a trip to the nature center

::sleepy sheep::

::guinea fowl::

::squash and pumpkins::

::leaves starting to turn colors::

::bee on a flower::

the nature center in our town has certainly changed in the last week. autumn is here. calvin collected about 50+ acorns, feathers and leaves. we don't have space for a 'nature table' so i created a nature box for him. every leaf he sees, he squeals with delight, "oh mom look at this one! it's really special." we had to have a talk about how he couldn't collect every leaf, acorn and feather... we had to leave some for other kids to discover. this satisfied him for a moment, but still he kept on collecting little bits here and there.

we start a class there this week that centers on autumn flora and fauna, with a bit of storytelling and art thrown in. i can't wait!

i have been doing a fair amount of sewing and knitting lately. i hope to share some of that soon...

goodbye

as the last day of summer comes to a close, i am taking a moment to reflect on the busy season it was for us this year and anticipate a glorious autumn. this was the summer of maeve. we anxiously awaited her arrival and then once she came, we have all spent our days watching, kissing, loving her. calvin did get a few (less than usual) beach days in, he could never have enough. we also spent some lovely evenings dining by the shore. we have had loads of family visiting, which is always such a treat.

but autumn... my favorite season now that i live in new england. the trees are already starting to change and show hints of the bright oranges, yellows, golds and reds that are to come. we are looking forward to more family and friends coming to visit us. the cool crisp air during the sunny days and cold, cold nights are already here. i have some major sewing and knitting in the works because autumn always inspires me to create.

goodbye summer... hello autumn.

birthday

it was sam's birthday a couple of weeks ago. i like to cook, but he loves to cook. he loves to make new and different recipes and he loves eggplant. i don't love eggplant. but for his birthday i was determined to find an eggplant recipe to make for us all that was tasty and everyone (including me...) would eat.

so i made rigatoni with eggplant puree. it was delicious. seriously. calvin and i ate eggplant happily (plus my sister and nephew too). sam said it was the best thing i have ever made.

sam also loves nectarines so i made a nectarine galette. it was my first time making anything pie-like from scratch. everyone loved it! i especially loved the almonds on top. fruity and nutty together is so good.

sam is one amazing guy. he works so hard at his job and then makes the most of every moment he spends with us. he cooks, he cleans and makes me feel special every day. happy birthday babe!

agricultural fair

i love small town fairs. pie contests, duck races, prize winning collections, seeing friends. a perfect afternoon.

letters to friends

calvin is really into 'writing' letters lately. i have had loads of thank you letters to write lately having just had a baby, and so i let calvin write his 'thank you' letters next to me while i am writing mine. after he does his drawing and writing on each card, he gives them to me and i write down what he says about each one on the cards. i try to write verbatim because what he comes up with to say about each letter is so random and such a two-year-old train of thought.

them he slips them in an envelope, i address them and he gets to put on the stamp. he loves stamps because, to him, they are just special stickers. he loves (i love watching him) carefully put the stamp on each letter and then walk his letters out the mailbox. then he usually asks me if we can go to the person's house we just wrote a letter to and watch them get it and open it.

up goes the flag. i am grateful to have someone who shares my love of mail.

cute aside story... calvin was playing the other day with his wooden food and his lunch box. he had packed the lunch box full of all sorts of food, but among the food was a taco. on the top of his lunch box he has a label that says his name. he looked at the label just as he zipped the food inside and acted like he was reading it. he said, "dear taco, i want to eat you. love, calvin".