My washer is full of jeans and socks {must be Fall ya'll}

Fall is in the air here in The Volunteer State.

We went from Hades to Autumn overnight it seems.

Brisk 70's by day.

Downright cold 30's at night.

I hear we are heading back to 80's by weeks end.

La La La {fingers in ears}

Don't hear you.

I'm going right on into Fall.

With or without the weather's cooperation.

Ignorance is bliss.

Pumpkins in my kitchen window.



Fall wreath on my front door.



Mums on the porch.

Chili on the stove.

Washer full of jeans and socks.

Fall.

By far my favorite time of year.

Especially for camping.

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Six things you need to get your camper clean:

1. Dirty camper



2. Nice weather



3. Turquoise sponges. (turquoise makes any job seem fun)



4. Lots of both of these.
Especially if you live in the deep South near a lake.



5. Free labor.



6. And a nice view never hurts.



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We went camping twice last month.

First time it was just us.

I love this time together.

Unplugged.

Painting.



Pretending.

No age limits.

Just kids enjoying being kids.



Sometimes my husband has to work while we are camping.

This is our favorite thing to see coming down the road at the end of the day.



Especially if we are hungry.

Man has mad grill "skillz".

Word.

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Our second trip included about 25 other Homeschool families from our Tutorial group.

We spent a glorious weekend with friends that have become more and more like family.

Sunrises over the lake.





Good coffee.

Even better conversations.

The friendships my children have made in this group are priceless.



Genuine.

Tender.

Selfless.



I especially get emotional when I see the friendships my oldest has made.

These boys are comical.

Dare I say goofy {and smelly} at times.



But something so amazing is happening behind the scenes.

They are learning how to navigate this world with integrity and character.

Daring to be different.

Becoming young men.

Together.

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I got a nasty tick bite on this trip and am currently being treated for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever...just as a precaution.

Really strong antibiotics = Really bad stomach pains.

I hate ticks.

Seriously.

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With Fall comes school around here.

I officially have a Freshman this year!

CRAZY!

Just yesterday this kid was peeing on me every time I changed his diaper.

Now he is learning Distributive Property and writing Lab Reports.



Long gone are the days of Five in a Row.

His days are F-U-L-L.

Maggie and Aidan are still able to enjoy school at a slower pace.

I am so thankful.

I will miss these days.

Science experiments in the sink.





Lazy days reading under the table.



All too soon their days too will be filled with a heavy workload, talk of college and ACT scores, and less time for fun.

I want to savor each of these moments while I can.

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This is currently what my microwave is being used for.



Halloween.

It really is evil.

And so is anything with the phrase "Fun Size" written on it.

I sure wish "Fun size" was code for "produces no fat".

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We are heading to Disney in a week!

Whoo Hoo!!!



"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"