Autumn comes with the traditional

There are certain events that indicate Fall in Indiana for our family, and it seems they all came and passed this month.  We had Grammie visiting for the welcoming festivities of fall: apple picking.  Our friend's tree that we pillaged for fee last year was on an off year so we had to go to a 'commercial' local apple orchard to pick.  The name of this orchard gave us many laughs: "Tree Technology."  Yep, that's new technology - getting small kids with baskets on a stick to pick apples.Josh, the kids, Grammie and Aunt Jill picked 5 bushels of apples that we processed within that week to have plenty of applesauce and apple pie slices all through the winter.  The kids are always involved with smooshing the apples through the Victorio Strainer or twisting the peeler/corer/slicer, which makes the process move swiftly.

When the apples are on, we also know it is time to honor the man who gave us all this lovely harvest: Johnny Appleseed.  Fort Wayne claims the burial of Johnny.  We have a gravesite, although I am not certain, with many other claimants on to Johnny's burial, if the site is not just a relic containing maybe teeth or other random bones.  Ether way, all the community gathers for the fantastic festival in his park and celebrate the handiwork of many who still create without technology (ha, tree technology orchard).  Each year we heard the kids past the vendors to the settler's area and learn some new skills.  This year's skills were:  clay wheel pottery, woodworking (mostly for Josh who still dreams that he will have a wood shop some day), wood carving, copper smithing, and tinkering. 

This fella gave the kids a bit of a science lesson by carving back the stick and then pulling out the worms that were the cause of the great maple to fall.  Josh admired the lacquering.

Because it was the very end of the day the tinkers let the kids play with all sorts of machines and gave them lots of tin trinkets to play with.  They gave the kids a math lesson as to why you need to know geomotrey. 

 Another fall time favorite - the annual Fort4Fit race.  This year we worked with the kids through the end of the summer to run 25 miles, all building up to the Kids Marathon for Fort4Fit.  The kids had gotten the racing bug when we did the Spartan Race in the spring and were mostly willing to do the training.  We were amazed by how well they did on the actual race night!  With Jill, we had one adult per child to run with the kids during the mile long course.  Viv ran hard with Jill, Faith stayed consistent and long strided with her dad, and I ran with Danny.  I was most impressed with Danny.  Throughout the summer he was the least enthused about continuous running; often stopping with side aches.  However, for the race, Danny kept a steady jog the whole time.  We talked about Captain America, of course, to pass the second half mile and he made it the whole way without walking!  All three were so happy to have their medals!  It is so nice to have this family friendly race so close to our home, it is really too easy to do I would be ashamed if we had not involved the kids in their own race.

Start time was 7:30am this year instead of 8am.

The next morning I woke up and walked up to the race start for the 10K race.  Some friends joined me for the start.  To my happy surprise, Jill rode her bike up and became my support through the whole race.  I certainly wasn't in my favored shape for the race, but I made some goals and kept them, only missing my goal finish by one minute (should have followed Jill's advice and had faster turnover the last half mile rather than trying to lengthen my stride, lesson learned).

Josh and the kids made it up for the finish so they could steal my post-race snacks and then go to the library.  It is a fun race because it ends in the Parkview baseball stadium and they have the racers on the jumbo-tron and announce their names so the family can be more participatory in the end.

A new fall tradition for us, thanks to Jill, will be going to a college football game.  We are still learning to enjoy the event, so it was super nice to head over to a small university in town, St. Francis, and watch our good friend and old babysitter Jason "Big Guy" Gardner play as defensive center.  Danny was intent not he game.  Faith brought a book, which suits her personality after watching some of the game she was happy to read.  Viv spent most of her time watching the cheerleaders evidently to figure outs why they had blue and black pom-poms (which she finally figured out about the 3rd quarter and announced to the rest of of that it was to match the team colors on the football uniforms).  It was a very good thing to broaden the horizons of the kids to some of the best parts of fall sporting events.  Jill and I also took them to watch IPFW men and women's soccer.

When work is still play

October 28th, 2013

The one task of Fall outdoor clean up that never seems to be a chore; raking leaves.

Building giant piles and creating a nest all your own like never before, raking leaves.

Enjoying what nature discards and gathering the discharged from above; raking leaves.

Sounds and scents that linger in your coat as crunchy little bits bite fuzzy linings; raking leaves.

Being immersed in nature as our body's do the work that our mind hasn't yet figured out is work; raking leaves.

Trickiest Treat

Halloween 2013 was almost as tricky and a crazy treat as it was three years ago.    A fated trip to a Taco Bell on Sunday, October 31st in 2010 gave us the biggest scare ever.  Being a parent to Viv has been kinda like walking through a haunted house; it scares you around every corner, have a bit of a freak out moment, laugh and realize that what scared you wasn't that big a deal, and then you clench onto your partner and get ready for the next adventure around the corner.  Best part of it all, when you get through you are so happy that you risked it, and, AND, you had fun!

Last night was a reminder of what fun it is to be Viv's mom.  Amidst the drenching rain that plagued the trick-or-treaters and some crazy aches and pains - Viv had a clairvoyent moment when the costumes and the show was just taken off and she was her pure self.

