so I was going to be a "cool aunt"....

When I was growing up, I had a "cool aunt". At the time, she didn't have any kids. She took us cool places and spent time with us, making us feel like the most awesome kids in the whole world. And she bought the coolest presents! It's kind of funny that one of the biggest memories of my childhood Christmastime, now as an adult, was wondering what awesome thing Aunt Vicki was going to find for us! So, let's just say, that I determined that when I grew up, I would be a "cool aunt" myself.

Well, I got to be a "cool aunt" for a few months... and then Nathan entered our world, and let's face it. It's pretty tough to be a "cool aunt" when you are immersed in your own kid's poop, spit up, and baby food. So my brilliant plan was thwarted. Oh well. I still try to find "cool aunt" gifts for my nephews... but spending time with them to be the "cool aunt"... well, the reality of it is, that just isn't reality! However, my sister has fully embraced the role of rockin' awesome "cool aunt." Both my brother's kids and my kids totally do not understand the awesomeness that is their Aunt Dana. I pray that when they grow up, they will remember every ounce that Aunt Dana has invested in them.

So to kind of make up for my lack of "cool aunt"-edness, we took family photos of my brother's family, to celebrate little Sammy's one year birthday. It really is just crazy to be around this kid, because he is THE spitting image of my brother when he was little. If I didn't KNOW that I took the pictures of him, I would totally guess that those were Jim's baby pictures! They look THAT similar!

squirrel food

I wait all year long for this. Autumn. Oh, how I adore it.

I love the temperature. I love the light. I love the COLOR. (who is surprised by that!!??)

Fall is most certainly my favorite season. And with fall comes the acorns. By the bucket load. We've been collecting the 'squirrel food' as Cora calls it. I'm not quite sure what we'll do with our collection just yet. But it will be super cool when I figure it out!