Fading Fast

These autumn days are fading fast and all too soon we will be in the evil clutches of a seeminly endless winter. I really am trying to embrace the ending of warm days and crisp nights. The kids asked me this morning when Christmas is and I realized (!) that it is only 2 1/2 more months away. Soon the frenzy of shopping, baking, holiday parties, and snow will begin and then we will celebrate in another year. It doesn't seem possible. I am looking forward to all of the things we can try this winter with the kids being a little bit older. Skiing at Trollhaugen, snowshoeing, tubing at Wild Mountain, ice skating and lots of trips to the cabin to capitalize on snowmobiling and ice fishing. I am taking a new approach to Christmas this year, and with a few exceptions for the kids, everything that I give will be homemade. Time will tell to see how well that goes.

Today I will be accompanying Avery on a parent/child field trip to the local Interstate Park (state park) which we are so lucky to have almost in our backyard. I will rejoice in the sun, the company of my delightful redheaded companion and 15 of her classmates. We will listen to the naturalist talk to us about the trees, leaves, and our woodland friends as we crunch through the colorful leaves. It will be simple and delightful.

The beginning of Spider Style

I started this blog with the hope of being able to create a legacy for myself and my children. So many times they do or say things that I either do not have the time or the capacity to capture for the permanent record. Hopefully I can create something lasting and maybe along the way learn a thing or too about myself. The name Spider Style came from something that happened a few days ago on one of the last fleeting warm days of late summer/early fall. I was washing dishes and overheard the kids laughing hysterically together (!). This being a miracle in itself, I looked outside and saw them swinging together "spider style" on the swing. For those who don't know what that is, I will attempt to post a picture. In any case, I am so happy and grateful that I got to be a part of that moment of joy and that I was able to capture it in a picture. So for now, Spider Style it is.

Just this morning as I was setting up this blog, Avery (4), my red-headed child extraordinaire, had a full dialogue with herself, assuming different roles and everything. It went something like this.

Principal (Avery in a deep, gruff voice): "Addie, why did you kick Avery in the nuts?"

Addie (Avery in a little girl's voice): "Because she hits and pinches me all day long."

This went on and on with many more lines and characters with Avery intonating all of them.
Avery also still has yet to figure out that she does not have nuts, even though we try explaining it to her time and time again. She has heard it so often from her older brother and friends, that she likes that way that it sounds. Any time that she acquires an injury near the nether region, she grabs herself and gasps dramatically "Oh, my nuts!".