Happy Tuesday! I thought we just welcomed October and now my favorite month is nearly gone. We are seeing a little color, but the beautiful autumn color normally arrives the first of November. I am anxiously awaiting those brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold!
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Psalm 139:23-24
Sweet readers, you have always been so kind as we have shared photos of our grandchildren. On a recent afternoon we planned a family time to carve pumpkins. Our son and I both took pictures with no plans to share except with each other. But, once I sat down and I looked through them, I thought you might enjoy seeing a few. Along with our family fun, I exceeded my aerobic activity goal running from place to place snapping photos of monarch butterflies as they returned to the garden. Enough talk, now let’s get on with the pumpkin carving and chasing monarchs!
WL is almost six months old. He has the exact color blue eyes as his daddy and he is an especially good baby. He smiles a lot but pumpkin carving didn’t seem to interest him.
Watching Da cut the top off must be an exciting process to draw so much intense attention from little eyes!
Oh, the wonder of a pumpkin!
The top is off and EM is closely observing the drawing of eyes, nose, and mouth. EK is more interested in a pumpkin seed!
Collecting seeds have both girls’ attention while Da is inspecting his work!
While EK continues to be fascinated with seeds, EM has become the inspector of the newly carved pumpkin face. It did pass inspection!
EM intent on scooping out the inside!
I had to include this photo of Da being silly!
The pumpkins are still sitting on the picnic table gathering spider webs. It is unbelievable that squirrels or raccoons have not feasted on the Jill-o’-lanterns! For additional pumpkin excitement, click here.
It was a fun family afternoon that we will hold as a sweet memory!
A couple of days before the pumpkin carving, the monarchs began arriving in the garden. We were anxiously awaiting their visit. This is a male, distinguished by the highly noticeable black spots on the insect’s hind wings. Their veining is thinner than the female monarch.
The zinnias had already been removed, but lantana served as a great attraction.
They have been stopping by each October on their southward journey to winter in Mexico.
It is hard to believe that some monarchs travel as much as 3000 miles on their migration southward…
…and as much as fifty miles per day!
You can refer back to last year’s post for more info on monarchs.
The female monarch has thicker veining and no identifying black spots on its hind wings. Did you notice the tear on its upper right wing? You can see the lantana through the tiny opening. Apparently she has had a rough journey.
Thank you for your visits and your gracious comments. Wishing you a beautiful October day!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
Love the photos of your grands Pam! Such fun memories you are creating with the girls. I haven’t seen the Monarchs we normally see this time of year but our garden is ‘crispy’ and we haven’t had the rain you’ve had. Happy Tuesday ♥
Thank you Mary. Happy Wednesday ♥️
Beautiful family and memories! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Yvonda. Have a beautiful Tuesday!
It looks like a fun time was had by all! The Queen apparently has quite the discerning eye, and I suspect next year she will want to carve! All of your family has been blessed with artistic talent for sure…the expressions captured in every photo are priceless. Aren’t the journeys taken by the monarchs and hummingbirds mind boggling?
Thank you dear Roxanne for your sweet comments.
Your grands look so cute, enjoying the pumpkin carving!
Thank you Penny!
Pam, Love the pics of your sweet little ones and the family making wonderful memories. Butch being silly is a favorite and will be a cherished memory by the girls. We didn’t have many butterflies this year. Your monarchs are beautiful. Thanks for sharing. The pumpkins turned out great! Clara ❤️
Thank you dear Clara♥️
This looks like the most fun day! I love those smiles and darling children. For the first time I am seeing definite resemblance in Wyatt and the girls. And if that keeps up, he’ll be a heartbreaker!
Thank you Jeanie!
Pam, I love this so much. The expressions on the faces of Ella and Emma are priceless. Butch did a great job with the Jill-o-lanterns. Thank you for sharing this wonderful time. Priceless memories! So happy to see the monarchs again. They left my area some weeks ago. I share your excitement for them. They loved my lantana also. What a blessing!
Thank you Dianne for your sweet comments. I am so glad you were able to enjoy the monarchs!
What fun, pumpkin carving is always a big deal and I loved seeing their interested faces! Wyatt is really growing and such a sweet pic of him with his Dad! The monarch captures are beautiful, I’m smiling picturing you darting around the garden following them with your camera! What a beautiful October we have had~
Jenna
Thank you Jenna. October has been amazing!
Love the family party carving pumpkins. Your photos are treasures and thanks for sharing.
Love seeing your monarchs. I got a call Sunday afternoon from a friend that lives fairly close to me. She had two monarchs. One seemed to have just emerged and I agreed. She had no idea where the crystalis came from. So interesting and you never quit learning. I am excited to know there are some in our town. I keep hoping each year. I have four or so pots of milkweed but no luck.
Thank you Bonnie. I was beginning to think the monarchs would not be stopping by our garden. It is amazing to observe them!
I miss having grandchildren as children! Mine are all in their late 20’s and early 30’s. Still love and enjoy them but they were so much fun when they were young. Great pictures!
I wish I could stop time and keep them little. Thank you, Martha!
