It's Beginning to Feel a lot Like......

FALL!!!!!! It's in the 60's today, and though it's overcast and gray, there is a little nip in the air, and we've lost some of our yucky humidity. I've been sooo looking forward to pot roasts, chili, pumpkin bread, spiced cider on the stove, and all of the other yummy delicacies that go hand-in-hand with the season.

Soooo....I have this ready to go in the oven. I have all afternoon to cook it nice and slooooooow....yum!



And, I just pulled this out of the oven. Pumpkin chocolate chip bread..mmmmmmmm......



I love fall!!!!

Brilliance...

We have had the most glorious September...beautiful, gorgeous, amazing...BRILLIANT! The skies have been robin's egg blue, with a few whispy clouds here and there...the colors are already stunning, and fall has only just begun to grace us with it's presence. I love, love, love this time of year!

My birthday was on Sunday, and after church, we had no plans at all...the weather was simply perfect so we knew we had to do something outside. On a whim, we packed the kids up and headed to our local arboretum. It was a perfect birthday. After walking for a couple of hours, and taking lots of pictures (one of my very favorite things to do :), we headed to our local market and bought dinner items, grilled up some salmon, with fresh herb salad (my favorite), and sat outside eating and sipping Mojitos. A perfect end to a perfect day!!!

Happy Birthday, Connor!!!!!

My "baby" boy turned four on Monday!!!! Wow, was it ever a whirl-wind day! Daddy was out of town all weekend getting the jet-ski ready to be "winterized"....(no tounge in cheek here, I promise ;). So, kiddos and I were left to our vices, getting ready for Connor's big birthday bash on Labor Day. Thank the Lord Mimi was around to help with the kids, because it was seriously CRAZY!!! Trips to the store (several), trying to stain deck furniture before the party, keeping the house in order, the kids entertained, and getting up in the middle of the night to feed nebulizer treatments to a sick boy....the night before his birthday. Ugh.

But, we did it. By the time Tommy got home on Monday, we were all at the end of our ropes. The kids were tired from lack of sleep and a big weekend. Tommy was exhausted from getting up before 3am to make the drive back from the cottage, and I was so spent I felt sick to my stomach, and thought of nothing but going back to bed all morning. But, we had a big, fat, party to get ready for. And, it was raining, no less. So, following in the footsteps of my friend Jess, I put on my big girl panties, and trucked on. I told Tommy that this was not about us, this was about Connor, and even though we were ready to drop, we needed to buck up, smile and get this party rollin'!

And...we did....and, we had FUN!!! Lot's of FUN!!! Connor had a blast, and loved his party so much! Everyone was AMAZING...pitching in, helping with all the details! We have such awesome friends and family, and it made the day so much better! Happy 4th Birthday, my little Buggy-boo!!! We love you more than words can say! (Next year, we might just go see a movie to celebrate your b-day, though! ;) LOL!

Connor's big present from us--his "Star Wars" room...of course, he wanted the light saber OFF the wall! ;)


Birthday moring!!!


Running around in the rain to try out his new sprinkler (which lasted all of 30 minutes before totally deflating ;)




Cake time!


Blowing out the candles...thought about his cold after the fact...sorry friends! Good thing most of the other kids had colds too. :(


Waiting patiently!


Pinata--Connor's favorite part! ;)


Brookie liked that Pinata, too!


And finally, with his birthday crown, celebrating at school!

Goin' to the Chapel...

My beautiful sister got engaged this weekend to the love of her life!!! Anna, we loooove you sooooo much, and couldn't be happier to welcome Brad into the family (that could have some crazy ramifications, especially with Tommy for a brother-in-law)! ;) Love you both dearly!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time...where has it gone???

Time is ticking away as I write this. I have so many things to do, and so little time...the clock reads 5:07. Tommy will be home in 30 minutes or so. I have nothing for dinner (can I give him mac & cheese? Will he mind a hot dog for the second night in a row? ;), the loads of laundry need to be switched before that yucky smell sets in, there are toys all over the house, the dog wants to go out for the 900th time today...time...there is never enough of it, yet I have a sense these last couple of days that I need to cherish every second of this incredible phase in our lives.

