Fall is coming. . .

Cindi & Tim came to visit on their way home to Oklahoma. What a great treat to see them and to have Patrick and Megan come for dinner. Cindi has always been the one to make the effort to visit the family and keep the relationship strong. Can't think of a better example of a woman who understands the importance of family. We all had a wonderful time visiting, eating, holding Ana & Ava, Patrick's twin girls. It really brings back memories of Cameron and Ashton being babies. Some things you miss and others you are truly thankful to be past. It is easy to wish the kids were still little. We love them and watch them grow and feel so thankful for the time we have with them.
Speaking of time. . .the mornings are crisp, the afternoon is warm and breezy and I can taste the change of colors all around. It is almost time to crank up the baking. As summer has given way to the first glimpses of fall we find ourselves grasping for the last few threads of summer. The children play more feverishly in the afternoons. It seems as if their little internal clocks sense the days to come and are trying to store the last few days of summer's fleeting bliss.
Normally Cameron would have nothing to do with Ashton and tossing him a football, however, this week she seems to seek an excuse to skirt homework and play in the grass. They run carefree through the yard with bare feet. Even those little toes seem to know that in a few weeks the lush green carpet that cushions their feet will give way to the yellow strands of brittle covering that will lie dormant until some undetermined day late in spring. Everything seems to be focused on how to stretch out the last few minutes of daylight. "One more pass, just one more. . . PLEASE," Ashton shouts as he tags Cameron and begs for a long, high pass across the yard.

Cindi & Tim visiting on their way back to OK

Matthew, Cameron & Ashton during a "friendly" game of monkey in the middle

He really loves the babies and asked if the "fax machine" could  open back up. He wanted a baby

Tara, Patrick & Megan

The screened in back porch once again becomes our central command center as the weather invites us all to linger just a bit longer. Matthew and I fantasize about traveling the country in an RV and spending everyday like this day, outside with the kids and no responsibilities or worries other than what to grill for dinner. Then the phone rings and brings me back to the reality of laundry, real estate clients, soccer practice, homework, dirty dishes. . . What's that Ashton? One more pass. Sure! Who needs to go inside with an evening like this? Why don't we sleep on the back porch and watch a movie on the wall?