Fall Beauty...or not.

Am I alone when I say I love the fall? It's not my favorite season; that would be spring. But fall is such an interesting season to me. School, and many other things, get re-started after the summer hiatus, weather cools just enough to be enjoyable, colors change and abound, new television shows start...I could go on, but I'm thinkin you get my drift.

Although it is by no means our habit, the little ones and I sometimes play outside for a bit after taking Ally to school. The mornings are cool, but not cold, and the sun is bright. On this particular day, I was enjoying the autumn leaves that are beginning to fall. The red ones are my favorite.

I really love that God created a season that kind of revolves around death (or at least hibernation), but infuses it with splashes of color and warmth. Take, for instance, this plant I thought was dead. (I'm sure my tendency to forget to water our flowers has nothing to do with its demise. I'm thinking it was bugs...or...uh...lack of rain...or any attention at all...or something.) But, out of nowhere the sweet thing goes and blooms again! See?


I was picking up my favorite leaves and showing them to the little ones. Chris examined the leaf treasures and promptly tossed them aside.


Natalie snatched one up and smooshed it into her purse as if it were the last apple cider doughnut.


Then she took her baby on a ride.

Yes, she is wearing her pajamas. (No judgement, okay? Sometimes 8:00 AM arrives a little too quickly to actually dress everyone. Ahem. At least Ally was dressed. And Christopher. And I'm pretty sure I changed into actual clothes, too.)

Before long, Natalie caught my fever and began picking up leaves of her own. This is the one she carefully presented to me as if it were a homemade pumpkin pie.



She quickly provided the words that must have been on the tip of my tongue:

"Aaaaah, look at duh cute little leaf!"

More proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.