 Because we love gymnastics and Viv would never miss a lesson if it  was left to her.  My already founded aversion to begging for candy and the poor weather made it a clear choice to keep our regular Thursday night schedule.  There were only three other people in the gym that made the same choice, and each had their coach to themselves.  AWESOME!  Viv got a one-on-one lesson for an hour and a half with her coach (at group rates) with a practically empty gym.  Talk about focus!

 The best part is how excited Viv gets as she feels that absolute mastery of her body and mind.  She gets pumped!  Her coach was amazed that she didn't get exhausted with that long session full on all by her onsies.  Nope, not Viv.  When it comes to gymnastics she has an unending store of gymnastic power.  A little power ranger in purple.  So happy, so happy with herself and that moment.

 Viv really undressed for Halloween this year and gave me one of the best treats of the week.

 Faith and Danny were hanging at home with Josh handing out some candies to the soaked and shivering few that were trying to enjoy the holiday.  The kids liked playing with Daddy and in the end were so happy they were warm and building with magnets.

As for the traditional, "where's the extra cute costumes?' Post for Halloween?  We had a Church trunk-or-treat on Saturday and managed to have all the kids in costume long enough to pilfer candy off of good Christian people sitting in the back of their car.  That was all the more candy I wanted in the house anyway.

Ever since reading "Mummies in the Morning" book #4 of the Magic Tree House series he wanted to be a Mummy, until we read book #5 just last week and he started think about maybe being a ninja.  So when we got him all wrapped up he was a bit moody and upset that it was difficult to walk and that you could see some flesh.  With a bit of foresight Josh and I brought along a backup costume for the trunk-or-treat and sure enough he was Captain America before the night was out.  It was a cool costume while it lasted!

Viv wanted to be a fairy queen. A what? A Dairy Queen?  Fairy, but Josh had a good time teasing her about it.  It was fun doing the makeup but then the dress we ended up having to borrow didn't work it into colors...she was just so pleased with having been primped and painted.

Faith was specific this year.  She was Glinda the Good Witch.  She loves characters and love being the bubble witch.

Josh and I went as Buddy Holly and a Bond Girl, both circa 1960, here you only catch Josh's baby blue suit that her really only put on for me.  He loves me.

Early Fall Re-cap

I love that Josh and Danny work together on 'man projects.'  And without being sexist, the girls actually did not want to help Josh and I preferred mopping the floors in the other room.  Danny did get one could hit on Josh's thumb.

First weekend in October is a joyful relaxation as we join to listen to the living prophet.  On Saturday the kids were totally tuned in and making notes.  It did not last all the way through to the last session on Sunday, yet I count it as an amazing triumph that they are now take notes!

We got our first scholastic book order through the kids' school.  Since it was delivered through Danny's class (my most trusted child) he couldn't help but notice a very cool StarWars lego book that was meant as a Christmas present.  He is such a good boy we just let him enjoy it.  Danny and Daddy spent at least 15 minutes each night reading and following the instructions to build several different fighters or cannons and such.  It was well worth the early Christmas sneak.

I did some fall weather clean in the yard and cut out the sunflowers that had been harvested by the squirrels.  This sunflower was our largest, and they harvested most all the seeds out of it!  Larger than my head.

The kids had a day out of school for teacher inservice (who knows what those days are really for) which we celebrated by taking a bike riding trip to Pokagon State park to enjoy the early fall colors.  Daddy took a half day off work to join us and we enjoyed a full afternoon of running, biking, and enjoying nature.

Good thing it was a State park and not a national park - not only was it open, but the naturalist was there to feed the catfish and snakes live worms for us in the nature center.

She is only smiling because there is glass between them.  This rattler was ready to strike, all rattling and everything!

I always love this sloping tree grove down to the water's edge.

We got as close as you can to swans with small children.  

The next day was "Fall Festival" at the kids' school.  Mostly it was an event for families to get to know each other and the kids to play in the woods with their friends some more.  They did sing a couple of songs they have been learning during music time, including the school theme song "tall oaks, from little acorns grow..." I don't know the rest yet because those are the only lines that Viv will repeat.

While waiting for the hay-less ride we played on tire swings and had dutch oven cooking.

We then rode behind a horse around the school campus.  

Yep, that field is part of the campus.

So is that field.  The title does not deceive, it is Oak FARM Montessori.  

Saucing with a little sassing

Oh my, the loveliness of autumn!  

Apples are ready for the harvest just as my little people are ripening.  I love both canning and caring.  My little crew and I set out to a friends' mini-orchard for some free apples.  The kids picked the low hanging fruit.  Faith was determined to fill her lid, Danny to fill his whole box, and Viv her belly.  We were able to pack it all home to make some all Indiana applesauce.

 This season has been a bit different for all of us.  Each of the children has been coming of age in a different way. I have been grateful that school has been a positive support for each of them and a positive way in which they are separate from each other most of the day.  For then, when they come back together, they are much better at being siblings.  Turning six is crazy amazing.  With six has come a new level of sass.  We are doing our best to mash it out of them and turn it into something sweet.