Fall in Florida and The Middle Child

It is simply gorgeous outside now and a welcome relief from our hot, rainy summer. Fall is in the air! Probably not as dramatic as fall up north, but a change nonetheless. The temperature is the same outdoors as inside with the A/C on and it's windy. (And I would LOVE to open the windows, but the wind kicks up pollen so I don't dare.) The Youngest, aka The Wild Child, has been trying to fly his kite but the wind is too strong; the string keeps breaking and taking the kite on all sorts of journeys around the neighborhood. He's managed to find it so far, but it's a matter of time before it's gone for good.

The holidays will arrive soon, kicked off with the arrival of Halloween. The kids are already excited about choosing costumes. The Middle Child, aka Martha Stewart Jr., is working on making her costume. I had to take her seriously about her passion for sewing when she came into the room where DH and I were sitting with tears glittering in her eyes, barely held back, wearing this dress she had made from scratch and BY HAND. It was a mess, of course. One sleeve was too small to get her arm through, it was all crooked, and it was too tight. I don't see how she got it on at all. Then she told us she made it all by herself with no pattern and no sewing machine. With hardly any experience with sewing other than sewing her patches on her Brownie vest. She was upset it wasn't perfect; I was amazed at what she had accomplished! I was blown away, actually. No pattern, very little experience, by hand, and it was very close to what she wanted... she is one motivated little girl. I was so openly amazed that I think it helped her to feel better that it wasn't perfect, and then the first chance I got I took her to the fabric store to buy a real pattern and more fabric. I also got in touch with a friend of mine who is an accomplished seamstress to see if she would teach Martha Jr. how to sew. She said she would (for which I will be eternally grateful) and now Martha Jr. is working on making a cape for her Halloween costume. She picked out a really pretty sparkly purple fabric and a fairly simple (as far as I could tell) pattern. She already knows what she'll wear under it (I have to take her shopping for a shirt) so she'll have a one of a kind costume this year.

Kids are so amazing!