Since the official start of Fall, we haven't wasted any time in diving into all the fun fall festivities! I absolutely love this time of the year. I make a "bucket list" of items on my phone that I want to accomplish during the season (e.g., visit a pumpkin patch, eat caramel apples, see fall colors, attend a fall festival, etc.). Each year my list seems to get more streamlined to include my absolute, must-do items because each year it seems like there is less time to get them done. So...as soon as autumn hit, I maximized our time to try to get everything checked off my list. First up, apple picking! After attending the Sugar High Festival (Saturday, September 23rd) with Laurin and Amber, Laurin and I decided to do something a little more healthy that evening so we grabbed everyone and headed to Riley's to pick a bucket of yummy honeycrisp apples! There is nothing like fresh produce! I'm pretty sure we all indulged in an apple to sustain us as we picked our bucket full.
The next Saturday (September 30th), Jonas and I got to hang out with the Tanner kids (and Krystle for the morning) so we took advantage of the time to hit the WitchFest at Gardner Village and Gordo's Fall Festival. I think part of the reason I have loved these Fall activities is because I have Jonas to share them with. When he was younger, it was easy for me to just grab him and go, but now that he's older, he doesn't find as much fun in the activities with just me. He wants to have his cousins (or friends) to play with as we hit these spots. (It's because of that, and his busy schedule, that I think my days of the WitchFest, Scarecrow Festival {that we won't even be able to hit this year}, and fall festivals might be numbered. Maybe I'll have to start doing them with Carter and Everly.) We started with the Witch hunt at Gardner Village. I'm pretty sure the boys just indulged Krystle and I, but Addie enjoyed the witches...and the boys were good sports about finding them with us. I then took all of the kids back to Payson for a sleepover. On our way home, we stopped at Gordo's Fall Festival. This was a new one for us. They had a corn maze, yard games, a fun little roller coaster, a corn pit, and tons of slides! We surprisingly stayed there for a couple of hours as the kids did all the activities. And yes, we made it through the corn maze!
Sunday (October 1st) I hosted our annual Fall Festival on the "Farm". Prior to the party, we watched General Conference. Even though this weekend was a little crazy with all the kids, I still enjoy Conference weekends. I love being able to feel spiritually filled from the comfort of my own home. I can't say that I really listened to all of the talks because I still had kids to appease, but what I did hear was exactly what I needed. I wish the world could listen and heed the words of a prophet. I wish we could all be a little kinder and a little more faithful. To keep the kids entertained, I had snacks and a goodie bag associated with each of the12 apostles and First Presidency. If they listened to that talk, they got what was in the bag. It worked!
That evening, we had our festival. We did this little family party a few years ago, and it has become a tradition. We have a few carnival type games (e.g., bobbing for apples, donuts on a string, witch hat ring toss, mummy bowling, monster corn hole, etc.), enjoy a chili and cornbread dinner, and have a caramel apple bar for dessert. The kids seem to love it, which makes all the chaos worth it.
No autumnal season is complete without a drive into the mountains to see all the changing colors. I have been admiring the changing colors from afar. Life was just so busy that I wondered if I was going to be able to make it up there. I tried to tell myself that I was content to see the warm hues of orange, red, and yellow from afar, but I didn't want to miss the leaves this year. There seemed to be more of the vibrant colors than in years passed. Finally, Jeff and I found a Monday evening with nothing on the schedule so we drove the Nebo Loop. We invited Jonas to come with us, but the previous day, he had already taken a ride up Springville Canyon with Jacob and Amber so he opted out. (Long story short, they had to go get Jacob's car that was still up there from his hunting trip earlier that weekend. Jonas was just excited that he could ride his motorbike while Jacob and Amber rode the 4-wheeler.) It was nice to have another little impromptu date with Jeff. This year has been so busy that it's been more difficult to find quality time together. That evening was perfect...breathtaking leaves and incredible company.
Throughout the season, Jonas and I have indulged on the flavors of the season - peaches, apples, pumpkin. On the first day of Fall, I got Jonas and I an apple fritter and apple juice. We like to honor the start of a new season with a little treat. Since then, I've enjoy peach flavored syrup with fresh peaches, pumpkin cookies, and more.
No autumn would be complete without a little football. This year, Jonas was able to play flag football, and he loved it! It was fun to see how the game clicked for him. He knew how to watch the ball, where to fun to grab the flags, how to receive a catch, etc. He got a few touchdowns, grabbed countless flags, and ran numberless plays. It was fun to watch him have fun. (The Tanner cousins also played this year and we were lucky enough to find time in our schedules to go watch them as well!)
On Friday, October 13th, our ward held its annual chili cook off. I look forward to this dinner. I love being able to gather with friends in my community...and enjoy yummy foods! I was watching Camden, Lincoln, and Addie for that evening so they got to join us. The boys were even crazy enough to jump in the pool that evening! It was 53 degrees outside! Thankfully the pool is heated.
While not necessarily "fall-esque", there was an annular solar eclipse on Saturday, October 14th. The center of the eclipse ran right through the central Utah deserts so Jeff and I grabbed the kids and headed to Delta. We decided to watch the eclipse from a park so that the kids could play as the moon slowly moved to the sun's center. When it was about there, we called them over to watch the celestial phenomenon. It was incredible! The ring around the moon was so perfect! It was also interesting to feel how cold it got, even though parts of the sun were still visible. Moreover, our shadows were blurry because of the light's refraction. After the eclipse ended, we stayed to play and enjoy a little picnic before returning home.
It wouldn't be fall without a little football! This year, Jonas decided to play flag football. He rocked it! He did really well! It was fun to see how the game finally clicked for him. He got two touchdowns, grabbed numberless flags, made an interception, received kick offs, and so much more. He really enjoyed the season with his team.
Finally, no October would be complete without a Witches Dinner with my friend, Cathi. She LOVES Halloween! It is definitely not my favorite, but I love supporting her insanity. I love that I get an evening with good friends and good food. It's just nice to take a mom break and surround myself with lovely women.
I literally can't believe how quickly we moved through the month of October...and my fall bucket list. Because of our Fall break plans, we didn't make it to the Scarecrow Festival this year, and we didn't really do a hayride or pick a pumpkin directly from a pumpkin patch, but I think we covered everything else (including a fun cemetery hunt...see the Fall Break post for more on that). I'm just grateful that I eeked out another year of fall fun activities with Jonas. He is getting older and is not as interested in the hay rides or pumpkin patches or corn mazes. I guess I'm going to have to alter my bucket list so that it is more engaging for him next year. Still, we had an awesome start to the season!
