Boo!

Ben (left), with Jon in their Singapore army outfits, practising his "boo-ing" at a friend's party ahead of Halloween earlier...


I brought the little girl, too; she wasn't in any particular costume, and it didn't matter. The brothers said she went along as "mommy"...

Kait with her toy stroller that she loves to push around and forward and back, but not let me put any "pretend" baby/plush toy in it. Try, and she tosses it right out!

She's another strongwilled determined one, alright. Same doggedness she shows when she doesn't want to be in her own umbrella stroller, high-chair, and the shopping cart. Just don't ask me who she got that from! (Another day, maybe, I'll show you the biceps I have my babies to thank for).

P.S. This post in lieu of Sat's trick-or-treat pictures... till I can find the wire to download them. Afraid that's how organized I am not, and now, I have to scram!

Sky's the limit ii

A from-the-ground-up look at these fall foliage reaching for the sky, before the leaves will eventually all come down.

Not sure what they are though; looked it up and came across the Hedge Maple with its three to five-lobed leaves. Is this it? Maybe you can help shed some light.

As leaves fall

Small wonders...


Simple pleasures...

Let's start with these edible colours, from two of the fruits in season:
Besides the Gala apples, there's also the Cameo on that plate on the left. Of the pears, including the ones on the right plate, are three varieties -- the green Anjou, the red and green (turned yellow on ripening) Bartletts, and the brown Bosc that's great for cooking and baking, and tastes like the round Asian pear (not shown). But really, they're all delightful to eat out of hand. All of us, including Kait, love our fruits, and she always gives them the thumbs-up (her version is holding up one index finger for "good", or more fingers for "very good", as was the boys' when they were little, too).

Literally the fruits of the grower's labour, fall harvests and not to mention the colours are the season's best reminders for us to give thanks.

Now I may be getting a bit ahead here with the thanksgiving message already, but it's one I need to tell myself -- to focus on the joys, not that the frustrations aren't there. Same old things I'm trying not be weary about and need to give the "right" attention to: attitude from the tween, mischief from the middle child, and the youngest fighting her only nap and screaming her lungs out several times in the night thinking this mom is an all-you-can-drink-buffet! I'm so worn out, and it's awful when we have our "moments" all at the same time =(.

What helps: At day's end, if I can take a moment with the children to each pick at least one thing to be grateful for, we can try and wrap up a not-so-great day on a positive note. There's also tomorrow to look forward to: a brand new day for us to start again, no matter how messed up we are; God's love is new every morning!

Turning 14 months old last week, Kait's picked up more things. Like, blowing into the harmonica to make a little tune, pointing correctly to her nose when asked (but alas, thinking leaving her finger in there/picking her nose is funny!), and figuring out how to lift the lever on the safety gate and swing it open, and on a good day, she'll listen and shut it again instead of trying to walk up and down the stairs (vs. climbing up and scooting down backwards that's still safer for now). She also does quite a cool handstand, and the split! And oh yes, I have to watch her like a hawk!

Sky's the limit

No looking back for Jon and Ben, as they keep going all the way to the top of this rock-climbing frame, one fine fall day.

Kait looks on wistfully (hey, I want to be up there, too!), still clutching onto a leaf come off a tree.

To be cont'd...

Off the beaten track

Above: Kait, gleeful over a branch she picked up from the ground, uses it to poke a pine cone, and as a hiking stick -- to catch up with the guys! WAIT UP!!!

There we were, visiting with our children's honorary grandpa in nearby Idaho, on that final weekend of summer last month:

We traipsed around a little...

... and stopped to gaze a lot...



Ahhh...


... the majesty of His handiwork!


Jon and Ben didn't want that weekend to end.

Me neither.


Into the new season...
The fall colours are showing after the frost last weekend, after the children got better from the bug going around, that left us understandably more exhausted because of many more night wakings. And with Vern's heavy workload spilling into the nights and weekends, though not unlike the long hours he put in before, it's always tiring for him working late as it's for me tending to the children. But all the more I appreciate it when he carves out family time for us.

To try and catch him to sit down together for dinner, I push it to after 7.30pm, and give the kids a bigger snack before homework, and try and bathe them after I cook, instead of nearer to bedtime. Those afterschool hours are always my busiest, and meltdowns and fights more than spills and messes can just throw things off-track. But I don't stop trying; trying is what moms do, to pull our act together on a daily basis.

And schedules and weather permitting, being able to kick back and relax is surely something we look forward to. I hope you can steal some time for that this weekend... have a good one!

This was Kait's first real hike at 13 months old. The rocky beach is at the beautiful Green Bay.