The Cascades

The KlearLife Kids on the Cascades Hike

We are thoroughly enjoying the Fall season here in the High Country.  The beauty of the colors this weekend reminds me how much I missed all of this when I was living overseas.  I think we've hit the peak of the season though, as we are experiencing a lot of wind and even this afternoon there are more bare trees than there were this time yesterday.  

We are ready to paint our pumpkins, eat more pumpkin treats (like those delicious muffins), have apple pie and start canning raw pears (I still have two huge bags full and they are absolutely delicious this year!).  

Check out those enormous leaves Carolina is hanging on to.  I have never seen a Chestnut Oak leaf as big as the one she found this morning on our hike.  We like to identify all the leaves as we walk through the forest and Carolina hit the jackpot with big ones today.  I felt like we were in some prehistoric jungle!  The Tulip Poplar leaf on the top of her pile is just one example.  

Everyone is having birthdays this month - Sam just turned five, Carolina turned four and Hudson hits the big ONE in two weeks.  I can't believe how quickly everyone is growing.  It's a bit different this year because Sam is being homeschooled and Carolina is taking ballet classes - I feel like we're finally hitting some sort of "American family" standard or something. 

Oh, and Hudson is walking.  *Deep sigh*

I'm off to enjoy them some more before the afternoon fades too quickly.