Fall has always been our family's favorite time of year. I love everything from the spicy warm smells to the cute scarves and layers you wear. I love that I can put apples and pumpkin in everything, and that so many vegetables and fruits are in season. Chase loves that it's football season, and even Mckay and Logan love all the fun activities, including harvest farms/festivals, Halloween, and playing outside enjoying nature's (in my opinion) most beautiful season.
We finally took Chase to the Mall of America. The train ride was his favorite. No, really, it was, because all the other rides made both of us kind of sick! We are getting old . . .
Me and my sweet boys enjoying one last carousel ride at Mall of America.
One September afternoon we went to Apple Jacks, an orchard/farm festival type place. While there, we got to pick our own apples. Logan loved doing this, and may or may not have eaten one while we picked.
Mckay is our little animal lover. His favorite part of Apple Jack's was the petting zoo. The goats loved him too!
The last weekend in September we got a visit from Grandma and Grandpa England. We were so excited to see them and show them our new stomping grounds. One day, while Chase was at work, we took them to the Children's Museum in St. Paul. I'd heard so many good things about this place, and it did not disappoint!
This fall was absolutely gorgeous, with perfect temperatures. The boys and I practically lived outside whenever we could. We spent many a day at Schmidt Lake Park. Mckay loved to ride his scooter to the park. He has become a scooting master this fall, and rarely wanted to go outside without his new favorite toy.
One Monday night for Family Home Evening, we went to Komo Zoo. It's a small (but free!) zoo in St. Paul. We were surprised just how large and nice it was. The boys had never seen a zebra before, so this was one of their favorite exhibits.
This fall has been so wonderful, but in some ways it was also kind of hard. With my growing belly has come some growing aches and pains. I have had a lot of back pain this last trimester, and have been forced to slow down in many ways. I am grateful that Chase and so many friends and ward members here have been helpful and understanding. I truly am so blessed. Here I am at 7 1/2 months.
Every Sunday afternoon this past month we've taken the boys to French Park, a big, beautiful park/lake/reserve only five minutes from our house. They have a small paved trail that goes around the park and leads to Medicine Lake. Mckay loves to scoot on his scooter, and Logan rides his 4-wheeled zebra (pulled by Dad) each Sunday. We always end at the lake and practice throwing rocks in the water. It is so beautiful there, and has become one of my favorite activities of the week.
Here is Mckay with some of his preschool buddies at Minnetonka Orchards. As you can see, Mckay will still not pose for the camera for me! Both Mckay and I really enjoyed going to (and teaching) preschool this year. I think we've both learned a lot, and are grateful for the good kids and parents that we participate with.
For Halloween this year Logan went as a Dragon and Mckay went as Mickey Mouse. Both of them are old enough to get the concept of this candy-collecting tradition, but neither of them yet have that killer instinct to run as fast as they can and get more more more, so it was a very chill, relaxing night of trick-or-treating for both of them. We also got to go to a great ward Halloween party and trunk-or-treat as well as a preschool party, which was super fun, and gave them both excuses to wear their costumes a few times. Chase and I enjoyed levying a "candy tax" from each of our boys. I think I may have taken all of their Reeses (and feel kind of bad about that!)
I love these boys, and I love our life together as a family. Mckay and Logan make me see the world through more curious, innocent eyes. Even though so much of our lives hinge around mundane tasks and routines, there are jeweled moments in every day. I love the ages and stages the boys are in, I love that Chase is enjoying his job and learning new things every day. I love that we have new and exciting things to look forward to, including the arrival of baby #3!
No comments:
Post a Comment