Autumn Rhymes

Oh how I love the changing seasons! The excitement and magic sweeps in like a fresh breath to brush the moldering remnants of the old season away. And so to commemorate the coming of fall, we present some of our favorite fall poems. Enjoy!

Autumn Song

Elizabeth-Ellen Long

These are the days of falling leaves,

The days of hazy weather,

Smelling of gold chrysanthemums

And gray wood smoke together.

These are the nights of nearby stars,

The nights of closer moons,

When the windy darkness echoes

To cricket's farewell tunes.

Autumn

Emily Dickenson

The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old fashioned,

I'll put a trinket on.

Autumn Fires

Robert Louis Stevenson

In the other gardens

And all up the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over

And all the summer flowers.

The red fire blazes,

The gray smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall!

Autumn Ages

Saddie Gubler

Leaves dressed like sunshine hang shivering;

Others twirl merrily away.

Austere branches nod their approval

On this crispy, bright autumnal day.

Heavy blankets of cold hold the world tightly;

Tree silhouettes shatter the sky.

Stark branches brace for the flurry

Warning the birds they should fly.

Sprigs sparkle in crystalline sheathing;

Diamonds wink in the fields.

Hoary branches bend with the burden;

Jack’s wealth a weighty, white yield.

Sunshine returns for a quick kiss,

Restoring the season’s ripe charm.

Wistful branches wave a remembrance

Then fall into Winter’s young arms.

Outtakes

We were taking pictures yesterday for a project and some of the results were HILARIOUS. So sit back and enjoy these completely unedited moments brought to you by the rapid fire shutter setting. Feel free to add your own captions in the comments below!

Oh I certainly love this boy! And in case you were getting worried, here's the shot we were looking for :) Such a cutie!

Introducing...

Artur Eratosthenes  

Behold 8lbs, 4oz and 21in of sweetness incarnate! He's been around for 3 weeks now and I just can't seem to get my fill of kissing this baby bear. He's a peaceful little soul with just a hint of a volatile temper. His siblings are seriously enamored and continually vie (in a disturbingly rambunctious fashion) for the opportunity to hold him and smooch his soft head. We're ever so glad this delicious, spindly Thing 4 has finally joined our Gubler Oddyssey, for as Rowy says, "Baby cute!"

 

A note on his name: Artur is a five letter, 2 syllable name from The Wheel of Time series, just like all his siblings'. It is also a variant of Arthur who is my great grandpa, just as Tomas is a variant of Thomas, another great grandpa. Hazel is also a family name, but is spelled the same as Levi's great grandma and is instead a variant of Haesel, the character in WOT. Arthur is also, most obviously, of Arthurian legend which is not only awesome, but ties to Tomas again because of Archimedes the Educated Owl and The Wart's (yes, I think The Wart is a completely legitimate nickname for my infant) relationship in Disney's Sword in the Stone. Artur also means bear-like, hence the nickname Baby Bear (the very hairy shoulders and tendency to growl add to this name's appeal.) The name Eratosthenes follows the tradition of giving our boys names of Greek mathematician/philosopher/scientists such as Archimedes and Ptolemy. Click on the links to discover how awesome these guys were and how they relate - you know, cool things like the fact that there are craters on the moon named after Eratosthenes and Ptolemy. Finally, his initials AE form the letter ash. This ties in with his siblings' initials all having a meaning (TAG, HUG, RPG) and ties to Hazel and Rowan by being the name of a druidic tree. I guess the Rowan and Ash trees can look similar too. So, what's in a name? PLENTY! :) Not to mention that it's absolutely adorable to hear Rowy say "Baby Artur."

  

 

Little Red Riding Hood

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Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

An Easy Resolution

So friends in Southern Utah, why don't we ALL do this - curbside recycling for $6/month? Yay-hoo! No more sorting or storing or stopping at binnies that have annoyingly small holes that have to be fed recyclables one at a time - count me in! Read about it here and make a super easy resolution that's good for all of us.

Christmas Joy

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Here's wishing you a joyful holiday season full of wonder, magic, and love!

