Wordless Wednesday: Fall Is...

Get Out & Take In FALL!

It's just such a gorgeous season, how can you resist?

And for us folk in the Midwest, it's not too long before we'll be in below-freezing temps and blanketed in snow. We need to enjoy it while we can! (some trees are already bare...boo).
But for now, GORGEOUS!

Brennan & I played at a local Metropark Friday afternoon. It was a nice little date!

A red leaf is a very cool find

I loved this tree...so picturesque-fall:

I hope you're enjoying Fall!

Fall Decorating, 2010

This is becoming a fun tradition for us. :)

We don't have our mums yet, but we do have Brennan's personalized craft-pumpkin to add this year. :)

Not visible is the wreath on our door, and sign on our mailbox.

I love fall! We have some fun fall activities coming up, and I just know October is going to fly by. It already is!

October! Kicking off the month with...

~Selling Cubscout popcorn with Aidan who started the Scouts this year.

~A ridiculous bill for some plumbing work we had to have done. Have I mentioned I hate money?! I do. And I hate not having a fully funded emergency fund, too.

~Rainy soccer games

~Getting together a master list so I can soon start my Christmas shopping!

~Doing our Fall Decorations :)

~Washing the extra blankets to avoid turning on the heat (our low was 42 last night!). I have a mental contest with myself each year, seeing how late we can wait to turn on the heat. I don't want to turn it on at ALL in October. I think we can do that.

~Trying to find the best place to buy toilet paper

~Participating in 40 Days for Life, 9a.m. this morning. Despite the cold & rain, I'm looking forward to it.

~Doing fun "schoolwork" with Brennan at home.

October is my favorite month. I love that it's cooler but not frigid.
I love the trees changing colors, the smell of fires going.
I love going to the pumpkin patch, preparing for Halloween, making the good Fall foods...
It's a great month in a great season.
Happy October! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch Time!

Yesterday was such a fun family day. It was a cool, almost cold fall day (with the wind), and we spent it going to the pumpkin patch!

My husband's side of the family met us there, so Aidan had his cousins to play with.

We went to the same place as last year (where we went with Aidan's preschool), loving it just as much. The family that runs it is such a good family, and it shows throughout their farm.

It also shows in their donuts.

Yeah. Let's just say they were so good, so so good, that I wound up eating four during our time there. FOUR. Oink oink, says me.

We enjoyed the hot cider, donuts, a pumpkin train ride, hay ride, picking our own pumpkins, and I know I, at least, enjoyed watching other people chase my kids around. ;)

Brennan in the hay play-area

the adorable pumpkin train

Patrick & I

Aidan amidst the pumpkins

This cracks me up! All the kids. No one is looking, and poor Luciano (the baby)...

4 of the 5 kids

Happy Fall! (check out our decorations)

Fall is here!

I know it's technically been here for a few days, but on the first day of fall, we were near 85 degrees here. NOT fall-enough weather for me.

But today it feels like fall! I am loving it. As you probably know, it is my favorite season. Nature is just gorgeous, the fall food is fabulous...what's not to love? (plus I can go

longer without shaving, hee-hee)

Today was a productive day. (not that my house is clean. Lord knows it is a mess!)

It started off with my weigh-in at Weight Watchers. As a lifetime member I am required to weigh in at least once a month. I had not weighed in since August 8th, so I had to weigh in. I have barely exercised this past 2 weeks, so I was nervous. Plus last week I went crazy and didn't even track my eating. That is never a good thing.

While I didn't get in my exercise this week like I should have, I did eat pretty well and not even use all my points.

So at 8:30 this morning, I stepped on the scale, and much to my surprise, I went down a little! I am now 3 pounds under my goal weight. I was shocked, and I am pretty content.

Good start.

The day got better, in a way, because next up was my time slot for the 40 Days for Life campaign. (40 days for life site is here) I have always been pr

o-life, but it's been a while since I prayed outside a clinic, did the life chain, or March for Life in DC. It's been since I college, if I remember correctly.

Pat & the boys dropped me off, and I along w/ a few others prayed for an hour in silence outside the clinic. It was a very moving experience. I honestly had to wonder why I haven't done this more.

Fortunately I didn't see anyone go in (I don't think the place was open while I was there). I think I would have had a hard time if I saw anyone go in. After having a miscarriage, I vowed to do more, even if only through prayer, for the unborn. Life is truly precious, and my experiences made me feel like I should do more. The unborn deserve it.

Next it was time to head home. Lunch was fed, then we dropped

Pat off at the library so he could study for his upcoming test on Tuesday. Have I ever complained a zillion times before that I hate when he has to be gone on Saturdays?

The boys have a hard time with it, so I sometimes panic. Seriously. Isn't that ridiculous? I think "What am I going to do with them?!" It had threatened rain, so the park wasn't a good choice.

Then we decided: we'll decorate for fall!!! Aidan is an awesome helper when it comes to decorating, and it's something he and I have always done together.

Do you remember when we made his handprint wreath? I loved that.

This has been the first fall we've been able to decorate in the fashion I've always wanted. It's our first fall as homeowners, and as stupid as that sounds it's true. Couldn't care too much during the summer, but with Fall and Halloween around the corner, I am excited to be able to put up things I want. First time in almost 7 years.

While I am no designer or true decorator, we did have fun, and here is the end result:

Hay bales? Check

Scarecrow? Check

Mums? Check

Pumpkins? Check!

We also picked up this wreath for only $5 at Rite Aid! It won't last forever (only $5), but much more reasonable than the one I wanted, costing $30+. I'll take this for right now. :)

I'm not always a fan of our black front door, but wreaths can sure show up nicely against it.

Aidan also did the window stickers, which you can see more from the inside. He had fun, and that's what matters.

Happy Fall!