It's a lunar eclipse kind of night.

I think there was mild disappointment at the size of the moon (it was made out to be ginormous this time around) but we read about lunar eclipses on my smart phone and had a good excuse to break out the telescope and just be together.  Not bad at all.

Return to the soccer field.

 We've spent many years away from the soccer fields (somewhat deliberately, to be honest).  It's so all-consuming that unless a kid has her heart set on it, we simply steer them in another direction.  Our Saturdays have been blissfully reserved for family, as a result.  Rachel's a little athlete, though, so we opted to give it a go again this fall and she rocked the house.  It was a joy to watch her thrive on the field and pick up the sport like a pro.  She's already looking forward to next season - but first we have to get through basketball.

One year older and wiser, too.

Does that look like the father of four girls or what?  He insisted on my taking a picture of the manly wrapping job.  As always, a labor intensive dessert accompanied our celebration.  I miss the days when said dessert would last a week or so - now the girls eat as much of it or more than we do.  Better for our waistlines, I suppose.  Happy Birthday my love!

Jump creek - with injuries.

When the girls were smaller, going to Jump Creek over Labor Day weekend was an annual tradition.  We took a four year break and went back this year.  Somehow, the kids still love it - minimal hike in to the falls, plenty of terrain to climb on and explore, crayfish to find and unintentionally eliminate...and a stop at Williamson Orchard on the way home.  This year, everyone made it out unscathed, except for me.  I took a tumble by slipping on a rock while traversing the creek and sprained my ankle.  Didn't realize how bad it was until that night when I could barely put any weight on it.  My injury set me back a week but was a healthy reminder that I'm not invincible - particular while in my third trimester.