It's About Time

I finally managed to get something done with the family portraits Lindsey took for me. It's not the most interesting or artistic book ever made, but it was free (well... plus shipping) and it's done!  And in my book, that's saying something.  :)

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

I'm just glad I finally managed to make one of these silly shutterfly books. This is my third attempt. Yeah... I get free offers pretty regularly, but always procrastinate putting them together until the midnight deadlines when things invariably go awry. Of course, neither of my previous, more detailed and attractive efforts would save, so the fruits of those midnight exertions were lost to the ether.

Y'arrrrr!

Blimey! For the 8th year in a row, the Levi and Saddie Gubler Family will be found celebrating Sept. 19th at their

 Talk Like a Pirate Day Party! 

So swing by our house anytime 4-7ish for

grub * buried treasure

 projectile launching * scavenging

* a wee bit of swimming (just for the little 'uns) *

piractical discourse * and more!

It's sure to be epic!

 

Sixes

Rowy just turned seven months old this week, and I'm just getting to his six month stuff. So, while I'm at it... here's a look at all my cute little kiddos at six months of age:

Rowan was 20 lbs and 26.5 in tall.

Hazel was 18 lbs and 26.25 in tall.

Tomas was 16 lbs and 26 in tall.

It's funny that they're all pretty much of a height, but their weights are VERY different.

In other six news... Tomy turned six this month! He had a Pokemon birthday and everything! And he's been growing up in so many ways. Not only is he looking more and more like a kindergartener, but he's becoming so brave. He's done so well at swim lessons (the thought of which had him in tears a few months ago) and he even climbed this log ladder on the Kanarraville Falls Hike (which also had him in hysterics, but he REALLY wanted to do it). He's also moving beyond kid songs and usually asks for "rock and roll" when we're in the car. He is frequently heard singing "Sweet Dreams are Made of 'Gree'", "We Are Young", and the themes from Pokemon and Red Dwarf. It makes me smile. Love this boy!!!

In other growing up news... Rowy just learned to pull himself up from sitting to standing. You should see how proud he is of this new feat of wonder. Pretty amazing.

A Healthy Snack

He loves oranges - especially ones the size of his head.

She loves apples - though she prefers hers the size of her hand.

But what does the baby like? Bugs of course! Yum yum!

Tragicomedy

Rowy was kind enough to regale us with a serious tale of woe while we waited for the St. Patty's Parade to begin. Funny thing is, his audience failed to catch his intended mood. :)

Spotted!

I took Tomy on a momma date lasterday to the Rosenbruch Wildlife Museum.

We spotted lots of interesting animals and insects. But I was most intrigued by the sighting of this rare and noble mammal. I've seen this specific specimen before, but never in such close proximity nor in such an unexpected locale. Needless to say, the encounter set my heart to racing with excitement - causing me to completely forget the camera around my neck - but I did manage enough courage to make a hasty approach. The moment of contact was fleeting, but unforgettable!

 

What We Found

Today, as the kids and I prepared and planted this little patch of garden, we found buried treasure!

transplanted chives and creeping rosemary - the bees are in love!

We found a decent sized and surprisingly firm carrot that had hidden itself over the winter. We also found some potatoes that we neglected to dig up last year. I knew they were there, but the desire to harvest them was superseded by my pregnant self's ability to avoid anything resembling work. Tomy ate the carrot, but we're replanting the potatoes.

stripes and plaid? stylin'!

Tomy also found this little fellow. We've seen at least four of these guys around our property since we moved in two years ago and Tomy has been the spotter every time.

It seems sufficiently lucky, in anticipation of tomorrow's St. Patty's Day celebration, to find a snake (though we shan't drive him out), potatoes (no famine here), and a carrot (sportin' the orange and green), all in the golden sunshine (that's more than enough treasure for me). May the season bring the luck of the Irish to you too!

Three Months

Our little Rowy Powy is 1/4 a year old today and a sweeter, more contented baby you will never meet. He loves to coo, but getting him to laugh takes some serious work. His cheeks are just right for smooching and if you get him just under his chin, his eyes dance with mirth.

His best friend is still the ceiling fan. Rowan doesn't seem to mind that his conversations with this friend are decidedly one sided and is frequently delighted to find that his friend can be found in any number of locations.

Tomy and Hazel are glad that Rowan is getting bigger and more capable of handling their rather rambunctious displays of affection. The three are getting to be the sweet little group. It isn't unusual for the older siblings to stop in the middle of their play to wonder about the whereabouts of their younger brother.

