Here we go again!

Fall is upon us and that means leaves! We will now spend every weekend and probably some nights in between cleaning up leaves until at least Thanksgiving. It's this time of year that makes us question how much we really enjoy all of the shade and beautiful trees on our property.

Having some of the right tools makes the job a whole lot easier. Next year we're hoping to invest in a leaf vacuum: heavenly!

Having a few helpers around makes the job a big easier too, especially when they actually help!

Will's surgery

Yesterday morning we went in for Will's much anticipated surgery. This is all he's been talking about for the past two months. I knew I was in trouble when he asked me the day before we left, "Mom, what does surgery mean?" He's been saying it all of these months, but really had no clue what to expect. Is it wrong to let him think he's going on vacation or should I have prepared him more for what lay ahead? While waiting to be taken into surgery, he was given plenty of toys to play with.

Will was born with a club foot and went through a series of casting and wore orthotic shoes to correct his left foot until he was two years old. His foot is still turned in and causes him to trip a lot when he runs. The procedure to fix it is a procedure that lengthens the Achilles tendon, causing the heel to drop down and a tendon on top of the foot is moved over. The surgery only lasted about an hour and everything went great.

Here he is "driving" himself and the hospital dog, Stella, into surgery.

Recovering after surgery. He was pretty upset to wake up and see the IV and cast he was wearing. It was so hard to see him like this!

Aaron's sister came and stayed with Naomi because babies aren't allowed in the hospital due to the H1N1 scare. She lives an hour away so she came and stayed with her boys and Naomi while we were at the hospital with Will.

Aunt Janey and Will

Mom and Will

Getting ready to leave the hospital.

Fire station fieldtrip

I accompanied Bruce on his pre-school fieldtrip to the fire station last week. He loved getting in and out of the firetrucks, watching the Sesame Street movie about fire prevention, and his favorite...

Spraying the water hose at the fake flames!

It's not often I am able to spend one-on-one time with each of the kids so even a trip to the fire station is a special memory and worthy of a picture!

Help wanted: Will work for Legos

Justin is looking to earn a few extra dollars next summer mowing lawns. I'm sure he is thinking he will use this money to buy additional Star Wars Lego sets.

Aaron and Justin had their first lawn mowing lesson on Saturday. Aaron was very patient with him, even when Justin got the mower stuck in the landscaping and it had to be pulled out. Aaron is very particular about how our lawn is mowed, as you can see. Justin will require a few more lessons before he is able to meet Aaron's standards.

This is what happens...

when you leave your bike on the driveway behind the Suburban! Yes, a few weeks ago, as I'm backing out of the garage, I hear a crushing sound. I stopped immediately and stepped out to check out the damage. Bruce's bike was under the tire and in no condition to be ridden. We pulled out Elizabeth's old pink Barbie bike for him to ride. The first couple of days he wasn't too keen on riding it, but now he doesn't think anything about it. Next year he was going to need a new bike anyway so we decided to just let him endure this for another couple of months.

Cutie Patooties

Madelyn has been so cute playing with Naomi lately. A few days ago she grabbed Naomi and posed, wanting me to take their picture. Naomi gets very excited to see Madelyn and Madelyn loves her "Mimi". I know they will not always be this fond of each other, but I hope they will always be close.