Thanksgiving part 1

What an eventful few weeks! Skipping to the best part, we have Nathaniel and Kate home with us now, safe and sound. Between the spectacular beauty of the Autumn woods, to the fuzzy cuteness of our baby bunnies; from the joy of having our kids home to the revolving door of family and friends coming to visit, it's been a great time.

Our bunnies, now three weeks old, are old enough to come out and play. The kids bring them in daily for cuddle sessions- are these little guys ever going to be hand tame! They are adorable!

Nathaniel arrived home on Friday the 16th, ... (wearing the t-shirt I got for his birthday)

(Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator)

... and was followed closely by the arrival of my Mom, her husband Fred and his granddaughter Caroline who drove them all this way from Texas. Family reunion time!

Kate flew home on Saturday the 17th and we all greeted her at the airport with hugs, kisses and flowers. She is so glad to be home!
Sunday night it actually began to snow! By Monday morning there was enough snow that the kids had a two hour delay for school. Did they stay snuggled warm in their beds? No! At 6:30 they were begging to go outside with their sleds! Good grief!


We did more cooking and eating out with company here than is probably wise to do so close to Thanksgiving- but it's just a whole week of Thanksgiving as far as we're concerned! We had to make Kate and Nathaniel's favorite dish, Chicken Scarpariello. I'd never had a chance to make it for Mom so the timing was perfect!
We had a terrific visit with Mom, Fred and Caroline. Monday night we said goodbye since they'd be leaving in the morning. There never seems to be enough time for these visits, but we sure packed a lot into this one!

Is Autumn Ever Here!

Wow- but it's been chilly out lately! Perfect for that fall feeling! The leaves are still spectacular and the air, when dry, is crisp and just snapping with "Enjoy it while you can!" We had a gloriously beautiful weekend, almost a week of rain, then the sun came back out. I took the girls out for a drive on Saturday to look for sunshine, pumpkins, and countryside loveliness, and we found them! Sunday Jim and I took the kids and Vali for a walk in Nolde Forest. It was so beautiful, so very beautiful. We weren't the only ones out, lots of folks had the same idea. It was neat seeing other families out, bundled up and enjoying the wonders of the Autumn woods...

Wednesday, being Halloween, the kids had a half-day at school. Once home, Erin and Isaac were taking care of some outdoor chores when they discovered that Erin's rabbits had a litter of babies! The little bunnies are still blind and naked, and two were already "lost", but seven are alive and well! we cleaned out their box and gave them a nesting box. Though it's cold outside, every time we check them their nest of fur that the mother ripped from her belly for them is quite warm and cozy.

Once the rabbits were cared for the kids dressed up for trick-or-treating. Bekah and Erin were mimes and Isaac was an arctic explorer- Sir Earnest Shackelton, when he could remember the name... The group of kids who live right around us all went together down Fawn drive where the residents of the neighborhood all have their "candy posts" set up at the ends of their driveways. It's a regular costume parade, and downhill all the way!

Now to deal with all of the candy!

Enjoy the slide show!