fall, finally here...

It's fall! This morning was a bit of the usual rush-rush to get out of the house, and we were finally on our way when the kids pleaded with me to turn around and grab some mittens / gloves; it was cold enough for toques too, but no one made me go back a second time for les chapeaux. Anyways, it was a chilly six degrees, and I have winter and gear on my mind (there's a to-get list). And this is after an absolutely beautiful weekend - we spent Sunday morning at a pumpkin patch (Ferguson's - we'll go back next year for sure!), and the kids came home and changed into summer clothes... it was that warm. However, it's time to put that away (I think), and get out the cold weather gear.

this is the best i could do!

I'm home from work today so that Steve could go to the funeral of the father of a friend of his, so the occasion isn't a pleasant one but it was nice to take the kids to school and spend the morning with J-bubs. With the chilly weather coming I thought we'd make one of the last runs for strawberries from Heeman's and they are GOOD. They are still so so good. Then it was to the grocery store for dinner stuff and now I am sort of deciding between a push to get things done around here (clean, make dinner for tomorrow night) and just chilling on the couch with my book - I think I'll try to do a bit of both, the jobs and the relaxing.

Tomorrow it's back to work but it's a special work day, one that should be one of the most welcome days of the year: I'm getting paid to shop for books - it's book buying day! I'll join librarians from both school boards (public and Catholic) at the Western Fair where we have one day to do all purchasing with central funds for the entire year. I've been told that this is more or less an all day process, and it will definitely be a day of learning for me. I've talked to teachers and staff about what they want and need, and the greatest demand from staff is quality french resources which are, apparently, hard to come by. I also have a suggestions box that kids have filled up with all sorts of stuff, from books about alpacas to Captain Underpants to manga and more. So we'll see what I can do - and how many boxes of books I'll walk away with.

Aaaaand what else is new let me see... The kids are all doing well - Hendrik is still super into math (he asks us to ask him math questions before he goes to sleep) and reading; he likes Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and I'm bringing home books from school that are popular with students (Nnewts, And then it happened). Alana is in a bit of a cry-cry phase where she'll go straight to full blown bawling if something isn't to her fancy, and she's definitely becoming more opinionated. She's social and loves seeing friends, and still LOVES wearing dresses. The two bigs have been getting along fairly well as of late, and it's so so nice to see them having fun together (and to not have to police). Despite a cold that just won't let go, Jordan is happy and so easy-going. He's SUPER into trucks, and loves walking down the street to see diggers and dump trucks doing roadwork. He also loves books, making pig noises (he can do some seriously loud piggy snorts), running around, and copying his big bro and big sis. Steve and I are doing well too - I can't wait to figure out when and what I'll do to fit some physical activity into this busy schedule that is working life, and Steve is loving hockey (once/week) and enjoying his time at home with the little. That's it for now - on to some jobs before I try to finish my book (I read The Kingmaker's Daughter last week and am now halfway through Auggie and Me... it's good!)... Happy autumn!

pumpkin heads

in the corn in the corn maze