Leafy Brotherly Love

Fall is left behind
Like leaves scattered on the ground
I will miss you so!

The above photo was inspired by one that I saw on Wayfaring Wanderer's site. In her original photo she had a field of leaves, with a grassy heart in the middle. The minute I saw it I knew I wanted to find some red leaves to make a heart. It became something of an obsession art project for me. I actually ended up "borrowing" some leaves from my friend Melinda's yard to use with all the yellow leaves we had scattered around. I love the end result!

I am so sad that most of the leaves around here are gone. The ones that are left are brown and yucky. I guess that all good things must come to an end. I'll have to wait another year to see Fall again.

Inside of my home, however, there are things that I have been overjoyed to see. My two little boys are figuring out how to play together, and it is the most adorable thing EVER!

Jonah will get down on the ground and say "Eli, come here! Come this way!". Then Eli tries to follow and catch up with him, giggling all the while. He thinks it is a great game... if only Jonah wasn't so fast! Eli also wants to play with whatever Jonah is playing with. Here are the two boys this weekend playing with blocks.


Jonah is definitely learning to tolerate Eli more and do a better job of sharing toys with him. It's fun to see them start to play together. (They both got haircuts on Saturday too. I think Eli's hair is so fuzzy and cute!)

I have even caught Jonah encouraging Eli to come into his room. Then he closes the door so Eli can't get out. I guess that way he has a captive audience! Either that, or they are already forming a "boys only" club. I think it's pretty funny.


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

and Haiku Friday.

Wintry Weather

So my last post was about Jonah helping Honey Daddy rake leaves on Wednesday, right? Well the next morning we woke up and it was a winter wonderland! Everything was covered with a thick, white blanket and it was still snowing when the boys woke up.

Jonah was fascinated and immediately wanted to go outside. So after breakfast I bundled the boys up and we headed out into the snow. This was Eli's first experience with snow, and at first he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. But I set him down in the snow and made faces at him and he decided maybe it was ok.

Jonah had a great time in the snow. He ran all around the yard, making little trails as he went. His happiness and enjoyment of the snow almost made it more bearable for me. Winter and cold are not my favorite things!

Here is Jonah using his sandbox shovel to pile snow up on our porch swing.

Even though I don't particularly care for snow, I played with Jonah as we ran around the yard. I did see some things that I thought were beautiful. Here is a picture of our chain link fence that morning. I really liked the pattern the snow made on the fence.

Apparently our peach tree is a little bit behind the times.

Finally I just had to post this last photo. It was getting close to Eli's nap time, so he was getting tired. I set him down to see if I could get a cute photo of him on his belly in the snow. Just check out the look that he is giving me!

Mom, I am done. Put that camera away!

Isn't that look just priceless? Sometimes that look describes exactly how winter makes me feel. It can be fun, but every once in a while I am just done with it!

The snow has mostly melted now, but it is getting COLD here. We probably won't be seeing the 70s again for quite some time!

I am participating in Photostory Friday

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

and Haiku Friday.

I can't help myself. I love both of these carnivals!

Happy Halloween -- Costumes and Haiku

Watch out for King Kong!
I know he looks very sweet
That's my monkey boy.

Over tall buildings
He leaps in a single bound
It's Superbaby!

Check out the awesome job I did
removing my hands and arms in Photoshop!

This morning my friend Melinda was kind enough to come with me to take some cute photos of my boys in their Halloween costumes. Aren't they adorable? To complete the ensemble, my husband is going as the Empire State Building, and I am going as the leading lady/damsel in distress. Fun, huh?

In my neighborhood we don't actually do the whole Trick-or-Treat thing. Instead they do what is called a "trunk-or-treat". All the members of the local church community meet in the parking lot of the church and the children go from one car trunk to another, getting treats from everybody. In some ways it's nice because you don't have to walk around with your kids for hours!

On the other hand, they do miss out on the whole door-to-door experience. I figure we'll just take them to a couple houses in my friend's neighborhood so Jonah gets the idea.

What are you doing for Halloween? Hope it's something fun!

Happy Halloween!

I am participating in Photostory Friday.


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek


and Haiku Friday.

Unbeleafable Color

Autumn's appearance
in her lovely apparel
fills me with wonder.

The leaves are finally starting to change color around here and it is GORGEOUS! This Sunday the weather was nice enough that we walked to church. On the way home I looked up and noticed the mountains behind our house. It was breathtaking! So I got out my camera and went for a walk as soon as they boys were down for their nap.

The festive leaves are one of my favorite parts of Fall! I love the way they brighten up the trees and the way they crunch underfoot.

