Life with the Frenchs: Appreciation

We're just about ready to step foot into full appreciation of autumn this weekend.

The the scent, the color, the pumpkin, the dusk, the flame,

Mmmm.

Yes,

the crisp,

the jacket,

the orange,

it's all so very appreciated.

And,

while some appreciate, celebrate the change with chalk,

others do it with responsibility.

A day outside in the green,

the mowing,

the seeding,

cathartic to his soul,

the love of my youth,

the love of my life,
he'll probably still be out there doin' the same someday pushing his walker out in front of him.
Loves his yard work time.

Him, the same one who I, in a hostess tizzy for summer outdoor toys for a play date I was to host in hours, once sent to the store on a mission to buy only the most fun, most engaging things for the littles about to run rampant in our home.

He came home with buckets.

Two.

Two buckets.

That's all.

I didn't appreciate his choice.

And let him know.

The funny thing, though?

Our kids, and the littles who did indeed run rampant that evening,

thoroughly loved the buckets.

It was the activity of choice.

He doesn't let me forget.

And with the packing away of the tanks,

the suits,

the tucking of toes into socks, shoes, boots,

comes a momma's realization that her babies are not as much babies as they were when they last wore their warm things.

Oh, and finding a big fat blister on a grown-too-big big toe from a sneaker pinch,

after a morning at preschool when our little girl came home in a loaned little boy's jacket because hers didn't fit...yes these occurrences also contributed to this realization.

not so much winning parents of the year award this time around...

so we very quickly packed everyone up for a quick run for new (to us) jackets, shoes and bright red headband to make up for it.

Oh,

autumn.

The baking,

the spices,

the heat,

the butter.

My little girl loves her breakfast time, looks forward to it when I tuck her in each night, plans her menu and makes sure I promise not to forget.

And her favorite?

Muffins.

Any kind, really.

I've found it easy to make them, bake them and freeze them up,

microwaving them before she takes the steps down in the morning,

pretty sure she thinks they're fresh for her each time.

And that's just fine,

she and her big toe blister deserve it and more.

So I took my momma's own recipe for semi-healthy banana bread and made my own autumn rendition.

Same thing as above,

except

with just one banana, one more egg than the original recipe and a big ole' thing of pumpkin with about a tablespoon of cinnamon, a little all spice and pumpkin pie spice...