Pools and Pumpkins

Last night, Jacob and I had a rather large tiny meltdown.

We were homesick for Seattle.

But today...I tried to embrace Austin. It's not that hard to do, really. It's an awesome city and we're lucky to be here - it's just we were reminiscing about mountains and beaches and friends and...well, if you've ever moved from a place you love, you know how it goes. But we're here now. 

I've missed the autumn leaves and the crispness in the Autumn air more than I knew I would. BUT here I am, almost November, and I can take the kids to the pool! And instead of colorful leaves, we've got blossoming flowers all around us! Plenty of sunshine and daylight. It felt like the best of summer in Seattle today, so we embraced it - wholeheartedly!

I also embraced the camera, with my kiddos, all three. I wasn't even going to bring Annie (my big lug of a camera) but decided at the last minute, sure, why not? I propped her up on a table, set the self-timer - hopped in - and wa-la: a little souvenir of this absolutely lovely day, and our afternoon spent at the pool frolicking and playing (when I hear several states got their first snow today). Awesome!

I let the kids bring along their jack-o-lanterns, which proved to be good fun and hours of entertainment!

We stayed aaaaaalllll afternoon. Skipped naps. They had, after all, been great sports all morning when we ran errands. The past couple of weeks have been crazy - our church asked our family to head up the annual Halloween Carnival and "Trunk or Treat" - which  consists of a dinner, carnival games, and then the trunk or treating - 300 peeps expected, budget of $100 bucks. It was an exciting and fun challenge to take on - who doesn't love to plan a party? But slightly stressful to, with a lot to do in about two weeks time. Anyway, I digress. The kids have been troopers and we've spent a lot of days in preparation mode - gathering supplies, me being a maniac about details and centerpieces, etc. Anyway, I thought we all needed a break - the party is tomorrow after all. So, we skipped naps (except Miss Hazel, who took a dip in the pool with me and then took a nice nap in her stroller) and stayed until our fingers and toes looked like...craisins. Awesome!

I hope y'all have got your costumes ready - Halloween is right around the corner! I think this is one of the best parts about being a mom - dressing the kidlets up for Halloween! At least so far, I've looooved it! Good luck with all of your preparations!