Where to begin?

Rather than start at the beginning or the end of what has turned out to be one jam-packed autumn, I'm taking the easy route and throwing up a few new family pics, thereby buying me a few more days to sift through all the photos that have yet to be downloaded from the camera. Because yes, our fall has been that good. Loads of stuff to share and no time to share it.

I think I can safely say that this has been the Burt family's best autumn yet (I go back and forth on fall and autumn because I can never decide which name I like more). If only because at the tail end of it, I finally coerced Mr. Burt into throwing on something with a collar and smiling for a professional photographer. (This is the man who, with a straight face, suggested Wal Mart when I first mentioned that I wanted to get family pictures. I guess that could have worked though, as we have several times run out of milk amidst our adventurous autumn.)

And they turned out so great and the photographer was so nice (and amazing with kids), that my fingers are crossed that our next chat about family pics will not include a produce section.

Some of my favorites.

Lately (and usually after he's just gotten a treat or done something new and exciting), Porter has been telling me, "Mom, I wish that everything could just stay the same."

That makes two of us.

This little guy is growing up entirely too fast. I find myself trying to memorize all his innocent little kid moments, like when he wants me to walk down the hallway with him to his bedroom because he's afraid of the dark or when he sees the first star of the night and wishes for nothing more than "a good day at school tomorrow", because I know they'll be gone all too soon.

This is the Nora standard. A little mischievous, a little bemused, and a mouth full of candy (more on that when I get to the Halloween post). What is wholly out of character for this photo, is that we somehow managed to schedule picture day on the one day of the year thus far when our wildly clumsy toddler did not have a bruise or scratch or bump or dent on her noggin. Christmas miracle.

This man swore he never wanted daughters up until the moment the ultrasound tech announced "it's a girl." She's had a hold on him ever since.

 Andy forbade me from ordering this one because, as he put it, "We're not engaged; we're already married."

To which I replied something sappy about marrying him all over again.

Because I kinda like this guy, wrinkled eyes and all (I told him to go to bed early... and also offered cucumbers the next morning. If you know Andy, you know how both those conversations ended).

I'm telling you, this fall has been so festively splendid that I just might say yes, we are this loving and idyllic. But really, we just lucked into picking a good photographer on a beautiful day (and had a pocket full of first-of-the-season candy corn as back-up).