hoping

for some more nice fall weather....


we're expecting frost when we wake up tomorrow.


last week it was actually quite warm during the day and even part of the evening was comfortable. and when the sunflowers get planted in July they finally bloom in October....love how the ladybugs enjoy them.

i'm wondering how frost-hardy sunflowers can be? their name doesn't imply much hope. but then neither does the "pansy"....sounds wimpy, but they are so tough. i guess time will tell.

a bit more fall weather

makes us all very happy!




finally managed to get us all together during daylight hours for a family photo session.

i was about to snap the first photo when a passerby offered to take our photo. would have been nice. probably was a pro too. that would have been very nice! but i was so excited to use the timer option on the camera and test it out. who would have guessed a blinking light would have gotten a smile out of the kids. maybe they were hoping a mouse would pop out?

this is where i had hoped to take the photo. there is a fountain here. and lots of big and old trees that form nearly a canopy over the roads. but the fountain was turned off. it would have been so awesome! fortunately that happily engaged couple got to take advantage of it....no bitterness here. snort.

only a few more weeks of being three.

recently Aidan and i had a conversation about age. he had wanted to do something...can't recall specifically now what it was. i told him that he could do that when he was ten years old. he knows he has a birthday coming. he asks me in the most sincerest tone, "will i be 10 at my next birthday, mommy?"

have i mentioned that this one has a crush on his hairdresser? Kris tried to get his haircut last week, but Simone was on holidays. Aidan refused to let anyone touch his hair. and with all the busy-ness of the week had i thought to make an appointment? nope! and today was his preschool photos. not that he looked 70's shaggy or anything. maybe just some OCD creeping in?

so today we tried to get in to see Simone. we had an hour window. she was busy. how dare she?! so i did what any self-respecting and desperate mother would do.

i bribed. "coffee". "fountain park". he was getting weak.

then i lied.

not to be mean. i told him that Simone could not cut his hair. but she had a friend who would be able to cut his hair in time for photos. yeah. but really...aren't all hairdressers truly kindred spirits anyway.....well....it wasn't a great move to model honesty...but it worked. the real problem is that he is attached to one hairdresser. hopefully she will not quit or move away for a few more years at least. fortunately we discovered a pinch hitter not too far away. and i forgot to get her name. yeesh!

he did get a cool bag of candy. and he was cool with that.

so was i. until he told Daddy that a friend of Simone's cut his hair today. way to model honesty. guess i have to turn in my mother of the year crown now....

you know

you take a lot of pictures when....

a Rescue Hero dog turns into a camera!

more busyness....

we had a quick visit from Sarah and her family. the kids and i had gone on a trip to Washington in February, so you might remember photos from that time.

they now have a four month old baby girl added to their fam.

Sarah
Nathan
Malachi (pronounced mal-ak-eye)

then they had

Violet

she is too young to participate in cousin shenanigans. yet.

for now she is content to keep her mama busy with feeding and holding her. i was sooo not thinking and missed an opportunity to take photos of her awake. and in good lighting. i know. i should have my photo and scrapbooking licenses revoked! please give me a second chance!

i was thankfully able to get some good opportunities to take photos of the oldest three. this was one of those opportunities that make you very thankful for a camera!

and so was this....

cute!

the extended fall weather has made for a great photo time. i had hoped to get some photos of the four of us last Sunday. had the perfect spot. perfect lighting. perfect weather. ruined by a happily engaged couple getting photos taken by a pro. seriously have never had that happen before. that is one lucky couple too. i should know. because that should have been us using that spot! lol. next time.