This bus is a coveted toy! The morning light and matching pajamas insisted that I pull out my camera. I love these two!

USA opened its border to Canadians! Hooray! I can hardly believe how long the border has been closed and I'm so happy it's open again! My mom came down for a short visit and seeing her in my home with my family was joyful! I can't say we're in the most exciting or adventurous phase of our lives, but we got out and rode the carousel, visited a book store, and hiked. My mom made cream puffs with Holly and sponge toffee with Greta. We played cribbage, watched a movie, walked the dog and visited. I love my mom!

This little hike is 12 minutes away from our house and I've been meaning to hike it with my family for a while. We finally did it! Our Saturdays can be so blah (because 5 kids and babies), but Conor and I would really like to do something on the weekends. So this weekend was it! We packed snacks, bundled up and went. I'm so glad we did. It was so great to be outside and fun to explore a new spot. It's definitely one to return to.

Every fall, we have heaps of leaves and pine needles to rake up from all our trees. It can often feel like a really overwhelming chore, but once I just get started it's all okay. It's one of those things that we just have to slog through and finish before the green bin pick up ends for the year. Here are my little guys tossed into a pile of leaves!

Time is a thief! Ira is growing so quickly. Towards the end of this last month, Ira finally decided that solid food was acceptable and maybe even enjoyable. Turning that corner was a real relief. Ira is pulling himself around on his tummy all over the place and he's really fast. He winds his way through the lower level of the house occasionally getting stuck. Ira seems to really enjoy having so many siblings. Sometimes when I'm feeding him, he'll repeatedly yell and act as though he's listening for someone (anyone!) to respond. When his sisters want him to stop him from getting into their stuff, they sit him on his bottom. He can only rarely maneuver himself out of a seated position. Ira had 3 teeth along his top gums before his second bottom tooth came in, so his little grin was lopsided and funny for a while. Now he has a balanced mouth of gappy teeth. Ira loves baths and I just assume that I'm going to be splashed and wet by the end of it. If I could change one thing about Ira, I would wish for him to sleep through the night. Otherwise, he's practically perfect!