The Linus Chronicles

Not to brag, but we did something so awesome. We went to a local Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our own tree this year. It was at a place called Allison's Tree Farm and they even provide the saw!
Since we'd never done this before we got so excited we totally forgot to bring Linus' coat. Once we figured out how to not have a toddlercicle (by wrapping him in my jacket), we set out to find our tree. We fell in love with a lot of cute little trees.
We ended up with a great tree. At least we think so.
Richy took pics while Linus and I were the official lumberjacks.
We got to ride on a trailer behind a tractor so Linus was more than pleased.
Welcome, little tree!

So if those leaves in the last post were Fall's Last Stand, then this one is Winter's First Blow. We got a few inches and then wind wind wind. Brrrrr. Linus and Richy made the best of it. They bundled up and were a fantastic team shoveling and scooping and clearing the walks and driveway. The last picture is one of my favorite recent pictures of the boys together. Ahhhh winter...now for some cocoa.

Last week we were strolling along on the way to the library and I beheld a thing of beauty. A leaf pile so big I couldn't have lived with myself if, as a mother, I did not immediately throw myself and my child into it.


After a good ten or fifteen minutes of general frivolity and leaves in every possible crevice we brushed ourselves off, tidied the pile to its original footprint and looked up to see the workmen who had created it smiling at us from their truck. I guess their lunch break was over.
No regrets here!

Last year Linus seemed a little unsure of the whole "Halloween" thing.





This time around, there was no lack of enthusiasm.



The stairs were a bit of a hurdle in 2006:



Not so much an issue this year:



Loading, driving around, and dumping the candy was the big thing last year*.
*Mom and Dad made out like bandits (thanks, little buddy!):



The candy didn't stand a chance with the 2 year old Linus*.
*If we hadn't hijacked some loot while he slept, we wouldn't have gotten any at all (Sorry, little buddy):

Fire Fighter Linus had a great Halloween. He knew just what to do... "TRICK OR TREAT!!!!!!!!" and had a lot of fun. We branched out this year and went around the block and not just to the houses in our circle and although he was tired at the end, it went well.

Silly silly silly summer silliness. As a final hoorah to summer we went to a local amusement park and had a blast. Linus got to ride rides for the first time (LOVED them) and we got to walk around in the falling leaves and enjoy some of the last warm temperatures of the season.
And now, seemingly all of a sudden, fall is on it's last leg and today there were flurries here - FLURRIES! How did that happen? I still need to mow the lawn one last time and get the canopy gazebo thing taken down and the lawn furniture and wading pool put away and put the winterizer on the grass and.... why can't Autumn last longer?! Lots of good solid 60 degree days of crunchy leaves - months of them in a row! Not a sissy few couple of weeks, but a couple of good months. Is that too much to ask? Grrr...
Anyway ,this summer was a pretty good one, and I for one feel that it went by TOO fast and frankly I'm fearing for my sanity as I look down the barrel of winter with a kid in two-berty. Time to hunker down and get creative, I guess. I anticipate days of whining and boredom and jaunts to the malls and museums and playgroups while braving the boogered faces of the community and trying to downplay the green slime coming out of our own noses : "Oh, it's allergies, he's not sick." "Who me? No, I'm sure I'm not contagious by now." "Oh, I always have this cough *sound of lung trying eject itself*". With any luck we'll get enough snow to make some decent angels and try out some of the neighborhod sledding haunts. Those activities necessitate the ritual of hot cocoa and getting warm and dry (well, no fireplace here, so we'll snuggle by the heat vents). That can be fun! We can glue stuff to paper and call it art and string lights up and make cards. So you see I really AM trying to be optimstic about this winter, but... I think we might be nearing the station on the parenting train express marked "POTTY TRAINING CENTRAL". Now THAT'S a train that you can't jump off of and a station that has an exit exam. *GULP* I better go get those marshmallows for the cocoa. I hear they make good pee targets in the toilet. Sigh.

Fare thee well, fine summer. Fare thee well.

Alright. I'm busted. It's been over a year since I posted anything on here. With some *strong* persuasion from some friends, I've turned over a new leaf. I am putting up a new photo. Linus turned 2 in May and here is some evidence of the party at Grandma's House in Utah. I know, I know, that was almost 6 months ago but it was the biggest event since the last post on here and I'm making baby steps. Baby steps, folk.
Here's to hoping I can post again before he turns 16. Sigh.