Fall into a Good Book

Fall is such a beautiful time and such a busy time. There are apples to pick, costumes to create, yummy foods to bake, and parties to attend.

For librarians and book lovers, it's also a great time for new books, especially new picture books!

So here I'll share some great books for the season. Some are old, some are new, and some are my family's favorites.

What's in the Witch's Kitchen? by Nick Sharratt Silly, gross lift-the-flap fun!

The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri Lovely illustrations and simple text for babies and toddlers, but interesting enough for preschoolers.

Leaves by David Ezra Stein This one is so sweet and captivates the innocence with which kids view the world. It received starred reviews from PW and Booklist when it was published in 2007.

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert The bright, classic and detailed illustrations in this book will inspire you to get outside and examine the leaves in your neighborhood or local park.

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell If you plan on visiting a pumpkin patch or apple orchard this fall, read this one before you go. A great introduction to the idea of farms and harvests for little ones.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Colandro Another silly Halloween-themed read.

I hope you get a chance to visit the library or bookstore in between enjoying the beautiful fall weather. If you read any of these, I hope you'll share what you think or share with us your favorite fall stories.

is there a better time of year than fall?

No, there is not! :) And here's why I think so:

The richness of the colors...

The crispness in the air combined with the warmth of the sun...

The delicious smells and tastes...

This little guy's infectious anticipation and enjoyment of our annual trip to Lynd's Fruit Farm for apple picking and a hayride through the orchards

And, best of all, the family time that we are so anxious to carve out and cherish so much...

We were thrilled to have my parents along with us on our Fall Fun Day last weekend. It makes our hearts swell to see how immensely they relish in the company of J and N. I feel guilty for not capturing any of their special moments on camera that day, but am thankful that my mom was able to snap a rare family photo of the four of us.

I hope you are enjoying this lovely time of year as much as we are.

enjoying the excuses to stay inside

gray

november

rain

~

hot tea

pumpkin pie

~

family

laughing

warm

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow is Turkey Day! I wanted to have a little something to give to the grandparents and great-grandparents, so tonight J and I made hand turkeys. He loves to color right now and also likes for us to trace his hand, so this seemed the perfect *easy* Thanksgiving craft, since it combines both worlds.

Once I scanned the image, I inserted it into a Word document, shrunk it down a little bit, and added the text, "Happy Thanksgiving!" below it. Copy and Paste a couple times, and voila! Adorable (if I may say so) 4x6 handmade turkey cards to print and sign.

~Wishes for a happy, thankful, and yummy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Play

To get J interested/excited about Halloween and pumpkin picking/carving, I made a few Jack'o'lantern flannel pieces. It's kind of fun coming up with different combos!

Seasonal Eating

The blustery weather today had me craving warm comfort food. Tomato soup and grilled cheese was just the thing. And on top of being healthy and delicious, it all turned out so pretty that I had to try my hand at some food photography again. :)

Cheddar & Monterey Jack grilled cheese on crusty Italian bread.

Trader Joe's Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper soup, topped with fresh basil, Parmesan, and homemade croutons.

Earth Day

Some keep the Sabbath going to Church,
I keep it staying at Home -
With a bobolink for a Chorister,
And an Orchard, for a Dome.
- Emily Dickinson

Sunday, November 2

The crisp blue sky and earthy smell of Fall drew us outside early this morning. We indulged our inner naturalists and felt (mostly) justified in skipping mass. Fortified with coffee and donuts, our little threesome embarked on a self-guided nature walk through Highbanks Metro Park.

Our pace was much slower than the other hikers out today, but we thoroughly enjoyed the exercise and fresh air. J religiously pointed out every downed tree ("big tree fall down"). We peered through the slats on the bridges we crossed, J unsuccessfully looking for fish or frogs. Birds sang and squirrels busily gathered acorns and nuts. Every so often we paused to sit on a log bench or examine fallen leaves and acorns. J and I tucked a few acorns into our pockets and when we got home I made a little arrangement for our kitchen table.

It was a beautifully peaceful (and educational) morning.

"Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain."
- Henry David Thoreau

Trick or Treat

Whew! What a fun-filled day! J (a.k.a. Frankenstein) had an exciting and sugar-filled day today on his second Halloween. We visited Daddy at school and "made his day", while we cheered the kids on during the Walk-A-Thon.

The bank teller surprised J with a sucker, which he then clutched triumphantly for hours, shouting "Happy Halloween Hucker!" At Panera, Mama splurged on his favorite treat--a blueberry muffin, while the costumed workers fawned over J and gave him cookies.

We burned some of the energy off playing in the yard after lunch. J slid down the slide and played his new favorite game, hayride. Despite all the sugar, he did take a nap, albeit a shorter one than usual, and woke up demanding "more hucker"...

