Favorite Season


I was reminded several times today why FALL is my most favorite season.

1. I was reminded how much I love the cool crisp autumn weather and northern breezes when I opened the door to let Emma out this morning (6:30 am) and almost passed out. It was already 82 degrees with 68 percent humidity.

2. Preseason NFL was on tonight- I am a football fanatic! Predominantly Husker football- but have fallen into NFL when Husker isn't available. Fall is full of weekend football parties and tailgating nights with the girls! Super fun! Not to mention watching all the games! College ball on Saturdays and NFL on Sundays and Mondays!



3. School is in session- the girls are going crazy and so am I. We desperately need school to start. Today was particularly bothersome. Fall brings nice quiet days with kids at school!

4. Fun outdoors. I really wanted to take Emma to the dog park and help Kynna with her soccer skills- but it is just too hot and sticky. I am ready to go in after just 10 minutes. The kids beg to play outside- then I let them and they are coming back in - in less than 15 minutes with bright red faces and dripping with sweat. In the fall we can all go out in the backyard or to the dog park and have fun as a family. We are starting daily family walks with Emma around the neighborhood. It will become more routine when the weather cools a little.



5. Plants- I looked outside at my sun burnt grass and withering flowers and was reminded how much I love fall and the mums. It reminds me of our wedding- we were married outside Labor Day weekend. Nine years next month (awwwwwwwww!)

6. Halloween- I just received a catalog for Halloween party supplies. I love making Halloween costumes and planning Halloween parties for the girls and their friends. I also love going to the pumpkin patch, picking out pumpkins, having bon fires and making smores!

7. Thanksgiving...I saw a yummy recipe for a grilled Thanksgiving dinner. Cooking everything outside on grills and fire. And I was reminded how much I love being with family. Or maybe just the idea of being together with the whole family! I love my in-laws and being with them. I also love my mom and grandparents! Spending time with them is awesome! I love my brothers and their families- its just things get a little unstable when we are all together.

--- Psychological interpretation of #7: I never really had the whole family together in harmony when I was growing up. It was just us three kids and my mom. She did her best with what she had- and it was great! But we weren't close to any extended family. And my brothers and I fight... I mean FIGHT! We just like to argue and we know how to hit each others buttons. Not to mention we are never wrong about anything... so you can see why we argue so much! And I don't even think we mean to argue- it just inevitably happens... every time! That being said- I think I am trying to compensate for the family traditions I lacked as a child. Still not sure if its family or the idea of a harmonious family gathering- either way I like Thanksgiving for that reason!

Little Miss CleanerCorynn spent many hours... yes hours... outside at my mom's sweeping off her deck. No one asked her to do it- she just decided that it needed to be done and headed on out.

Sweeping is not all she does either! She also pulls weeds, rinses and dries dishes, dusts and is quite handy with the dust buster. Now why is it she is ready and willing to do all this and the twins have to be bribed??? I am thinking I better take full advantage of the "mommy's little helper' stage before she outgrows it!

These are some of my favorite pix from our week in GI town...

Way back when....

The girls and I are still in GI town. We are staying at my mom's house- she is out of town on business. So the girls and I have the house to ourselves. We got home from dinner with my grandparents about 8pm- and immediately became bored. The girls have been here for a week and a half... and by now have played with all the 'fun stuff' gma owns. So I went with Corynn to find some stuffed animals in my old bedroom. My 'old' bedroom is pretty much exactly how I left it when I moved out ten years ago. My bulletin board is still up with all my friends school pictures, some of my swimming ribbons, a balloon on a stick that I received from a secret admirer in 8th grade (which is still inflated- by the way!!) and a few bunches of dried roses that John gave me before he left for college. Not to mention all of my stuffed animals- which were put up on a shelf when I was 8 and really had been touched until the twins came along.

Corynn couldn't find anything she liked so I started looking through the dressers and I found a photo album. It was a photo album that I had put together for a YW project. It spanned three years (1993-1996) of my teenage experience. I had so much fun going through it with the girls and showing them pictures of a younger me and their uncles and grandparents. There was a photo of me with a boy at a dance and the girls nearly passed out when they realized it wasn't their dad. I had to explain it was before I met John- they were just too funny... shaking their heads in disgust!

I was in gymnastics and tap when I was Corynn's age- and I found some of my old costumes from my recitals. Corynn put a few on- it was too cute!

As I was looking through the pictures, I found myself wishing I could go back and do it all over with what I know now. I was so insecure in jr. highschool. I can't believe that now- how could I have been so quiet and shy. I became more outspoken in highschool- but those pictures just brought back those memories of jr high- crazy how pics can do that!

Its fun to walk down memory lane and remember what you thought was important (oh and the lovely early 90s hairstyle with the big bangs! Gotta love that!) Things change so much in 14 years- yet so much stays the same ... like my room :o) !