Fall

Chickadee Thursday

I took the children on a nature walk today, so we could work on a leaf study. Chickadee is a big fan of studying (OK, playing in) leaves!

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Yes, she was still wearing her jammies. I found them at Target yesterday, and they are too cute to be relegated to bedtime only!

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Fall in Tower Grove Park

We’re blessed to have many beautiful parks in the St. Louis area. I’ve talked a lot about the largest of them, Forest Park, many times, but the second largest, Tower Grove Park, is also gorgeous. It has many beautiful and unique pavilions, statues, a greenhouse, and a private residence (which at least at one time was the home of the park Superintendent), on the property.

This was the first time that I’ve walked around Tower Grove Park in the fall, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. From the beautiful colors on the trees to the carpets of leaves on the ground, it was an autumnal paradise!

Fall at the Gateway Arch

I spent some time walking around the Gateway Arch grounds yesterday, just to see the fall color.

It’s funny…there are places in the park where you would never guess you’re downtown in a big city. It seems a lot like any other big park in the area, with nice paths, people walking, and plenty of foliage. And, you know, a giant monument looming over it all. OK, I guess it is a little different from any other park in the area.

Yet another thing to love about St. Louis!

Fall at Grant’s Farm

Somehow, I’d never been to Grant’s Farm when the leaves were changing before. I wasn’t disappointed…it was even more beautiful than it is in the summer!

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Even though I’ve been there many, many times, I still love walking around Grant’s Farm, just to look at everything!

Cakeway the West–A Seasonal Retake

One of my favorite Stl250 cakes is the one at St. Louis University, partly because it’s in such a beautiful setting. Back in April, it was surrounded by beautiful yellow tulips:

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I decided to go back and see what it looks like now, and I wasn’t disappointed! It’s now in the midst of beautiful fall flowers!

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I love seeing how the cakes looks different with the change of seasons!

At the Pumpkin Patch–2013

Today we made our annual trek to Eckert’s pumpkin patch. The children had their best year to date, picking just over 60 pounds of pumpkins. Turkey won, with a 20 pound gourd, and Bunny wasn’t far behind with a 17.5 pound beast. Moose and Ladybug picked pumpkins that were pretty close in size to each other, as well…they were all very happy with what they found!

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Chickadee wasn’t too sure what to make of the pumpkin experience. This was the first time she was able to get down with the pumpkins, and she wasn’t sure if they were drums, or chairs, or something else altogether. She did decide that whatever they were, they were fun!

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Since Ryan wasn’t with us when we went apple picking, we also had to go back and visit the baby goats so that he could see them. They’ve gotten a lot bolder in the last two weeks, so the children got the chance to really pet them…it was adorable!

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I was thinking to myself while we were riding out to the pumpkin patch, that I wonder how many more years we have of the children wanting to do this. They still love it, especially since they’ve turned it into a competition to see who can pick the biggest pumpkin. I know the year is coming, though, (and probably soon!), when they decide it’s just not cool to do this as a family, and that will be a sad day indeed. It was good to remember that I need to cherish every moment like this while they’re all still young and like being together!