Labor Day

Labor Day, sweet Labor Day!  A day off work for Shawn meant more fun for all of us.  Plus- we had 2 things to celebrate this past weekend!  First, it was College Football's kickoff season!  Yes, ladies and gentlemen: College Football is back.  You can't help but get excited! I love it because it also means Fall is near! Apple Cider, pumpkins, Fall candles and Scentsy's, beautiful changing leaves, chili, scarves, tights, comfy long sleeves and boots-yay!  I used to think Spring was my favorite season, but I might be partial to Fall now.  There is something special about that crispness in the air! I'll wait and see if I love New Hampshire's Springs as much as I love Boise's springs.  But I think for now, Fall is at the top.

Second, we found Mr. Lux!  He was missing for 3 whole weeks!  We hung signs around the town and eventually someone called us and said they'd had him for 3 weeks.  They tried to find his owners but couldn't until they found our number and gave us a call.  They were sad to give him up as they said they got really attached to him!  But oh my goodness....the look on the girls' faces when we brought him home was priceless.  They LOVE that darn cat!  And Shawn and I were actually really happy to have him home too.  He ran away the day we got here and we had basically given up all hope (there are like, a million different species of critters and large animals out here that I was certain had snatched him up!).  Turns out, he didn't wander far.  He found a  family that loved him and fed him....just 2 streets over!  We locked him in our house for 3 days straight so that he could get familiar with all of our smells again and ever since, he comes and goes as he pleases and we don't worry about him running away again.  It was just that he was in a new place across the country and he didn't know how to get back home.  But he's here now.  Safe and sound :)

Look at Lucy, squishing his face.  What a happy "Welcome Home" he received! Haha!

Look closely above ^^ Piper is holding him by the fur on his back...his head is by her legs-HAHA!

We bought a trampoline for the girls (total impulse buy but they love it so much that we have no buyer's remorse!  Plus we really couldn't resist this end-of-summer steal of a deal). AND we had the rest of our wood delivered and Shawn and the girls stacked it.  We now have 3 cords of wood for the winter and a full tank of oil.  It's NOT CHEAP to stay warm out here....But I'm thankful that we were able to prepare for the harsh winter early enough.  

 Lastly, We visited Echo Lake this weekend in a town called Franconia.  It is 18 minutes away from us, so not too far, and really gorgeous.  It's like a big lake in the middle of a ginormous forest (the way the trees surround it all)...sounds familiar....Coeur d'Alene, Lake anyone?? Haha.  I am SO HAPPY to live close to a lake.  But what's better than a lake 11 miles away?  A river less than 1 mile away! And a little sandy beachy area to swim and play at.  It's perfect.  I am really starting to love it here now that we've had some time to enjoy ourselves. We live around so many beautiful places to explore!

 

Shawn thought this was pretty cute.  I was laying out and Piper looked over and me and positioned her towel just so.  She then laid down too so that she could "lay out" like Mommy was :)

 This place is less than a mile from my door step.  When I go running I get to this trail in under 5 minutes!  Another 5 minutes of walking and we come right up to this area.  It's so beautiful!

Here's the dress I made for Lucy Lu!  My Mom helped me and I was SO proud of it at the time.  It's something I will keep forever I think....my first (and last) outfit I will sew for my kids :)

 

As I close this post, I also wanted to add that one of the nights over the long weekend, after the girls were asleep, Shawn and I went out to our "private" deck and lit a Citronella candle (haha, total romance right?  Hey- those babies are a necessity out here!) and played cards.  Something so simple meant so much to me. We laughed a lot and I couldn't imagine a more perfect "date night."  It was fantastic weather, we could see the stars, it was quiet, and most importantly it was just him and I.  Love you, Shawn.

Good Night World.  We are off to bed!