers who have been telling me that you read....welcome! happy fall....


this right here is a box o'heaven...a big old box of macintosh apples on a chilly fall day. AHhhhhhhhhh.

believe it or not, my crew went apple picking AGAIN, that is three times in three weeks, and let me just say, I plan on going once a week til the apples are dunzo. We already have plans to go on thurs. with the lil mans' school field trip...


click on image to enlarge....not that the belly doesn't look plenty big from a distance....


My girls came to visit on saturday, and we had such a lovely time tromping through the most amazing orchard, just about a mile from the home front...miles of apples as far as the eye can see...pumpkins, berries, mums, dried flowers.....fall delights aplenty. It was so nice to spend some quality time, get grounded, re-center, and enjoy the day.

the kidlets had a blast, as they always do when they are free to run and play and explore...




and as i stood in the orchard and stocked up on more apples than my arms could hold, I received the most amazing compliment...Stefania called me fall...

she said, you are like fall, the essence of fall, with your cozy sweater, apples everywhere, and reddish hair, it's so cute, you are like fall.. UHMMMMMM hello, not sure if you realized it girl, but I live for fall, and that in itself, was the ultimate compliment...so thanks for making me smile for days to come!

After orcharding it for a spell, we grabbed some fresh apple cider doughnuts, and some green mountain coffees and headed back to the homefront for some chill time on the front steps while the lil man tore it up in the driveway and T-girl took a snooze. It was a delightful, and totally necessary weekend girly bond session....love you guys both and can't wait to see your smiles again soon!



on all other fronts, things are pretty good, lil man is still battling this head cold, which is producing more nasty dripping than I have seen ever, but hopefully soon it will pass, as he has had it for so stinkin' long...

and last night bry and I had some cook time, together, me buckling down and making some apple cirspin' for the folks house tonight, and the big guy making his bombing chicken veggie noodle goodness soup...yum....cannot wait...

oh, and as today is Oct. 2nd, happy birthday grammie, we miss you.....

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....

my lil man....

goes to school....next week...wow....I cannot believe how old he is getting and how fast. It is truly amazing.....









and the little lady is not so far behind.....
hope all of you are doing well out there...as the summer comes to an end, and the school year begins...
looking forward to fall, and leaves and apples and the warmth of sweaters and jeans and all that the cozy seasons have to offer.

I stinkin' love the rain

well, as always, I am slackin' again. I have been meaning to post since this weekend and man, I just can't motivate. But alas, a rainy day, a napping lil lady, a busy bug playing with his trains, a blueberry buckle baking away in the oven, and some mama time to post and update all the peeps.

we are doing well here. the foot, well it's the foot. Still achy and agitating, but I guess one of these days it is gonna have to get better. We had a lovely weekend, Friday night dinner with the Foleys was a blast, the bruschetta to die for, as were the oysters I hear, but not for me...:) Uncle Ben and his gal Sara joined us as a last minute addition, and it was fabulous. I love to entertain, and have a house full of wonderful peeps to share a delicious meal with. The dinner bombin, and the dessert spectacular, a fruit and angel cake and creamy parfait a la Eric and Erin. Fun.

On Saturday afternoon, after a bleary eyed morning of dishes and upkeep to the house, we got to spend some wonderful q.t with Stefania....much needed, overdue and wonderful q.t.! It was so refreshing to sit and chat, and snack on yummy trader joes goodies....uhm, and can I just say, this girl, she read my mind, and showed up with CHOCOLATE COVERED BLUEBERRIES. So good! The kiddos had a great time visiting as well, and we simply cannot wait to see you again!

This is lil man diggin; on his new viewfinder before bed, in his mondo sized queen bed that his auntie chels gave him before her departure for Seattle....
The week itself has be slow, though monday found us finally doing a big ole whole foods shop and some falafel at the most beloved tangiers. Ahhh.....happy mama! Tues, shopping for some maternity wear for this belly, thanks min! Then some docs appts. later in the week, but overall a quiet week, which is nice, as it is back to school for me on monday a.m. hmmmm.....

OH! and a much belated congrats to you Molly, wasn't sure when you would have computer access again, but we are ultra thrilled for you both!

