Top Ten Things I am Looking Forward to about Fall

Now that Destructo is firmly entrenched in toddler hood, life is a lot more exciting.  I am really looking forward to getting to do certain things this fall now that I have a mobile and very fun little man.  Here is my top ten list of fall activities that I can not wait to do with Kai.

1)  Go to the pumpkin patch.  We went last year but at the time Destructo was only 5 1/2 months old.  He loved looking around at everything and seeing all the colors and he was still young enough that he didn't have an opinion on clothing (which is a huge plus in my book.)  But he couldn't care less about the animals or picking a pumpkin.  He also wasn't on solids yet so we couldn't let him have any apple cider or treats.

I am quite excited about taking him this year.  He loves animals.  Hmmm I wonder where he got that from says the person who hold a bachelors in animal science.  The local pumpkin patch has a petting zoo with horses, cows, pigs, chickens, goats, etc and you can feed a lot of them.  They do a hay ride and have all kind of kid friendly activities such as a toddler hay bale maze.

He was so tiny.  Not even two feet yet. 

But the thing (okay who I am kidding two things) I look most forward to are letting him pick his very own baby pumpkin and getting him to stand up against this measuring stick thingie they have.  I took a pic of him last year against it with me holding him.  I want to take a pic there every year so that I can look back and watch him grow. 

Which pumpkin is the cutest in this patch?

2)  Fall colors.  Who doesn't love when the leaves start changing colors (because of shortening days in case you didn't know why) and it is like nature has been painted with the most fabulous colors ever?  Plus with fall colors come falling leaves and with falling leaves come me getting mad when they fall in our pool errr I mean leaf piles to jump in and get chiggers from.  :)

3)  Horse back riding.  I can't wait to get Destructo on horse back for the first time.  My friend Laura has two horses whom I love (okay that's a lie.)  I love one of her horses and only tolerate the other.  Stinking Tonka giving me rope burn last time I saw him.

Anyways, I miss horse back riding immensely.  But it has been a very hot summer and I can't bring myself to sweat to death in the 100+ degree humid weather, just to not be able to walk for days because of being saddle sore.  But come cool weather, it is on.  I am not sure if Kai will like horse back riding.  I know he loves horses, but he is terrified of the quarter rides at the mall so who knows?  I guess we shall see.

4)  Football.  I miss football during the spring/summer immensely.  I am a big Tennessee Titans fan and so is Destructo.  Okay maybe he doesn't really have an opinion on teams yet, but he is a big fan of any kind of balls so I figure he is excited for football as well.  I love watching the game on Sundays as I work on my shopping list and cut coupons.

Go Titans!

5)  Halloween.  Last year Kai was not quite six months and really didn't have a clue what was going on or why mommy was torturing him by making him wear a dinosaur costume.  (Side note here:  My mom bought his costume while I was in my first trimester thinking either a boy or a girl could wear it.  It was 4 bucks or something ridiculously cheap at a BRU clearance sale.)  The cutest part of it was that he had learned to roar just days before Halloween and did it all the time.

Kai enjoyed watching all the kids come to our house last year and seeing me hand out candy.  At one point, he passed out on the couch in full dino costume.  I took him to one neighbors house, but we didn't go actual trick or treating.  I plan on taking him to a few houses this year, but nothing crazy.  I do plan on letting him eat a piece or two of candy which will probably be a huge win in his book since I don't normally let him have just complete junk like candy. 

How Dinosaurs say Goodnight

6)  Cool crisp weather and an added bonus of much lower electric bills.  We typically get our cheapest electric bills this time of year.  Once the 90 degree days are over we hit our AC off and just use ceiling fans and open windows.  I love getting 50-75 dollar bills.  We will avoid turning on the heat as long as we possibly can and while our house sucks in the summer for staying cool, it is great in the fall for holding in warmth.  It faces in a way that the afternoon/evening sun streams right in so it really helps heat the place up.

7)  Vacation.  We are taking our family vacation to the ocean in October.  I am so excited to get Kai on an actual beach with white sand.  He loves playing in dirt, rocks, rice etc so I imagine he will really like sand as well.  

Plus he is a huge water baby.  He loves swimming, sprinklers, bath time so much.  I imagine he will love the ocean since it is nice and warm.  I am already buying all these cute beach themed outfits on super clearance and I got all kind of shovels, buckets, etc for sand castle building 75% off.  Yay for going on vacation late!

8)  Thanksgiving.  This is my very favorite holiday by leaps and bounds.  I love eating a huge feast and then being in a turkey coma.  I love black Friday shopping and getting great deals.  (My best one ever is my Shermag glider and ottoman combo for Destructo's nursery that I got for 149.)  I love getting together with all the family and getting four days off work.  I am lucky in that Mr. Destructo's family does a Thanksgiving lunch and my family does a dinner so we get to visit with both sides of the family and not have to decide whom to spend time with.

Last year, Destructo had just started solid foods about a month before.  With baby led weaning, you basically give them whatever you are eating (see this post if you are interested in learning more about BLW.)  It was fun getting to give him a bunch of food and he ate the heck of it.  He had three helpings of everything and this was after having a decent lunch and still nursing 7 times a day at that point.  Where has my good eater gone?  Nowadays I am just happy when he eats something.  LOL

Thanksgiving 2011

9)  Getting to eat chili and soups again.  I know you technically can eat them when it is hot out, but who really wants to.  Plus I don't want to stand over the stove when the house is already hot, nor do I want something simmering for hours adding extra heat to the house.  I love the "first day of fall" which in our house is just the first day that it isn't so hot you aren't sure you didn't visit the Sahara Desert.  And with chili time of year comes the bonfire time of year which is an added perk.  Nothing like the smell of hot chili, crisp air, and bonfire smoke to make a girl smile.

10)  Okay this isn't really something I am looking forward to necessarily, but I need to mention it because fall wouldn't be complete without hunting season starting up.  I am not a hunter at all, but Mr.Destructo is.  (Truly I live in fear of the arguments that will come when he gets a giant buck with a huge rack.  I do not want that hung on my modernly decorated living room.  Not at all.  I hope you are reading this Mr. Destructo!)  Plus I miss him when he is in the woods all day hunting (and am kind of jealous of the peace and quiet of the woods when I am stuck at home with a screaming Destructo.)  He offers to let me go, but I am not sure I want to watch him kill a deer.  I am not against it since we eat the meat and all, but my animal science side comes out and I would probably want to rescue it.

Ready to go hunting with Daddy

Honorable mentions are:  apple cider, hot chocolate, getting to wear winter hats again, and it being the camo time of year.  What are you guys most looking forward to about fall?