a little of this and a bit of that

well, the teacher duo in this house started school a few weeks ago and while we have settled back into a nice routine, we've also been crazy busy....

hence, the vacation i have taken from my blog.

i know, i know...

no excuses for something i cherish so much

however, seating charts and correcting papers and preparing to make verbs and adjectives exciting for 7th graders have been on the top of my to-do list for a while now.

we're also in the process of building/painting bunk beds for our littles (more to come on that - so excited!)

so, I'm going to give myself a little grace here and forgive myself that I let the blog slide a bit.

now that all the fun and excitement of back to school has settled, i'm grateful to have a night to sit here and catch up while J drifts off next to me.

i don't really know that i have anything profound to say tonight...just a little update on what our family has been up to

we'll start here...with this little creature.

one afternoon, we were enjoying time on the trampoline when Peach made a triumphant discovery:

she was soooo excited about this guy

we tried to find out what kind of spider he was, but were unsuccessful.

in the end, she gave him a name and we went to check on him later, but he had disappeared :(

Tulip has decided that any opportunity to go outside is also an opportunity to go for a bike ride.

She tells us this by scampering into the bike trailer and squealing until someone straps her in and takes her for a spin

Cutie Pie Peach had another night at gymnastics...the girl is in love!

Grandma and Grandpa came to town for Pizza Ranch pizza and the Teddy Bear Band...good times

and then just the normal, every day stuff...

amidst the busyness of back to school, i've been trying to capture pictures of the things happening around our house that make my heart go pitter patter

like chalk graffiti on our drive way

the way Tulip gets right down there and scribbles in the dirt like this is serious business

how Peach's pictures of people are starting to look more like people and less like rocks :)

the way this one "helps" me hang up laundry on the line

how all my practice with french braids is paying off - aren't they sweet?

the way those little curls sneak out from behind her ears

stories in sunlight

how big chick sports her rain boots....even when there's not a drop to be found

this little car that was handed down to us from a friend...

and the way little chick smiles when we scoot her around in it

 and girls so covered in dirt and fun that we scoop them right up and drop them in the tub - a sure sign that it was a good day

there you have it - a little random, but i guess that's how things have been around here lately.

it's all good.

no, more than good....awesome

the not so great news is that my alarm clock is set to go off at 5:30 am.....yikes

but we won't dwell on that

the fabulous news is this:

i have SUPER-GREAT classes this year...for real

I am LOVING my new schedule and the extra time at home

And, the cozy fall temperatures that i've been waiting for have settled upon us....

my absolute favorite time of year

pictures of orchards and pumpkins coming soon...
stay tuned  :)