Fall 2013

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I am SO excited for fall this year. I always love the change in seasons, but this year will be especially wonderful. It's our first fall as a family of three (!), and we have so much to celebrate and be thankful for. I'm most looking forward to just spending time with my husband. Becks and I missed him during the baseball season! So we're going to be extra selfish and not share him with anyone else (kidding, but it's tempting...).
One of the best things about having a baby is getting to see the world through his eyes and watch him really experience life. Mark said just last night, "I love watching him make decisions". He's so curious and alert and loves seeing new things. So this fall, I've made a list of some fun things I cannot wait to do with our little family! 


Deep dish apple pie from earlier this year

I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that I haven't been to Apple Hill in over ten years...in fact, Mark and I have never been together before. Every fall, it's on my list of places to go, and every fall seems to pass by without a visit. Not this year! I cannot wait to tour a few different farms and orchards and of course come home with plenty of fresh apples! Apple pie is Mark's favorite, so i'll definitely have to make a few of those this fall. It's also been a few years since I've made applesauce, and it just so happens to be Becks' favorite food, so i'll be cooking some of that up as well. I've also heard great things about apple cider donuts...

It's no secret that I'm a big Disney fan (luckily, so is the husband), and I especially love Disney movies. My generous in-laws are taking us to Disneyland in a few months, and in order to prepare Becks, I want to start watching a few Disney movies with him every week. I think it'll be fun to pick one movie to watch every Friday or Saturday evening, as a family after dinner. Obviously Becks' attention span won't last through a whole movie, but I still think he'll enjoy parts of them (especially the songs, Becks has always loved music). I own a few of the movies already, but I also love that Netflix now has several Disney movies on "instant" watch.  




We recently returned from a weekend trip to SF, and I'm already itching to go back! I seriously can't get enough of that lovely city by the bay. We had planned on taking Becks to the zoo this last time, but never made it because they stop letting people in at 4pm on Sundays and Becks was taking a late nap. So, we're planning another quick visit in the next month or two with the zoo as our main destination! While still very young, Becks loves animals and I think he'll really enjoy it. I have a feeling the monkeys will be a favorite! While there, I also want to take Becks on the carousel. It was a favorite of mine growing up in the city, and I can't wait to share it with Becks!


Back in July, Becks and I attended the "Fourth on the Field" event at Raley Field for July 4th. It was a lot of fun (also very very hot), they had several different local food trucks parked in the outfield, live music playing and there was an amazing fireworks show once the sun went down. I tried food from a few different trucks that night, but honestly only remember the name of one (it's not surprising that the dessert is the one I remember), An Honest Pie. It was some of the best pie I've ever had in my life (no really), and I've been itching to go visit them again ever since. I had the peach pie, and it was warm from the oven and the peach filling was perfect. The pie crust was tender and flaky and buttery. I've been talking about the pie nonstop since that day (just ask Mark, he rolls his eyes whenever I mention their name) and I'm planning on a trip up to Nevada City to get some this fall. They're at different locations depending on the day of the week, check out their Facebook page for details!



Obviously we can't celebrate fall without a trip to the pumpkin patch! Our favorite for the last few years has been Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon, CA. They have a huge selection of pumpkins and the largest labyrinth corn maze in the world (this year it'll be 53 acres!). They also have tee-pees,  a scarecrow contest and wagons to use while you're there picking out pumpkins. Last year I was pregnant when we went to the pumpkin patch, so it'll be so much fun to have Becks here to experience it with. I think he'll love it!