The day ended blissfully. The evening was cool and crisp, jack'o'lanterns were lit, and we were able to relax and enjoy the excitement in the air during Trick or Treat.

J immediately caught on to the concept of passing out candy--he was a pro. As trick-or-treaters made their way up our driveway, J rummaged through the candy bowl seeking the good stuff--he wasn't going to be caught dead passing out tootsie roll pops or smarties. Nope; he pulled out a Nestle Crunch bar everytime.

Later, however, a thought occurred to me--perhaps this was J's way of hoarding all the tootsie roll pops for himself! At any one time, he had two in his hand and was coveting the ones Daddy and I were eating as well. When we refused to let him have anymore, he went through the bowl, grabbed a couple, bent the sticks, and then pronounced them 'broken', as if that meant we would acquiesce.

What a smartie...

Big Boy

Mama Journal Entry

One day recently Tommy told Rebecca that J is "like him now". I guess meaning that J is not a baby anymore, but a big boy and a friend. J and Tommy (5) play so well together. They are like brothers except they never fight. J does whatever Tommy does--he copycats and likes to make Tommy laugh. It's cute and fun to watch, but it makes me wonder, will playing with someone so much older make J grow up faster? His play is already more imaginative than I expected or thought possible for a 20 month-old. Last week at Rebecca's he found a Rubbermaid stepstool in her kitchen. He carried it to the front room where he was playing trains and used it as a tunnel, chugging the trains along under it and saying "dark tunnel".

And ever since we went to the pumpkin patch and took a hayride with Tommy, J plays hayride at home. He pushes his highchair around the kitchen, or climbs on a chair, or stands on books or a pillow all the while announcing, "Hayride ready! Hayride comin'! C'mon Tommy!"

Like any parent, I hope to do as much as I can to foster his imagination. Yesterday I decided that the key to encouraging imaginative play is to provide J with new experiences. Toys are fun and can be imaginative, but experience gets in deeper and takes root in the mind and the imagination. Had he not felt the thrill of bouncing through the pumpkin patch on a bale of hay on the back of a tractor, he would not be tearing the house apart right now using his Lego table as a 'hayride'.

Watching such a little guy pretend in such a huge way really strengthens the value that my husband and I share of using our money and time on activities rather than things.

freakin cute frankenstein

Here's our plan for J's Halloween costume, courtesy of Parenting magazine!

Freakin' Cute Frankenstein Halloween Costume

A no-sew costume any parent can make

By Ellen Goldberg, Parenting

You'll need:

• 1 yard green felt
  
• Fabric glue
  
• Silver-painted spools
  
• A scrap red felt
  
• Faux fur
  
• Black sweatpants
  
• Gray T-shirt
  
• Dark sports jacket

Hat: Cut a piece of green felt long enough to wrap around your child's head and 12 to 16 inches wide. Fold in half lengthwise so the hat is 6 to 8 inches tall; glue sides together to form a cylinder. Cut two more pieces of green felt about 6 inches wide and 8 inches long to create the neckpiece. Glue one strip to each side of the hat on the inside; glue silver spools in the middle of each piece for neck bolts (you'll tuck the ends inside his shirt or jacket). Cut a "scar" out of red felt, and glue to the hat. Place faux fur across the top, and glue in place around edges. Trim to desired style.

Body: Dress child in sweatpants, and cut jagged edges at the bottom. Top with T-shirt and jacket.

Lynd's Fruit Farm Take 2

Sunday was a gorgeous fall day and we took advantage by heading out to Lynd's again, this time for apples AND pumpkins.

Harvest Time

This week we harvested more veggies from our small (yet quite fertile) garden out back. J has so much fun in the outdoors, and it was clear that he felt so important helping Daddy pick tomatoes and peppers. He clutched one tomato the entire time we were out that evening, occasionally stopping whatever he was doing to very deliberately and seriously close his eyes and smell it (like he sees Mama and Daddy do).




The brisk air felt invigorating and we spent a good hour outside walking, playing, cleaning up the yard and picking up the "pokey balls" that fall from our birch tree.




Finally, Papa and Nina arrived with pizza and J raced back down the street and up the driveway to greet them.

Fall begins tomorrow!

And we embraced the cooler weather by going apple picking on Friday. Officially, this was J's second trip to Lynd's Fruit Farm, but this time he was old enough to help with the picking...and eating. :)

He was totally into it. To keep him from eating apples off the ground, I had to tell him that those apples were yucky. So, we picked a nice one for him to eat and as we wandered around the orchards, he continued to point to the fallen apples and remind me that they were yucky.

While we filled our bag, J spoke the same words over and over between bites: apple, red apple, big apple, big bite, apple tree, apple, yucky. Maybe the repetition was helping him cement the experience in his mind?

It was really neat to see him process such a new and fascinating experience. I want to go back in a couple weeks--both for the fun, and for more apples! Yum!