finally fall

There is something about the halloween fall traditions that always take me back to being little. Maybe because my birthday is around this time of year, but everything about it is fun for me.  Carving pumpkins, falling leaves, cold nights, footed pj's, cheesy window decals, costumes, candy...candy. candy. Sheesh! The candy! These are the things I remember from my childhood. And it pleases me to be passing on the tradition to our own children. 

 Rodney has an early bedtime, so all of this was done after he was down. No loss, he would have just destroyed those pumpkin guts in a second.

 The girls and their pumpkins, all picked at Grandpa Leavitt's garden.

Standing on our porch, taking the annual "pumpkin" pictures,  an immense feeling of gratitude washed over me. I would be very ungrateful if I didn't state how much I have and feel blessed to have. I love my children, my husband, our home, our neighborhood, our families, our friends, our kids' schoolteachers, music teacher, dance teacher. And it's this kind of warm fuzzy feeling, that lasts for only a split second, that makes all of the other hard work worth it.

*ty does all the jack o' lantern carving around these parts. that boy gots skillz.

And I have to share this quote, because I find I am immensely happy when I stop thinking, stop comparing, and just live my days to their fullest:

 "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother... Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children... What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." Elder M. Russell Ballard