Welcome Autumn!

The latter half of September was busier than normal.  I was also sick for most of it, so somehow the days passed and I wasn't as aware.  In addition to normal life, there were a number of extra curricular activities/opportunities (classes, baby showers, Primary training, Annual Women's meeting, kid sitting, appointments, projects, etc.)  Here is a little picture summary of some of our activities:

Ezra and Maren enjoying How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You? (Jane Yolen & Mark Teague).   

Birthday Brio train set is an Ezra favorite. 

These cute kids were at my house at least four times in September.  On this particular occasion, they were staying the day after their mom delivered baby # 3 at the hospital.  (Four children under three for eight hours was a new experience for me...) Yes, I did knowingly allow them to completely empty a bookcase, but it was worth it!  Previous to this activity, they needed new entertainment every seven minutes.  This activity entertained them all happily for at least 25 minutes.  

This is the new seating arrangement.  Ezra insists on sitting as close as possible to Maren. 

Autumn is here, but it is still warmish, and nice enough for a day at the park.

My children prefer not to wear clothing.  Here is Miss Maren with just a diaper and super pleased.

Pint jars of applesauce and quart jars of juice.  The apple rings were gone within hours, sorry no pictures.

About the time I started to feel better, a lady at my church invited anyone who was interested to pick apples from her neighbor's overloaded trees.  I filled two laundry baskets full of beautiful mostly worm-free apples, and have been having fun/hard at work canning applesauce, juicing apples for cider, and dehydrating apples for spiced apple rings.  My hands haven't necessarily loved all the chopping, peeling, and mixing, but the finished product is perfectly delightful.  So far, I have ten pint jars of applesauce, and two quarts of juice.  They are both a pretty pink color.

 

More than a year ago, I started a quilt for Ezra.  And, with some expert help from my mom in August, I finished it before Ezra's birthday.  (The lighting is kind of funny; the colors are chocolate brown, baby blue, and lime green.)  Ezra was ridiculously excited about his new quilt, and it has been difficult to steal it away to take a picture.  About three seconds after I nabbed the quilt, laid it out, and snapped a picture, he came sliding into the quilt and curled up inside of it like a cocoon.