Fall is My Favorite!

Typically, autumn is my absolutely most favorite time of year. I love the changing leaves, crisp air, fragrant smells, and tasty food. This year I was having a harder time than normal getting into the spirit of the season...I just (and still am not) was not ready for summer to end. I think mostly because I am not looking forward to winter, but I decided I needed to make sure I tried to enjoy this time of year, because it is always gone before I know it!

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to take our annual family fall drive. This never fails to get me in the mood for fall! We drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon, over Guardsman's Pass, and then down into Heber. If you have never taken this drive before, I highly recommend it. The scenery is beautiful! This year, there was already snow in several areas! It made for some different scenery, but it was still beautiful. This was the first year that Jaxson and Aynsley seemed to really enjoy the drive and they both were great at pointing out all of the different colors that they saw.

Last Saturday, we took the kids to Pack's Pumpkin Patch. This is the third year we have gone and the first year that Mike was able to come with us. The kids love checking out all the pumpkins and being able to play in the kiddie hay maze. Aynsley was a little nervous about the maze, but Jaxson loved it! He thought it was so much fun to run around and explore. I love that we have this little tradition and I do look forward to it every year.

On Monday, we had a family night with my parents and siblings at Gardner Village. We got there right after a huge rainstorm, so it wasn't too crowded, but it was definitely cold! It had been good weather at our house before we left, so I left most of our warmer clothes at home. The kids were good sports despite the cold. They really enjoy seeing the witches, but I think it might have been a little more enjoyable for them if it had been warmer and earlier in the day. We ended our night with shakes at Arctic Circle.

I have been loving the sunny weather that we have had the past few days and so we headed out to the park yesterday. It was the perfect morning to be at the park...sunny and warm enough for the kids to play without jackets. We went up to North Canyon Park instead of staying at the ones by our house. This is one of my favorite parks in the area and I think that Jaxson and Aynsley enjoyed going someplace different. They were having so much fun and didn't want leave. Hopefully we have a few more sunny days that can be spent at the park before it gets too cold.

I am so glad that we have been able to enjoy this time of year as a family. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in everything that has to get done and feel overwhelmed, but it is these simply family times that mean the most and put everything into perspective.