Nov 1: Family Photoshoot in our favorite park

We had the longest, most colorful fall here that I've seen in Colorado. It started with bursts of color in the mountains when we spent an early September weekend near Buena Vista, and it peaked in Denver right around Halloween, just in time for our first ever family photo shoot.



I wanted fall leaves and beautiful straw-colored grasses as our backdrop, so we walked to our favorite park and got to play for an hour while talented pro Andrea Flanagan took our pictures. She had endless energy and ideas, and she even had Isaac laughing and looking at the camera - no small feat.










We played on the hill, then moved to the patio next to the pedestrian bridge.








We found my straw-colored fall grasses.














The park sits along the Platte River, between our neighborhood and downtown.


There's a great field for soccer, kites, dogs...it's usually full of people on weekends and at lunchtime.










I love these photos of the boys so much.






















This shot was totally spontaneous. Isaac laid back in the grass, and Jonah leaned back and snuggled against him.








We had so much fun. After our hour was over, Andrea left but we stayed to play while the sun set and the light turned to gold and then faded away. The boys were so cute, we took our own pictures too. These are just cell phone shots, but some are kind of fun.

A few Halloween pictures

Above is Isaac's preschool class. He is the ghost.

The pumpkin was a family effort: I drew while Isaac directed (happy face, circle eyes, triangle nose, etc.), and then Adam cut it out. The hair was Adam's touch.


And the boys, about to leave for trick-or-treating while I stayed behind to give out candy.

Oct 30: Biking and neighborhood Halloween party

This was one of those great Saturdays: warm even in late October, full of fun, mostly spent outside. It was also my first time on a bike in years, and it took a little time to regain that feeling of fluency. But then it was so fun!



We'd been waiting to ride as a family until Jonah was big enough to wear a helmet - obviously the prerequisite for riding safely on the roads. He is big and sturdy now, so we loaded up the boys into the trailer, Adam pulling, and rode down to the river path. I think they're so cute in their helmets!


Although Jonah's, brand new, kept falling over his face. He does not like wearing hats, and he just wanted it off.


But Isaac loved it, and Jonah fell asleep after a while.


By the river, the leaves were just starting to turn.


After lunch, we had one of those wonderful spells when the boys were in the living room alone, peacefully playing together. They were quietly talking and both engrossed in the fire station, no sharing issues. Adam and I watched, smiling, and took the rare occasion to just talk to each other.


After naps, it was time for the Halloween Haunt, a neighborhood party on 32nd Ave with a hayride, bouncy castle, vendors, and trick-or-treating at most of the restaurants. It was full of families but not overwhelming. All the kids were in costume, although Isaac put his on once we got there, as it made it a little hard to ride his bike.


Jonah couldn't believe we'd made him wear another hat already.


Here is Isaac the ghost, or E.T., as some people understandably thought...Jonah was super cute, but Isaac was the one getting all the looks and smiles. Everyone was pointing to him as their kids paraded by in fancy, store-bought costumes...At first I was worried we were a little too homemade (Adam and I had cut holes in a sheet and sewn primitive armholes for him, plus white gloves from Target - that's a ghost, right?), but then I heard one guy say "classic!" and realized that he did look pretty cute. Funny and not the most agile walker (I needed to cut a little more fabric off the bottom), but cute.

Oct 26: Playing in the tent

When I came home from acupuncture on afternoon, Adam had set up our tent in the backyard for the boys to play in. Isaac is a blur in these pictures. Both boys were giggling and having a great time.

Oct 11-17: Charlotte

Back from the mountains, Adam headed home to Denver, and the boys and I stayed with my parents. After being away from my hometown for so long, I savored every accent, every white column and towering tree, every bit of southern I could grasp. Like the farmer's market pumpkins in the above photo, or the book in the Good News shop at my parents' church titled: Being Dead is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral.

But the best part of all was getting to see so many dear childhood friends. We sat on the kitchen floor and played with my mom's good friend Terri, while she, always one of my favorites growing up, enchanted my boys. We visited June and George and introduced them to Jonah and a much bigger Isaac. We met Lindsay at Eastover playground, and Isaac loved playing with her two-year-old Ella. When we left, cutie-pie Ella asked if we could play tomorrow. Another of my best friends from childhood, Louisa, has two kids I'd never met. I think Isaac never wanted to leave her backyard, which was like a park, or her daughter, who is already an adorable, headstrong flirt. One look at those eyes and you know she will be breaking some hearts along the way.

Below, Louisa and I hung out with our babies while their older siblings played on the playset.












Andie's charms were not lost on Isaac. As Adam might say, well, he's definitely heterosexual.

Oct 11: Leaving the Mountains

We often take pictures on the deck before we leave the mountains. Isaac, of course, wanted no part of it.




It was so hard to leave this place...Here are a few last glimpses of our house and yard...










and the road down the mountain.




The colors move from top to bottom like a sunrise. By the time we reached the main road, the colors were still mostly green.