Falling in love.

Jake's cheek looks like a fifth appendage. What IS it with this kids cheeks???

They feed the donkey. Julia seems to feel a strange sort of kinship with the donkey, and declares that she has "BLUE EYES! JUST LIKE ME!". She didn't.

Jake turns his very first hayride into a true meals on wheels experience.

My jolly pumpkin.

Jake and Henry are already the best of friends.

Fall in Pennsylvania. I live for this time of year. The humidity disappears. Vibrant golds and reds and yellows adorn the trees, sweaters and vests and hats adorn our bodies. Crisp air, crisp apples, cinnamon. Geese. Hot chocolate. Football. Galoshes. Candles. Hearty and elaborate Sunday feasts. Old, soft and much loved quilts. Hayrides and pumpkining and family walks around the cornfield. Soup. Butternut squash. Long baths. Apple pie and vibrant blue skies.

We had a great night with friends last night. Today we were up and at em early ~ during breakfast Luke said he was cold. As he had a steaming plate of bacon and eggs and toast in front of him Nate said ~ "Eat your eggs they will make your belly nice and warm" Luke replied "And if I eat my toast will it make my penis warm?". A legitimate, if hilarious question. On Thursday I was quickly cooking the kids dinner as I was heading out to celebrate Dee's birthday, and Julia said "Mama, can I please have an appetizer?". Huh? you.are.two.slow.down.

We spent the morning at Highland Orchards. Hayride, pumpkins, apples, the works. After two years of succumbing to the cost and commercial insanity of Linvilla, we are done with it. We like smaller, more local, more manageable. The kids loved it, I felt giddy. It was like a high holiday. The first crisp sunny day of fall, and we were outside as a family enjoying ourselves. I felt incredibly lucky as I looked around at peek cheeked happiness x 3. I vividly remember the day that we went to Linvilla last year and did the hayride thing, it was the same morning that I had had an ultrasound which dated our pregnancy and first showed us sweet Jake's little heartbeat. I was filled with joy that day, just like I was today as I looked at the great pumpkin that that little 7 week flicker turned out to be.

Now it is time to make myself a hot chocolate, put on the fireplace (a sad, if convenient version of lighting a fire, admittedly) and hone in on the PSU game. I'm falling in love with fall all over again.