Trick or Treat!

Happy fall all!  After such a dry summer, I was afraid the leaves would be nothing but brown this year.  But summer ended with a flourish of rain and the trees recovered in time to put out their usual beauty.  I love the sugar maples in our front yard.  They are so brilliant in their reds and oranges, they almost look like that are on fire.  But now all the leaves are gone and we've been steadily clearing them out of the yard.  We don't have a yard waste pick up service out here, so we either dump them into a big pile in the woods behind out house, mow them up into tiny pieces, or burn them.  The kids prefer the first method because it involves a giant tarp and what we call a "leaf ride" (instead of hay ride).  Mike and I pile all the leaves on the tarp and then lug it back to the tree line.  The kids ride along on the pile of leaves.  Carter even tries to stand and surf his way down.  Thankfully, it's a downward slope to the tree line.  The work is a lot easier when you hear the kids giggling the entire ride down.

Carter's preschool is going well so far.  He's one of the younger kids in the class so he's still getting used to being in a classroom setting.  He loves his teacher, Miss Katie, though and she frequently tells me how impressed she is with how much he knows, whether it's letters, numbers, or anything to do with trains.  They incorporate gymnastics and swimming lessons into his schedule so he really gets a lot out of each day.

Nora impresses me every day with her drawing skills.  She loves to color and draw more than anything I think.  She draws little smiley faces with hair and ears.  It's amazing how well she can look at something I've drawn and then copy it herself on her own paper.  I may run out of space to hang all the little masterpieces!

Halloween was a special "treat" this year.  The kids were really into the whole trick-or-treating business and the dressing up in a costume.  For weeks, they talked about what they were going to be for Halloween, telling anyone who would listen.  Carter, of course, was a train engineer with striped overalls and a matching hat.  The fact that he kept the hat on the whole time is a testament to how much he loved the costume.  Nora was Olivia the Pig, a children's book character.  Grandma made the dress and Nora was adored by all.  Our neighbors were really impressed with the kids' costumes and the candy haul was record-breaking!

Thanksgiving is coming up soon so I've started working on our packing list for the trip to Hot Springs.  Can't wait to put the new minivan to the test for this road trip.  Carter is already asking if we can put up our Christmas lights.  Both he and Nora get a thrill when they see pictures of Santa around stores or on TV.  The next couple months are going to be a whirlwind!

Funny words of the week:
"maggot" = magnet;  "Mom, look at these maggots on the 'frigerator!"
"Semasee" = Sesame;  "Could I please watch Semasee Street?"

New pictures posted HERE!