FALL

Fall brought great routine, structure & pumpkin to our house...just as I predicted.  

 

It was good for us to get back into the groove of things and we had some really great time this year to enjoy the awesome weather and beautiful Fall God provided!  

I got to go on a trip!  All by myself, and despite the little fluffy ball of cuteness sitting on my bags, shocked that I could be leaving without her, I went to DC to visit Auntie Casey & meet baby Ev.  It was all kinds of goodness for me...I stayed up late laughing with an old & dear friend (and there's not much better than that folks), I ate a cupcake for breakfast & really yummy take out, went for a run through a gorgeous park in DC and got to explore a place that's chalk full of history and just different from where I spend my days.  I traveled by myself which was good for me and I got to hold a new baby...who I couldn't be more thrilled is here!  I am so thankful for my precious husband who saw my need for a little retreat from my daily life and took on a weekend by himself so that I could have one to myself.  He is really thoughtful about putting me first in that way...I should learn a thing or two from him:).

 

He also stayed home on Monday nights so I could sneak out to a calligraphy class!  It was fun to learn a new skill and although I will need WAY more practice, it was awesome to have time to be a little bit creative!

PS: there are no erasers with ink...so this might not end up being "my jam" haha!

  

We drove to Ohio for Bryan Bailin's wedding and had another fun night out with the Richard clan

And Ryan's sister's and their families stopped by for a night too which was so fun to see all the cousins together!

Little Kids

Big Kids

Then came Halloween and all the festivities that go along with that!  Crosbi was (disheveled) Princess Anna, respectively, and the boys were Hiccup and Toothless from the Dragons movie that they are both super into at the moment.  We got to hit the pumpkin farm, a party at the Y, Trick or Treating in our neighborhood, saw Griff's school parade and helped at Beanie's "Truck or Treat" at his school!

 

Trunk or Treat

 

Y Halloween party

 

 

Pumpkin Farm & their animals...C & I can't get enough!

And Trick or Treating in the hood with Charlie, Henry & Joe

And to top off this post, here's a few random shots from this fall...

Although we had high hopes early this season, it ended up being a catastrophe for our Bears, but as any good Chicago fan knows...there's always next year!

C in some new mitts & hat

So proud of this guy for finishing a Super Spartan this Fall!

G dressed up his turkey for school as Derrick Rose

How we've found the boys on more than one occasion when we go into check on them at night:)

  

I am so loving having another person who truly understands bed head and the need for a headband and good manicure around the house.  She is so much fun.  Ryan says she's sassy and then follows it up with how much she's like me.  Shoot....it's most likely true.  Ha!

A smile I cannot get enough of from this red head and his spiky hair cut

Super fun park date with GiGi and the cousins at our house

& some more precious life long friends of mine from Jr. High!   We were friends at 13 and 20 years later we still spend most of a meal together cracking up.  Pretty blessed.

The END of SUMMER

Here's where we left off in our story:

The END of SUMMER

Summer is always hard to say goodbye to.  In someways, as a mom, by August I crave the routine and structure (and quite frankly the pumpkin) of Fall.  But the actual giving up of the sunshine and trips to the Lake and lazy days is hard.  We decided to end ours with our favorite thing, a weekender to Grand Beach.  One glorious weekend, just the 5 of us, in the best spot was just what we needed to close out another great summer!

We took the annual Sawyer picture, 

(I am waiting for the day when he can stand under the sign himself) 

and got our ginger some ginger beer...which they all promptly decided to trade in for root beer!  Not a huge crowd pleaser at our table, ha!

We relaxed at the beach, our place of serenity...the kids seem to all be content for at least a little bit when were down on the beach and we couldn't be more thankful for time to breath in, relax & watch them play together.

We made a fire, obviously couldn't get it to stay lit,  so poured gasoline on it and Ryan became the coolest and finished off with so'mores!

Ry & Griff had a bonding moment when they saw their first Marvel movie in the theater together.  They still rehash it.

And then it was time for school to start.  Griff started a new school this year because last year the building was all kindergartners!  This year he is attending Fox Chase which is 1st -5th and he rides the bus there!  His teacher is the lovely Mrs. Keck & so far he has loved it!

The before school party at the bus stop...

And the after party at Charlie's complete with suits and water fights!

We still soaked up a few more glorious days of summer weather while we could...

And then it was time for this little "4s grader" to hit the books.  He returned to God's Gifts Preschool and is loving his teachers Mrs. Link and Mrs. Figola!  Such a handsome little stinker. (Both he and his dad;)!!)

 

The boys are both doing Awanas this year at Harvest with the Mick boys and love going every Sunday night!  (Well Griffy loves going...Beanie just goes!  Hahaha...but he's getting better)!  We made this cute little guy on parents night.  Griffin loves to read and learn his verses and it makes our hearts happy to hear him recite them!

And we started attending a new church this fall that the kids all really enjoy and so do the parents!  Ryan captured this moment of them running in holding hands, unprompted...I know, it's a one in a million shot, but well take it!  

And to officially close out summer we headed into the city for an "ADULTS ONLY" night so we could act like kids, for Brian's birthday!  It was a blast to be together and celebrate with Al & Bri!

 

And as you can see by this little sequence, some things never change with the 3 of us.