These colors, this cool, crisp weather – October is killin’ it. So we’re more than happy to oblige Juliette’s persistent requests for “outside time?  outside time?  outside time?!”.
Last weekend we romped through the Carpinito pumpkin patch with the gang – Juliette went nuts when she saw the mounds of orange and white, momentarily putting down the beloved Percy train she’d borrowed from Nico to grab a pumpkin from the bin.
But ultimately, Percy won.
This was one of those days when I relished her blossoming independence, when it felt so good to sit back and watch her run free.
Juliette is into all things insect these days and could hardly contain herself when she found a little ladybug crawling on this pumpkin.  Simple pleasures…
These boys have become like big brothers to Juliette, contentedly playing magna-tiles together one minute, snatching toys out of each other’s hands the next. Â I love watching them grow up together.
Two seconds after I took this photo, the wheelbarrow tipped over. Â Whoops.
We finally settled on a long-stemmed beast of a squash, strapped it in the stroller, and called it a wrap, chuckling a little as we reminisced about our less-than-ideal visit to Carpinito two years ago.  We’ve come a long way!
We’re on a family running streak and spent that afternoon zipping down the trails at Ravenna Park – how have we missed visiting this gem in the past ten years?!
Jules and I met up with our pals at Volunteer Park on Friday morning for a go at the playground and a “splash” in the leaf-strewn wading pool.
Turns out dried leaves are a fairly decent substitute for water!
And Juliette’s hair is the perfect Fall camouflage.
Buddies!
I know, Jules – these colors make me feel all warm and huggy, too.
One final embrace for the road…
Ok, I’ll stop now.
Who am I kidding? Â More orange and gold magic coming your way – we hit the parks hard this past weekend. Â Stay tuned.