adventures of the miebs family: enjoying autumn

i say that, and yet, the past few weeks have smelled like snow. yes, i mean it. that wintery fragrance is lingering in the air. most afternoons, a thick cloud cover drops into the valley, erasing the tips of the mountain peaks, and when it clears the following morning, we are left with a layer of termination dust - which is creeping further and further down the mountains. ben says we'll have snow by hallows' eve. i'm not so sure it'll hold out 'til then...

reflections lake is a perfect little outing for our little legged friends. it's a mile loop through birch trees and scrawny evergreens with mixtures of gravel and dirt for the walking path smattered with fallen autumn leaves. the kids walk the entire course, that is, except for the last wee one. actually, i have no doubt that dyl could make it around, it's just that i know she'd be covered in dirt from hair to boot. thankfully, she still enjoys the stroller (as long as we're moving) and i can't say that will be the case next year. as roberta and i watched gaige fall behind at one point - "wait fo me, guys!" - we practically finished each other's sentence by saying that will be dylan next year! time flies when you're raising kids.

below, you will find the typical agenda for our outings:

the kids find sticks - we attempt to keep their eye balls intact.
the kids throw rocks - we attempt to dodge but also protect them from themselves.
and now, dylan tries to "wade" in the 30 degree water - we attempt to not let her drown.
at the boardwalk - also try to keep 3 children from dropping off the 3 ft ledge to the swampiness below (mostly because WE don't want to have to go in ... ok, ok, yes, we don't want the children to fall/get hurt/get scared/drown/etc.)
snacks. snacks. snacks. if i had to choose between a fruit leather or a fresh diaper, i'd choose the fruit leather every time.

my children weren't up for picture taking today, but man oh man, i got some cute smiles out of madisyn and gaige. they know what to do when you stick a camera in their face! ahhh, ok, that's not totally fair; jb and dyl came around eventually. below are a few of the gems from our early afternoon excursion - fresh air does a body good!

great friends.