I ♥ Fall Leaves!

I fell in love with Fall leaves while living in Ohio. I love the changing colors and how they crunch under your feet when you walk. I'm so glad that we still get to experience the changing of the seasons here in Washington mixed in with the beauty of all the evergreens.

We have plenty of leaves to rake up here at our house. Hannah likes to "help."

With all the rain, the leaves are more soggy than crunchy, so Hannah headed straight to the bath after this.

Patterson Farm

The Patterson Farm Fall Fun Fest (say that five times fast!) is something I look forward to all year. It just isn't fall without a trip to the farm! Is this place gorgeous or what?!

Hay ride to the fun fest.
Posing on the tractor.

Silly Hannah!

Racing tractors.

Logan wins!

Treehouse in the forest.

Tire swings.

Pumpkins!

Patterson Farm is something I will dearly miss when we leave Ohio. I'm pretty sure there's just no place like it on earth. I will definitely miss the delicious apple cider and pumpkin doughnuts too - YUM!

Boys Will Be Boys

This year, a few friends and I organized a co-op preschool for our energetic three-year-old boys. It's nothing fancy; just once a week for two hours, to give our little men some social interaction and an intro to a preschool setting. We usually do some circle time (letter, color, shape of the day, weather, and show-and-tell), story time, snack, a short lesson, and an even shorter craft (the boys aren't into crafty details, I've learned). The rest of the time free play time. The boys really seem to get a kick out of it. Logan feels so big bringing his backpack to school just like Andrew.

This week was my turn to teach preschool at our house. We learned about camping. The boys especially loved their mini flashlights and playing in the "tent."

Wesley, Gavin, Logan, and Brigham

The camping fun didn't last too long though. Soon the flashlights became...you guessed it...LIGHTSABERS, and the tent became the Rebel base! BOYS!!!

A few weeks ago, during our apple unit, we took a preschool field trip to Eddy's Fruit Farm to pick apples.

Logan had a great time picking his own apples and filling his bag with many different varieties. We went home with plenty to make yummy Crockpot Applesauce and a few batches of Apple Pumpkin Muffins!

I *heart* Ohio!

...in the Fall!

Yesterday afternoon, we took a little Sunday drive out to Chagrin Falls to enjoy the beautiful Fall colors.

It couldn't have been a more perfect day to be outdoors! The sky was clear and sunny and the air was crisp and cool. The colors were so bright and vibrant. We went for a nice walk, played at the playground, and fed the ducks at the river. It was so fun to just play and be together.

I was fascinated by this red berry tree (very scientific, huh? You'll have to help me here, Tyson!), and made Bryan pose in front of it.

It's days like these when I feel like I could live in Ohio forever! Don't worry Mom; soon the frigid, bitter winter winds will blow, followed by a nearly non-existent spring and a suffocatingly hot and humid summer, and I'll be reminded why we will be happy to move back West when the time comes. For now, I am basking in the glorious Ohio autumn!

Patterson Farm