Fall Fun 2017

We really enjoy fall in this house. It's packed full of so many holidays that we love! The weather has been up and down. Since the leaves don't really change here, the cool weather is what we rely on to get us in the fall spirit. As soon as the temperatures drop, we break out our boots and sweaters, or at least that's what Olivia and I do. Olivia really enjoys decorating around the house, so we try and make it fun for her.

One of our favorite things to do is to go to the fall festival in McIntosh. It's turned into a family trip and we really enjoy going with others. We usually don't purchase much except food. This trip we got a pink tulle skirt with a hair bow for Olivia, a bag of kettle corn, and a bag of rocks to add to Livi's collection. Lemonade is always a favorite of ours and we stick to the cheap hot dogs that The Lions Club sells. By the time we got home, we were exhausted so we took a family nap. I'm pretty sure we ended our day at Cracker Barrel because we were too tired to make dinner. I really love the veggie/side plate there. It's soooo yummy!

Olivia requested to be Everest this year for Halloween. She let me paint her face, which I really enjoyed. We tried last year, but she was still too young and rubbed most of it off. She did pretty good this year, however, my face paint is another story. She would laugh every time I would scratch my nose and get paint everywhere. We decided to take her to a Trunk or Treat because it would be less walking for her. She had fun and that's all that matters. But, I think next year we will go house to house. The Trunk or Treat ended up being really unorganized and we waited in line for awhile.

The weather has been so nice in the evenings, which has allowed us to get some family time in outside. The time change has taken some getting used to since we were so accustomed to it getting dark later. But, now when Dannie gets home it's dark. Livi and I have made a few trips to Sholom Park. She found her first painted rock there and is now obsessed. We recently painted some and are going to hide them when we go back. She still doesn't 100% understand the concept of finding them and then re-hiding them for others, so we're going to practice a few times with friends.  It's so fun and really interesting when you find a rock that was painted a few states away. With fall coming to an end soon, we're definitely looking forward to Christmas and all of it's festivities. 

Usually, The Pickin Patch is something we try to go to as a family, but this year sickness struck. We didn't make it until the last day they were open. That meant missing out on the sunflowers, but since we went later the temps were cooler. I still call that a win! We don't purchase our pumpkins there because they are pretty expensive, but they have a corn maze and slides for the littles. I won't forget Poor little Peyton getting stuck in the kid corn maze because Livi wouldn't wait for her and Mallory and I trying to jump up on the hay bale. We did manage to record those, so we can look back and laugh later. 

We're still looking forward to Thanksgiving. It'll be the second time hosting it at our house. The plan is to switch things up this year and instead of cooking separately and then meeting up in the afternoon, we're going to cook and eat together this year! Hoping it's something we can continue to do each year after this. We only Black Friday shop from our couch, so no crazy crowds and line waiting for us. Can't wait to share Thanksgiving photos. 

October Festivities!

Here are some photos from our October adventures.

I just love the trees in Micanopy and McIntosh. It has to be one of my favorite parts of the town. We didn't end up purchasing anything at the festival in McIntosh except food and a Peppa Pig hairbow for Olivia. Lemonade, hot dogs, and fried pickles. It definitely wasn't a healthy day, but we had fun and the weather was beautiful.

The weekend after the McIntosh festival was the Micanopy one. The town there is even cuter and is filled with adorable little historic houses. Let's see..we stuffed our face with funnel cake, lemonade, gyro's, and arepas. I did purchase an old windowpane though for $20. I'll have to repaint it, but, I want to hang it in our living room.

Olivia had fun and enjoyed the family. She probably felt like she was at a dog zoo because so people take their dogs to the festival. She even saw goats and a pig :)

We usually take a big blanket to lay out under the trees so we can all eat together :)

I just love these two below. They were both rocking their arthritis shirts at the McIntosh festival. I made Olivia's shirt, but I ordered the Cure Arthritis one from for just $15. They also have some bracelets, some racing shirts, and a big pack that comes with a shirt, buttons, posters, bracelets, stickers, and a bumper sticker. That is the way to go to raise awareness :)

We love us some QUILTS! :)

We took Olivia to her first "Trunk or Treat" on the Friday before Halloween. She was adorable! She cracked us up because she was pretty confused at first about what to do. Once she realized she was having candy put into her bucket though she would walk up to the vendors on her own. She even said "Trick or treat" a few times before we got there, but she didn't say much once we were there. She was too busy checking out other kids, it was loud, and she was just excited they were giving her candy! Most of the candy wasn't toddler friendly, so she probably had one piece. We just wanted to see how she would do really. Isn't she the cutest little monkey?

Fall Fun!

September means it's one month closer to F-A-L-L! Here in Florida it doesn't feel a lot like fall. The leaves don't change here like they do up north and it's still 90 degrees out when we're trying to enjoy our fall fun. Instead of wearing boots and hoodies when we go to the pumpkin patch, we are still rocking shorts and flip-flops.

September - January is pretty busy for our family. There are so many birthdays and holidays to celebrate as well as different things we all enjoy doing together. Usually around the end of September the Pickin Patch opens up in Dunnellon. It's usually only $3 to get in and if you save your wrist band you can go back for free. This has been one of my favorites since I was pregnant. Not only can you get awesome photos out there, it's just a fun adventure for everyone. Sometimes we purchase pumpkins, but they have a corn maze (which we got lost in before), and they have a beautiful sunflower field. The sunflowers might be my favorite part! 

There are two different Arts & Craft festivals we go to every year. I can't remember when we even started going. It was too long ago! One of them is usually the weekend of Halloween in a little town called McIntosh. Not only are there cute little stores and buildings throughout the town, but the trees there are beautiful! I love going and looking at all the local artwork, but we mainly go for the FOOD! Funnel cake, gyro's, lemonade, and corn dogs! Those are just a few of our favorites! The second festival we go to is in another town called Micanopy. This festival lasts two days unlike the McIntosh. Again, adorable town. But, sadly we go for the food.....and family time.

What else do I enjoy during this time? Decorating our house for fall, pumpkin pie, mums, and of course pumpkin spice lattes. I am human like everyone else so I have to enjoy one or two during this season. Eventually, the weather will get cooler. I love driving with my windows down and being able to open our back sliders during this time. 

This year we are looking forward to doing a lot with Olivia. She couldn't walk last year, so she'll be able to do more at the Pumpkin Patch this year. Minnetonka moccasins, pumpkin carving, introducing her to pumpkin pie, Coon Hollo, and maybe some fall family pictures. Also, LOTS of trips to the park! :)

What are your favorite fall things to do? :)

McIntosh festival :)

Our little pumpkin last year.