Grey Skies

The sky has been varying shades of grey for the past few days...

The grey skies are a foreshadow to the inevitable.  The beauty that was fall just days ago has given way to stormy looking skies producing moisture that is teetering on the finest point between rain and snow.  The trees are barren, leaving behind the spooky silhouettes that are classic images for Halloween night.  The leaves, brown, crunchy and wet, are no longer frolicked in but merely stepped over as we scurry inside out of the damp, chilly air that we have yet to acclimatize to.

On Saturday we were out running some errands in the cold, October rain. There are no pictures of boots splashing or umbrellas twirling, just a couple of shots of the girls sporting their toques that we rummaged in the bins for before we headed out. 

We ducked in and out of the shops on Main St. while I pushed Lexi in an umbrella stroller that she is too big for...its cheap plastic wheels getting stuck and making it difficult to maneuver... sleet splashing against my cheeks, damp and chilled to the core... after all this we returned to the warmth of our home with a heavy sigh and that overwhelming feeling of gratitude for having shelter from the outdoors.  With the light tapping of rain against the window and the blanket of grey sky above, I bunkered down under a duvet of feathers where I spent the better part of the afternoon attempting to restore my body temperature and fight off the chill.

On our little adventure in the rain, we happened upon a couple of girls selling Girl Guide Cookies.  Little sister can't quite reach the top of the counter yet but she has no trouble enlisting the help of big sister in matters that involve chocolate covered deliciousness.

 

My little button pusher... always hitting the command start button!

 With the cooler temperatures settling in... so are we. 
Settling into our routines. 
Preparing for Halloween.
Settling in for winter.
Thinking ahead to the Holidays.

The girls had a sleepover with their Nana and Papa on Saturday night.  Jon and I went out together, without our two appendages, for the first time since February.  We went to dinner in a restaurant and then to a performance to see this guy.  We hurried home after the show to do what all married couples with kids do at home alone... we slept.

We are pretty accustomed to getting up several times a night with either of the girls. Our bodies somehow have adjusted to surviving on interrupted sleep.  It is our normal.  So to have an entire night of sleep is like a priceless work of art.  Appreciated.

I did still wake at 5am.  I waited for Lexi's shrills.  And when nothing came I had a moment of panic before my foggy brain pieced together her whereabouts.  Then I rolled over and went back too sleep.  The house is strange and eerily quite in the morning without them.  We don't know what to do with ourselves.  So we grab a cup of coffee and go to pick them up and can't wait to get them back home...like they've been gone for weeks...to restore some noise and balance into the house.

Girl is back zip-locking only now it's called vine swinging...and she's taking safety precautions.

And now we are ready for our week.  The last seven day of October.  And we are praying the grey skies will hold off on the white stuff... at least until we are in from trick or treating.  Happy Week Ahead.