Fall

I just love this time of year. The air is cooler and crisp, the leaves are beginning to change colour, and the regular routine of each week are familiar friends I welcome when autumn comes around. John has been very busy lately with work. It sometimes feels like we're on a speeding roller coaster towards Christmas and it's only going faster with each passing week. Clara is growing and becoming more adventurous and active. She's quite the climber, loves her books and playing with cell phones and remote controls, and enjoys being Mommy's little helper. It amazes me how she can follow directions. Tonight I was running her bath and asked her to go get me a facecloth from her room. She ran out of the bathroom and came running back in with 2 of her baby wash cloths. She also unpacked every grocery bag today when we got home from the grocery store, handing me each item. I'm hoping this phase lasts until the new baby comes. She'll be such a big help to me then.

Speaking of baby, we had our ultrasound on Sept. 11th. We thought we'd need another one since I ended up not being quite as far along as they had thought, but it turns out I don't need a second one. I guess the gender will continue to remain a mystery for sure now until the big day in February. That's okay though. This pregnancy seems to be going so fast, we'll know if it's a boy or girl before we know it. (We'll know before we know...that makes a lot of sense.) Anyway, here's the first glimpses of Baby Evans #2:















This second picture is a little hard to make out, but we think the baby is looking straight out at us. You can sort of recognize its face. The 2 round blobs under the head are the arms or hands I think. I still can't believe this little babe is inside of me, kicking away even now as I type.
















Thanksgiving was wonderful! It was such a great time spent with family and friends. We had 3 turkey dinners in total and lots of homemade pumpkin pie. I love the traditions of this time of year.















Turkey dinner with family in Souris.















Clara helping Mommy and Grampy whip up some real whipped cream for pumpkin pie.















Clara and Great-Grandma Hazel.




















Thanksgiving dinner at Mom and Carl's place. The only thing Clara would eat was Grampy's pumpkin pie.















John is at youth group tonight. Clara and Yawsha are in dreamland. And I'm working on laundry and wrapping Christmas presents. Sound crazy? Well, it's not because I'm super organized or anything, I'm just trying to get our Saskatchewan-bound xmas gifts ready for John's parents to take home with them. They are flying in for a visit tomorrow evening. We're looking so forward to having some time together. I can't wait for Clara to see them. She'll have so much fun over the next week with Grandma and Grandpa Evans.

Well, enough of my ramblings. Hope you are all enjoying a beautiful fall!
















Clara sporting her new "palm tree" hairdo as Daddy calls it.













































We have been enjoying some lovely walks on the nature trails close to our house this fall. Check out this beaver chewed stump we came across the other day.















While Mommy carries an extra 20 lbs. on her front, Daddy carries an extra 20 lbs. on his back. I wish Yawsha would start carrying some weight for us!