♥

Yes, it's true! A furry little ball of kitty love has joined our family!

The pitter patter of little paws, the sweet sound of purring around the house again... music to my ears :)

He is the sweetest little guy. So so soft, almost bunnylike with those pink ears, and he's got such a mellow and loving personality.

He was one of three kittens brought to Clover's pre-school in search of a home. He spent a couple of weeks at the farm before I successfully convinced Lucas that it was time to bring another kitty friend into our world.

During this time he got used to being manhandled by two to four year-olds (great conditioning for his new life with Clover, not as sweet as she looks, people!) and constantly licked by their family dog who took quite a liking to this kitten in particular. Probably because he was the only one who would sit back and allow the dog to lick him until his fur was wet and matted. He's just that easy going.

So yeah, this is our new kitten and we're pretty darn smitten. His tiny warm presence is making cuddling up on the couch that much cozier these days. In fact, he's curled up asleep in my lap as I type this :)

Oh yes, and did I mention that the gray patch on top of his head turns into a heart when his ears relax. Yeah, how freakin' cute is that?

One thing though, he's been with us for a week and a half now and still doesn't have a name. We're having a heck of a time coming up with one that feels like it fits. Suggestions??? We could use some help :)

Autumn Amazement

My dad took these photos of us (my sister Val and me) playing among the fallen leaves on a crisp November day back in 1976.

I was four years old, the same age Clover is now. While I'm able to conjure vague bits of memory from days like it, I don't necessarily remember this day in particular.

Nowadays I treasure having these images to look back on, with their power to bring focus to a faded recollection. A little version of me running wild in the woods.

As we were driving away from Clover's pre-school the other day, the breeze lifted a pile of leaves on the side of the road, sending their bright colors up into a whirling spiral.

Mama, did you see the leaves?!

I did honey, wasn’t that cool?

Her voice filled with astonishment:
Mama, I didn’t know leaves could play!

I'm guessing one day she may not recall having made this wonderful discovery, but I'm willing to bet she'll appreciate that I felt compelled to write it down :)

Swiss Missa

Yodel Le Hee Ho!

Man, am I the worst at timely posting, or what? I know, I know, Halloween is such old news. I did say I'd post costume pics though, and while I'm not the most together of bloggers, I am still a woman of my word!

Can you believe I found this vintage dirndl with accompanying undergarments at the thrift store for a mere $3.50! I love when they put out the Halloween racks each year, they are always a treasure trove for unique vintage pieces on the cheap.

How cute are those mother/son matching red Converse? And, how cute is my friend Angelina as Joan Jett? She's pretty convincing, no?

Uh, Joan, did you spike my hot chocolate again?

As evening approached, friends began stopping by and neighbors were out milling about in preparation for the night's festivities. The grown-ups enjoyed a beer on the front porch as the kids ran around in there costumes.

Yup, that's my old man. Kinda creepy, eh? Lucas has actually become pretty good at pulling together last minute costumes from things found around the house. It's his thing, he does it every year.

Later in the night the kids dubbed him the boogie man. He would shake his cane at them and they would run squealing with delight, over and over.

Several of you commented on my last post about how grown-up Clover is looking, and it's so true, she's such a little kid now! Where did my toddler go?

I got a call from my friend Dana explaining that her daughter, Neko, wanted to be a castle for Halloween. She was, however, in need of a princess. Of course Clover was happy to oblige. Don't they make an adorable pair?

We pieced together Clover's costume from thrift store halloween rack finds, but our friend Lily's mom handmade Neko's amazing castle dress from scratch!

Trick or Treat!

The pitter patter of wee spirits could be heard up and down the street. I had to keep a close eye on my little princess with her preferred eat-as-you-go method of trick of treating.

These last few pics were taken by Angelina with her camera's awesome night portrait setting (wish my camera had that). I love the flailing glowstick effect.

Another super fun and family friendly Halloween on our street. It's now been tradition for a few years running to go across the street to my sister in law's house where we have a little block party of sorts with friends, family, and neighbors in their driveway.

Costumes and decorations, gathering round the fire pit, a big pot of homemade chili (this year yummy roast pork sliders on wee homemade buns too!), drinks, baskets of candy for the trick-or-treaters who happen by, an eerie gray mist periodically wafting over from the fog machine, and lots of small children running wild in the night.

The kids are still young enough that a quick trip up and down the block provides sufficient trick-or-treat excitement, just wait until it dawns on them that their are whole neighborhoods to be covered!

Tiger Cub

It was a beautiful sunshiny morn as I dropped my lil' tigress off at The Farm for the big Halloween party. I must say, not many things are cuter than pre-schoolers on Halloween. Fuzzy creatures and royalty were popular costume choices and the tray of spaghetti worms was a huge hit.

Pictures from Halloween night soon to follow. Including Clover's second costume of the day (so long fuzzy creature, hello royalty) and me as a yodeling slinger of hot chocolate and pudding products...

Anyone remember this?