A Day In Litchfield, CT!

It's the last day of November and I can't believe it has been 10 years since we've been to Litchfield! The first time we came here was during the fall and the kids were so little and young! It was one of the very first quaint New England towns I fell in love with when we first moved to the east coast. So cozy and it totally reminds me of scenes from Gilmore Girls. 

Well, little did we know that this was the town that inspired the location of the show and I can totally understand why! It's such a wonderful spot to apple pick, pumpkin pick, go leaf peeping but most of all go window shopping. It's such a charming town. The village greens is my favorite. Noah was three when he had fun running around and now that he's 14 still enjoys the village greens. We all had so much fun walking around and browsing inside all the shops. I have to say the Litchfield candy store was Noah's favorite. It's not in the village but about a mile outside of town. We hope we will come again when fall peaks so that I can capture the fall foliage in all it's colorful glory! 

Autumn Babies....

 

No matter how much I wanted summer to stay I have to say that I am extremely happy that fall is here! I say this every single year!! The fact that Noah and I are autumn babies makes the season even more colorful! I turn 51 in exactly two days and looking forward to celebrating with my family and also doing all the fall things that are meant to be done during this beautiful but short season. So let the leaf peeping, pumpkin picking, apple picking, apple cider drinking, birthday season begin! Happy first day of Fall! 

 

And So Goes November!

And just like that...November has passed. This is truly my favorite time of year and although I LOoooove the holidays autumn is truly my favorite! The fact that Noah and I are fall babies makes the season so much beautiful. Luckily I captured fall this year in various places and I still have more content I'd like to share so you'll still be seeing fall posts in the month of December. After all, winter doesn't officially begin until the 21st so I think I will still post fall-ish things! 

These were taken in Central Park before going to the Guggenheim to see the Kandinsky exhibit which I'll post later. Walks in Central park are my favorite and if I lived here I would be here every. single. morning! It seems like fall is still hanging in there and I'm grateful that it at least lasted until Thanksgiving. We are starting to get into the feels of the holiday season and will probably get a tree sometime this week! So long November! Now for some photos...

Autumn In Industry City!

 

These pictures were taken during the "Hallowdays" at Industry city where they go all out in decorating for Halloween and all things fall-ish. I love all their decorations inside and outside this place. Ever since they redid this whole section of industry city years ago it has become one of our favorite go to spots when we want to explore somewhere different other than Manhattan. I personally like venturing out to every spot in the city where my kids can explore a variety of things. This is also the perfect place for a photo op! I captured a few photos of the kids surrounded by pumpkins, haystacks, and gourds. Such a cool spot to sit after an afternoon of shopping and eating. They always have different cool art installations where the little kids (and big) can have fun. Truly a place to come when visiting New York City! Especially during the holiday months! 

Welcome November.

Halloween may be over but the crisp air, crunchy leaves, displays of pumpkins and mums on quaint porches, and scents of pumpkin spice still linger in the air. I love this time of year and November is one of my favorite months in Autumn. Particularly because it's the month of only son's birthday and I can hardly wait to celebrate him. But for now I will share this lovely display of pumpkins and mums from our trip to Woodstock. What a perfect time year to visit. I'll share more about our trip later but just wanted to welcome November with a thankful heart and hope it'll be a great month for all! 

Happy Friday & Hello October!

Felt the fall vibes way before October arrived a couple of days ago when I awoke to a morning that was misty and cold with temps in the50's. I love those overcast days. The temps get as high as 70 and even that feels nice. Lexie and I went exploring and found ourselves a quaint little farm called Delicious Orchards where their apple cider slushes are sooooo good. Add some ice cream to it and it tastes amazing. Oh, and some apple cider donuts in the mix and you have a perfect concoction of an autumn treat. So looking forward to more days like this and really hoping that these autumn days go by super slow. So let's bring on the gourds, mums, pumpkins, and all the apple cider slushes and donuts we can eat! 

The Pumpkin Arch At Pier 17 In NYC.

Happy National pumpkin day! This pumpkin arch is the best thing that has come to Pier 17. We found out about it last year and captured a few photos and when we heard they had it up again had to come back for more. It's a picture perfect moment to make memories and it's even dreamier at sunset with the lights lit. It truly is a beautiful display of pumpkins so if you need a pumpkin fix this is the place to go but you better hurry because it's only up until October 31st. 

More photos below....

Indian Summer In September.

For a while it felt like summer didn't  want to leave us and then the temps went down to the 60's and then last weekend they went back up to the 80's. Although it's autumn it totally felt like summer again and so we ventured out to Long Beach Island. If we had our bathing suits we would have gone to the beach and played in the water! This was truly an Indian summer and so we took advantage of the weather and walked barefoot on the sand, and the sun shine down on our face. Lighthouses are my thing and this is one of my favorites. It's sooooo tall and the location is perfect. We've come here many times to have picnics or just walk along the visitors trail. It wasn't crowded and the weather was perfect. I had fun taking pictures and hearing the sound of the waves. These kids just informed me today that they are total beach babies. They absolutely love the ocean! No matter the weather we will come here just to take in the sounds of the ocean and to capture this lighthouse in all it's beauty! 