We sure love our little guy!

Pest Control

You know your spouse is in pest control when...  
              
...your children's idea of a good game is running around the house pretending to be "pockroaches" traipsing through poison (known to the more mundane set as the laundry pile) and dying on the floor.

FUN FUN! :)

Photogenic?

Our Gubler Family isn't the greatest at taking pictures (okay, maybe Hazel is), but with the new addition it was time to brave up and get some taken. The wind was a-blowing and poor Rowy was chilled, but we managed to smile. You can take a peek on Lindsey Hurst's blog. And while I might be a tad biased, I think you'll find that Levi is looking oh-so-handsome, Hazel divine, Tomy mischievous, Rowy uncomfortable, and me... well let's just say I prefer the pictures that don't include my thighs. :) Thanks for everything Lindsey and Happy Valentine's to you all!

A Name and A Blessing

Chri'mas

The Christmas season was certainly different this year what with having a new baby and all. We avoided traveling and such the first half of the month due to the discomfort of late pregnancy and the unpredictability of natural childbirth and then avoided the cold and crowds the second half of the month due to the newness of our baby and the difficulty of getting a recent family of five dressed and out the door. Needless to say, we put off a few traditions and cancelled a couple plans, but the season was undeniably magic!

Avoiding the hustle and bustle left us ample time together as a family. Tomy and Hazel spent endless hours (while mom tried to catch some z's) coloring their Christmas coloring books (received a few weeks earlier than planned) and taking thousands (literally) of pictures on our now deceased camera. Levi and I spent much of our time sitting together by the fireside, reading and cross-stitching keepsake stockings.

There is just one tradition that I'm bummed to have missed - I didn't ever get a picture of Rowan sitting on Santa's lap for his first Christmas. I'm still determined to remedy that, even if I have to get the big man to make an emergency visit to our house this month.

Christmas morning itself was thrilling! Rowan took a sneak peek at Santa's generosity at 3 AM, so he managed to be unimpressed by the wonder that met his siblings' eyes at 6.

Hazel woke up crying that someone had stolen all our "Chri'mas" presents, so we went into the livingroom to reassure her that all was well with Christmas. This poor girl has a history of Christmas dream trauma. Luckily all that changed Christmas night when she dreamed that Santa brought her a whole pile of fruit snacks. Happy dream indeed!

Her early morning Christmas magic was dimmed a bit because Santa's elves forgot the bolt that tightens her new bike's seat in place. A trip to Grandpa's scored her a replacement part, resparked the magic and found her zooming sparkly-eyed in all her big girl pink bike splendor.

Tomy's reaction was priceless. He beat us on our way to the livingroom and immediately started running back and forth like he didn't know which way to go - torn between getting us and going to his gift - shouting excitedly "Santa brought me what I wanted the WHOLE YEAR!"


I got my camera(!) and Levi got some super sweet new cufflinks - a pair of Aes Sedai symbols and a pair of functional thermometers. Rowan also got a thermometer - of the swipe across the forehead variety. Our family must have been better this year than I thought. ;)

All I Want For Christmas Is You

... and maybe a new camera. Our little Rowan has been with us for a week now, but our camera went AWOL before we were able to post some pictures. Gladly, we finally found the camera - hopelessly mangled under the rocker recliner - and were able to upload his pictures despite it's damaged condition. Here are a few that turned out (Tomy helped substantially with the picture taking :) from Thursday afternoon as Tomy and Hazel finally met their long awaited baby brother in the flesh.

That last picture makes me giggle since Rowan is such a sweet, happy boy. He likes to smile when he's dreaming and has even laughed twice in his sleep. He is also quite enamored of his siblings. Hazel gets right in his face and says, "smoodgie-woodgie, smoodgie-woodgie!" It drives me crazy, but Rowy doesn't seem to mind. He's also very alert and curious. He thinks watching the sunshine coming through the window and the fire dancing in the fireplace is especially interesting.

So in closing, Dear Santa, I know I said that I only wanted a healthy baby boy for Christmas and the model I received is top of the line and in perfect condition, but I think I've been especially good this year and would really, really, really like a new camera to take more pictures of said healthy baby boy.  Thank you, and enjoy the cookies - Levi made sure the kids didn't help too much in the making.

Sincerely,
Saddie