What do your kids want when they are 16?

I love kids. You just can't make up some of the things they say. I kid you not . . . Madelyn just asked me

"Mom, when I am 16, will you get me an accordian?"

Where did she get that idea?

Autumn or Fall

As a kids I was always wondering why this season had two names. Summer doesn't, winter doesn't, spring doesn't. Why is this one so special? So here is my 2 cents!

It really does feel like 2 seasons. Autumn is fun and beautiful and gorgeous. It is really something to see here in New England. We have enjoyed the crispness in the air, the apple picking, the desire to bake, the amazing colors!

But before you know it, it is fall. The leaves are fallen, there is still a hint of color, but the ground is getting to be pretty uniformly brown and yellow, there are more empty trees than full, the colors are all faded, it is still cold . . . you are tired of the cold, tired of eating the 50 pounds of apples, sick of cooking, wanting to wear flip flops and most of all not wanting to rake.

The Silent Auction

The Silent auction is over. It was yesterday. It was a lot of work. I was new to the town . . . new to the school . . . and had very little help, guidance, or idea as to what was expected. I think I did a great job. In the end we earned just over 8800 dollars. Here are the pictures of the project.

Not this cute boy?

These pictures are from the Stamford Nature Center (we went there yesterday). The story described in the captions is from tonight. (Note this makes 2 posts in a row on Adam's mischeviousness . . . will I survive this boy?)

Adam, the troublemaker

When I opened the pantry, I noticed sugar and rice spilled on the floor. ADAM!!!!!!!! I was surprised at how little he spilled though, and then I realized it was because he . . .

was pouring the rice container into the sugar container and then back into the rice container. Does anyone know anything I can make with sugar/rice?

Apple Picking

Wild Onion Weeds

The only weed we have growing in our flower beds are wild onion. They are a pain. They are deep and you have to get the bulb part. But I told the kids they needed to go get the onions and they were in heaven. Who knew pulling weeds could be so fun? The kids loved picking the onions. Here is the pungent pile.

Getting out the Halloween Box

Since it is October, we got out our Halloween stuff. The kids favorite thing is the box of costumes. They will play dress up for a solid month.

The Boringest Blog Post Ever

Here it is folks. Don't bother watching the slides. I had the nature center come out and help me identify the shrubs, plants, flowers, and trees in our yard. The whole Connecticut landscape is a far cry from Texas. So here is what I learned, and I posted it so I wouldn't forget!

Why buy them toys?

Last weekend my girls played all day Saturday and all day Sunday with these Houses. They designed and built them themselves. They printed off pictures of gardens and pools, they made paper people, cars, furniture and more. And they were so happy and pleased with themselves. It makes me wonder with all our kids imaginations why we even bother to buy toys and such. When left to their own devices they can really create some amazingly fun times and memories.

Adam's 2nd birthday

So, Adam's birthday was pretty low key. It was on a Friday and I had big plans to celebrate at home that night . . . but then Trent missed the New Canaan train and would have had to wait an hour for the next on which would mean that all the kids would be asleep. So, instead, Trent hopped the train to Stamford (because there is one every 10 minutes), we all hopped in the car and we picked him up and went to eat at California Pizza Kitchen. We had a great time, but alas . . . NO PICTURES since I was in a hurry to get to the train station.

Here we are on Saturday morning. Instead of birthday cake, we had pancakes. Instead of candles, we had matches. Instead of extended family all gathered round . . .

we had Skype video phone calls.

And you know, Adam didn't seem to mind one bit!