awwww...it's fall!

Fall is absolutely my fave season! The smells, colors, sounds, crisp weather...oh I just love it all! I love to have a pot of apple cider w/some cinnamon sticks, cloves and sliced oranges simmering on the stove all day...my nose is excited just thinking about it. I love to hear the crunch of the leaves under my kids' feet as they frolic in the yard. I love to snuggle up w/my love under a blanket on the deck after the kids have gone to bed and just talk about life. I love the colors of the leaves as they transform from the vivid greens of summer to the breathtaking reds, golds and oranges of autumn. I love the foods of fall...caramel apples, pumpkin pie(w/a tub of cool whip), chili, etc. Fall just satisfies all my senses!

One of my goals the past few falls is to learn how to make a kick-tush comfort food. I've gotten homemade chicken and noodles, chili and cheesy potato soup under my belt. This year, it's a toss up between a rockin' chicken potpie or a warm ya to your toes stew. Maybe I'll be adventurous and try both. I'll keep ya posted!

Today, the kids and I took a photo nature walk to celebrate the first day of fall. We attempted this w/our beloved buddy Bentley, but had to return him to the house after about 1/2 an hour b/c he DOES NOT like to be led on a leash. So, after depositing him back at home we continued our nature walk. I told the kids that they needed to keep their eye out for anything that is a sign of fall. My sweet, simple boy didn't quite get what I meant by "a sign of fall" for a while. He kept pointing at street signs, stop signs, crosswalk signs, etc. Emma finally told him that those are just signs, not signs of fall. It was sweet! He did finally get it.

Here's some of our adventure:

crunchy leaves

fave leaf garland on a gate

naked tree branches

amazing red leaves

squirrel in a tree...a very rare occurrence in other seasons! ;) Eli saw it and wanted me to take a picture

pine cones

more awesome red leaves

leaves changing color

some leaves Eli really liked

a nut of some sort

a cicada carcass

spikey balls

red berries

On our way back home, we heard the LifeStar helicopter flying in to land at one of the local hospitals. So, we hustled over to see if we could see it before it took off again. We got there in time to see the paramedics unload a patient and wheel him inside. We were right across the street from the helicopter so we walked across the street to get a closer look. The pilot was walking around the helicopter checking things out and waved at the kids and told us to come inside the fence to get a closer look. Eli was so excited!!! The pilot told us that one of his lights was out and he couldn't take off again until it was replaced. We found out that there are 3 helicopters in our "area"...Lawrence, Junction City and Osage City. The helicopter from Osage City is the one that takes people to KC and the Lawrence and JC pilots cover if needed. I couldn't believe how tiny it is inside...no wonder family members aren't allowed to fly w/a patient! There's a seat for the pilot, paramedic and nurse and then a metal slide out bed sort of thing that the gurney is placed on. The pilot got a kick out of the fact that Eli wouldn't stop asking questions and Emma didn't say a word. He said his oldest son is the quiet, shy one while the youngest never shuts up. Thank you Mr. LifeStar Pilot...you made my little man's day!

What a fabulous start to my favorite season!!!