Autumn Days

The weather here in the Midwest has been beautiful lately. Not at all late-summer-in-Illinois-feeling. It definitely feels like Autumn and we're taking full advantage of it. I'm burning my pumpkin candles, the windows are open, the heavier, soft blankets are already on the beds and the hooks by the back door no longer hold beach towels and pool cover-ups, but light jackets and back packs. The picture I've included with this blog was taken over the weekend as they listen to their ipods.

This time of year I'm reminded of all of the fun family traditions we had growing up and that we've carried over to our family. Like every September 1, we make a trek to our storage locker where we gather all of our fall decor and bring it home to decorate (yeah, I have a storage locker full of my seasonal decor...it's an addiction). The girls love to help me decorate the house for any holiday. They put the things at their level or in the funniest places (like a witch hat right in front of the fridge)....I leave them there for the day and if I must, I will relocate them when the girls go to bed that night. They have yet to call me out on it. Brad also gets into as much as we do, which is kind of funny because he's this big, football-player-type who's straight up masculine but gets giddy about decorating for the holidays. :)

Another fall tradition is Tanner's Orchard. I'm not sure who loves it more: the girls or us. Tanner's has pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, cider barrel rides, pony rides, a huge playground, lunch, shopping...it's adorable and such a fun way to spend a Saturday.

Then there's Hayrides and Hotdogs. In October, we go to Sommer Park for a wiener roast, smores, hot chocolate, and a hayrack ride. Since I'm a farmgirl, this was kind of the way we entertained growing up....for my "city" girls, this is a special fall treat.

I love this time of year. It makes me a little homesick for the farm I grew up on. My sister and I talk about that, how even after 15 years away from home, we still miss home certain times of the year. For us, it's right now: harvest. Being a farmer's daughter is a very good thing.