Things I Never Thought I'd Say

Nate, get that bagel out of your pants!

Dad

Things we like to do with Dad:

1) Vacuum. Because if Dad does it, it has to be fun. (Jude calls it a HMM. Really.)



2) Read stories. Because Dad makes great voices for all of the characters.

A boy and his (Mama's) bear

I cannot believe that Gage found this thing. I remember it from when I was little. It has to be thirty years old and the music box still works. I worked a couple of weeks of the late shift a while back and wasn't around to tuck him in. He decided that this bear had to go to bed with him. And this is how he'd be sleeping when I got home.

Fall 2008

It is tradition that every fall, around mid September, hundreds of people in our city go out to the north end of town and take pictures under the maple trees. Apparently these trees were planted years ago by the armed forces that came from the east coast. They line the street for 20 blocks or so, on the far east side of what once was the army barracks. The land has been bought by a developer, the old army houses are being torn down or moved and new houses are springing up in their place. Thankfully the trees remain. If you come to the city from the north, it's the first thing you see, red and orange and gold all the way down the street.

We missed going last year, selling the condo and moving took over. The year before that, the twins couldn't even sit up on their own and it was a quick session. This year we could have stayed all day. Our friends came with us and the kids all played in the leaves and the grass. I took over 80 pictures in the hour we were out there and I can't decide on just a few, so I'm putting up a lot.


Nate had a very bad start to the day.

I am not going to have fun, you can't make me!



Jude and his puppy. He wouldn't leave the van without it.
Gage telling Arianna about his transport truck.


We were trying to get everyone around the wagon, but the boys insisted on pulling the girls.


Sofia is a natural! She didn't need any coaching at all.







Once he started climbing trees, his attitude improved.










I told the boys to go stand beside Sofia...
... and a giant game of chase broke out! The ran around in a circle, running over other people, but thankfully not into traffic.



Emilia is so sweet. The first year we came out here, it was Sofia that was kissing Gage and he looked all unsure.