Yesterday, my Connor started preschool. A milestone, yes, but nothing to cry over! Nothing to get incredibly emotional about...right??? Ugh...tell a first-time mama (to an almost 4 year old) that! ;) Preschool starts at 12:30, so at about 10:00 yesterday morning, I looked outside at the breath-takingly beautiful blue sky, and decided we couldn't NOT go for a walk on this crisp September morning. It was PERFECT, gorgeous, GLORIOUS even. Temps. in the low 60's, very slight breeze, and brilliant sunshine. I pushed Brookie in the stroller, and Connor walked beside me, stopping to look at bag worms, snail shells, and of course, to pick his mama many, many dandelions and stalks of Queen Ann's Lace. Some of the time, we walked hand in hand.

I breathed in heavily, glancing down at his not-so-chubby-anymore little hand in mine, as he skipped along. So much ahead. So many things to look forward to! Right now, he's ever so anxious about me leaving him at school, but when will the day come when he says, "Mo-om, please don't come INTO my room when you come to pick me up from school--it's soooo embarrassing"...remember those days? I sure do (so sorry, Mom :). I had such a sense of what a BLESSING we have been given..getting to raise these incredible little beings. Watch them grow and learn and become their own special little people. Wow. A song kept playing in my head...a song my mom used to sing to me, that her father used to sing to her....

TURN AROUND
Written by: Harry Belafonte, Alan Greene & Malvina Reynolds


Where are you going
My little one, little one
Where are you going
My baby, my own

Turn around and you’re two
Turn around and you’re four
Turn around and you’re a young girl (boy)
Going out of the door

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and you’re a young girl (boy)
Going out of the door

Where are you going
My little one, little one
Little pigtails and petticoats
Where have they gone

Turn around and you’re tiny
Turn around and you’re grown
Turn around and you’re a young wife
With babes of your own

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and you’re a young wife
With babes of your own

Where have they gone
My little ones, little ones
Where have they gone
My babies, my own

Turn around and they’re young
Turn around and they’re old
Turn around and they’re gone
And we’ve no one to hold

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and they’re gone
And we’ve no one to hold

Where are you going
My baby, my own

Of course, I did get a little teary during circle-time at preschool (the parents got to stay the first day). Watching my little man follow directions, find his name, and work through some real anxieties. But, good tears...only good tears. The best is yet to come, I am sure! :) Congrats to all the other "big kids" who started (are starting) school again this fall!!! Prayers for a wonderful year!!!

SOCCER STAR!!!

Last night marked the end of baby-hood, and the beginning of life with a busy pre-schooler! ;) Connor had his first soccer practice/game, and even scored a goal for the "green team"! It started out a little rocky at first...not quite sure he wanted to play with new friends, especially when he "couldn't remember their names". He would cry a little, then buck-up, and do what he was told by his coaches (who are incredible, by the way)! Daddy had to encourage Mommy not to run out on the field and hold his hand, (literally)...so, Mommy and Brookie stayed on the sidelines (with Mimi and Grandpa who showed up for support ;), and watched. Wow--I never realized how hard it would be to refrain from running out there to wipe your child's every tear!!! :) It was so good for our little man, though. I let Daddy take the lead and provide most of the encouragement..which was a good thing in this situation!

By the end, he was thrilled, and we were the last ones to leave the field. He and his good friend Ellie, from down the street--who happens to be on the blue team, stayed and practiced for a good 45 minutes after his official practice ended. They had a blast, and he was chatting up a storm about his new-found love for the game of soccer the whole way home! So adorable! I was so proud of Connor, though. He's very "slow-to-warm-up" and has trouble adjusting to new situations. But, he hung in there, worked through the tears, made some new friends (maybe next week he'll remember their names :), and even scored a goal!!!! Yay!!!! Today marks the start of his first year of pre-school...praying that goes just as well! At least moms/dads get to stay for the first day!!!