Sweet Home Days

We picked this up yesterday at the consignment shop and have been having fun playing it. We even got Daddy to play this afternoon. It creates lots of giggles as everyone keeps getting stuck or becomes the ghost.

The object of the game is to escape the castle before the ghost catches you and you become the ghost. There is some strategy to the game but sometimes it is just pure luck.

It was a fun afternoon of game time.

blue skies, perfect day

The weather was simply too wonderful to stay inside all day. The beauty of our life really is incredible. We headed to a local nature park for a nice hike.

About half way through we rested for a bit and played in the flowing stream.

We discovered this park seven years ago. While the boys sat playing I marveled at how fast time goes by. I remember many days sitting in these woods, playing on the fields, sledding down the snow hill or visiting the animals. So many times we have been to this same spot but each time is different, new and exciting. The wonder in their eyes as we listened and searched for the woodpecker among the trees, or discovered many colored mushrooms along the path. These days are my favorite time spent with them.

A deep sigh, I knew that learning from the earth was where we needed to be. That spending these days in the woods would be the memories that lasted. I still can recall the days I spent behind my house for hours with my best friend, simply lost in the world of nature.

I often wonder about the boys' friends. The fact that we only see people every so often. Are they forming the bonds they need for a lasting friendship? Do they have a best friend? Then I see this....

I know. I know they love, trust and care for one another with all their hearts. I know that brothers are friends.

It was a glorious day. Another memory amongst the best of friends.

creating time

I love making things. Always have and always will. When the boys were babies and napped forever, I would spend the afternoons creating. As they started growing I loved just spending time with them creating. Somehow, someway I wish for them and myself to create every day.

The older they get, the more complicated their projects become and they wish to leave them for a bit and then go back to them. We would just use the dining room table. The only table we have for everything. I keep the supplies in the basement and we go get what we need and bring everything upstairs, and then when we are done for the day we have to bring it all back downstairs, plus find a place to put our projects for a bit.

I kept saying one day it would be cool if we had a room or place for our creating time. Well I finally decided instead of waiting to make the best with what we have. So for the past month I have been working on cleaning the basement and organizing it the best that I can. It is used for storage, laundry room, Eric's home office, workshop and now our creating area. There is still more I would like to do. I have to figure out how to stay warm down there during the winter months. But for now it is a new beginning. And we head down there every afternoon to create. It is awesome. Since we can keep projects going for a bit.

The wooden table you see will be my area. It was in my parents house, a drafting table my dad built. It needed a little TLC but will work wonderfully.

Setting up Fall

So much fun decorating!

Tuesday

A day at home, just chugging along with our daily lives.

There was some cleaning with lots of help.

Game playing.

Building.

Creating.

Laying in bed for an hour reading an entire book together. We are so loving this series.

There was nothing out of the ordinary today and I am learning these are the days that matter most. We weren't rushing around trying to get things done. We just let it happen naturally. The boys had hours of uninterrupted play. When it started to get a little heated I would offer up a suggestion, ex. game, read, create. We would all be together for some focus time and then they were off to their own again. It really flowed so nicely . All day long.

And now I'm off to finish my book:)

Taking it slow

I was so in the mood to write all of September. I posted 29 days out of 30. I missed the last day because I was out on a date with Eric. Then the weekend came and we were all a bit slow, just taking it easy. October started without me even knowing it. Even now as I write, I had to pull myself away from my first fiction book in so long. I am usually reading some inspirational, parenting, life learning book of sorts. But I needed a fun read. So that is what I am doing and will be heading back upstairs in a moment. But I wanted to share a pictures of what we saw in our own backyard this weekend.

Yes it was the middle of the day but we don't think he was rabid or anything. Gritty scared him/her our of their home under our shed- we think. It stayed in the tree for a bit and then disappeared. Always something exciting going on.