Fall is Here

I love unplanned, impromptu weekends maybe as much as the planned ones --- especially when they involve favorite fall things --- mukluks and fleece, biscuits and gravy and coffee with cream and sugar, and movie nights and pizza boxes piled under warm and cozy blankets.  Saturday was the first official day of fall, and it swept in like a late-July thunderstorm and reminded us that Mother Nature can indeed still chill our bones.  And while this cold, unexpected frost may have altered our plans to go pumpkin hunting on Saturday, our detour to downtown Waterloo for some yummy breakfast at Newtons proved to be planned and calculated by powers much higher than our smart phones.  After a lovely breakfast tucked in the back of our favorite downtown diner, we ended up at Touch a Truck, aka, thee best day of Cruz's life thus far.  A fundraiser that blocked off city streets and filled them with just about every truck, car, and tractor possible for no other purpose than to let lots of little eager souls sit in the driver's seats, test out the sirens, and honk the horns.  The trucks, paired with two giant blow-up castles, a balloon artist, several Tonka trucks, and Scratch Curbside, Cruz was on cloud nine all morning. 

  
But perhaps the best part of our morning was when Cruz spotted little miss Harper from across the parking lot, and started shrieking and shaking in excitement at the sight of her blond pigtails.  Our two littles saw each other just in time to ride the yellow school bus together, followed by the tractor, the military hummer, and the police swat car.  What a fun surprise running into his favorite friend!

Cruz and his friend, Ethan, found themselves together in the back of a police swat vehicle.  I really hope this isn't some bizarre foreshadowing into our future...

After his first ever stint in a blow-up castle (which he loved, by the way), a very patient wait in line at the balloon animal stand, and a few Scratch cupcakes for the road, we enjoyed a rare Saturday afternoon at home, taking naps during football, doing a little paint project to hang on our fridge, and mixing up some yummy movie night snacks for our night ahead.

With the first expected frost of the season falling on Saturday night, we decided it was the perfect night for a movie night with Jordan, Kelli, Charly, and Hayes.  And to think Cruz's day could get any better!  We ordered pizzas from the OP, curled up under a sea of blankets in the basement, made movie night necklaces of Cheerios, Fruit Loops, and Gummy Savors, and the adults sipped Coke with Black Velvet Toasted Caramel.  And although the kiddos weren't too content on cuddling up and watching Cars with us, they seemed pretty happy to reconnect.

How else did we celebrate this first official weekend of fall? 
    
...a nighttime walk under the orange glow of street lights, and a pit-stop by the football field in our pajamas.

...Friday night dinner in --- one of our favorite classic pasta dishes with our final batch of garden tomatoes, an after dinner drink or two (have I mentioned how good B.V.'s Toasted Caramel is?!), and a simple, no-stress breather after a busy work week.

...playtime in the basement.  We use our basement more after summer's end, and are always reminded of how cozy it is.  So cozy, that we decided to renew our Netflix account and vowed to spend many nights curled up with a bowl of popcorn and a good flick.

...homemade applesauce in the crockpot.  It was easy, it was tasty, and best of all, it simmered in the slow cooker all afternoon and filled my house with a smell that made my Wallflowers curl up in embarrassment.  

...Cruz's photo book came in!  This is one of the single most exciting days of our fall, and is always followed with a perfectly timed walk down memory lane right before our sweet boy turns another year older.