I LOVE fall, I think most do. I love it more than any other time of year, I love sweaters, hoodies & jeans. I love love love scarves. I love football. The past few years I haven't enjoyed it as much as I would like to. I take on too much, I hate to say no and the fall goes by in a blink. I'm making sure this year I slow down and get out and enjoy it more. I still have 3 weddings in October but I vow to cut out sessions and get out and play this year (hold me to it). In this post- and every post please keep in mind, I make most of these for family members to see what we are up to (no one lives by us) and I am trying hard not to make family time/vacations and trips a full-on photo shoot so my photos are lacking in creativity, technique and quantity but that's OK w/ me, that means I am doing my kids right by keeping myself out from behind the camera.
This year was probably our very busiest, 4 October weddings, a trip to South Carolina, Halloween and Teag's Birthday. We did it and we're still alive. I am positive someday years from now I will look back as I am sitting around, kids gone, and wish I was back to the old days when life was chaotic.
We traveled to South Carolina for my cousins wedding, with Jason changing jobs we didn't have a lot of vacation time so we made it a quick trip, 18 hours drive one-way, only an afternoon of sight-seeing and the wedding fit into our 4 days weekend. So the best way to describe it was simply short and sweet.
Maybe I am delayed but I didn't realize the smokey mountains actually smoked! like billowing smoke...crazy, it looked the a hundred million people in the trees smoking pipes, lol.
there's me on the right w/ my double stroller aka bus..but we love it!
The downtown area was really neat, it looked like a really old and much larger state street (Madison). We found this neat little toy store and found Teag's Christmas gift inspiration.
We get home on Sunday evening and that week we have Halloween to get ready for...
Cooper's 1st Halloween
We don't go far for Halloween yet, we stop at Little grandmas (Teag's Grandma) and Big grandma( Teag's Great-grandma, she's about 4'9 and 100lbs- we aren't sure why he calls her that) and our neighbors with the kids.
Spending their last days outside before it gets too cold. They think they are pretty cool in their truck
November 1st my baby turned 3, Teag wanted to have a packer party. So we put together a tailgate party for him, it was so cute and fun. Something I really like to do is make a big deal out of celebrating moments in life like birthdays and holidays. There is too few great moments in life, we should really celebrate the "good" ones. I love to put together a party for the kids, different themes. It doesn't cost much I find ideas online and use creative ways to make it cheaper. I usually buy "printables" from Etsy for like $10 and print and cut myself, its at least half the cost, we have family bring a dish to pass and by the most wonderful local cake from Wilton, WI. The invites I make and print also. Its very cheap and very fun and I know they will remember because I remember my birthday parties.
The decorations are simple. Buy a couple yards of fabric, cut into triangles and hang on twine. The letters I cut out of stiff felt and used stencils and fabric glue, total cost about $10
Jason made the goal posts out of PVC pipe in the garage and a $3 can of spray paint.
Ordered banner locally $15 and used same twine to make a photo clothes line
Cake- local baker $40 (a little splurge compared to store bought cake but if you tried it, you'd know its worth it)
Teag and Ali are like peas and carrots
Cooper and uncle Parker
Great group of kids all representing the pack!
Finally getting ready for Thanksgiving... Teag and I made "our" first pumpkin pie together. Our family lives scattered away, because of that Thanksgiving is very small for us, so Jason and I decided to implement our own new traditions so the boys have something to look forward to and remember. We have some for Christmas which will come in the next post...stay tuned.
Teag is really interested in cooking, which in turn makes ME more interested in cooking so it's really a fun new adventure for us both. 
