Fall Is Here!

The beginning of fall is my favorite time of year! Cool weather, sweaters, pumpkin spice latte, beautiful Northwest leaves changing colors, football (I actually don't even watch football, but I love having it on in the house....nostalgia I guess), fires in the wood stove, pumpkin patch trips, the list goes on! This weekend we took advantage of enjoying the fall with minimal rain. On Saturday I took Ben to his soccer game. Our friends Lydia and Jeremy gave Amelia the cutest soccer sister outfit which Ben was so excited about because when we first told him he was going to be a big brother I took him shopping to pick out of few things for the baby (gender unknown at that point) and he picked out a little soccer cap which we decided went perfect with the outfit....except it can still fit like two of her heads in it.

I am so lucky that Ben and Amelia's Poppy, Courtney, spends time with Ben each Saturday after soccer. They usually hit up a couple parks, practice bike riding, go out for pizza, and spend some time at the library. Ben looks forward to it each week. I had such a close relationship with my grandparents so it's important that my kids have the same. And while Ben and Poppy go off on their adventures I get some downtime to spend with Amelia which usually means we go for a walk with my mom, grocery shop, and clean house all of which is much easier without a 6 year old.
After Ben made it home Saturday evening I decided to pick up a pizza (round two for Ben) and I told Ben if he got dressed fast he could come with me. So he did:

So, off we went in cape, mask, soccer shirt, shorts from the dirty clothes, shin guards, knee high socks, and slippers.

I want him to stay this age forever...sometimes.

On Sunday we went to Airlie Hills Harvest Festival with Sarah and Jay. It was fall in full effect, windy, grey skies, but luckily the rain held off. We went on a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and let Ben pick out a couple pumpkins to carve....someday. Sarah and I attempted to interview the farmer driving the hay ride and imagined what it would be like to be farmers. Do they have applications for that?

Amelia is hiding under a blanket in the baby bjorn staying dry and out of the wind. Also, please know how long I worked on my hair that morning for no reason at all apparently. Did I mention how windy it was?

Ben helping Sarah pick out a Bert and  Ernie pumpkin at Daddy Jay's request

After the pumpkin patch I dropped the boys off at home and Amelia and I headed over to the Albany Hospital to meet Lydia and Jeremy's little baby Colton who was born on Saturday night. He is so cute!!

Hopefully this weekend the 4 of us will get a chance to spend some more time with him.

After baby time it was time to pick up Courtney and head back to our house to harvest grapes. I wasn't as much help as I hoped to be since I needed to feed Amelia and eventually get dinner ready, but Ben did a good job stepping in and helping out. Here he is squishing grapes to make grape juice.

And here's Amelia in her new hat!

Eder thinks this hat is ridiculous! I think that's why I love it!

And then there's this:

Happy family on a Monday morning! Doesn't get much better than that.