This afternoon I took the boys for a walk around the neighborhood. We saw some lovely leaves along the way. This next photo just makes me think of warmth and reaching for the golden sunshine.

The Aspens around our house are starting to change colors too. I love the way these little round leaves look when they blow about in the breeze.

All too soon the leaves will fall off, which always makes me a little melancholy. Winter is not my favorite time of year. Do you still have leaves on your trees?

I am participating in Photostory Friday...

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

and Haiku Friday

The Tiny Nature Walk

Self-confidence is
believing you can fly with
tiny, fragile wings.

Beneath the willow
Quietly growing upward
Tiny umbrella

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Autumn brings out the nature-lover in me. It's not that I don't appreciate the out-of-doors the rest of the year, but there is something about this time of year that makes me stop and take a closer look around me. Perhaps the beautiful colors of the leaves make everything else that much more interesting to look at.

This week while picking produce from our garden, I noticed this little wasp on our strawberry plants. He was not moving very fast because there was still dew on the leaves and it was a little chilly outside. Though I am generally not an insect-lover, I couldn't help but admire his tiny little wings and shiny black body. I snapped a few photos before he lazily flew away.

Last week I noticed this little mushroom, growing tall and straight under my neighbor's tree. It seemed to echo it's larger counterpart and I couldn't help but think of the palm trees in Tucson where we used to live. I also had fleeting thoughts of ants enjoying a fall picnic under its canopy.

This weekend the weather forecast calls for rain and perhaps snow! Though I know Jonah will be fascinated with the snow and will help me look at winter with new eyes, I want Autumn to hold on for just a little longer! There is so much to see...

I am participating in Haiku Friday.

Birthday Bike Tour

Anticipation
Tomorrow is the big day
The day I was born

What has been planned for
the birthday festivities?
I'm SO glad you asked!

How 'bout a bike tour?
Over sixty miles sound good?
I must be insane!

That's right... tomorrow I will be thirty-somethingish. I must be going a bit crackers in my "old" age because I am actually looking forward to going riding tomorrow.

My husband and I have signed up for our second bike tour. Last time I went 42 miles, which was my biggest physical accomplishment EVER. To give you some idea, I am the kind of person that did not go out for any sports in high school. I did well in school, I read a lot, and I sang in the choir.

On our last tour my husband rode 80 miles. He is a machine! (He was on the track team, swim team, and soccer team in high school... how did we end up married?? Must have been love!).

This time he is going to ride with me... even though I am a bit slower than he is. We will be doing the "metric century" ride, which is 100 km (62+ miles). I never thought I would enjoy cycling as much as I do... a year ago if you told me I would be riding over 60 miles I would have thought YOU were crazy!

So here's the bike Honey Daddy got me for my (early) birthday present:


Isn't it gorgeous? He has also bought a lot of gear for me recently. This week I got a long-sleeved jersey that is super-cute, and shoes. We'll see what else tomorrow brings!

I think after all that biking we will have to go out for dinner... and I can eat whatever I want and not feel the least bit guilty about it! Wahoo! Wish me luck!

*I got home from work after writing this post (Thursday evening) and found two dozen pink roses! Even though he was in bed, my little boy came out to get a hug and tell me that he went to the store with Daddy and "then we came home with flowers for you!" Isn't that sweet?!

Blog Design for Dummies

So many fun blogs
Dazzle with their cute designs
My blog looks BORING

Sick of my header,
Color scheme, style and paper
Under construction?

I have been around visiting a lot of your blogs recently and noticed how absolutely flippin' adorable you all are! Then I came back to my blog and about fell asleep (not because of the writing... I am so stinkin' funny and adorable, right?!?).

Maybe it's a result of spending time with my sister this week learning to make cute digital scrapbook pages. It got me thinking that with some effort (ugh!) I could make my blog look much more attractive.

I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself. I have only been blogging for a little over three months, and this is the blog design I started with. Now that I am such a veteran blogger, I can come up with something better, right?

I guess it's time for a change. Too bad I don't know exactly what I want to do! I guess I just need some ideas. What do you do to make your blog attractive? How often do you change up your blog design? How did you come up with your cute header, backgrounds, etc?

Post a comment and leave me some tips, oh ye wise bloggers! What do you like about your blog? I will come check out your blog to see what I like about you.

That's Mommy to you, Mister!

Please call me Mommy
Why are you calling me Mom?
I am not that old!

For some reason Jonah has started to call me Mom occasionally and every time he does I just cringe. It's kind of the same reaction I experience when I am called "Ma'am" in public. I just think... That's NOT my name! Don't call me that!

I definitely haven't ever referred to myself as Mom. I don't know about you, but for some reason I didn't expect him to start calling me that until he was.... I don't know, like 12! Not when he is just two.

