Fall--nature in our yard

Oooh, it feels good to get outside when the temperature is nice and cooooooool. Inhale....fresh....air! We have a few fun things growing around our house right now. These little mums are such loyal volunteers. To think, I snatched them out of our neighbor's garbage because I felt sorry for them. I planted them near our front door, and they now show their appreciation by blooming twice a year.Our pecan tree has limbs that get heavy this time of year with the weight of all the pecans.


That is, until Mr. Nut Nut takes them and buries them around our yard.
Our kids like to get them when the husks get dark brown and start to open so the pecan falls out easily. Here's last year's stash.
We also have this delicate...
beautiful...
...behemoth bougainvillea.
We cut this thing down to the ground every spring, and would you just look at the huge limb (it's not even the main stalk) that just poked out of the lattice?This baby is bigger around than my chubby fingers. And check out those not-to-be-ignored thorns my husband has to tackle every year when he cuts it all back!When they're fully grown and dried out from the winter, they'll tear right through the toughest construction jackets. (Joe can tell you all about it!)

While we were outside enjoying the nice weather, our kids did a nature study on...whatever they could find that tickled their fancy. Mikey caught this grasshopper.The other kids watched and drew Nut Nut, the squirrel, getting busy on our pecan tree.