Fall has definitely begun

We love this time of year! Of course, I feel that way at the beginning of each new season...but fall does hold a special place in my heart.

The children are outside as much as possible these days. From the time they get up, until a little after dark...they run outside whenever they have even a spare minute. While summer has its own perks (swimming!) - it is just too hot to be outside much (unless you're swimming!). So fall is, literally, a breath of fresh air! As soon as the children get their clothes on in the morning - while I'm getting breakfast ready - they're outside riding bikes and playing.

Besides the chillier mornings, this site we spied on one of our 10 pine trees on Sunday is another confirmation that it is that time of year again:

Cicadas molting and leaving their abandoned skins on our trees!

This was the first time we'd seen one actually in the process of coming out of its old skin. Fascinating.

We find tons of these abandoned shells on our trees at this time every year. They could easily blend in with the trees, but when we're specifically looking for them, we can find lots!

They're neat just to look at, but they're also fun because they'll stick on your clothes...

and your eyebrow...

and your nose!

Please note: you won't find pictures here - or anywhere else - of Lily Kay and I participating in these cicada activities. Besides being the only people in the house who are right-handed, Lily Kay and I are also apparently the only ones with enough sense to NOT put those icky things on our persons! Go ahead, call me a sissy - I'm o.k. with that.