Apple Picking On The First Week Of Fall.

When September rolls around particularly on or around my birthday we go apple picking. It is the best part of the beginning of fall and other holiday traditions. This time we were super lucky to have had a wagon all to ourselves. There was no one else on it and so off to the orchard we went to go pick some apples. I have to admit it was odd having the wagon and orchard all to ourselves. Truly makes you miss people. This pandemic has people changing on all different levels and on our way back from picking we had to stop to pick up 12 people who were picking pumpkins. It was nice seeing other people on the wagon, but they were all distanced from each other which is safe, but it's nice when someone smiles underneath their mask or nods their head. Although it was nice having the wagon and orchard to ourselves the sounds of other children laughing and parents helping their kids pick apples is a sight to see. Something I don't do anymore with my kids since they are too big too carry! It was unusually weird to have the orchard to ourselves but it was nice and we had fun. One good thing is that no one was able to hear me yell at my kid for throwing apples like they are a baseball. Every time Noah would pick a bad apple he'd throw it as if he was Derek Jeter. LOL! Good thing there was no one around for them to hear me yell like a crazy mom! Now for some happy pics!

49 Septembers!

Turned 49 today and it honestly felt a little off. Maybe it's because we are still living in the middle of a pandemic or maybe it's the fact that it's my last year in my 40's! Yikes! Nonetheless, my family made my birthday pretty special and because it fell on a school night celebrated it with pure simplicity. Although Jon worked we managed to have dinner at a decent time in the evening. My two oldest daughters including Lexie who is serving a church mission in Arizona called me today. Those phone calls totally made my day. Chelsea, who in all honesty hasn't written me a handwritten letter since like the 4th grade made, and wrote me the most brutal and loveliest letter! I laughed because she's so much like me, and I even got a bit teary-eyed reading it. I can't even imagine growing up in her era right now which makes me all the more grateful that I am living in a generation today where I can pretty much handle my own and teach my kids to be fearless, yet kind. Noah who is such a sweetheart has been so tired lately with having seven zoom classes a day and although he knew my birthday was today sort of forgot, but then after hinting to him that today is a special day he remembered! Crazy kid! 

A Boy And His Pumpkin.

Ever since Noah was old enough to carve a pumpkin he has taken enormous pride and joy in doing so. As he gets older carving becomes more intricate and serious for him! Jon will help him at times but is learning to do it on his own.  He carefully draws the design he wants to carve on paper and then grabs a pencil to draw on the pumpkin. He's a little too meticulous when it comes to carving that perfect pumpkin and wants to makes sure it looks "cool." Which is why he wants to hang on to this one a little bit longer. 

My Mini Central Park.

Autumn is still hanging on in our neck of the woods and to be honest I hope she hangs on for the rest of the month! I love fall and because it doesn't last want it to linger a little longer. Seeing the leaves hanging on to the tree branches gives me hope that she'll stay until Thanksgiving but smelling that cold chilly air tells me that winter is coming. I felt it as I walked the grounds of Princeton University yesterday. I love this campus. It's nostalgic and coming here never gets old.

'Tis The Season For Pumpkin!

Going to a pumpkin patch is a great way to get into the holiday spirt, and because the weather was pretty perfect this past weekend we took a drive into Bucks County and found us the cutest little pumpkin patch. 

On The Day Before Thanksgiving....

Noah and I took a walk around our neighborhood to take in the last moments of fall. Most of the leaves have already fallen onto the ground, and some of the trees already look dried up, and bare. Luckily for me I have an adventurous boy who likes to get out no matter what the weather is like. He's such a good sport when it comes to taking pictures. I love that he's somewhat of a natural, and doesn't mind posing for me! Most of the time he wanted to just kick the leaves, and splash in small puddles all while trying to find a four leaf clover.

A Fall Morning Walk With Noah.

The sunshine continues to hang on into our neck of the woods, and with the little bit of rain we had yesterday it's beginning to feel more like fall. If we're lucky maybe autumn will be like it was two years ago in November! The leaves are becoming more vibrant, and colorful, and the air is much cooler. I really love fall, and because we haven't had much of it since September 21 hope it lasts a while longer, at least until thanksgiving.

Happy First Day Of Fall!

Fall couldn't have fallen on a perfect day because the kids had no school today thanks to Rosh Hashanah! In spite of my allergies which have been kicking my butt all week long we decided to venture out to Alstede Farms, to look at pumpkins, and buy some vegetables. This farm has become my new favorite farm store, and I love everything this farm has to offer.

A Little "Fall" in Sayen Gardens.

