Fall Fun

Today was wonderful... I spent most of it sitting near our pellet stove and knitting while the rain lashed down outside. My sister-in-law and her boys were visiting and the kids made up their own games while we nibbled cheese and crackers for lunch. Later I used up the rest of the fresh basil and cooked up some bacon to put on our pizza for dinner. It was delicious!
For a long time I've considered autumn to be my most favorite time of year... There is the anticipation of the Christmas season, the beautiful fall colors, and of course the handknits are pulled out of drawers and closets as the temperature starts to drop. This week there was definitely a chill in the air and I've felt some urgency to finish the shawl I'm working on.
Wednesday was our gymnastics day, which means we came home at lunchtime. It turned out to be sunny, clear, and cool that afternoon... A perfect day to rake leaves, right?

At our old house we had mostly evergreen trees in and surrounding our yard, so this was a new activity for my kids. They had seen other kids make leaf piles and jump in them in movies though, so they knew what to do. (Ha - TV is apparently good for something!) They worked diligently to make a large enough pile for them all to play in. At first, Evelyn wanted to make her own pile... but she soon decided it would be better to make one BIG pile instead.

And then the fun began...

At first I was tempted to run inside and get something done while the children were so thoroughly occupied...

But I'm glad I didn't. They spent hours out there - making leaf angels, having leaf fights, burying each other, stuffing their socks and shirts with leaves, giving each other leaf showers, and they jumped in that pile again and again...

I got many great photos of them having such a blast!

And being silly!

And being cute!

And I admit, I was having fun too.