It is fall...why am I sunburnt?

Yes, we had soccer again today. One win, one loss. I had to be ugly to a couple of my children due to general bad attitude-ness. Making up words again. The Hokies won, so the Brain is happy. The kids played outside most of the afternoon, so they were happy.

I am not a summer person, other than for its "break" benefits. I care not for the heat, being in a bathing suit in public or mosquitoes. Fall is my favorite time of the year...deep fall. I like flannel shirts and the need for hooded sweatshirts. The smell of bonfires and the crunch of leaves make me happy. Even though it is officially fall, I am still sporting my "Soccer Saturday Two Face" burn. The kids still played in bare feet, until they wanted to go in the woods. Had to draw the line there since there have been snakes and other unmentionables spotted back there. The heat was a bummer, but it did not dampen the spirits of the children. They play until they are about to drop, then find the neighbor kids at the fence and play some more. Even though they played soccer all morning, they still managed muster up enough strength for a sister on sister grudge match. This was their ref:



Jack, our yard gnome, is a fair ref. He's incredibly frustrating to argue with...not much of a talker. Spectators were hard to come by as our next door neighbors were in baseball land all day. Their dog, Chloe,


was more than happy to bark all..afternoon..long to protest the rulings of the official. No number of hickory nuts, sticks or milk bones thrown in her direction dampened her enthusiasm. Our dog on the other hand:



Less than impressed. Being the elder stateswoman of the neighborhood animals, you really have to pull out the big guns to impress her. She's seen a lot in her almost 14 years.

After the game, the kids were summoned to the fence by their buddies. They had fun making "Tennessee Clay Cakes" and concoctions with pea gravel and crushed up berries. Fin, I believe, came in a good pound lighter...free of blood selflessly given up to the mosquitoes. After a good deal of play, the kids were called in for baths and dinner and a show. It turned out to be a bit difficult for Fin, who had crushed Monkey Grass berries all over his arms. He looked like someone had beaten him until he bruised fuchsia. When I went out to clean up a few lingering toys and tools, I found one of my favorite things: child yard art.



Always fun to find their creations. I called this one "Nutty Leaf Collage for Fall". Fingers crossed that the raccoons don't mess it up during the night.

Well, Fall is here and hopefully soon the temperature will reflect the season. Until then, we'll take chilly mornings, playful afternoons and snuggly nights full of exhausted children. Doesn't get much better.

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