Five Fall Favorites

Join us at Mama Insomnia and share your favorite parts of fall!

Fall in Michigan is a particularly lovely bridge between summer and winter.  The humidity relents but the sunshine remains.  Leaves change colors, blanketing the lawns and providing a perfect backdrop for pumpkins and the perfect shade of brown leather boots.

Following are my five fall favorites

(because I love alliteration)

Cider mills

Apples to pick, haystacks to climb, cider to drink, donuts to scarf, petting farms to furiously sanitize our hands after visiting, I love it all.  We've visited one of our favorite cider mills twice already this summer, to pick strawberries and raspberries, but it's just not the same as the cider mill in the fall.  If I could figure out a way to keep the cider-happy bees away, I might not leave for the entire month of September.  Or October.

Back-to-school shopping

Abbey actually needs supplies this year!  (insert hyperventilation here)

In order to harness my emotions about sending her to pre-school, I've made a list of my own.  I'm thinking a new writers' notebook and a giant pack of Flair pens, in all of the colors of the rainbow.  There's nothing like a notebook filled with empty pages and a fun new writing tool to make a former school-lover giddy with anticipation of endless possibilities.

Football Saturdays

Ryan is going to want to call my bluff on this one, mainly because of my habit (pre-children) of falling asleep during halftime and napping until the end of the game, but I adore the atmosphere of football Saturday.  Particularly when I am on a college campus, kicking back at a tailgate, and clapping along to the Michigan State fight song.  Even for non-sports lovers, college athletics are contagious in their enthusiasm.

Halloween

Pumpkins and costumes and candy, oh my!  In Michigan, even the trees get into the spirit of the holiday, trading their green leaves for gorgeous colors, their silky textures for a crunchiness that sounds so perfect that you ignore the little pieces of leaves trailed into the house in the treads of your shoes.

Fall Fashion

I love a sundress as much as the next girl, but there's something about a flattering sweater and a great pair of boots that makes me feel confident and put together.  Layering a dress with cozy tights helps me feel pretty when I'm chasing the kids around.  Jewel tones, broken-in denim, and no real need for a coat or jacket all mesh together to make fall the most drool-worthy fashion season for me.  I'm even hoping to find a way to break my ponytail habit over the next few months!

What's your favorite part of fall?  And if you don't have one, come visit for the weekend, and we'll do a fall extravagaza until you find something you love.  Maybe you can even figure out what to do about this hair of mine?

the day we picked raspberries

not surprisingly, that is an outfit of her choosing

surprisingly, she came home without a stain on it 

hanging out on the horse swing

made of tires

weird? cute? you decide

Duck Snacks Go Organic

in all of the talk about eating organic foods, we've forgotten to ask a simple question

do ducks prefer pre-packaged, organic snacks? 

we came armed with test snacks

(meant for the kids, but who's keeping track?) 

indeed, ducks do like organic cheese snacks!

of course, they also enjoyed the week old, Target hotdog buns leftover from our camping escapades

a friendly duck ate bread right out of Abbey's hand

she stayed brave within the circle of Daddy's arms 

sorry little duck

this store's closed

Going Down the List

There are fifty things on my summer bucket list, and more of them were crossed off this week!

run through sprinklers

frog sprinklers at the zoo

we always do this last, because Dylan inevitably ends up soaked

pictures (again) courtesy of my friend Rachel

take a spontaneous road trip

(day trip to Michigan State!)

photos from the Children's Garden

drive with the windows down

no pictures of this

that doesn't seem safe

Let Freedom Ring

If you're unsure how freedom ringing sounds, I'll nominate the Carillon at Beaumont Tower, regally housed on the campus of Michigan State University.

Ryan took a little extra time off, in addition to the already long holiday weekend, and we took a little day trip to Michigan State, the first time either of the kids have visited our alma mater.

The sprawling green lawns and stately architecture of the West Circle dorms still takes my breath away.  So much history rings through the air as the bells chime the notes to "Shadows". 

As we walked towards Beaumont Tower, a photographer was finishing shots of a new bride and groom, beginning their new life together. 

Abbey and Dylan ran around and fed ducks and played in the Children's Garden, enjoying their day at a university that holds countless memories for countless students.

Young and carefree, their paths are wide open and undefined, leading higher and farther than I can imagine.  And I am so grateful that we live in this wonderful country where their futures can be defined by their own dreams.

