Feeding the fish.

 The family went for a walk down to the pond today to give the fish some food. here.  We all needed a break from the house, so off we went for some nice crisp fall air!  Poppy even followed us down.

 Can you see were the deer have made a path down to the pond? 

 Anna and Ella were trying to be taller than each other. 

 I handed the camera over to Logan.  It makes me sad that I don't have many pictures of Troy and I together.  If we do have pictures together, it's usually of him teasing me.  I didn't post the pictures of him making funny faces.

 Isn't that the sweetest thing ever?  Olivia loves her Daddy.  She's turning out to be a prankster just like him.

It was lovely to get outside while we had a break in the rain.

Some time to enjoy the fresh air.

A moment to take in the color's all around us.

Actually is was nice to get the kids outside and run off some energy!

Fluttering.

 I know I have been posting a lot of pictures of leaves, berries, birds, all that boring stuff.  It's hard for me to put into words how I feel about Fall. 
I feel the earth getting ready to go to sleep, laying a blanket of giant leaves on the ground.

 On my walk today, I found more berries.  They are so sweet and good.

 All the apples are falling from the trees, giving the deer a nice little treat. 

 As I was waiting for the kids to get off the bus, I spotted this guy.  Don't know what it is but he sure

does look rough.

Every day the colors change.  Something new for me to look at and enjoy.  I found a poem and put the words "Fluttering Leaves" on a chalk board to decorate the family room.  Everybody found that really funny and have teased me relentlessly about it. 

"Oh look Emily, fluttering leaves."

 I should of written the whole poem down.

'Fall, leaves, fall'

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose should grow;

I shall sing when night's decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

-Emily Bronte

This is what I get to look forward to winter for.  Holly!

Need to find a good poem!

A little bit of Fall nesting going on.

 The other day I was out looking at the grapes.  I came across this.  Aren't they so lovely?  Did you know that people have phobia's of dragonflies?  What do you think of this one Matt K.?

Mr. Ted here loves the pumpkins.  He'll bite the stems and roll them around.  I had a few of them on my fireplace hearth and he would decide to play with them in the middle of the night.

 I love to see this when I go walking.  I always have my camera in case I come across the momma deer and her two babies.

 I got this shot of Mt. Baker while I was waiting at the bus stop for the younger kids. The corn was almost ready to be cut down.

 The day after the corn was cut down I kept hearing all kinds of chirping and screeching sounds.  I was on our couch watching out the window and saw a bald eagle and a hawk fighting on the ground.  I ran outside to catch a pic, but scared them off.

 You can see the eagle in the middle of the picture.

 The two eagles are sitting on the branch sticking out the farthest.  The hawk is circling above them.  After observing them for a few hours I think the hawks must have a nest close by in another stand of trees.

 I got these shots while I was coming back from trying to get pictures of the eagles and hawks.  I'm sad the corn is gone.  It was so beautiful and I loved listening to them rustling in the wind.  Speaking of wind, the pine trees around the house sway like crazy when it's windy.  Sometimes it's a little freaky.  None of them are close enough to fall on the house.  I made sure of that.

 Waiting for the little kids to get off the bus.  Izzie knows when the are coming and gets so excited.

 Love the pumpkins they have along the roads here.

 The house is somewhat clean so I thought I would show some of my fall decorating. 

 Not a fan of the drapes in the house.  Oh well, just have to work with them.

 These are the hazelnuts that I gathered, dried and peeled. 

The poplars down the road.  I am waiting for them to turn colors.  Can't wait!

Ella's very noisy birthday party.

 Ella celebrated her 12th birthday. 

Why does it get harder and harder for me when my kids have another birthday?

She had some really amazing kids come and celebrate with her.  I was impressed with how polite they were.  What shocked me the most was how much all the kids get along with another.  There was not one speck of drama or tantrums within the group.  They all got along really well.

 Big sister Anna made the cake, Daddy frosted it and Mom put the 1D on it.  It's not a beauty but it's made with tons of love.

I had all the kids stand with Ella for a picture.  It was one of those tender Mother moments to see my daughter being loved by others.  As you can see Ella is the tallest of all her friends.  She just takes it all in stride. 

Happy Birthday to my beautiful blue eyed little girl!