Anyhow folks, hope all you out there are doing fabulous, hugs, and rainy day kisses,

A

all in a day's time

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NINA GILBERT.....WE ARE SENDING YOU BIRTHDAY HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hey y'all hope everyone is doing fabulous....we are hangin' at the homefront enjoying this beautiful day. Mimi came over and did us some grocery shopping so we could have some yummy eats tonight with the Foley family who I simply cannot wait to see. Gonna make us some ultra delicious bruscetta chock full o' tomatoes from my garden, a cobb salad filled with avocados, kalamatas, chicken of the free range variety, some shrimp, cukes, tons more veggies, and mimi's delightful homemade dressing....I am excited....food has NOT been appealing to my preggo-belly lately, but this salad rocks my world....THANKS MIMI! we love you!
Speaking of the preggo belly...you can just see it peeking out of the corner of this pic of the lil' big man checkin' things out!

Lil' man got a sweet letter from his girl Gracie today, he was very excited..."my GIRLFRIEND sent me a letter....." So kuddos to you Gilberts for keeping some smiles on this mamas face today, I love, love the carrot card, so perfect for the day...and I was thinking, let's go apple picking...the kiddos, and we would LOVE that...fall, fall, fall......ahhhh....


I have been trying to take daily pics of me, my belly, my life as it rushes by, and document all the changes, I am desperately digging the site theshapeofamother.com
I am learning to try and love the things that irk me most about my body that has been ravaged by two babies and a third on the way...sometimes it is hard, to see what has become of me, but I vow to make a commitment to myself after this lil peanut arrives, to make some time for me to exercise and regain the control...till then, i am loving the belly and watching it grow.


and on a parting pic, these are the beans...lil man loves nothing more than to pee off the deck, and baby T tries to mimic this....makes me smile everytime.

Off to do some prep on dinner...hugs and sunshine to you all, and don't forget to let me know your here, I love to read your messages!
Chels.....we miss you......glad that you are having a wonderful trip, and I am gonna try and be more vigilant about these updates so that you stay up on our world way out yonder in Seattle! Love you!

hearting falls arrival

hey all, lil man and I have been busily gardening at the end of the day preparing our bellies for some fresh bruschetta this weekend with friends. The weather has been too beautiful for words, and we are loving being sunkissed and filled wish fresh fruits and veggies.

I am however loving the chill in the air when we awake in the morning. So I must say, I am anxiously awaiting the lots of apple picking, applesauce making, pie baking and turkey goodness that fall has to offer. Though I do not want to wish away the summer daze....

These days have been filled with lots of bonding time, animal crackers, movie madness and snoozies, as I still can't drive, but surprisingly I don't think the kids have run out of stuff to do, after all, there is always something new to break, take apart or spill. Gotta say, I am not loving leggos. how many times do you think
miss T can dump a full box before she gets bored...oh, and her new favorite word is "Mess" Too much they are these kiddos.



Nin, Sending crazy birthday loving and some virtual chocolate covered blueberries your way of the Trader Joes variety...if I could drive, they would already be on your kitchen table....missin you something fierce....

S.C. - am giddy with joy about seeing your face this weekend. I cannot wait. So much catching up to do


hugs all...

just hanging, healing and harvesting....

hey all, (are there any readers left?? I have been such a delinquent poster, that I imagine not, but hell, I'll fill y'all in anyhow...) feel free to comment guys, though, I love to know your out there and reading!



been a CRAZZZZY few weeks. as I posted last time, I fell and broke my foot, as it just so happens, I also damaged a muscle behind my knee while doing this, urgh, so after being laid up and waited on for a few weeks, I was given a soft cast, which is more or less like a big ole ski boot, and anyone who ski's, knows exactly how comfortable those are to walk around in. BUT, I am not complaining, as I have been able to at least put some weight on my right foot, yup, my RIGHT FOOT. that means NO WHEELS. urgh. So, still no driving, but we are getting there. I have had a tremendous amount of help from, my hubby, my folks, my sis and her bo, and my aunt and grandmother etc. so big props to all of them for putting up with me, who is not at all happy about sitting in the house.



