Leaves

Saturday was cleanup-the-leaves-and-finish-all-of-the-projects-around-the-house-day.

Busy at work

As I cleaned up the last-night's-dishes-left-in-the-sink, I watched the kids out the window play in the leaves. If I had to choose one experience in life that was to capture the essence of childhood it would be watching my children play in the leaves...there is something very simple and very beautiful about fall leaves.  It brought back my own childhood memories of fall and the plethora of leaves that always fell and piled up in our front yard.

There is something hidden

And there is something found

She emerges

Now he agrees to be hidden

The covering...

and the emerging again.

Donut Falls

The kids were out of school last Friday and so to say goodbye to our warm days in November, we decided to hike up to Donut Falls. There was a little snow on the trail and a lot of ice. The kids enjoyed breaking the iced-over pot holes in the road and carrying the sheets of ice. When we got up to the falls, it was still flowing. Maggie and Sam were amazed at the falling water and the ease of the trail...the last time we hiked there we snow-shoed in....it was not easy and the falls were frozen. It was an enjoyable afternoon. We celebrated our hike with donuts when we finished.

Sheets of ice, like glass

Sadie loved every minute

Iced trails on the way up and mush on the way down

Sam eating beef jerky

Halloween

We had a busy week leading up to Halloween. I made blankets again for babies in the heart unit in San Francisco where Caleb had been and we celebrated his birthday on Halloween. He was born on the evening of Halloween and will always be our little spook. We had a peaceful day on Sunday remembering him. We visited his graveside and left our traditional jack-o-lantern and flowers in honor of him...he would have been three this year, but instead he is busy in heaven where time has no meaning and the eternities reach on forever. 

Our sweet Caleb

Thank you Karen!! for this beautiful arrangement in memory of Caleb

While at UCSF, Caleb received many blankets as gifts, so now, we make them for others.

The kids celebrated Halloween early this year as they were out of school on Friday. They had their annual Halloween parade followed by class parties. As Sam is into costumes lately, I wasn't sure what he was going to be. He chose two different costumes this year, one for school and one for Trick-or-Treating. Maggie was a beautiful, pumpkin queen and Sadie was our little Bee.

The Pumpkin Queen

Costume 1

Costume 2

My Mom made this spooky graveyard ghoulash

Maggie made monster eyes and monster mouths

Sadie wasn't so sure about Halloween

The lute and booty