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,