that time of year

every year i somewhat dread fall. it gets colder. the kids have to wear coats and shoes and layers every day. schedules kick in. it gets dark at 5pm.

then i look around and see how beautiful fall is. i am amazed every year at the colors of the leaves. i have- oh- several hundred trees around my yard. and each year these beauties never cease to disappoint. they were bright red last year. this year this fiery orange. wow!

i was thinking about how God spent the time to dress these trees- choosing their signature color for the season. then i began to realize how much thought He puts in me. and then... how much time and thought I put in Him. and well, i need to give Him more. this time of year is a good reminder!

this glorious spot also marks the loss of our fishy- Sonya. she swam to Heaven a few days ago after almost 4 years of putting up with us. and no, joey, i couldn't just flush her:)

now a bit more on the leaves. this is what our yard looks like. not so grand. briley asked why no one elses yard was totally covered in leaves. i replied , "maybe they rake them". to which she answered, "why don't we?". and i responded, "i can't imagine having to rake this mess".


is it bad we don't rake our leaves? i don't know. just seems like an unnecessary project.
they always seem to disappear before spring anyway.



now for a special thanks to aunt dana and uncle rich for hosting the 1st xmas movie nite of the season. we cracked up at Elf! here's to many more!