Is was gorgeous this morning as the sun came up and touched the tops of the snow covered trees...magical.

Winter Begins

Our first snow of the season. The kids were so excited and wanted to go out badly.  We finished our schoolwork. The question was where was all the snow gear. I'm not really sure why winter seems to catch me off guard. It comes pretty much the same time every year. I headed to the garage in search of the plastic boxes. They were not buried too deeply and soon everyone was outfitted with enough warm clothing for some fun in the snow.

Yes, those are shorts that Gabe has on. He is always warm, even in winter. I'm sure once he can go sledding, he will at least don snow pants.

There is something so magical about the first few snow falls of the seasons.  Even those of us that are hot summer lovers, stop to enjoy and smile.

First Snow

Our first snow of the 2011-2012 winter season. It is always so beautiful and exciting. Now, if I can just remember what I did with all the winter gear.

An Autumn Walk

It has taken us several weeks, but we have finally settled into somewhat of a weekday routine that is working. Having all of the younger children back home for schooling has been a big challenge for all of us. We are seeing some very positive results, which reaffirms our decision to bring the kids home from public school.


We have enjoyed being able to again take our frequent walks. We live in a lovely area with lots of country roads and nature to enjoy. I get a nice brisk walk, the dogs get some exercise and the kids like to run in the woods, throw stones in the river or find treasures along the way.

You can see the scoured river bank behind the children, remnants of hurricane Irene. This river overflowed it's banks in several areas.

The trees are hanging onto their leaves this fall and this oak was looking mighty handsome with all the variations in leaf color.

Max, our new puppy, has especially enjoyed these outings as everything is so new to him. He spends so much time sniffing everything he can reach. He is already Gabe's buddy and Gabe accommodates him by allowing him to roam all over. Gabe is very good with animals and all our pets seem to gravitate toward him.

We saw this Monarch flying very timidly. I'm sure he was very close to his last days. It is sad to see them go, but just another part of the yearly cycle of nature. He was definitely a bright spot among the brown leaves.

These fellows were looking for a handout. I love the little donkeys. They are so cute and we can hear them braying from our house. What a funny creature they are.

These little walks refresh and energize us to get back to our schoolwork. Sometimes that means more books, but sometimes it is just to discuss and enjoy the treasures we bring home.

Geocaching

We introduced some friends to the fun activity of Geocaching. It is such fun sharing caching with other people. I think they are hooked.  The first cache of the afternoon.  It was in an area that I'm guessing was flooded by hurricane Irene.  The container was a bit damp, but not too bad.

We found four caches, two of them in cemeteries.  Gabe thought this headstone looked like a Guillotine.

Wonderful afternoon spend with special friends.