Given that I see this exact view very often lately, it's good that it's such an adorable view. The day that those baby curls are gone will be a sad day. (Hopefully far in the future)

Z and V are neighbor girls from down the block. Being a country kid, neighbor kids stopping by and asking to play is not something I was ever used to. It's kind of hard for me, as an introvert, to take, to be totally honest. But they are a good fit for you, especially Saoirse. So I push my own limits to embrace it. They're about to add another baby girl to their family, which will increase the ratio in our two families to 6:1 in favor of girls. Liam seems happy to soak up all the female attention.

The temperature was cold today, cold enough that Saoirse, although she was the only one not too squeamish to touch pumpkin guts, still did complain a bit about how cold it made her hands. One of these years we really need to buy some proper carving tools. But your dad did his best to turn your "art" into jack o'lanterns.

You all indulged me today, heading to the Dexter Cider Mill so we could taste yet another set of cider and donuts. What can I say? Fall is my favorite time of year. The cider and donuts were excellent, but the line did not make everyone happy. Not the 13 month old who would rather be walking around, for instance. The barn light made me swoon, but the crowds kept me from enjoying it to the fullest. Photographer problems.

Another beautiful fall afternoon at the park, another day of my beautiful girl in purple from head to toe.

W and K came over after school today so that their parents could go to parent-teacher conferences, then stayed for dinner. Supervising all six of you while you played outside, making the most of the last pleasant fall days, I was struck by the madness of it, as I am sometimes. Four starts to seem normal after a while...but six?! And yet some do it every day. I was glad we could get outside, at least. And glad for pork ragu that cooks slowly all afternoon, and pumpkin cake to celebrate our ten year anniversary, and pumpkin beer shared with good friends.

No corner of this house is free of toys left behind.