In a great land, not so far away, there lived a mom of three little children.  Every autumn, when the winds begin to blow and the leaves float to the ground, she is reminded, she married a hunter.  

  
Here’s how autumn life goes when you are a have three small children and one hunting husband…

1. Friday night finish all the laundry and plan to make sure Saturday’s breakfast will not leave any dirty dishes. Pack up the family to spend Saturday morning at the ball park and the rest of the weekend at the hunting lease. 

2. Make hot cocoa for the soon to be very restless non-ball playing almost three year old, coffee for yourself, and breakfast for everyone. Pack water bottles, bleacher seat, snacks, hats, and sunscreen and head off at an unGodly hour for pee wee games. Watch cuties play ball for three and a half hours. Make one not so quick Academy trip, grab lunch, load up, (checking again for smelly laundry, dirty dishes or stinky trash that will be beyond disgusting in 48 hours) four hours in the truck with the hubby and sleepy little ones, get to lease, (pull out your shiny new shotgun) dove hunt, get a lesson in fetching and harvesting birds, watch hubs help a guy with his tire, grab dinner at THE restaurant in town, head to hotel (thank you sweet Man), clean everyone, get “rest” next to tornado two-year-old. 

3. Wake up next to tornado two-year-old at 2:30 AM convinced that it is unGodly hunting hour; husband assures you it is indeed the middle of the night.  Grab breakfast burritos (and a granola bar for mom) at the local Gas station and head to the lease for the morning hunt.  Read the Bible, play spot the dove for dad, and watch the sunrise. Reflect on how peaceful it is to sit and watch the sun peak out from behind the clouds, birds flutter about, and ripples of the tank.  Glance around and remind self it is peaceful because you have in earplugs.  Decide overtired kids will not be still or quiet, so head to the other gas station in town for a morning lunch of homemade steak fingers and burgers.  Take kids back to the lease and watch them give up bickering for playing games and collecting rocks, sticks, and bugs together. Realize we have a flat and console distraught two-year-old while husband changes the flat. 

4. Enjoy calm conversation with the Hunter while listening to quiet snores from the back seat as you head home.  Decide to round ou the three squares with delivery pizza.  Unload everything from the truck.  Send the kids to the backyard to run around and get the crazies out.  Watch them push each other around on the petal car and think…yeah, we should do his more often.  Finish dinner, clean everyone, and put the kids to dinner.  Share beers while the Hunter debones the dove.  Collapse into bed and pray there are no tornados tonight.