so, we have been crazy busy, the folks surprise 30th anniversary party went of without a hitch, lots of yummy food, some surprised rents freshly back from Italy, and me, sitting on the couch as much as possible, as I had just fallen a day and a half previous. It was amazing that we were able to pull this one off! But it really was wonderful to see everyone.


the rents bash was followed by a wedding shower for my sister in law, at my place, that also went off without a hitch, more yummy food, (I am dying for those chocolate covered blueberries for trader joes....) lots of happy ladies, and some fun gifties.

whew....finally some time to rest. Oh no wait, just kidding, the kids then came down with some fever virus that produced a horrible rash, and a hubby with a migraine that landed him in the ER....TWICE. Nope not joking. Thanks dad for driving us and hanging with us, and mimi for manning the sleeping kiddos.

But enough of the chaos, we really are doing well, and in good spirits to boot.
(no pun intended) we have gotten to spend some good family time together and are enjoying that. I am also starting to be a little more able to take some duties on around the homefront.

My garden however neglected, as it is a long walk (for me) on uneven terrain, is doing beautifully.

Lil' man and I went out today (I BEGGED my hubby to let me) and harvested some fabulous tomatoes, an acorn squash, some cukes, and two peppers. I am thrilled, as I was so excited to spend my summer in the garden and it hasn't exactly worked out as such. My basil is also a happy guy, as are my chives....

Oh, and as a last bit of exciting news, to anybody who has read this far,

a lil' bean will be joining us around valentines day....we are very excited, and are looking forward to more craziness....


hugs to you all, and happy harvesting to my fellow garden groupies....

Al

p.s. nin - did you get your package? just wanna make sure there isn't some yummy soap a la whole foods melting into your porch somewhere....

what a day

hey all,

unfortunately i have some not so great news...i took a spill yesterday down a couple steps and tripped over the vacuum...so I am now sporting a broken foot, a hideous blue fracture shoe, and some crutches, which by the way are NO fun to use.

so, I am massively behind on e-mail, snail mail, and packages to my gilberts....so just know, I have your fun stuff, and I should have given it to you while you were here....urghhhh. so sorry. Lil man got his pen pal letter, and he and I have a date tonight to write back...yay! He is so thrilled....

I hope to post again, possibly after tommarow...

hugs to all,

A

holy heat, happiness and hecticness.....

hey y'all

I apologize per usual for the long break, but these kiddies keep me busy! been having lots of summer lovin' around here, and doing lots of visits, short trips and hangin' by the kiddie pool.

lots of plannin' and partying coming round the bend, my SIL Mindy is getting married in sept, and we are having the bridal shower here in just 14 days....holy chaos, MUST CLEAN HOUSE....
Took on the kids playroom today, got lots of pics hung, stuffs organized, and are working through the 600+ stuffed animals....what to do with them........any ideas.....

the folks are coming home on tues. from a super long and much deserved vaca in Italy, and the kids are thrilled...lil man just cannot seem to understand what in the hell they have been doing in the airport for three weeks...(we dropped them off there....)T-bo wakes up every morning looking for Pa, and the lil man has made a nightly ritual of telling me he is sad everynight because he misses mimi and pa...
so alas, we are very excited for their return....

had a fabulous visit with the gilbert clan, NINA - lil man is absolutely in love with gracie. As you all pulled away, he told me is in a very distraught voice, awwhhhh mommy I am so sad....my pretty girl is gone away....will we ever see her again....
it was so wonderful to see you and kev...and the babies...anyday you wanna rock the commune, I am there.

chels....lovin' chatting everyday...things are looking up....

foleys - makin s'mores last night by the fire....just 'bout made my summer....love you guys...
anyhow all, I am sending out mad cool breeze vibes your way. hugs, plentiful gardens and summer sunshine your way, Al

happy dad's day guys!

Just wanted to wish a happy father's day to the two kindest, gentlest, most thoughtful, self-less, warmest, caring dad's that I know.



-

I have been blessed in life to have the worlds' greatest dad,
as my children have the worlds' greatest PA






I also feel blessed that my children have the best Dada ever, and he's a damn good hubby too!


so our hat's off and our beers up to you guys, who rock our worlds on a regular basis. we love you.

Happy Father's Day,

Love, Al, Myles and Teagan