With the notable exception of today, (which has brought 45 degree rain that has settled into our very bones and wrought fear of the coming winter...) October has gifted us with an inordinate number of blue sky days. I've been increasingly busy at work as the end of the quarter approaches and tests and deadlines pile up in the midst of all of the challenges of blended learning. All of us have been very tired this week, just worn down by these weeks of early mornings and too much time on screens. But no matter- we've still been heading outdoors whenever possible. We can catch up on sleep and housework in January.
Bike club continues, but has been remamed "the Forest Hills Girls" as their activities now include feeding ducks, exploring nature, rolling down hills, playing on playgrounds, eating snacks and occasionally riding bikes.... Grateful for these sweet girls and their families who help them spend this time together.
Our little doggo has been busy showing, earning 6 points in a weekend earlier this month. We have been instructed to use her snood on a more regular basis to protect her ear hair from damage. We may end up using it just for comic relief!
Thinking of hair....
This one cut a little bit off!
After much back and forth, she decided to donate this flaxen mop of hair to Locks of Love.
I've always liked a bob with a side part on her...
We are trying valiantly to spend more quality time together. Its become so very easy to let our family drift off to our own preferred screens every evening, allowing the kids to turn their brains to mush while we get things done... or veg out ourselves. Taking a walk after dinner is one small step we are trying. The kids are not eager to join in but so far they have rallied each time and by mid-walk they are considerably more pleasant and interactive. Being outdoors and moving about is so good for the soul. Here's hoping we can stick to this new habit even when the weather is not so sublime. (If today is any indication, this is going to be a challenge..no walk for us in that 45 degree drizzle! )
A busy Saturday! Shopping at Aurora Farms (and feeding ducks and mending broken fences too because that's just the sort of thing we do when we get places 15 minutes before they open...)
Gorgeous weather like this calls for squeezing in an hour at the lake with my mom and the dogs....
...and then off to Corn and Pumpkin weekend at Lake Farmpark! Our first time here since the pandemic and it was both lovely and melancholy. So much the same yet so changed... no wagon rides or Well-bred shed or greenhouse...
But there was a corn maze!
And time with friends!
And as if that weren't enough for one day, Ivy got some teal tips done that night...
Baby's first semi-permanent hair dye! Such fun!
Sunday-- picture perfect fall! We skipped our Sunday morning routine in favor of a drive out to Hinckley Reservation.
We explored the magic of Whipp's ledges with friends... and rock climbing gear!
Grateful to our generous friends who shared equipment and time to allow Ivy to experience rock climbing "in nature..."
Despite a few moments of paralyzing fear, it turns out she's hooked! She must have liked it to put up with the tight climbing shoes without complaint...
Jack, ever himself, was hesitant to engage in this new thing with new people around. We didn't force the issue. If we join our friends again I imagine he may finally be ready to try...
The Forest Hills Snack Association strikes again!
Fall sunset city skyline....
Fall sunset city dog...
(she's off to another show this weekend!)
Got the Halloween decorations up and I must have been jonesing for holiday decor because these light up pumpkins make the house feel downright cozy.
Heading into holiday season in the midst of this strange new world... it's something. Like so much else right now I feel like I am just going through the motions. We always put up the Halloween decorations at this time, so that's what we did. We are working on a costume for Ivy even though we aren't sure she'll have any place to wear it. Apparently trick or treat is a go but who knows what it will be like. We are walking the line between trying to temper the kids' expectations and also let them have anticipation and excitement and joy. I don't want all this madness to steal that from them. But I don't want to lie to them either. And I am struggling, even as I arrange the fake cobwebs, to muster my own joy and anticipation for the holidays. I am scared of the increased isolation, the lack of anything to do once the weather turns. I am scared of the virus that is surging again. Cuyahoga County is back in "red" again as of today and there is still so much unknown about this disease. It's our first fall of this pandemic and no one knows what that will be like. Yet we carry on. I go to work every day, teaching kiddos with my mask on, telling them to "foam in" and "keep a safe distance" like its all normal and ok. Going through the motions. Looking for my joy. Hoping the sunshine and warm weather sticks around a little longer...
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