fall finds {around our house}

activity:

This 'I spy' activity book my mom sent the boys in the mail.

It's keeping us busy for hours! 

(thanks again, Mom!)

 get together:

A fall inspired meal for 12 ladies, that my friend and I co-hosted.

How cute are these owls that were used for decor and favors!
She found them at Home Goods!

the mantle:

I'm loving the final look!

It's the right combo of creepy and cute.

Subway art printable can be found here.

just for fun:

lunch box jokes!

I send them sporadically in a ziplock with a few pieces of candy corn.

Find the download here.

(Charlie gets a kick out of them.)

sneak peak:

Halloween costume meltdown.

We started October with the intention to have two knights.

We now have one knight and one dragon. 

Still subject to change...

the scent:

warm apple crisp

from Gold Canyon Candle

the treat:

pumpkin rice krispie treats

(recipe found here)

pumpkin patch with my peeps

painting pumpkins

fall = going to the fair

It might not be the classiest thing we do together as a family and each year Chris swears we won't return again the next year (due to the resounding filth, obnoxious parents yelling at their kids [my argument- that happens everywhere, not just at a fair!] and a few creepy carnies), but somehow we always find an evening to spend at the fair...

Last year, Charlie rode down this gigantic slide on Chris' lap and I wasn't sure if he would be scared going by himself...

...but he wasn't scared. [obviously]
I rode the kiddie coaster with him and we screamed the whole time just for fun.
Poor Ethan didn't ride any rides; he just watched all the activity from his stroller. And it was a riot watching him try to figure out cotton candy.

"Can I eat this?"

"Why is it so fluffy?"

"How do I get it in my mouth?"

Roar + Woof

My friend Tara captured

all the cuteness

of their costumes in these photos.

love them.

too cute to spook

halloween highlights [a few days late...]

the cute cousins ready to go trick or treating:

Ethan trying to share his sucker:
Garrett sharing his m&m's with Papa [his favorite]:
Ethan was so cute as a puppy, he made me consider getting a real puppy [for just a minute]:
The cutest trick or treater that came to our house was cousin Sabra:

pumpkin carving par-tay

The tradition continued...

We invited a few friends over to carve pumpkins & we judged them accordingly.

When this tradition first started, the adults outnumbered the kids, but now they outnumber us, and our carving has suffered the consequences. It's a little chaotic with all the knives and candles and kids...

For more photos my friend Tara took, click here.

Ethan: "What is he doing?"

Ethan: "Can I eat this?"

"These are my buddies."

Charlie- good job pretending you had any help in carving. You were just running around the backyard the whole time and the proof is in your flushed cheeks.

pickin' pumpkins 2010

It's a family tradition- mandated by me... going to a local pumpkin patch. Don't let these smiling photos fool you! We had to bribe Charlie with chocolate to let us do his hair 'spikey'. Chris gave me a photo taking limit before we even got out of the car. Ethan thought all the pumpkins were balls and picked them up and threw them accordingly. I found hay in Ethan's diaper when we got home. And those super festive white, long sleeved pumpkin shirts?...Filthy! But, the weather was awesome- we were happy to even be wearing long sleeves, the boys loved running around as if the farm was their backyard and it was fun!

Our fall picks:

I put away holiday books with the decorations so that they are fun and new each year when they are brought out again. Here are our favorites for fall this year. Ethan especially loves 'Where is Baby's Pumpkin' because it's a flap book and he would read it over and over if I'm willing. We just got 'The Hallo-wiener' yesterday to add to the collection and it is a riot.

pictures from apple picking:

It took a while to get these photos uploaded, but a few weekends ago- we took an overnight trip to Wilcox, AZ to go pick apples at "Apple Annie's Farm."

The farm was super cute and Charlie loved running around in the orchard and riding on the tractor. If it wasn't 3 hours away- this would be fun every year!