The Halman Life: Simple joys of Fall

The weather - it's perfect here! Mornings bring a crisp coolness and the need to wear jackets on the way to preschool, afternoons allow us to run around outside in pants and a short sleeved shirt, and the nights bring again that chill so we can build a little hand warmer in the fireplace or snuggle under a blanket on the couch. I love this fall weather! That's one of the simple joys of our fall so far.

Class field trips. Isla's already had one to the pumpkin patch and two more since then: the fire station and park and to a petting zoo. Gigi and I tagged along to the fire station and park. The kids loved seeing all that a fire truck had to offer and even got to explore the inside. Isla was the first one on.

Then they ventured inside to the fire men's living quarters. One of the firemen demonstrated how they got into their gear and he took every step very slowly b/c some of the kids were terrified of his outfit, especially the oxygen mask. But they had fun dancing in the kitchen and looking at all the work out equipment in the weight room.

I love this picture because these girls were all in the same class last year and they are still the best of friends: (Riley and Isla, Caroline and Natalia)

The whole little 3 year old class listening so intently. (Natalia, Roshan, Teddy, Caroline, Ray, Rose, John Michael, Isla, Riley, Max, Miles and Lauren)

We headed to the park after the tour and had fun sliding, playing in the sandbox, jumping on the suspension bridge, and most of all swinging on the tire swing. It was a great morning!

My mornings with Leo. We have the best time playing in the living room, going on walks, swinging in the yard, going to storytimes, reading books in his nursery and just hanging out together doing nothing. He is growing up so fast.

Visits from Papa are always great fun as well. Here's John Jr. and John the Fourth.

And what beats putting your little one to bed? I absolutely LOVE our nighttime routines. Snuggling under the sheets, saying prayers, and reading books by flashlight, it's the best! I hope sweet little Isla never outgrows this part of our day. It's too precious for me to ever give up.

His cheeks and smiles!

First fires of fall and playing games on the living room floor in warm, new pajamas.

Ballerina poses...she's constantly striking them in preparation for her big nutcracker performance in December. I can't wait!

Fletcher football games. That's right, we headed out the other night to see the Senators battle Coach Eddie Shea's First Coast team. First Coast destroyed Fletcher and my Dad was happy. Isla was just excited to play with her friend and fellow ballerina, Ruby. They just stared at the cheerleaders all night and even got to do a stunt with them which I wasn't fast enough to snap a picture of.

Leo actually liked watching the game and stood and said "ba-ball" all night. Translation - football. He's going to be our little linebacker.

Afternoon activities with my two babies. We hang out in the kitchen, bake goodies like spice bread, sit on the tile playing with Ellie Cat.

Breakfast. I think I've said this before, but I really do love it. Chatting about what the day is going to bring us, listening to all the thoughts that go through a 3 year old's head, watching Leo get more food on him then in him, and sipping my coffee. Ah, it's wonderful!