Autumn Days

The baby's leaf collection, 2010.

Looks like the cold has arrived. Shorter days and earlier evenings await as we turn the clocks back this weekend. Halloween has come and gone. I wish I'd been able to celebrate the holiday more this year, but with our work schedules, K and I found ourselves both working all day on Halloween. Pop-Pop bought the baby a Zorro costume, but I failed to get a picture of him wearing it; he wouldn't wear the hat and scarf for more than one minute anyway. The baby spent the day with my Mom and Grandma and Aunt, and my brother took him and my stepsons trick-or-treating. I'd planned to go pumpkin picking and carve pumpkins and make pumpkin pie and watch Charlie Brown, like I did last year (well, not the pumpkin picking) but there just wasn't time this year. Brooklyn went to a Halloween Festival upstate with Pop-Pop - she was dressed as Frida Kahlo. KIDDING!! Although that's an idea...

I feel so silly that I've only recently discovered that there is a playground literally one block away from my house. I haven't done too much exploring in the neighborhood other than my block. I took Le Petit Prince there this afternoon to check it out. It is modest in size, not much other than a basketball hoop on one side and then swings and a sliding board/climbing set on the other side. It was a sunny but breezy day, so we took in the swings for a bit and then headed back inside. The baby LOVED the swings, he was all smiles and giggles, so funny. I wish I'd discovered it when it was still warm outside.

A real swinger.

Weeeeeeeeee!

There is something about having the baby that makes me want to celebrate everything with him and find the festivity in everything - the changing seasons, the holidays. We walked Brooklyn today and I guided the baby into piles of leaves so he could hear and feel the crunch under his sneakers. He loved it. I remember the crunch of autumn leaves as I walked to and from school. Then we collected leaves, so pretty (top photo). I think I'll make a book for him and we can collect some every year.