It's coming on my favorite time of year . . . .

. . . fall!
We are in our rainy season right now, intensified by the tropical storm activity to our south.
This makes me smile.
Still warm, but with a hint of the cooler temps on the way, the rain pit-pats on the window panes, and I am inside, cup of tea in hand, cookies baking in the oven, the kids drawing at the dinning room table, Daniel puttering around, discovering new things about his old toys.
I watch the sky yield with the lazy hum of dishwasher, washing machine, jazz on the radio, life in the background.
I love the late summer rains.
They bring behind them lavish displays of colorful fall leaves.
In a dry year, everything just sort of dries up and blows away.
But this year we have had our share of rain, and then some, so I am looking forward to the burst of fall foliage waiting in the weeks ahead.
Right now, though, it is still too warm for the leaves to change. It is so humid in fact, that we have had quite a crop of toadstools growing up in our back field.
I see them in yards all over town.
Steeped in myth, you can see why people of old crafted stories about them being shelters for wee folk and fairies and enchanted amphibians.
My own wee folk loved picking them and discovering all their hidden parts and magical mazes.

Along with multi-colored leaves, fall also brings with it football! And soccer!
Yes, dear friends, I am a soccer mom.
And a football mom.
And I love it.
Josiah has had two games rained out so far (there was a make-up on Tuesday. They lost, but Jo played hard!)
Isaac has played two games in the pouring rain and has had myriad practices.
This is Isaac's first time playing tackle football, though he has played soccer and baseball before, and it is Josiah's first experience with playing team sports.
Daniel is a great spectator now, but one day, he'll be out there too.
I am having fun watching them learn about themselves and team and others through this process. They have done so well making friends and learning what they can about their games and how to follow their coaches lead and think about the other kids on their teams.
There really are some good life lessons to be had in sports.
It has been busy here, what with all the practices and games and school and settling into the house.
The house is coming along.
It takes a while to settle into a place, to make it your own.
I am still sorting through boxes, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.
We still have two rooms under construction here (the family room and a guest room), so there is less space than we were living in and our garage is full of furniture and other "stuff".
What I appreciate about moving is that it offers us an opportunity to assess how we live, what we live with and what we can in fact live without.
Living in this house definitely challenges my "get it all done right now" sensibilities.
There is so much potential here for this to be a great house.
But, it will take time.
I can just see God, smiling up there in heaven, nodding his head, saying "yep."
He knows a little something about the process of renovation.
Here are some pics of what we've done so far . . .
and what still needs to be done. . .
School is going well. Latin II is a challenge for me. Sometimes I think to myself, "I'm teaching LATIN?!!" What is that about?"
But, we are getting through it together, the students and I, and a wise teacher I once met from an established classical school in Iowa told me, any Latin our students get are more than they would have gotten, and God will give the grace to the teachers who are to teach it. I think about that every time I crack open my Latin II book!
I love my seventh grade history and literature classes. We are learning about the beginning of history, and reading Paradise Lost in lit.
The boys like their teachers and their classes.
Josiah's room has an "under the sea" theme, and he is having so much fun!!! His teacher is doing a poem a week and weekly catechism with them . . . all the things I would do if I had that at home.
We went out to the ranch last week. Grandpa came with us!! It was so much fun to show him what we know, and to ride for him.
Rachel saddled up a horse we had not met before, Avalon.
I did not think it was possible for a horse to be bigger than Bounder, but I was wrong.
Wider in girth and a bit taller, Avalon is an eight year old, in the prime of his life, and boy does he know it. Let's just say he is not as . . . docile as Bounder.
So who got to ride him?
Me!
I had Rachel lead me around, though. I was pretty nervous at first.
Then we both relaxed, though, and riding him was like heaven.
That's the scoop here. It has been busy.
Notice I am not saying I promise to write more, though that is my intention.
Right now, though, I will finish my tea by the window. I will breathe in the crisp air, clean. I with breathe out silent prayers of thanks for this moment.
And I will leave you with these three faces . . .