HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES

All has been quiet on the internet front these days, so I thought it time to play a little catch up. Alex asked me why I hadn't been blogging yesterday and I'll offer you all the same truth - life is just not very inspiring these days. In between times are hard for all of us, but it seems it's usually harder on me. Almost every day we find ourselves saying to each other, 'I feel like I don't even know who I am anymore.' We miss Brooklyn. I miss Brooklyn especially. We've been staying with some friends of ours and that's always a bit complicated with different schedules and different styles of parenting, but overall still good - we mostly just miss having a home. I haven't been able to do much of what I normally do to keep myself fulfilled because you don't just pull out your tubs of fabric and sewing machine in someone else's house and go at it. I'm a very messy seamstress. I've taken to teaching myself how to knit to relieve a teensy bit of my itch to make. I feel it's slightly more polite to leave some needles and a skien of yarn laying around rather than a whole craft room. Alex has been job hunting like a pro and still no one has called. He's leaving in December for military training and won't be back until three weeks before my due date, so we were hoping to find a place and settle in a bit before he left but if there's no job, there's no home. I'm freaking out a little bit at the possibility of our second baby entering the world to two parents with no income and no home, but we're at a loss. Who let us become adults? I feel like we're really bad at adult life these days.

Now that the depressing life update is out of the way, I can catch up with a happier topic - Halloween festivities. Though technically the Balloon Fiesta isn't really Halloween related, it's an October tradition.

We woke up bright and early to try to catch the mass ascension, but it ended up being too windy for the balloons to lift off so we watched a lot of them inflate then blow over. It wasn't a total waste though - it was a beautiful morning and we got to sit in the grass with Krispy Kremes in hand and watch the sun come up over the mountains. Before we went, we had talked to Ev about watching them fly, so she kept asking, 'They gonna go up?' When we told her it was too windy she seemed a little disappointed, but was mostly glad to just see hot air balloons up close and eat donuts. The night before, we attempted to watch the balloon glow, but a sandstorm with a tad bit of rain moved in just as we were pulling into a parking spot. It only lasted ten minutes or so, but that was enough to cancel it. They already had the fireworks ready though, so when the storm cleared out they shot them off early. We watched from the car with Ev sitting on the middle console, enjoying a 'picnit dinnah.' I'm pretty sure that was the best night of her life to date. We rolled the windows down and she stuck her head out, screaming and laughing as she watched the sky. Though both events pretty much got canceled, it was still the most memorable Balloon Fiesta we've had.

After spending the morning at the Balloon Fiesta, we decided to drive up to Rio Rancho for our annual pumpkin patch trip. We go to the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch patch every year because well, they don't charge admission, they have a ton of things for kids to do (they had more animals and added a mud pie kitchen this year that Ev spend a good hour in), and all proceeds from pumpkin sales go to a good cause. If you're local, definitely make sure you check them out next year. (We also get our Christmas trees from them each year.)

For Halloween, we were park rangers and Evie was an attempted Smokey the Bear. There are really no Smokey the Bear costumes out there and we already had the bear hat, so I tried to piece one together without spending any money. She carried around a little toy shovel all night and had people drop candy into Alex's hat. We had the whole shenanigan on, frumpy grandpa pants and pine cone belts and all, but as I've said before we have a terrible track record for getting good pictures of our costumes, so top half view is all you get. We had a low key Halloween and just went trick or treating with some friends. Ev led the pack and wasn't one bit shy about yelling 'trick or treat' or grabbing handfuls of candy out of people's bowls. This was the Halloween of no return - Evie now knows that trick or treating = candy. She's been talking about it nonstop since. Luckily she still has no idea how much candy she got, where it is, or that I gave away half of it. On a side note, did you ever take inventory of your candy as a kid? My sister and I would always lay ours out and sort them into piles so we could eat the good stuff first and trade our least favorites. I started to do the same thing with Ev's candy after bedtime last night and Alex informed me that we were the weird minority in that habit - they just reached in their bag and ate all their candy, there was no second grade candy with them.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! I miss this space and am hoping to get out of this funk soon and get back to writing. What are some of the best costumes you saw? In internet world, Whitney's kid's costumes were too cute. As you can tell from past years, I love coordinated family costumes.

