I am remembering

I am remembering now just how much I love fall. I always have, but I think I forgot. I fell head over heels in love with summer. There is just so much to love about summer (especially when your hubs is a teacher;) and this summer was a good one. I was sad to see it come to an end. I didn't think I was ready to send my family back to school, but time marches on whether we are ready or not.
Fall has brought good changes at our house. Structure and schedules. My girls love school and I can't help but share in their enthusiasm when they excitedly chatter in the mornings about what their day will bring and race to meet the bus. But my favorite part is when they race home from the bus and they come through the front door out of breath and happy because they're home. They drop their backpacks and shoes and jackets just inside the front door in a giant heap. They usually have something they just can't wait to tell me and sometimes they all talk at once and it makes me laugh. They feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the school day, and I am glad they can go there to learn and grow. And I am thankful Chris is just down the hall from them. He can eat lunch with them and wink at them in the halls, so even when they are away from home, they are never far from someone who loves them.

And because it's fall, we visited the pumpkin patch on Monday.

Emma and Lily picked their pumpkins in record time. They just scanned the field for the largest ones and took a seat on them until Chris came to haul them to the van.

Don't let Emma's expression fool you, she was totally thrilled to be there, she just likes to pose serious for the camera right now.

Owen was less decisive in his pumpkin picking. He'd pick one up, walk ten steps, see another and trade the one he was carrying for it. He repeated this sequence until it was time to go. He didn't end up with the funky one he is holding in the picture, instead he brought home a scrumptious looking sugar pumpkin that is sure to make a delicious pie....that is, if I can talk him into not turning it into a jack-o-lantern.

I'm not sure what method Grace used for selecting hers, all I know is she wandered every inch of that patch until she found her top pick.

Sometimes Ava makes this face when she is content and happily just watching her world go by. I love it.