Family fall pictures... what?

Can you believe that we don't have ANY pictures of all 4 of us yet? It's true. Those empty IKEA frames are looking mighty lonesome hanging on the walls.
Last weekend I took some photos of our friends Lindsey and Collin and their little stud muffin, William right here in our back yard. In return, Lindsey offered to snap a few shots of our family.
We aren't known for moving too quickly in the mornings, plus ALL of us like to sleep in. But the pictures were scheduled for noon. Plenty of time to get ready. Or so I thought.

Having some Miner fun!

Everyone loves taking photos in the fall, because ... i mean... the colors!!!! The Colors! 

I took pictures of LeeAnn and her daughters last summer, and loved it! This time their hilarious daddy joined them and despite the chill temperatures, we all had so.much.fun. The camera loves the girls and yes, the girls do love the camera too!  No end to this pose and that...  And the daddy bore all the weight of supporting his model girls on his shoulders. Literally! At some point they all climbed on his back and encouraged him to stand up.  And he actually tried. I really hope he got a back rub and extra hugs later that day.

Fall.. Yummy!

It's mid-October  (in case you were wondering), and you won't believe it, but I am yet to have a pumpkin spice latte or take the little lady to a pumpkin patch. I haven't yet made chili with corn bread or carved pumpkins. In my defense, this fall has been so temperamental. Just a couple of weeks ago it was rather warm, and tonight we are on freeze watch. I think it's time to get going with my fall to-do list, because the thoughts of Christmas are already starting to creep in. Ah know!!! I've already looked at Christmas stockings online and have picked out... wait for it... matching mother-daughter Christmas PJs. AH KNOW!!! Squeal! 
But no-no, I have to make sure I enjoy fall, because that was actually one of my resolutions this year. We are going to carve pumpkins with friends this week, and I'm going to attempt chili and corn bread for everybody. Woot! I'm so excited. 
My small group lady friends and I are reading a book by the hilarious Jen Hatmaker called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. Jen writes about an experiment she conducted in order to get rid of materialism and excess in her life. Over the span of 7 months she gave up certain things (like television, shopping, Internet, and others), in order to "make room" for spiritual growth. Today we discussed food, which is the first thing Jen fasted in. Why and when is it that food takes so much room in us that it pushes out the Holy Spirit? We don't see food as a means to an end, but rather something we can't imagine having an enjoyable life without. Do we put too much emphasis on food and thus forget the real "nourishment" we should crave? Oh, I'm just thinking out loud.  Food is such a  huge prerequisite for this season, I guess it just stirred up some of these thoughts. Or maybe it was my little bestie, whose favorite phrase as of today is "food...yummy!" Or I'm just hungry, because my dinner consisted of arugula leaves and tomatoes. 
And below are a few fall photos that have nothing to do with food:)

Chris + Brandy = 3

Meet Chris and Brandy. They are hilarious and dorky and we love them. In March, they are expecting their first child and I don't want to seem audacious, but could we please applaud Greg and me for that? I'll explain a little, you'll see...
When Greg and I got married and moved to his hometown (which is Chris' hometown too), we instantly decided that Chris should move back too and meet this tall gorgeous single blond. We knew right away that they were going to work out. Chris moved back and we set up a few gatherings and introduced them to each other. I think things got a little awkward for both of them, because we obviously couldn't keep our mouths shut about how perfect they were for each other. They were pretty cold towards one another at first, but we (yes, we!) did our magic and now they are about to become happy parents. Eeek! You are welcome!
*the story may have gone a bit differently, but that's how i remember it. hehe!*

          

October summer time

So, I've seen quite a few fall season in my life, and this one is my absolute favorite, by far. There are so many reasons for that. I can think of 80 off the bat. Oh, those wonderful 80 reasons, that we call degrees Fahrenheit! If you live in Florida or Georgia or wherever else in the south, you are probably not impressed. But listen, I'm from Russia, and let me tell you this - it is impressive. Not to support the common misconception about Russia (the one where polar bears walk in the streets), but according to my Instagram feed, it has snowed there already.
Everybody is a little tricked by this wonderful warmth and hasn't gone into hibernation yet, so we've had quite a bit going on. Last week for example, we had an awesome gathering with friends at our house. And the best part - I don't think I did a thing that night. Someone was cooking in my kitchen, others were grilling outside, and somebody else was washing dishes. Someone even read to Annika at bed time and put her to sleep. I mean!!! Communal living at its finest.
Last night our wonderful Oma and Opa took Annichka for the night. Gregster and I had ourselves a nice dinner with drinks at the Boathouse and then went to the movie theater (first time in over a year). We watched Gravity in 3D. Have you seen it? It got great reviews and was entertaining, BUT! I had nightmares all night and, according to Greg, I didn't have a good night's rest - I was talking in my sleep and even sat up gasping at one point. The movie confirmed my negative 100 desire to ever go to space. No, thank you!
But I digress... Oh yes! Warmest October in the history of ever! I think my little lady knows it too, and it's only her second one.

Dear Fall~

Thank you for coming. You weren't all that welcome when I was thinking about you at the end of August, but now that you are here, I kind of like you. I love the colors you bring with you, the candles you make me burn in the house, the sweatpants I finally get to wear. I adore the cozy feeling you give. You encourage me to drink delicious chai, make chili and cornbread, wear cozy sweaters, and enjoy a cold red nose after a chilly walk. These gorgeous sunny days have been the best. Stay just like that, k? 

Love,

Lena