I Love Autumn!!!

Autumn seems to be the shortest season. It is often flanked by lingering hot summer weather and premature snowfall giving the impression that it came and went in 2 or 3 weeks. The younger kids seem to really be into the Halloween part of things and are awaiting the many parties this weekend and trick or treating the following weekend with eager anticipation.

Last weekend we carved pumpkins and indulged in the seasonal apple sugar donuts and fresh apple cider...mmmm. The pumpkins look wonderful, but don't look at me...I just took pictures and cleaned up...Steven and the kids did all the work. On Sunday the weather was beautiful, and I was itching for a long walk. I headed over to Henry Ford Estate with Noah, Oliver, and Linus...camera in hand, and had a great time. Thanks to the late afternoon sun, I got some really lovely pictures.

Recap of Summer Events

Had I posted once a week or so, I wouldn't feel overwhelmed at the prospect of cramming most of the summer into one post. That's me...the picture next to the definition of "procrastinator" in the dictionary. In my defense, I did start a post last month covering part of the summer...thought I saved a draft, but NO. Surely I was distracted by some little imp needing a diaper change, a drink of something, a snack, or the oh so distinctive sound of the kitchen garbage can being overturned. That being said...here goes...and it's going to be quick...more pictures, less words.

Summer started with a trip to Rockford, IL to visit family. We have a membership to the Detroit Science Center which gained us access to many other museums. Our kids went to LOTS of museums this summer.



~Burpee Museum of Natural History, Rockford, IL~





~Discovery Center Museum, Rockford, IL~





~Field Museum, Chicago, IL~




~Nature Preserve (across the street from my mother's house), Loves Park, IL~
These are by far some of my favorite photos of the summer.






~Detroit Science Center~
Just me and Noah before he left to spend the summer in NJ with Larry.




~Lots of play time with cousins and friends~





Said goodbye to an old friend....



...and hello to a new one (new to us anyway).



~Kensington Metro Park~
...we were there quite a bit










Ok, so there's quite a bit more...but I'm just going to have to do it in 2 posts (or more).

That Oliver Is a Piece of Work

So I have no idea how to get into a routine now that I'm at home. I swore to myself that I'd shower everyday and get dressed rather than sitting around in pajamas until noon. Uh....Oliver asked me today why my legs are sharp, so I guess I'm looking like a slacker. I did get some sewing done today. I'm working on a "daddy shirt" outfit made from a lovely celadon and white gingham which I'm pairing with some of the Robert Kaufman organic cotton I got from one of my co-ops.
It's been so nice to have so much time with Oliver and Linus, and despite my cramped little sewing niche in the living room, I love that I can turn around and tickle, or stop what I'm doing at any given moment to kiss a boo boo, read a book (Linus brought me Green Eggs and Ham to read), or quickly respond when my little nursling is needy. I am amazed, by the way, at just how much he wants to nurse, and am saddened to think that he was missing out on so much mama milk while I was working. He still eats food, but obviously prefers more of my milk than anything.
Oliver and I had a couple of interesting conversations today. While I was checking email this morning, he walked up and pointed to pictures of the 2 presidential candidates, and correctly identified them both...by name...and color...he called John McCain the "peach one". I'm at a loss for where he got that. He also asked me if Nancy Pelosi was running for President...where does he get this...he's 3?
Before dinner, Oliver, Linus and I took a walk around the block. Linus walks too slow for Oliver, so he was quite a distance ahead of us. Suddenly he ran up to me to tell me that when he was up the street, I looked really small. So I started to explain how the distance between you and an object will effect how you percieve it's size. Pointing to the airplane flying overhead, he saw how small it looked, but having seen them close-up at the airport, understands their true size. He is suddenly seeing everything differently...oh to watch him learn is amazing! Of course 2 minutes later when he was more than half a block ahead of me, I ran up someone's driveway to retrieve Linus who had been distracted by some flowers, only to look ahead and see Oliver, pants and underwear around his ankles, peeing on someone's front lawn. Oh geeze! I was too far away to stop him, and thankfully nobody at the home saw him. I carried Linus the rest of the way, and we walked quickly...at least till we rounded the corner.

A Foggy Day

This is Joy Rd. out in Plymouth on the way to Noah's school. This particular morning was very foggy, and I'm glad I had my camera.