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We visited the Moonen side of the extended family over the weekend.
I don’t know what I was (or wasn’t) thinking, but I didn’t get nearly as many pictures as I thought. We had a really nice time, though. Spent time at a really fun park, went thrifting with a wonderful sister (hi mary!), and did quite a bit of reading.
There were definitely some naps happening, too.
And some silliness.
Asher has discovered the wonderful world of Mario Kart, thanks to Uncle Jonathan. Oh boy. Boy oh boy.
He actually did quite well, and by the time our visit ended I think he had the buttons all figured out. Christmas gift ideas are adding up, let me tell you.
(This shot was not posed at all, I swear. Completely natural. I smile every time I see this picture.)
Our trip down to Beaufort takes us on some back roads and past some beautiful farms and equally pretty farmhouses. I managed to remember to snap some pictures of my favorites along the way.
This one is a favorite for sure.
It’s hard to take pictures from a moving car. Especially when someone’s tailgating.
Kind of addicting once you start, though.
Just collecting ideas.
The cold weather seems to have set in early around here, and we are working to come up with cozy things to fill our chilly fall evenings. And chilly mornings, too, for that matter. School is definitely getting more defined and is filling up more and more of our day, so that is a big deal these days. I’m working to switch some things around with our vision for school, so we’ll be doing some new things around January. A lot more reading and talking about the books the children are reading will be a big part of it.
Pretty exciting. So far, classical-based schooling is working really well for us.
In other news, I finally (finally!) finished coats for the girls. I saw this pattern over the summer, loved it even more when it was on sale for a dollar, and scooped it up. Next time I make this pattern (which hopefully won’t be for a few more years), I think I’ll look for some wool and see how that works. Maybe corduroy?
This is not my picture. But I do love this coat. Mostly my idea for these coats came from here. Boden has such great clothes for children…I drool over the catalog. (The Mommy clothes are fantastic ($$$) too.)
Ivy’s coat is a dark brown. And fleece was harder to sew than I thought it would be. Enough said.
That’s what my summer-lovin’ girl Ivy keeps asking. For now, though, we are certainly enjoying this fantastic fall weather.
Our friend Dawn brought us some white pumpkins. Pretty, huh?
The last of the zinnias from our tiny garden.
So much fun to get the house all ready for fall. Darker colors, decorating with oranges and reds and browns, is so different! Pretty cozy around here.
Not sure who this guy is, but the children poked him for awhile before he hopped off to find a new hangout.
Went to a fun wedding over the weekend…a friend from college, Rebekkah, was married.
She was a beautiful bride!
Our good friend George came to visit us all the way from Texas for the wedding. We haven’t seen him in a long time, and it was so nice to catch up and spend time with him.
Our children LOVED “Uncle” George. LOVED him. He was smothered in hugs and snuggles almost from the moment he stepped in the front door.
Charlotte especially attached herself to him for the weekend. We don’t think he minded too much. He also had three personal alarm clocks to wake him up every morning, and a little hand to hold everywhere we went.
He did some two-steppin’ with the children at the wedding (Asher claims he “got danced with Uncle George”).
Most of our household is fighting some sort of cold and/or cough right now, so after a busy weekend we’re staying home this week to rest and recover.
Catching up on some school…
Asher has started to learn his letters and letter sounds. Thus we embark on the long (but exciting!) road to reading.
We took a fall-break week last week, and it was really nice to have some time off from schoolwork. The children got a lot of crafting in, Asher shot some squirrels outside with his “gun”,
(He often picks up a stick or a long pole of some sort and asks, “Can I shoot something, Mommy? Please?” I think he’s saying that in the picture…)
Here’s another example. A stick or a rock is usually the first thing he picks up when he goes outside.
Having a boy is such a delight!
We found a wooden sword off of Etsy, and he carries it everywhere.
He even picked up on a handy way to carry it around, after learning a few tricks of the trade from some little friends who also have swords. “I’m a dragon-slayer! I can fight with my sword! And protect my sisters.”
The girls have been learning more and more helpful things around the house. Ivy, in fact, learned to do the dishes for Mommy. I fill the sink up and wash the sharp things, but she does the rest. She did a great job with very little instruction…turning into quite the young lady, let me tell ya.
So is Charlotte, the other little lady. Always ready to give hugs, and Charlotte hugs are always slightly chubby, warm, and energetic. There’s something so wonderful about little arms wrapped around your neck and quiet kisses in your ear.
I can’t believe she turns 5 soon. This has all gone so fast.
(off to a tea-party to help a friend celebrate a birthday. Dress-up clothes, a favorite doll, and a room full of girls? Instant entertainment. They even got their nails painted!)
In other news:
:: I apologize for the missing book-list sidebar. Amazon apparently changed something, and I can no longer get a book cover and link to show up on the blog. If anyone reading this has any suggestions of what I can do to get a book list up there again (I really liked doing that), then please let me know.
:: Last week’s fall break provided some time for some delicious reading. For all of us. The girls are into The Littles right now, after Ivy finished up a couple Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books. I am reading some Sigrid Undset. Any fellow Kristin fans out there?