P.S. some balloon fiesta pictures from the last time we were able to catch the mass ascension + our 2011 skeleton costumes • last year's pumpkin patch visit • our last two year's costumes (the Flintstones and astronauts)

HIKES, FORTS + FALL PLANS • HELLO OCTOBER!

A few days before this she picked up a random stick, held it like this and said, 'I'm dow-ing hite-ing!
You coming, Mama?' I have no idea where she saw that because neither of us use walking sticks when we hike.

 

'Wook! I have kitty cat ears!'

 

She hiked pretty much the entire trail at Carlito Springs Open Space.
The county just opened it to the public for the first time last month.

We once built a tiny fort for Ev on a whim in a Brooklyn park and she never stopped talking about it.

We thought we'd show her what real forts look like.

As we try to find our 'new normal' here in Albuquerque again, we've been spending a lot of time outside hiking and building forts. The weather has been beautiful, but you can feel the chill of Fall beginning to set in. Even after being gone for a year, we've sort of gone straight back to our old routine. We've picked up where we left off and have been making plans to frequent all the Fall festivities that used to be tradition for us. The Balloon Fiesta starts this weekend and I'm hoping I'll be able to drag Papa Bear out of bed for the early morning ascension. We've usually always gone at night when the balloons flicker, but don't fly (and they have fireworks) because it was easier with Ev, but I think she's old enough to really enjoy seeing the balloons ascend and make the 5:00 A.M. wakeup call worth it this year. The Pumpkin Patch is, of course, on our list for this month too (a little video of last year's Fall festivities). We've also made plans to head up to Los Alamos with some friends of ours for a resale we always attend and get the majority of Ev's clothes at. We're usually able to fit in a few hikes while we're there and the Fall colors are always gorgeous.

What kind of Fall festivities do you have planned for this month?
Happy weekend!

P.S. from the archives:  a Fall book list for toddlers • a leaf craft • another leaf craft

FILM • FALL 2013

Piecing together these little videos has really become one of my favorite hobbies. As a result, I have hours and hours (and hours) of little snippets of our life uploaded on the computer that haven't seen the light of Youtube yet. It all started with our 2.5 week road trip through the South that we took last Summer. I had no intentions of doing this each season for the rest of eternity, but I really can't give it up. I've almost come to enjoy getting creative with my camera's video function more than taking photos, but piecing these videos together is pretty time intensive. This is only the third one I've made, but I feel like my skills are getting a bit better with each one and I've gotten quicker at navigating iMovie (which really isn't a great program, as I'm working with a laptop from 2008 that won't allow me to upgrade to the new version of any software - any suggestions on a similar, but affordable Apple-friendly video editing program?). I'm looking forward to getting a better lens for videos too.

Going through all of this old footage was really hard for me. 'Nostalgia is a dirty liar that insists things were better than they seemed.' I saw this quote on Pinterest a few months ago and it's stuck with me since. It isn't profoundly inspirational, but it's become a leg to stand on in our house over these past few months. Anytime we're reminiscing over our time in Albuquerque and the other responds with a sigh, we always mutter, 'Nostalgia is a dirty liar' and nod in agreement. I look at these pieces of video and I have to remind myself that I've captured all the good moments, which is what you want when you're documenting your family, but it's hard to remember there was so much going on in the background that has slipped from your memory. There were long hours at work. There was loneliness. There was a house we wanted to make a home, but couldn't because the mortgage was all we could afford, but there was also a lot of hope. And there was a lot of joy. And there was a lot of love.

Fall in Albuquerque is this magical season when it feels perfect outside for months in a row. You really can't complain about the weather at any time in Albuquerque, except in May when Winter has dwindled along and shows up sporadically in what is supposed to be Spring. I've really never loved being outside in a place so much. Growing up in Phoenix, well, everyone knows it's just hot outside. That's all I really remember about Phoenix. I have no memory of Winter when it's supposedly 75 degrees and lovely. I was just hot. And growing up in Alabama, all I remember are the days of 95 degree weather with air so thick with humidity you feel like you can't breathe and I remember the cold mornings and running to catch the school bus at 6:45 A.M. It's as disgusting as it sounds. But when I think of Albuquerque, I will always remember the beautiful clear skies, the crisp desert air, the light breeze through the tops of the trees in our backyard, and baby giggles coming from a swinging hammock. Mornings spent on the patio with a cup of coffee, a good book, and my feet in a patch of sunlight come in at a close second. Fall was full in 2013 - the Balloon Fiesta, hiking in Los Alamos with friends (Hey Ian and Allie - we miss you guys!), and a trip to the Pumpkin Patch. I didn't even get a chance to fit in pumpkin carving or playing in leaves, but I plan on making a Fall part two video soon.