Good morning, Pam. There is something in the look on little Wyatt’s face that really resembles you. He is growing too fast as they all are. It really looked like a fun day with the pumpkins. Many more to come!
Have a great week, my friend!
Thank you Sandra. It was a fun family afternoon!
Oh Pam… what fun you all are having with the grandchildren! I enjoyed seeing the whole family. And Butch with his “special smile” was priceless!
Your monarch knowledge is wonderful… so interesting. I enjoyed your beautiful photographs of them.
I saw one monarch in Texas. It loved being photographed… it made the collage at the end of my post today.
Sending you great big hugs on this last Tuesday in October!
Thank you, Nancy. I wish I could keep them little. I saw the monarch in your collage 😊
Oh, how I relish these photos of Family sharing and love. Butch did artistic work creating the pumpkin faces… they are
not easy to cut through. He also gets a laugh for his comic posing in the end. The pictures of the little ones and the
family capture one’s heart and gratitude to you for sharing.(The Grandma included would really be the clincher) Those monarchs are such lovely subjects for your photos and the lessons of nature they illustrate. I am blessed by your being blessed, dear one.
Thank you dear once. The Grandma didn’t have her makeup on. Happy Week!
Your family is beautiful! Why no pictures of PJ??
PJ had no make up on and was wearing sweats.
Oh Pam, your family is the absolute cutest! Have a great week.
Aw, thank you Katie. Happy week to you!
Beautiful family you have dear Pam and those grands…my mercy! They are just precious. What fun times carving pumpkins together. Your athletics skills of catching some great photos of those beautiful monarch’s paid off! Happy week dear Pam. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
We grandmothers love taking photos of our grands. Happy week to you my friend!
Pam Thank You for sharing your family adventure. The grandchildren are beautiful. Seeing the beautiful Monarchs are such a treat. The leaves have not changed much here in the east. Today we have had heavy rain and the leaves are falling to the ground.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Marilyn,Joan and Marion
Thank you sweet ladies for your kind comments. Stay safe with all of the rain!
ADORABLE grandchildren, Pam! Loved seeing their various facial expressions in each photo. Also, congratulations to the pumpkin carvers. They turned out great!
Thank you, Nancy for your sweet comments!
Enjoyed the photos of your family pumpkin carving & the photos of the monarch butterflies!
Love to see nature at it’s best. Jo
Thanks so much Jo!
Great pics and Nice read!
Thanks Ben!
It looks like you had such a wonderful and fun time carving pumpkins. I know those precious girls must of had a fun time! The expressions on their faces is priceless! Wyatt is such a beautiful baby. It won’t be long and he will be big enough to join in the festivities. The monarch photographs are so beautiful. I can’t believe it is almost November! October went by in a blink! Wishing you a happy week ahead, sweet friend!
Sweet friend, your comments warm my heart ♥️
What a delightful newsletter. You children are so sweet. Years ago when my husband and I lived in East Texas, we had tons of Monarch butterflies. They would lay their eggs on our milkweed. We also had a “hatching house” so to speak where we would put the caterpillars and they would eventually make their crysallis. Many of them would hatch into beautiful butterflies and we would then set them free. It was a wonderful experience. I actually have a video of one hatching. It’s about 5-10 minutes long but well worth the watch. If you are interested, please email me and I will send you the video. When we moved away, we gave the “hatching house” to a neighbor who had built a beautiful garden memorial to her grandson next to the school where he had attended. Tragically, he had died in an accident. Anyway, let me know. Lisa Buick
What a fabulous experience with the monarchs. Amazing!!
What precious time! Absolutely wonderful pictures!
Thank you sweet friend!
Such a fun post Pam. Your grands are so adorable. Watching their little faces is heart warming. Making memories at it’s best. Love the family photo and Da being so silly. Squirrels started eating one of our pumpkins on our porch. They are not carved. Happy Thursday.
Thank you, Linda. It was an amazing and fun afternoon!
Oh, Pam! You and Butch sure threw the sweetest pumpkin party. Your pumpkin party brings back a stashed away memory of my own. When my local grand-loves were younger, we had an annual “Papa’s Pumpkin Party” with all things pumpkin on that day. I think my eldest granddaughter’s favorite part was sitting on the basement stairs with her Papa, lit “Jill-o’-lantern” (quoting you) in her lap, then Gma Cindie turning off the light and taking a photo of them sitting in the darkness with their faces all aglow in the light cast by their collective creation. Such sweet memories.
Love your photo journaling of the monarchs. Just beautiful. I have a question. Did you plant zinnia and lantana intermingled together for the butterflies, or in separate spots in your lovely flowerbeds?
Have a wonderful November!
Cindie
Thanks so much for sharing beautiful memories of Papa’s Pumpkin Party.
We have two beds of zinnias every year. One is intermingled with the lantana. The bed with only zinnias had several monarchs, but I just enjoyed watching them and didn’t take photos. My husband had already removed the zinnias that were planted with the lantana. The monarchs preferred the lantana over the zinnias, but they were spent.
Wishing you a wonderful November!