Today marks the last official day of fall, so it feels like a good night to get November booked and blogged!
It’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we were raking leaves and putting our patio furniture away for the year. Currently our backyard is soggier than ever, with not a single leaf to be found on any of our deciduous trees or shrubs. I forgot for a minute – we used to have a lot of fun out here!
Our family spent an afternoon at Volunteer Park in early November and I took some of my favorite photos of the season. Sunshine and golden leaves and the kids running wild. I love this place in autumn.
Isaac made a game of throwing a chestnut as far as he could and then immediately going on a hunt for it, kicking leaves left and right to find where it landed. Fetch for one. I got to sit back and just watch.
And then the age-old game of “stick as fishing pole” – he poked me in the back a lot with this small branch, pretending he was hooking me. I would have been irritated if not for this goofy grin.
He’s got a keeper on the line!
Sticks, rocks, and nuts make the best playthings, but slides and swings are cool, too.
We cozied in a lot last month, with leisurely weekend mornings spent coloring and eating TJ’s chocolate croissants (our go-to breakfast treat).
This kid loves a good homework assignment…
We started decking the halls in late November; I made my own Christmas wreath for the first time ever and might never go store-bought again.
When setting up the Christmas tree, egg nog is essential.
Opening up our Christmas bins is some kind of wonderful – the number of times Isaac literally jumped for joy over a beloved-but-temporarily-forgotten book or ornament…
Halls decked!
These damn, fragile strings of C9 bulbs that tangle and shatter each time we pull them out of the box…it’s a shame they’re the ones that give off my favorite hues of light! Worth the effort once they’re strung. And Juliette is such a great little elf.
Shane’s mom came to visit the week of Thanksgiving and we loved having her here, as always. She and Juliette baked and watched Wicked and caught up like old friends.
Isaac loved having an extra reason to go out for treats. Grandma won’t say no to Molly Moon’s ice cream!
Thanksgiving day was comfy and chill. We spent the morning enjoying the tree and the Macy’s parade – I’m a believer in a slow, slow start to the holiday. Our menu is always planned around a desire not to spend the full day stressing in the kitchen.
That said, if Juliette wants to make the cranberry sauce while still in her pajamas, by all means!
Isaac was overjoyed by the number of familiar faces he spotted on the parade floats.
I mean…Paw Patrol? Super-sized? Mind blown.
The final touches…
And dinner is served.
And this pic says it all. Make a spread of your favorite foods, set it in front of your kid, and he’ll frown and ask for a hamburger. Isaac is still learning the art of gratitude.
That sparkling cider, though – he had no notes on beverages…
Three pies for seven people? Too much? Nah…
Juliette joined me and Isaac in his bed for books that night and Lordy, THANKSgiving hardly begins to capture it. I couldn’t be more grateful for these kiddos.
And yes, that’s a black eye – Isaac slipped and fell on the playground at school earlier in the week and earned himself one heck of a shiner.
Tank filled. On with the business of December!
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