A WALK BEFORE DINNER

Every year, Fall comes upon us quickly. The colors change one day and then it seems like almost the very next day when all of the leaves on all of the trees in our entire yard shed their leaves at once. I don't know if this is just a New Mexico thing, but I've never experienced it anywhere else. A few weeks ago, Ev and I walked out the front door to check the mail and realized we had been leaf-ed in. There was a good six inches of leaves piled all the way up to the very edge of the door. So we headed out to the front yard to play in them, of course, and to wait on Papa to get home from work. When he did, we all decided that a walk would do us all a bit of good and set out for the dirt trails that follow the arroyos behind our house. We arrived at the golden hour and watched the sun set behind the Cottonwood trees. Ev watched the cranes standing in the fields and flying over head with wonder. We walked hand in hand, family of three until the last bit of light was gone, then headed home to eat a warm meal and bask in our enjoyment of each other. I've been holding onto these pictures for a while now with intentions of posting them sooner, but late is better than never. I couldn't let this moment go undocumented.

I've also been collecting little bits and pieces of things all over the internet with the intention of sharing them all here for the last few weeks, so this list has gotten quite long. I wanted to get this post to you on Friday to bid you farewell for the weekend, but never got to it, and so here it is, greeting you at the beginning of the week. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a quiet one, spent mostly at home, and had our first snowfall of the season yesterday. (Much like Fall, Winter came suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly.) I like to take weekends off from blogging and really from keeping up with social media at all. I'm not going to lie - sometimes it's hard, and sometimes because it's so hard I want to give it up cold turkey and say 'no more!' But I don't, because I love being a part of the blogging community and I love being challenged and inspired every day by things that I discover on the internet. Social media can be a time suck. It can make prioritizing harder and procrastinating easier, but there really is so much good in it at times. Here are the good things I've found all over the internet world lately. Enjoy!

This beautiful short film follows the lives of three stay-at-home moms from different areas of the United States and it really is touching. 

Albuquerque recently voted on the issue of late term abortion and this letter said everything that I feel, but couldn't manage to put into words in such a graceful way about the results.

I recently read a book called 'Desperate' by Sarah Mae, then went out in search of her blog. This article really hit home for me - 'Maybe Your Two Year Old Just Needs You.'

I really enjoyed this article on the New York Times website about the passion of parenting. 

This comic strip illustrating the first year of parenting made me laugh.

This video is a must watch for every woman - so empowering.

This clever video made me laugh - 'The New York City Subway Experiment.'

This photographer asks strangers to post together in intimate ways and the results are surprising.

An interesting read for my fellow tea-drinkers.

I also thought this article about how long a woman's ancestors actually lived while eating real food was really interesting.

What sort of things have you read lately that have interested or inspired you?

Evie Reads • Fall Books for Toddlers

Now I know that everyone is practically already into the 'Christmas spirit,' so this post is coming to you a little late, but technically (or at least in my mind) Thanksgiving is the final Fall holiday, so I'm in the clear. Right? Right. Anyways, I had scheduled this post for two weeks ago, but we went out of town for a family emergency and I've just gotten back into the swing of things around the house, so I'm publishing it a little closer to the end of Fall than I had wanted. Sigh. The end of Fall. How sad. It went by too quickly, but it was a good one, jam packed full of perfect family days and cozy nights. I think this may have been the best Fall that Alex and I have had yet, but oh how I'm looking forward to the next one. Kids do that to you. They make your days, weeks, seasons, life more memorable and joyful. That includes things like books. Evie and I have been going through our stack of Fall books for months now, every day before nap time and every night before bed. I have such a hard time saying no to one more book when she asks, even if it's an hour past bedtime. Sometimes she just isn't in the mood for books, but I am, so I wrestle her into the chair with me and read 'just one,' and sometimes you'll find me reading through her library books myself. I feel kind of ridiculous, since I'm an adult and all and should be doing dishes or reading some lengthy mind-expanding book or something, but children's books fascinate me. There are so many out there that I never experienced as a child and they bring me back to that world of adventure that kids can dream about constantly. When it comes to books about Fall, I'm all about the ones that give you a feeling of comfort and warmth. Not of all these can be described as such, but some can, and those are my favorites.

