Fall Forms of Fun and Fantasy

Leaf Piles, hunting, pumpkin carving and even some lost teeth to round out a couple weeks of fun. The yard mostly waited until one final sweep this year, we were too busy doing other things to worry about he leaves piling up, but they did kindly wait for us.  We raked large piles and the kids wrestled in the leaves as kids are supposed to do before we spread the leaves over the garden and blanketed it for the approaching winter.  It has been a good fall but with November here it is time to change our mindset the very real possibility of winter.  We were able to spend some time in EC with the cousins and even managed to carve some pumpkins on a cool afternoon.  The pumpkins, I understand, eventually were devoured by the neighborhood deer, but the carving was fun.  We also were able to take a midweek hunt and headed into the Oconto early one morning.  The kids had their BB guns and were searching for chipmunks and red squirrels that were so plentiful  a couple of weeks prior.  With the storm clouds rolling in we were quickly sidetracked by an oak that was such a perfect climbing tree that we had to dangle on its limbs before heading home.  Sophia dropped her hat on the way to the tree, and as a homage to Grandprize I tossed her hat into the air and blasted the brim off of it with the 20 gauge.  No worries, however she had a new hat by the following evening.  Merrick tore out his first tooth, after I told him it was a little loose and maybe in a week or so it would come out.  He didn't have that kind of time and ripped it out at the supper table in about 8 minutes instead.  Tossing it on the table and matter of factly saying, "Here is my tooth."  Halloween has come and gone although our pumpkins are still guarding the front door for another night.  Sophia was running from house to house as we trick or treated and Merrick was hip to that idea but his interest waned inversely with the amount of candy in his bucket.  Merrick is back at soccer on Saturday mornings, and the birthday party season is also approaching while Sophia is dancing during the week.  We are staying busy and Sophia and I have taken to evening tea after Merrick is in bed are having some great conversations.