Halloween (aka Samhain)

This year, as in the last few years, we have picked home made/designed costumes instead of going out and buying pre-made ones. We cobbled together a "fairy" costume for Fiona, Logan went as a zombie (and his friend as a zombie killer), Audrey was SUPER-JELLY (protector of children and fighter of dry toast), Derek was.... I'm not 100% sure, I think it was a vampire with a good mustache. Cae was a bat (wings courtesy of a friend... thank you!), Rowan was Super-Rowan Candy getting, and Sagan... probably the most creative costume this year, the ghost of mustaches past!

I hope everyone had an amazing Halloween.

Pumpkin moonshines (AKA jack-o-lanterns)

Mike and the kids went outside and carved the pumpkins today, or as the say in the Tasha Tudor book Pumpkin Moonshines. They LOVE the whole designing of the pumpkin moonshines, but the actual digging out of the insides... not so much . (Look at Cae's face. Priceless.) Fiona even got in to it by chewing on the pumpkin left overs and trying to down a few seeds... like her big sister.

This Moment...

Taking inspiration from Soulemama and Waldorfmama... this moment. A single photograph from the week, a moment I wish to pause, savor and remember.

This week in gratitude:

*ever so grateful for two days with rain in them

* Nana Ruth and a piano

* Halloween parties

* for putting rhythm in my days

* PUMPKINS!!

Partying, partying, partying, yeah!

We spent the afternoon hanging with some of our most favorite people. Our homeschool group celebrated Halloween! Lots of great food, crafts, games and the kids following one of the dad's around as he hung up new screens on the windows. Caelan even lost a tooth! We are truly blessed with this community, I can not say it enough. Sometimes you just luck out and end up with a great bunch of people to spend your time with. The day ended with a few of the littles nursing to sleep.

Just thinkin'

I could have 10 more children. I really could. Yes, some days are definitely more intense. I am not always as cool and collected as I would like to be, but I try hard every single day. And I do love my kids so, so much, and you know, I like them too. Just watching them grow and become their own person, it is such a blessing. The thought that one day this part will be all over, well it is enough to make my breath catch, to make me tear up. I know this isn't for everyone. I know there are people out there who love their kids 100% but also who look forward to the day they move out... that isn't me. I will of course be the loudest cheerleader for my kids, standing back as they take flight, but man I will miss them. I will miss all of it, the good, the bad and the beautiful. I love you, my darling children, so much. <3

Form Drawing, Embroidery, and RAIN!

I have been wanting to do some form drawing with the boys for some time now. The other day when I went on a cleaning binge I found a book I had on form drawing. So the boys and I went outside to do some drawing on the drive way... such a nice HUGE canvas. Then taking an idea from Amanda Soule's book The Creative Family we ventured again into embroidery land. Cae and Sagan drew pictures on their burlap, Rowan just stitched away. They really got into it, working for about an hour on their pieces.

Then just as the day was wrapping up... RAIN! A wonderful down pour. We hadn't gotten to many of those this year. It was so nice. There is just something about rain in the desert. After the down pour stopped the boys brought out the boats they had made and sailed them down the gutter.

Pumpkins and bread

After reading the book "Pumpkin soup" we decided that maybe we should try and make some. The book had a great start to a recipe in the back... but I felt it need something. We added some sweet potatoes/yams and orzo, it was amazingly delicious. Of course the boys, although so eager to help make the food, there is still a bit of trepidation on the actual eating of the food. The home made bread was a hit though. I got the recipe from "Making bread with children"

In the book basket...

Books we picked for the coming week.

Sunday's sunset picnic

My hope is that this Sunday sunset walk at Tempe Town lake will become a regular thing. We had such a great time. The drive over was hilarious with me missing the exit and having to drive around in circles a couple times, and ended with me having some very strange reaction to something and having my eye balls (yes, the actual eye ball) swell up. All the stuff in between was fun and funny. Fiona LOVES hummus and helped herself with and without carrots. The boys ran about in the darkness with only the lights in their shoes to tell us where they were. And the lights, oh the lights. Pictures just do not capture the loveliness of all the lights around the lake and on the bridges. But you know what is so cool, is that we are together as a family and there are lots of other families with the same thing on their minds, strolling along next to the lake, eating in the grass and watching the lights and their kids come alive.