Autumn Byron Blondes

Ahh, the coolness and colors of fall!!! As frustrating as all of our visa problems have been over the past few weeks, I have been thankful to be able to experience the best of the season because of it! The last time we got to experience a beautiful Minnesota fall, Ella was just 6 years, Sacia was 3, and little Zach was just 8 months old. We are totally loving the change of season that brings such beauty to the world! We've enjoyed many walks in the woods, raking leaves and jumping into the piles, all despite the fact that Brian and I are supposed to be in India!!! (more on that in another blog, once the saga has resolved!)
MEA weekend is here, with 3 school days off. The kids have been sleeping in (if just after 7 a.m. counts for that?!!), and yesterday we enjoyed a day at the farm. Soybean harvest is coming to an end, but we caught some combine rides with my dad and Andrew. Zach and I rode with my dad, but he slept half of the time (Zach that is!)! The girls got to ride with Andrew, and waved to us every time they were in our view. The kids all enjoyed playing with their cousin Erik, and even got a visit in with baby Ryla and Amanda. It was a beautiful, sunny, colorful fall day, and I'm very thankful for this season and my family!

the kids on a walk in the woods, see the cat on Zach's head!


Ella, Sacia, and Zach hamming it up


What wonderful sisterly love!


Zach in the leaves

Leaf Reflection

Zach and Claws

Here are some more pictures from our walk in the woods today. Zach decided he'd try out his ride on the bumpy trails, and our new outdoor cat, Claws, joined us. Claws even tried to stalk the turkeys, but a mouse distracted him from the large birds somehow. Zach is a little ham, don't you think?! Claws is very similar looking to our long-time indoor kitty, Moo Moo, but she's got black marks on her white, and Claws has orange markings. So far, Claws has been doing his job well. I found a dead mole in the garage that he was working on. Now if only he could get the rest of that mole's family -- they're making a terrible mess of my lawn, though they think they're being nice and aerating for me...!

Colorful Leaves

The beauty of fall is taking over! I spent several hours outside with Zach today, taking pictures of the colors. We came across a group of wild turkeys in the woods, with their colorful heads being backlit by the sunshine. I wish there had been more of these vivid colors that are displayed in the following pictures, but our maples are young and few.