The leaves have finally fallen

Yes we live in Vegas; it's almost Christmas and the leaves FINALLY fell off the trees.  Andrew kept asking to rake leaves when there were just a few on the ground and I finally got out there to help him get a decent sized pile to play in.  As luck would have it, the day after we'd spent lots of work trying to comb the ground for every stray possible, the leaves started falling like rain.  It was absolutely beautiful.  I called Andrew to the back door and said, "Look!  Guess what we get to do today."  He was so excited.

The previous Thurs. I'd won a special treat at our Enrichment Night Service Auction.  Laura Andrews said she'd be willing to do whatever was asked for.  I asked if she washed cars and she said sure.  I was sold.  If you saw Glen's Christmas video, you may have noticed the dirty windshield?  Well, picture that all over the outside plus whatever mess gets accumulated inside.  On a radio station once there was a question asked, "What exists in over 50% of American cars but is not standard issue?"  The answer is McDonald's French Fries and sure enough, there were a few under one of the seats.  I can't even remember the last time we went to McDonald's.=)  Anyways, Laura brought the kids over on this beautiful (little bit chilly) Sat. morning to have some family service time.  It was wonderful.  I got my car clean and all the kids were able to play in the leaves.

This rope swing is a new addition to the backyard.  My hometeacher braved climbing the tree for me (o.k. so he's 15 and still thinks he's invincible, but I have to say he's the best hometeacher we've ever had.  He's checked on our family almost every week since Glen left asking if I need anything done.  He mowed my lawn all summer after I'd had Calvin, he's babysat numerous times and refuses to get paid; even when I went out for a fun shopping spree.  He's been one of my many lifesavers.)  This rope swing has been the biggest hit, especially with our "No Fear" Izzy.  Andrew loves it but he's still cautious and doesn't want to be swung too high.  With Izzy, the giggles only die down when she's ready to be swung higher yet again.  Who needs a swingset if there's a good climbing tree (which will be a deciding factor for future homes) w/ a rope swing attached. 

A few days later, we finally raked up the whole yard to get the biggest pile possible.  We wanted to be able to swing from the rope swing and land in the pile.  The pile was big enough that even mom couldn't help but join in the fun.  That rope swing is sure lots of fun, but I have to admit I'm not as crazy as I used to be.  I'm sad that I didn't get any still pictures of the actual swinging, but I sure got some good video.  Maybe I'll make another movie someday?