Evening Tent Making.

 We studied the sunset through different lenses.

 And made lots of little leaf sailboats.

 And read board books until it was too dark to see.

Morning Musings.

 

Good morning world.  I am just sipping my coffee and munching my grape-nuts while I enjoy this beautiful fall day.  It seriously looks like it is raining yellow leaves every time the breeze blows.

 My sister is headed our way next week.  She arrives Wednesday after the kids have their homeschool field trip to the Nashville Zoo that morning.  Eric and I will head down south for a work gala Thursday morning through that next Saturday morning and then she will leave home for Florida on Sunday night.  We are trying to convince her that Nashville is the place to live now ( **wink wink***).  Time will tell I suppose.  I miss her like crazy. 

 I am seriously considering flip-flopping our homeschool year.  Our first summer in TN was so brutally hot that it was like pulling teeth to get the kids outside (not to mention the mosquito swarms).  Now that the weather is cooler, the bugs have died down and it is so gorgeous to be outside I cant keep them indoors!  That's the beauty of homeschool. 
Another upside is that we can attend field trips and outings sans all of the crazy summer crowds if we switch it up a bit.  Just some ideas we have been discussing.
 So, the past couple weeks we have eased back on the worksheets and indoor activities and have gone full throttle with nature play and outdoor discovery.  It's been revitalizing for me as well.  It's only 8:30am and our littles are already exploring the tree line.  Aren't they cute?!  Have a great weekend!

He is our heart.

 

This guy.  Seriously.  We are so blessed! 

Golden glory

 

The Brentwood library had these A-mazing golden leaves by our parking spot.  We HAD to stop and play in them for a while.  And bring some home with us! 

Into the woods.

 In lieu of potential nature deficit disorder during our perfect fall weather, we struck out on an adventure to explore our nearly 2 acres of woods.  They have been sorely neglected this summer due to extreme temperatures and swarms of mosquitoes that love our northern blood.  

 We first had to scout the best way to traverse the rough terrain and then we were off- precariously to begin with.

 Mathias enjoyed climbing and pretending to fight off bad guys.

 Brielle did her best to climb over and under all of the fallen trees.  And looking darn cute while doing so.

 Fascinating discoveries were made...

 And the love and joy was in abundance...

 Between said discoveries.

 It was a magical setting.

 With unique finds...

 And physical exertion was high.

 However, Brielle was so sad to find out that there were no BEARS in our woods.

 But luckily she found a kitty whom we named "Woodsy the Cat".  We also had bunnies and an entire herd of deer race by us at various intervals that only added to our adventure experience.

Mathias' New Bed.

 

Now our company won't have to sleep on the couch or the floor!   

Crossfit battle wounds

 

Since I am no longer fight training, I have started a new program called Crossfit.  It's basically an intense workout with olympic weight lifting, endurance and gymnastics.  I love it but my hands not-so-much.