Signs of Fall

September has brought cooler mornings, which we are enjoying. It inspired us to pack up the camping gear and head to Alabama for a river run down the Coosa River. Adam paddled it a few times in the spring and has wanted to bring us there all summer but neither one of us wanted to sleep in a tent through 90 degree nights in a family pig pile!

I am so glad we made it because it truly is such a beautiful river, southern enough that the Cypress trees lining the river's edge are draped with that creepy yet romantic Spanish Moss that I so love. Adam enjoyed seeing the river with more summer growth, he said it added a whole new dimension to the river's beauty. We took the canoe down most of the river, Adam even took us down a few rapids which both the boys enjoyed. My heart lept a bit going into some of the waves but that canoe is just as smooth as can be and it was quite a little adrenaline treat! The big pull to this river for Adam is a class III rapid about half way down with a nice eddy that he can surf in his kayak. So we towed his kayak behind the canoe until we made it to a very large rock formation in the middle of the river. We parked there and unloaded. Adam geared up for the kayak and hit the waves! I wish I had better footage, it was very sunny and our video camera isn't the best. In addition I had two little boys tugging at me. I was very nervous on the rock because it was surrounded by all of these class III rapids (in case you are unfamiliar with river ratings they range from class I which is flat water to class V which is pretty gnarly) anyway I was nervous to take Simon out of his vest in the event he tumbled etc...I was a little bit of a wreck and now if we go again I have a much better idea of how to handle the rock time so that all of us are having fun!

We also took some photos of the rivers edge. Beautiful Spanish Moss, Cypress roots peeking out of the water for air, Elephant Ears draping into the water. It was quite lovely and so unlike the rivers up north.

Camping didn't go as planned. We spent quite a bit of time on the river and didn't make it to camp with enough light to wind the kiddos down! We scrambled to get the tent up and make dinner. We had two exhausted boys who had a total meltdown at sundown! Lesson learned, don't run out of daylight! We were discouraged for a quick moment but now we are putting plans in place to make packing easier and are going to be more conscious of time limitations so that we can keep camping this fall with smiles on our faces!

Fall is also bringing a little harvest at the farm. We have some pomegranates ripening, our apple trees which we figured out are pear trees (silly but they really did look like apples for most of their development!), chestnuts, pecans, and muscadines by the pailful. I really should be working on turning these grapes into jelly but I was much too excited to post all of our adventures...I have to get some more jars anyway!

Ben and I spent part of Monday making homemade spinach pasta with Mom's pasta press! Ben enjoyed turning the handle and Adam really enjoyed watching it slice the noodles up. We made flat noodles for some lasagna and some linguine in the freezer for later! Dinner sure was delicious. We actually did quite a bit of cooking Monday, from noodles to broccoli soup to banana flaxseed muffins! That extra day off sure was a treat for this working Mom.

Here is a photo of my boys getting ready to start the new skid steer! Ben especially likes this new tool!

As I said we have been busy! We also took a day and went to a bluegrass festival about an hour north of us. My boys again, enjoying the tunes together!

For just a mommy moment...the boys are growing so fast. It is hard to believe that just a year ago we were up north and Ben was doing his BenSpeak. He is now rambling sentences and interjecting his own bit of humor throughout the day. I was worried about him on the big rock in the river and he looks at me, waves his hand, and says "No problem mommy, no problem". His confidence is growing by the day! Simon too is changing, he is the silliest little character who as challenging as he can be at times can just look at you with his michevious little twinkle and melt your heart away. Adam and I talk often of just how lucky we are. Missing you all and hoping that fall is as full as joy up north as it is here on the farm.