Little Fur Family by Margaret Wise Brown - Illustrated by Garth Williams: Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of children's books throughout her lifetime, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon (a favorite of ours). Garth Williams is another huge contributor to the world of children's books. His illustrations have appeared in nearly every classic children's book you can think of (Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, The Little House Collection, and tons of Little Golden Books). So I came into this little book with high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed. It's a short rhyming story of a 'little fur family' that begins with the 'little fur child' running out into the woods to play and ends with his fur parents tucking him into bed with a lovely bedtime song (Ev's favorite part). Though there is nothing specifically mentioning Fall in this books, it exudes magic and warmth; therefore, Fall came to mind while reading it. There is something profoundly sweet and comforting about it, without the sappiness that you sense from a lot of other books. It will make you feel transported the way books used to do before you grew up. There are little odd lines like 'the dark and sunny woods,' but that really only adds to the charm. It may not captivate you in the same way it has me, but it's sure to please your little one.

Who Loves the Fall? by Bob Raczka - Illustrated by Judy Stead: Judy Stead's artwork is colorful and bright, which is what makes this book enjoyable in my opinion. The text is a simple list of people associated with Fall: 'rakers, leapers, corn crop reapers,' quilters, hooters (owls), winged migrators, bonfire builders, hibernators, etc. Although there is no story, rhyme, or reason to the text, toddlers are sure to love it and learn from it, and it is still enjoyable to read. Out of the huge stack of books we went through, this has to be the one best gauged to toddlers. It is simple, but not too simple. We're behind the books with no words, but not ready for the books with entire pages full of text yet and it's hard to find an in the middle sometimes. I definitely recommend it for a parent that wants to introduce the topics and themes of Fall to a toddler, but knows they aren't going to enjoy a lengthy book about names of different leaves or why different leaves turn different colors.

Mouse's First Halloween by Lauren Thompson - Illustrated by Buket Erdogan: I have to say, I picked up Mouse's First Fall before this and did not have high expectations afterwards, but decided to give this one a shot regardless. I'm glad I did because Ev was bored stiff by Mouse's First Fall, but loved this one. Once again, this is a great book geared towards toddlers, since there is nothing creepy or scary in it, but they will still learn about Halloween. It begins with 'One spooky night when the moon was bright, Mouse crept around and this is what he found. . .' It goes on to introduce a different seemingly scary noise on each page that turns out to be nothing. 'Flit, flit, flit' comes from flying, grinning bats, 'rustle, rustle, rustle' from tumbling leaves, and so on. Ev's favorite part is when the mouse says 'Squeak! What could it be?' and she giggles and excitedly turns to the next page to find out. It is a repetitive, gentle Halloween tale with bold and vivid illustrations that I definitely recommend!

It's Fall by Linda Glaser: 'It's Fall' is told from the perspective of a little boy who describes what is happening to animal, plants, and people as Fall approaches. Glaser uses simple sentences that are easy for children to grasp, but their combination creates a feeling of poetry without the use of rhyming. The paper cut illustrations are vivid and textured, the perfect accompaniment to the crisp words used. This is one of those books in which Evie is drawn more to the pictures than the words, but I have a feeling that it has a lot to do with her age. Some of things that are explained are a bit more advanced than she can or cares to grasp at this age, but she will still listen as I read and loves to run her fingers over the pictures of leaves and point out the boy on each page. Overall, I think a child just a bit older (Ev is 20 months.) would enjoy this more, but it is still a good choice when choosing Fall themed books for your toddler. One thing I especially liked was the list of Fall activities that are given at the end of the book. I think it is so important to accompany books with activities so that kids grasp a full understanding of what they're reading about! This is the first of four interrelated books on the seasons and I look forward to reading the others over the next year. If you've stumbled upon this page during a season other than Fall, be sure to check out the others! I'ms use they're just as enjoyable.

In November by Cynthia Rylant - Illustrated by Jill Kastner: This book is similar to 'It's Fall!' in that it presents many aspects of Fall and how people and animals prepare for Fall, but in a much more poetic and warm way. The words are absolutely beautiful and leave you with a feeling of comfort - think 'On the Night You Were Born' focused on nature and without the ryhthmic quality, but not lacking in the least in comparison. The illustrations are timeless and capture the cherished moments of November perfectly. Rylant's words are simple, but filled with wonderful sensory images, similes, and metaphors. One of my favorite lines from the book is her description of the bare November trees - ". . .all sticks and bones. . .spreading their arms like dancers." If I could choose just one book off of this list to call my favorite, this would be it. It will withstand the test of time and become one of your children's favorite and most memorable seasonal books. I'm sure of it!

