Welcoming Autumn

Autumn is here! I feel fortunate that, in the Pacific Northwest, autumn usually arrives right around the time the calendar says it will, give or take a week or two. When my daughter and I woke up yesterday morning, I decided that we would pay attention to the changing of the seasons.

We started the day with oatmeal and maple syrup. "Porridge", my daughter calls it. So good.

Then we made a seasonal necklace. I had originally picked up this little bead kit to throw in the special "Big Sister" activity box that we'll be bringing to the hospital with us. We want our oldest daughter to come and meet her sister in the hospital, but we also know that she will only be interested in looking at the baby for so long. Thus her very own special box.

Unfortunately, I neglected to pack the bead kit right away, and she found it. That's okay, though. It turned out to be a great first day of fall activity. She was a lot more successful at stringing the beads than I thought she would be. Just look at that concentration.

Success! She was one proud three year old.

After beading, we took a trip to the library to stock up on fall books. Apparently some parents plan these things in advance (not I), because most of the seasonal books were checked out. We did manage to find these middle three books, and then we added the classic stories on the top and bottom of the stack. We also stopped by the local fruit market and picked up a bunch of miniature pumpkins. For the rest of the day the pumpkins were arranged, rearranged, stacked, scattered, and played with. At one point they became a family of pumpkins, all with their own voices, traits and identities. Later in the evening they became a gift that she "maked-ed" for her baby sister. Right now they are all in individual gift bags, in a row in the corner of the living room, apparently awaiting the arrival of baby sister.

The idea of making a gift for her sister originated with this dual shower that some friends threw for us last night. Another friend is expecting her child during the same week that we expect ours, so our mutual friends held a shower for both of us. I was afraid that my daughter would not quite understand that the gifts were for the baby, or that she would understand and would be upset by it, but she was fine. Thus her sudden urge to make her own gift for her sister, which we encouraged. All in all, we had a great first day of autumn. Summer passed quickly, but this year I was ready for fall. I just might have to pick up some more miniature pumpkins for seasonal decor, though, since my original bunch are now in gift bags.