Sometimes I feel as if I spoil Noah too much and let my guard down when it comes to outings especially when we are out and about going on walks or at a playground. There were times when he used to ride his scooter that I would let him go way ahead of me, and then sometimes he would hesitate at a stop sign not quite knowing how to discern from stop, and go and realizing that there are going to be real life giant size cars up ahead.

Mum Picking!

Fall is definitely shaping up to be the best season ever! I absolutely love this time of year, and it seems that we have an indian summer going on which i don't mind in the least. Going on drives with the windows rolled down giving it the perfect breeze means you no longer need to turn the a/c on. It has been quite an adventure exploring more of the garden state in our area, and believe me when I say garden because in my neck of the woods that's all I see! Miles and miles of farmland, corn stalks, and fields of green. The fall season is so colorful, and because it doesn't last very long are going to take full advantage of venturing out, and enjoying the colors of fall as they quickly change. 

Because my porch is looking a bit bare these days we decided to give it a little color, and decided to go mum picking. There are so many nursery gardens in the country, and we decided to stop by the prettiest. All mums look the same and because the prices were equal decided to stop at this particular nursery, and the kids picked out the perfect mums, and I have to say... I was very pleased. 

We hung around for a while and even though I told them they can choose I was still a bit selective with the mums they were picking. The kids decided on tricolored mums which at first weren't pleasing to my eye, but then grew on me within minutes. I mean...just look at all the colors! Absolutely stunning!

Noah noticed a few wagons, and wanted to grab one to carry the mums in. He was so happy to be pulling it. Poor kid...I deprived him of one when he was a toddler! 

And how about these warted pumpkins! I asked Noah if he wanted to grab a few to take home, and he gave me an emphatic no! he said they were ugly! Also...I can't believe how grown he looks in this photo compared to this one I posted years ago! My baby is getting big y'all! Just like these pumpkins! 

I literally wanted to buy every flower known to man in this nursery, but had to control myself. We came here specifically for mums, and that's all that I left with. MUMS!

Alex, who owns this nursery with his wife kindly took this photo. He truly is the nicest guy, and this nursery is absolutely worth going to. I can tell it has a woman's touch because of how the gift shop inside the barn is decorated! We had so much fun mum picking, and as always wish that Jon and Sierra could join us in our outings. 

Happy fall y'all, and enjoy it while it lasts! 

70 Degrees In November.

The autumn season is indeed the shortest, and most colorful season of the year. The colors of fall are exquisite and unique, and I really don't want these trees to change in color anytime soon.   

Noah-isms // Fall Edition.

So i have all these games, and scrapbooks upstairs in the attic near the kids bedroom and as Noah was taking a game out of the closet he noticed the scrapbooks. He knows that I work on them from time to time and asked if he could see his. For the first time since he was a toddler he looked through the scrapbook with curiosity and interest, and after glancing through pages of sheet protectors filled with cards, and photos he had a lot of questions about them. He pulled out some of the cards & asked, "Who gave these to me mom, and what are they?" I said, "they're cards that were given to you from friends & family when you were born." " I like them mom, I really like the people who thought of me when I was born." -Noah

As we were driving around leaf peeping, "look mommy, the leaves are falling off the trees, and it looks like they're dancing." 

Every year we have 'spirt week' at the kids schools, and on the day it was pajama day Noah said, "It's not pajama day, it's a school day." He ended up wanting to wear regular clothes.

When I was editing some photos of Lexie and I, Chelsea said that I looked like Sierra in one of those pictures. When I asked Noah if he thought I looked like her in the photo he said, "yes mom, you both have circles in your hair."

So we've been having an Indian summer lately, but when the sun goes down the air gets cooler. I don't care to turn on the air condition so I rolled the windows down. Noah's seat is right behind the drivers side, and so when I rolled my window down he said, "I'm freezing up mom roll your window up." It was like 60 degrees. 

Jon had the day off on Noah's picture day, and since Noah looked so handsome I wanted to snap a quick photo of him, and Jon before we walked to the bus stop. After I took the photo Noah said, "it's okay mom. You can stay home. Daddy's got this." Guess what? I ended up letting Jon and Noah have some bonding time for those 10 minutes of walking, and waiting at the bus stop. 

When it's Noah's turn and one of us tries to help him with saying a prayer, "I can do it by myself!"

While going for a drive to go leaf peeping Noah nonchalantly says, "If only the leaves were blue."

While watching a bit of television a preview of the Supergirl series came on, and Noah said, "I don't like that show, I like the man one." 

There's a lot more where that came from, but like I wrote in my last Noah-isms post...I don't want to rack my brain trying to remember every single phrase that he utters. I take in the moments of our conversations, and focus on him. I love laughing with him. He truly is the sweetest, and funniest little boy I've ever met...

and I'm so glad to know him! 


Happy Wednesday!