Fall has ... fallen?

We say Spring has sprung, but the same can't be said for its opposite. And did I say cooler weather a month ago? Wishful thinking. Well, today is cooler (in the 60s!), but it's mostly been in the 80s. Technically, that is cooler than a million degrees, but not what I expected. We've been running about in tank tops, shorts, and sandals ... as usual ... but we've been talking about Fall and leaves and pumpkins. Suddenly I feel like Olaf listing off all the things he thinks he loves about Summer: "I've always loved the idea of Summer and s u n and all things h o t." I understand that sentiment. Before I move on, since I'm starting by talking about today, I have to include that Paul's lost his very first tooth. Well, his second to lose, but his first to fall out in the you're-growing-up way and not by landing mouth first on a hotel bathroom floor! Very exciting. We'll have to see what the Tooth Fairy is up to bringing these days...

Anywho. We've managed to fill this last month again! Funny how that happens. Several family birthdays, Ginny & Ryan celebrated 2 years of marriage, we had our first parent-teacher conference where we heard about our social butterfly (huh, what, now?!), went to a black tie opening exhibit gala, attended our first two Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra concerts included in our membership (and our first as a family), celebrated Hallowtide with trick-or-treating, soul cakes, and the first annual Eggs in Purgatory meal 😂 for All Souls Day, called Paul in sick a couple of days but enjoyed having him home, participated in a 5k, and got some more landscaping done on our overhaul, which will eventually have its own before/after post. Here are some snaps from all that and more. Oh! And the Houston Astros won the World Series, for which D and I stayed up to watch all 7 games, but we don't have any photos from that. Just a fun fact.

Wednesdays on the Point outdoor concert series

Hurricane fake-out grilling

How we do appointments now

Halloween package from Nana & Pappy, each engrossed in his or her favorite things: Ada, the Belle costume; Paul his doctor costume & accoutrement; Jack? The Oreos.

Ada is Belle - reading, of course ... and then a shift to Cinderella?

 Glam

 Post-glam

Morning Call!

 

 Neighborhood Halloween party

 LPO's Halloween special! They loved it!

 Pumpkin-buying at the store bc there aren't patches down here ... shout-out to Farmer John's in Austin, MN!

 Being cool

 Outside Paul's classroom!

Children's Museum! Playing house + Ada's domesticity, wow!

 Actually playing and not just knocking everything down!

JP II Day: pierogis + Brussels Sprouts. P&A snubbed the fried-in-butter dumplings? But asked for more sprouts. Whatever.

 Getting to be buddies

Uncle Pete's great job celebrating Halloween included a win for a cookie decorating contest and some Astros love

How we decided Jack's costume, with the clear winner:

 Our turn to decorate! Paul wanted one with star eyes, and the other was the St. Louis Cathedral

Paul's school's Fall Fest 

Halloween!

 We have a Dr. Paul, a Mr. Ladybug, and a Belle, who also has bones under her skin. Also a Cpt. Obvious, duh.

All Saints Day's soul cakes and saints matching game

All Souls Day "Eggs in Purgatory" lol ... shoulda taken a picture of the finished product, of course, instead. It's eggs poached inside the cooking spicy tomato sauce!

 Sickies getting to watch a movie

Paul's spotting me finishing the 5k! 

Pepper Jack's stack

Miss Heather's Pumpkin Patch at Paul's request after his visiting one of the church parking lot ones ... he asked to see a "grassy one, please". Voilà!

There ya have it, ladies & gents, a beautiful start to Fall. Here's to less humidity and an occasional "sweater weather" day from now until Mardi Gras! I'll leave you with the eldest's new, enlarged gap:

Ordinary life

No trips to re-live. No events to relay. Nothing out of the ordinary these past two weeks. It's been glorious! I used to just love my regular days together with Paul and Ada, and then with baby Jack. And now I'm learning to relish my regular time with Ada and Jack by day and the reunited trio come afternoon.

We've celebrated a couple of things, though, including Jack's first Baptism anniversary, Michaelmas, and today, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a house-favorite around here. 

Here are a few snaps of some of the regular we've gotten up to lately.

He's finally liking books for more than throwing.

 Between school pick-up and dinner everyday

I've been reading evenings since Dylan's been putting Crazy Baby to sleep.

 Jack's Baptism dinner + double-fisting his most favorite dessert: popsicles! He gets so excited when I open the freezer ... he squeals, flaps his hands, points, and then claps when I say yes.

 I attended a shower that stretched into naptime, so upon friends' advice, I got a coffee, let the kids rest in the car, and sat in the pick-up line early. Genius. And then Paul was shocked why we were "so fast!", as we're usually almost last.

 1. stacks the 4th 2. Yes! 3. Must. stack. higher.

Note: Don't drink La Croix at our house unless it's straight outta the fridge for fear of explosion.

 Meatless Michaelmas Friday celebration of devilled eggs, carrots, and angel food cake with blackberries.
(Carrots for Michaelmas has been a favorite blog since shortly after Paul was born, and the gal there (fellow BU grad, sic 'em!) has great tips for Michaelmas, of course.)

We kept Paul home Monday from school for a lingering cough that had worsened beyond vapor rub, propping up, cough syrup, and a humidifier ... and this was at the doc, so very sick. 

And there ya have it! A few weeks go by like - that - doing only the ordinary. Now we're gearing up for nicer weather (when there's, ya know, not a hurricane on its way into the Gulf 😳) and an otherwise uneventful-but-we-find-ways-to-fill-it October. 

I'll leave with a few one-liners from the kids because 5 & 3 are really amazing.
Paul, in one breath, "I love school. I like it more than home. You hair looks really good, Mama."
Ada, when asked what she'd like Santa to bring her this year after talking about last year's gift, "I love what he brings." Yeah, but what could he bring you this year that you'd like? "What he brings, I love." <thinks more> "I like whatever he chooses to gift me."
Jack, "Bapa" asking after Dylan once he left the room!