Leaves

For the past year, my mom and I collected rakes, so that the kids can all rake at the same time!   We managed to bring our total up to 6, but one of them is tiny, so we'll need to look this coming year, and probably one more for Billy too! = )

This was round 1:

In round two: all 5 are raking here, if you look very carefully. 

Alice did her allotment and was done.  Everyone else stuck around for a picture. = )

And then, what we woke to the next morning.  bleh.

So, we raked it again, but it was the final round.  A huge windstorm came through and pushed all the leaves against fences and into corners.  I'm clearing those areas slowly, but surely.  If I don't finish, they will stay until spring, and the small critters can use them as homes.

later days

edit: backdated for continuity. 

October Days

I bought Emily a fancy tutu at a garage sale last winter.  When we moved, it was hung in a more prominent spot in her closet. Naturally, she could not wait to wear it!  I told her she had to wait until October.  Since October 1st fell on a Sunday, she waited until October 2nd to go full pumpkin.

And thanks to the internet, I found a cool way to use those plastic spider rings!

The weather here is not much different than it was this time of year in texas.  We never know how to dress for the day.  Do wear long sleeves? shorts? pants?  Is 67 degrees cold enough for long johns?

We do consistently need jackets in the morning, well, there was that one odd day...

Aunt Rocky spoiled us one morning with donuts (for the kids) and coffee (for me!)

The new fad around here is to hang up a blanket while watching the computer.

Emily tried to convince me that she was dying of starvation, because I wouldn't let her get out her snack out of her back pack for our 2 minute commute home.  I took out my camera to document her final moments with some pictures. She began to giggle, so I told her that dying people don't usually laugh. Apparently, that wasn't the response she wanted, because she grabbed some leaves and threw them at me.

They have a fun day up here called "Plaidurday" that they celebrate on a Friday, by wearing plaid.  Alice, Emily and William were excited to show their school spirit.  Juliet wanted out of the picture again, and I can't even begin to remark on how grown up Alice looks in this picture.

We used our fancy cups from the Prescotts for syrup with our pancakes.

Alice wanted to pose by the pumpkins out front, and since I don't get many voluntary picture opportunities with Alice, I jumped on it.  Emily is always game for a picture. = )

William saw a little boy climb a tree outside their school one day, so of course, the next day he had to try it.

later days

P.S.

I read that blogging/journaling several times a week might keep people from catching physical illnesses!  By way of disclaimer: I read it on the internet, and haven't done any further research. I'm willing to put some stock into it, because I certainly can't explain how I never went down ill during the 2 years of incessant doctor's appointments, other than the fact that I blogged about each appointment. That being said, I'm going to attempt to blog at least once a week in hopes to stave off sickness.  I'll let you know if I get sick despite this prevention. ; )

A new blog

For the past few months, google has been warning me that my space is almost full.  I could pay, yearly, for more data, but decided that moving across the country was the perfect time to get a new email and a new blog! = )

If you want to see what our lives have been like for the past few years, you can visit the librum of time.

So what does life in Michigan look like for a family of displaced Texas?

the twins have mastered the art of begging

celebrating fall

haircuts have a way of making little boys look so much older!

the twins arguing over who is taller  (it's Juliet in this moment, by .5")

My embroidery/sewing machine has it's own computer!

billy bought me the collectors edition, something I've wanted for over a decade!

alice has 20 minutes of required reading each evening, so she tries out new positions to keep it fresh

getting into the spirit of autumn!

my stripy Emily!

they found a bug...a dead bug, but it was quite interesting

"mommy and princess"

domino designs

Emily made " <3 U Mom"

Decorating our new home.  You can get the cutouts from 23 Mills:

Essentially, it looks exactly like life in Texas, just with more layers.

later days