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.

Oct 10: Yellow Mountain - Swimming in October

This is how we start every morning in the mountains: a good breakfast cooked by my dad, usually involving a pile of bacon and French toast with eggy bites. Isaac caught on to our French toast tradition quickly, and he always requests it. Jonah will just eat a half piece, but he devours the eggy bites.

Playtime for Jonah:












After breakfast on this beautiful, blue-sky Sunday, we met Jay for a short hike to one of his favorite childhood hangouts - a beautiful, smooth-rock waterfall tucked into the woods that felt like a secret hideaway.

The colors had deepened overnight, and I couldn't stop snapping the shutter. These from our yard on the way out:




And from the trail:




You could see the backside of the Bald.


Isaac walked, and Jonah rode in the pack.






This is a great fishing spot, so Adam brought his pole.
Jay, an expert fisherman, was giving Isaac lessons.










The view looking downstream:


and over the opposite bank:


Jonah just wanted to crawl around and stuff acorns in his mouth.






Adam getting some help:


Such a gorgeous place to spend an hour or two, just playing around.






Isaac's feet started to get very wet, then his jeans.


Jonah couldn't resist: he had to get in that water too.




We were on a big flat area with shallow pools of water, perfect for crawling babies. Jonah loved having the freedom to explore the water all by himself, while Isaac ran from puddle to puddle and splashed gleefully.


There were lots of woolly worms around. I helped Isaac pick one up on a stick.




We took off Jonah's shoes preemptively. If only I'd brought extra clothes...








The water line was creeping up Jonah's pants. It was not warm outside, but it wasn't freezing either...and Jonah didn't seem to care.


Soon his shirt was soaked too.


Isaac isn't in this picture, but he's not hard to locate...follow the splashing water.


My mom and I both took lots of pictures while the boys played. Some of these are hers, some mine.


The boys were so excited to play in the creek. They were giggling and squealing the whole time.


Isaac decided that Jonah was going too deep, so he tried to pull him out of the water.


Jonah thinks his brother is hilarious.
















Finally, Jonah was starting to shiver wildly, so I pulled him out of the water and took off his soaked shirt and pants. The problem was, it was a brisk fall day, and I then had a naked cold baby. Jay kindly took off his outer shirt and gave it to me to wrap up Jonah.


Meanwhile, Adam came back from fishing upstream, and Isaac got to try out the fishing pole a little more before we hiked back.






My camera couldn't do the colors justice. The sky was the deepest blue, the trees a stark contrast of oranges and golds.






Adam carried Isaac, and I carried Jonah. Luckily the hike was downhill to the car.


Light and shadow moved across the mountains.






Driving back up the mountain for lunch and naps.


Walking out of Jonah's room after putting him down, I stopped to admire the view: