Happy Fall Y'all

Hooray for fall!

Cooler temps, pumpkins galore, leaves (slowly) changing color

and fun activities at the ready. 

For us, fall means an annual visit to the State Fair of Texas. 

We prefer going in the evening - it just adds to the excitement,

and this year Ryleigh was able to take part in a ton of the rides.

We were able to see the stadium where Texas and Oklahoma

play each other every fall as well as a gorgeous downtown skyline

from the top of the ferris wheel.

Of course, the girls were most excited about spotting a stray cat down below.  

Another new tradition for us is Southlake's Oktoberfest.

Rides for the kiddos, beers on tap, huge tvs playing college football,

dinner in townsquare and friends and neighbors in all directions...

all the makings for a fun afternoon. 

And no October is complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch.

This year, we drove out to the mecca...

an enormous farm in a rural town with pumpkins as far as the eye can see,

hayrides, corn mazes, giant hay bale piles to climb, photo ops, bounce houses and slides.

I may be biased, but I think we came home with the two cutest pumpkins from the patch!

BOO(ed)

We've been BOOed.
This (pretty new) Halloween tradition
started making the rounds in our neighborhood last week.
The girls were over-the-moon excited to open the front door
one morning and discover that we'd been booed.
On our front steps was the cutest bucket you ever did see
with Halloween candy, goodies, headbands,
"witches brooms", stickers, crafts, etc.
The front door now proudly displays a "We've Been BOOed" sign,
and we kept the tradition alive,
sharing the fun with Sophia/Olivia as well as Phoebe, Jack and Olive.
Lexi and Ryleigh thought it was hilariously fun
to tip toe to their friends' front doors, drop off the buckets,
ring the doorbell and then run for their lives before they were spotted.
Nothing beats the holidays!

Childhood Unplugged

Vic and I both grew up in neighborhoods
where the kids who lived around us
were some of our very best friends.
Games of man hunt and bike rides until dinner time
occurred weekly, if not daily.
Football was played in front yards and cul-de-sacs,
dances and skits were created in family rooms
then immediately shown to all parents and siblings,
cheer practice happened out back,
and the Snoopy Snow Cone maker was a summer time staple.

In this age of organized, drop off play dates
and endless practices and activities,
and homework in the first grade,
it's so refreshing to "get back to the basics"
every once in a while.
One of things we have come to love most about
our new development is that it lets our girls have that same
kind of relationship with the neighborhood kiddos.

If we are home in the afternoon or on the weekends,
we can expect the doorbell to ring for an impromptu play date,
or to run into buddies while we're out for a scooter ride
and suddenly find that an hour has passed
and all the kids are still playing.

It's lots of fun to celebrate birthdays
and block parties and holidays with these families.
To be invited over for spur of the moment evening swimming,
to stroll down a few houses and take the family's dog, Champ for a walk,
to welcome this wonderful fall weather
and linger outside just a bit longer than necessary.
Here's to a childhood that's just as fun when we are "unplugged"!