Happy Birthday, Mom

 It could be very possible that I love the fall of the year because that was the time of  year that my mom celebrated her birthday.

October 30.

She used to tease that it was an appropriate 

birthday for her, since she was so witchy.

She only teased. 

I knew better.

My mom wasn't witchy at all.

She was lovely and beautiful and warm and kind.

She gave her hugs freely and gave my brother and me every reason to believe that there were no two children as loved in the world as we were.

She made our house a real home...

full of love and tradition.

It could also be very possible that traditions are so important to me because of my mom.

Several months ago, I borrowed two big boxes of family pictures from Dad.

My mission was to start scanning pictures

 onto my computer.

Finally, this morning, I opened the first of those boxes hoping to find a picture to post in honor 

of Mom's 69th birthday.

I wasn't disappointed.

Here is what I think is a high school picture of Mom...

maybe her junior or senior year...1959 or 1960.

I love this picture of  Mom.

This is her first year of teaching...1964.

She taught the third grade for four years.

Skip ahead several years.

Mom was now a stay-at-home mom with two little ones.

I am forever thankful that my dad took on the responsibility of supporting our family so that Mom could be home with us....where her heart was.

As a farmer working at a grain elevator, 

my dad worked long hard hours.

But he always came home with a smile and a song.

Heigh Ho!  Heigh Ho!

It's back to teaching Mom goes!

Mom waited until Rob and I were in high school and then started working her way back into teaching.

She taught the fourth grade for several years before she died in May 1993 at the age of 50.

I don't know what year this was taken, but it was one of her last school pictures.

I can look in her eyes now and can tell that she wasn't feeling good.

Oh, Mom.

I miss you today.

I wonder what you would 

have looked like at 69 years old.

Nineteen years have passed since 

you turned 50 years old.

There will not be a day that I don't miss you and wonder what you would have been like.

And yet I know what you would have been like.

Now...check this out!

My dad's senior picture from 1959.

I love this picture too!

And I love you, Dad!

Enjoying family,

Fall Bucket List

One of my favorite finds this month?

The Fall Bucket List

I love it because it has made me more intentional.

I love it because it is so pretty.

I love it because I can check off what we have done.

I love it because it includes several things that I forget to do every fall.

One of the things that I seem to forget about each fall is taking the time to jump in the leaves.

It seems like we either mulch the leaves up or hook up the leaf picker-upper.

Not this year!

Paul and William raked up a pretty good pile for the little boys to jump in.

And for the little boy at heart...

Look at that crazy dog heading toward the pile!

A homemade bridge and a good use for one of the many sticks found around our yard.

Reraking.

Good buddies.

Matthew's jumps made me laugh!

He would take this great big running start, and then he would take this little bitty mini jump into the edge of the leaf pile.

And was so proud!

Check out that jump!!

Run...run...

...plop.

"No, Matthew!  Like this!"

Plop.

Pretty good Sunday afternoon entertainment.

Plop.

"Goooooood Charrrrrrrlie."

Just sittin' around in a leaf pile.

Matthew loves the lawn mower.

William is always very happy to take the little boys for rides around the yard on the mower.

I think that Matthew is making plans for how he will one day drive the mower himself.

In fact, I know that he dreams of such things.  

One morning, the first thing he said 

when he woke up was, 

"Will I get a lawn mower ride today?"

Here's one of those running starts that I was talking about earlier...

Now for that Bucket List "Photoshoot in a leaf pile!"

This one is my Christmas card picture!

Alright.

Go ahead and laugh.

And enjoy the picture here since it has been years since I sent out Christmas cards.

I love these sweet, dirty Josh toes.

I think that Matthew is doing some kind of 

simple country boy jig.

He breaks into a little jig quite often.

Quite suddenly.

Watch this progression.

As Matthew continues his little jig in the background, 

Joshua finds out that his foot has landed on a stick that was hidden in the leaf pile.

Ah!  

Finally!

A truly big, truly deep jump into the leaf pile!

And more photos!

Stink Eye

And lost Nerf darts.

I really love this ditch.

It was around this time of year that Paul and I first saw this ditch 18 years ago.

On that day, there was water flowing down the ditch...it was making a gurgling, bubbling sound.

I fell in love with it, just as I had already fallen in love with the house.

Over the years, the ditch has become more shallow and grass-filled, so Paul & Co. have been digging it out.  There is still a bit more to go, but I have really enjoyed the prettiness of what is done.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love rocks?

I do.

Raining leaves!

Look at Charlie trying to catch the leaves that Josh has thrown into the air!

I kept trying to capture the golden leaves falling from the neighbor's tree.

It was so beautiful.  And so silent.

I just couldn't capture it on film.

I absolutely love the colors of fall.

Enjoying leaf piles and the color orange,