Enjoy yourself today and celebrate as you see fit.  As Abbey asked when we talked about the holiday being "America's Birthday", what kind of cake will America have?

Happy 4th of July!

Dylan was momentarily impressed by the height of the tower 

Abbey wanted to go inside

of course she wouldn't take our word for it that it was closed for the day 

Abbey counting the five chimes for five o'clock

Back in Time

Ryan and I left the kids with my parents for the night and went to the old alma mater for a night of fun and some football.  At least that was the plan - one that sounded great in theory but was a little more difficult in practice.

I'm not going to lie; I was a wreck a little apprehensive about leaving them for the night.  We've left Abbey at their house before (not frequently, but we've done it), and we knew she would have a blast with Grandma and Grandpa.  Who wouldn't?  They have toys and treats and enough love to blanket a developing nation with warm fuzzies.

I was worried about Dylan.  It's been well noted that he's not a great sleeper, and he's very attached to me.  I knew he would be loved and cared for over and above my expectations, but I was worried that it would be stressful for my parents and that they would disconnect their phone upon our return, never to babysit again!

Silly me.  Like countless mothers before me, I overestimated my importance and underestimated the connection between my kids and the other people in their lives who love them.  Everyone had a wonderful time, playing and acting silly and enjoying their time together.

The kids had fun, too.

Johnny Spirit!

this picture is for Eric in California, just so you know he's still around

the field

the cheerleaders

more cheerleaders!

you can see the team in the background, too

but I like watching the stunts and the tumbling, I can't help it!

the absolute best college mascot in the country

in my unbiased opinion, of course

and because college sports are like nothing else in the world,

check out the storm trooper

or whatever that guy is supposed to be

We also had an absolute blast watching an old favorite band, the Mega 80s.  I refrained from taking pictures at the bar, but I don't know why.  I have forgotten how much times have changed (since we're so ancient and all).  People were taking tons of pictures.  Of course, they had better phones than me; I would have had to resort to using my actual camera to get anything worth posting!

Despite the reservations I had about leaving, I'm ultimately so glad that we had the night away.  Ryan and I had the chance to talk over dinner, without getting up for milk or paper towels.  We slept in until 9:30, an hour I haven't seen for what seems like years.  In fact, it was so much fun we're already thinking about our next mini-vacation.

After Grandma and Grandpa have a little time to recover!

Thanks Coach!

A couple of hours after this picture was taken, our beloved Michigan State Spartans lost to the Butler Bulldogs in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.  By the time this is posted, a champion will have been crowned, but I'd like to take a minute to say thank you to State for a wonderful season.  This was the year that Abbey learned how to say "swish" and "clank" (and even sometimes did it at the appropriate times), and the year that Izzo coached his team to the Final Four without his point guard on the court. 

And I can't help but note that I would have been pulling for Butler had they been playing anyone but us.  Lots of excitement in the tournament this year, but I wouldn't have minded being a little bit of a spoiler for the hometown team.  College basketball is one sport that I actually love watching (women's gymnastics doesn't seem to count too much in our house), and it was an exciting season. We're all looking forward to next year!

March Madness

We like college basketball in our house.  Abbey doesn't really watch TV, but she knows "ba-ket-ball" and that you say "swish" when the good guys have the ball and "clank" when the bad guys have the ball.  Needless to say, we are all thrilled to be in the midst of March Madness, with our Spartans in the Final Four for the second year in a row.  I, personally, am not thrilled that my streak of beating Ryan in the brackets has ended.  There's no way I can beat him this year.  Boooooo!  This past Sunday, the kids and I went to my mom's to watch the game, and (as you can see), they were not quite sure what all the fuss was about.

 

Abbey and Nan built some lovely buildings during the game.  Poor Nan is visiting during college basketball's craziest few weekends, and my mom is as big a fan as anyone.  Sorry Nan, but we had to go through those pesky Volunteers to reach the Final Four for the second straight year.

Dylan was getting a little worried that the Spartans wouldn't be able to pull off the victory.  He hasn't been around long enough to witness Tom Izzo's impressive March coaching record.

Hooray!  They're winning!

Dylan loves Nan and her laugh so much.

(Thanks to Stacy for the MSU sweatshirt.  We'd like to think it gave the team the little extra boost they needed to advance to the next round.  He'll be wearing it again Saturday.)