I don't have a problem with being called Mom per se... I guess my real problem is that's what I call MY mom and she's WAY older than me! (you know I love you Mom!)

I don't think that I would particularly like being called Mother either... but then again, everyone probably has their own preference, right?

Maybe I should go call my Mom and see if she would rather I call her Mommy from now on! :o)

Bicycle Boy

Lately my husband and I have been riding our new bicycles fairly often. My husband has been commuting to work by bicycle and we have both been trying to train for our second bike tour, the Heber Valley Century on my birthday later this month.

Almost every time one of us goes out to ride our bike Jonah says, "My come too!". He wants to keep up with us SO badly. He hasn't even really figured out how to use the pedals on his tricycle. He just scoots himself along with his feet but that doesn't deter him in the least.

Jonah has already figured out from our example that to ride a bicycle you need a helmet. When we help him put on his little helmet I can't help but laugh... it just looks so HUGE on his little noggin. Safety first, right?

Haiku Friday- My baby boy

This week it seems that little Eli is the only one at our house who isn't sick (knock on wood).

Friday evening when we were visiting my parents for our weekend bike tour in Wyoming my two-year-old Jonah came down with a fever. The fever persisted with loss of appetite so I took him to the doctor Tuesday. They did some checking and said that he didn't have appendicitis, strep, or an ear infection... which means he has a virus and they can't do ANYTHING. I hate that! The fever finally went away yesterday and now it seems he has a bit of a head cold. Poor boy.

Early Tuesday morning (we are talking 4:40 a.m. people!) I woke up with sinus congestion and pressure that was so horrible I couldn't get back to sleep. I keep hoping that it is allergies and not a cold, but the verdict is still out on that one. Ok... I probably have caught the virus because on Wednesday my husband was complaining about his stuffy nose too. *sigh*

I guess it must be the change of season sickness.

On a brighter note, Fall is here! I LOVE this time of year. The weather is perfect! Cooler at night so we can sleep with the windows open and daytime highs in the 70s. Now I can actually go outside with my kids during the day. I can wear jeans AND my hair down without getting hot and sweaty! Soon the leaves will be changing color... ahh, heaven!

Anticipation

Anticipation
Tomorrow is the big day
I must be insane

Beautiful new bike
Road stretching out before me
On my first bike tour

I won't be alone
Honey Daddy rides with me
And my parents too!

Anticipation
Miles to go before I sleep
Many, many miles.

This is it! Tomorrow is the Cycling Association of Star Valley's Annual Ride (CASVAR). I am going to ride 38 miles on my new bike (the farthest I have gone so far is about 22 miles). My husband is more buff than I am, so he is going to ride 85 miles. We are both slightly crazy because we think it should be a lot of fun!

Wish me luck!

Key-words

Have you seen my keys?
No? Well I haven't either!
I've searched everywhere

The last time I remember using my car keys was Tuesday when we went to playgroup in the park. Wednesday I didn't need to go anywhere so I didn't think about it. Yesterday I wanted to go grocery shopping... no keys. I have searched EVERYWHERE. I checked all the usual locations (diaper bag, counters, pants, couches) as well as the ridiculous ones (refrigerator anyone?). It is SO frustrating!

I think I searched for over an hour yesterday while "tidying up". Then my husband looked when he got home... no keys. Honey Daddy came up with a spare set of keys for me to use today, but it still drives me crazy that mine have disappeared.

I am a little afraid that my little boy ran off with them... or put them in the garbage. Who knows? Apparently I have also been reading "Green Eggs and Ham" too much recently because this is what has been running through my mind this morning:

I could not see them on their hook
I could not see them by my book
I did not find them on the stairs
I did not find them on the chairs
I could not find them here or there
I could not find them anywhere!
It seems my keys are on the lam
I am frustrated, yes I am!

There you go. A double dose of poetry today.
Let me know if you find my keys, ok?

Cloud Watching

cool summer breezes
tickle toes and the green grass
as we watch the sky

little blonde-haired boy
his head on mommy's shoulder
blue eyes on the clouds

look! there's a fishy
swimming there with the airplanes
high up in the blue

his eyes scan the sky
not fishy! I see tractors!
that's my little boy

he scampers away
and plays oh so busily
while life hurries on

*Inspiration: I was laying outside on a blanket with my baby boy while my toddler played in the sandbox with his trucks, tractors, etc.; unexpectedly my boy came and lay down next to me and we shared a nice little moment.

Weather Forecast: HOT with a few sprinkles

so stinking HOT out,

mommy and boys are melting.

bring on the water!