My favorite season! Mid-September the anticipation begins for the coming months, the changing colors, the crisp air, and of course all the activities we love to do together this time of year. I would say my love of fall is rooted in nostalgia. Something about back to school is like a new start, similar to the new year. I remember trips to the pumpkin patch and painting pumpkins at my birthday party, the fall festival at our elementary school, jumping into a pile of oak leaves my Dad had raked near the tire swing, and the changing colors in the canyon off our back deck. All the fall things make me feel warm and cozy.
I'm so glad that my kids love fall as much as I do, especially Graham. He just loves holidays the way I do, and all the fun traditions we've started that come along with them. We're big fans of Halloween at our house. Costco got us early this year, and they've been wearing their costumes around the house since late August. Our neighborhood goes all out, and we lean into the fun with "spooky hunt" neighborhood walks, noticing which houses have put out their decor, finding our favorites from last year, and seeing what new decorations have been purchased. Graham has been asking for weeks to get "Fall Y'all" out, so we've slowly been decorating the house and front porch. I'm excited to surprise them with the new Halloween shirts and little pumpkin decorations I got them for their rooms.
We're really looking forward to doing all of our favorite fall activities this year. Since I'm not working, I also want to add in some fun after school fall theme activities. Like easy crafts, or a fall baking project. And maybe even a quick trip to buy pumpkins from a local pumpkin patch to add to the front porch. Mostly, just being thoughtful about the time we spend together and trying to find ways to make the ordinary feel special. I have a few little crafts up my sleeve I've saved from one of my favorites, Friends Art Lab. If you're a mom (or grandparent/care taker) she is a great one to follow! So many fun ideas for the littles.
Here are a few more of our favorite traditions we're looking forward to this season!
Apple Hill - We're so lucky to live so close to this magical fall attraction. There are so many fun places for kids and parents alike. We've gone without a plan most years, and ended up at the same places. So this year I want to plan ahead and find a few new spots. Last year, one of my best friends and I took 'the bigs' her two kids and Graham, up one afternoon after school. It was so fun, and felt special for Graham to do that without his brothers stealing the show. We had donuts, they played on the old tractors, ran through the apple trees, and then colored and played so well while the moms enjoyed the view and a glass of wine at one of the wineries.
Larson Family Winery - We've been members of this winery in Sonoma since we lived in San Francisco. We joined because it was affordable and dog friendly, and we stayed because it's kid friendly and they have fun events. In the past we've gone to their Harvest Party or pumpkin patch celebration. It's fun when they have live music, hay rides, and the pumpkin patch for the kids. This year we had a conflict, and it's a bit of a drive to go to every event they have, so we're hoping to find something similar nearby for fall this year.
Pumpkin Carving Party - This year will be our 4th annual pumpkin carving party with friends. When the kids were really young, mostly the Dad's would do the carving. And our friend Corrie is so creative and always makes a masterpiece. My favorite will always be Olaf. It's become one of my favorite nights. Our friends come over for dinner and spooky treats, the kids and Dad's carve pumpkins, paint pumpkins, and play while the parents enjoy the chaos and broken conversations and a glass of wine. I love it!
Halloween Parade - When we moved to this neighborhood we discovered they hosted an annual Halloween Parade for the kids. It's one of my favorite days of the year! They have a food truck, the fire department comes, a costume contest, and families from all the surrounding neighborhoods join in the fun. There is a short half mile loop that is lined with tables of candy for the kids to trick or treat. We've started a tradition of having our friends join us for the fun. Everyone arrives here a bit early to walk over the the starting area, then after the parade we come back for dinner and a Halloween treat. It's just such a fun, old school kind of afternoon/evening that I hope my kids always look back on fondly. It feels like a nostalgic 90's childhood event.
Pumpkin Patch - There are so many great pumpkin patches in our area, we tend to hop around a visit several of them throughout the season. Some when we visit Apple Hill, and then a few local ones over the weekends. This year, I'm really looking forward to Jack & Charlie's first field trip to Bishop's Pumpkin Patch, which is the most popular and largest in our area. They have a petting zoo and all kinds of fun for the kids.
What is your favorite Fall tradition? Is there anything I should add to our list?
See you back here tomorrow for Day 3!
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