Leaves by David Ezra Stein: This is a clever little story about a bear's experiences during his first Autumn. The bear is surprised when the leaves begin to fall off the trees and tries in vain to reattach them before burrowing into a cave full of leaves for a long nap. When he awakes, he is met by Spring buds and blossoms and greets the day joyfully. This really is a charming story with childlike, yet graceful illustrations. The story is told with the heart and vocabulary that a toddler is sure to understand. Evie's favorite part is when the bear is shown gathering leaves to fill his den. It looks like he is giving them a big hug and she always giggles and wraps her arms around herself. This is one that is sure to make another appearance in our house, possibly on our forever bookshelf. We are becoming fast fans of David Ezra Stein!

Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein: Like I said, David Ezra Stein has become a favorite in this house! His writing is always so clever and the illustrations don't disappoint. 'Ol' Mama Squirrel' is a lively tale of a feisty Mama squirrel who is determined to protect her babies no matter what! She says she has raised lots of babies and knows just how to protect them. Whenever the simplest trouble comes around, she springs into action and sounds the alarm - 'chook, chook, chook!' she says. However, her bravery sways a bit when a big bear comes around, but not to worry, Mama's never retreat when it comes to their babies! The ending is my favorite part, so I won't ruin it for you, but this is a must read! Evie loves to hear my best 'chook, chook, chook' squirrel impression and tries to imitate me on each page.

Earl the Squirrel by Don Freeman: Growing up, my absolute favorite book was 'Corduroy' by Don Freeman, so I was delighted to find that he had also written a tale about a squirrel. While this is geared towards slightly older children, neither Evie or I were disappointed. Earl has made friends with a little girl named Jill who gifts him with nuts, a nutcracker, and a scarf, but Earl's mother wants him to leave all these silly gifts behind and learn how to gather his own nuts. Of course he wants to make his mother proud, so he sets out on an adventure to find an Oak tree only to encounter an angry bull dozing underneath it. All ends well in this cheery tale of a little squirrel who is learning how to get along in the world, something we can all relate to. The illustrations are black and white with a touch of red on each page, which still seems to appeal to Ev as much as other books with more colorful pictures. And while the length of the story is a big long for most toddlers, Ev has no problem sitting still for this one, but it could always be broken up into two different story telling times throughout the day if need be.

Nuts to you! by Lois Ehlert: We are big fans of Lois Ehlert around here and this is possibly our favorite from her! It is the story of a mischievous city squirrel who sneaks into an apartment building window and has to be lured back out with a handful of peanuts. The words are clever and energetic and the illustrations are done in Ehlert's classic paper cut style, introducing the reader to a world of bold color and texture. Evie loves to tell me what the squirrel is doing on each page by holding both hands up to her mouth, wiggling her fingers, and pretending she's snacking on something, accompanied by giggles, of course. This is a book that is sure to excite any toddler!

As I'm finishing up this post, we just returned form the library with our first big stack of Winter books. I'll be sharing our favorites with you early next month! If you have any recommendations, feel free to share. We would love to check them out!

Also, notice those fancy boxes below that I finally figured out how to add. If you're new here, browse around through some older posts. The pregnancy ones blow my mind every time I read them. I can't believe this running, screaming, beautiful little girl was the rolling little thing that grew inside me. Pregnancy is wild, man.

SEASONS • FALL

slow cooker apple butter - sun catcher made by little hands - a bowl of wax dipped leaves and other fall trinkets

- garland, also made by little hands - the treetops in our front yard

- sun peeking through fall colors in our backyard - sunflowers brought to me from the husband after an evening run

- a potted gerber daisy present from the husband, just because

Fall seems to linger in New Mexico long after it is Winter everywhere else we've lived, but it is coming to an end.

I'm reluctant to approach Winter with any kind of peace. Winter and I, I don't think we'll ever be friends. 
I couldn't help but try to keep Fall around a little longer by capturing her presence around our home. 
Feel free to join me and leave a link below. It helps a little.