Two on Tuesday: Is Fall Almost Here?

Happy Tuesday!  I am linking up quickly this morning with Andrea over at My Chihuahua Bites (thank you Andrea for teaching me how to spell Chihuahua without looking!) for Two On Tuesday.  I needed a little something to talk about today, so why not?

Andrea wants to know : What are your 2 favorite things about Fall?


Cooler Temperatures.

Ah, who am I kidding?  I live in Texas - the high was in the hundreds this weekend and we won't get down into the 70s until November probably......

I can dream about cooler temperatures and the beautiful change of the colors of the leaves that other areas of the country get to enjoy.

So, what about here in Texas?  We like to pretend it's Fall by decorating in fall colors, dressing in jeans (even though it's still 90 degrees) and sipping on Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  Which brings me to my first favorite thing about Fall:

Pumpkin Spice.  In a Starbucks latte, in my Keurig Coffee Maker, in a pie..... I just love the smell and taste of pumpkin spice.  That is Fall to me.  Speaking of, I'm enjoying a cup of Pumpkin Spice Coffee right now.  Never too early to start.....

And Soccer starts.  I love watching my kids play soccer.  They take a brief break during the summer and start back up in August.  Fall means the start of games and there is nothing I enjoy more than watching my kiddos play.  This year they are in a Soccer Club and it will be exciting to see the competition raised a notch, travel for the games, and see their dedication get heightened.  They love playing and I love watching them.

Fun!!  Link up and tell us your 2 favorite things about fall.  Thanks for hosting Andrea!

Time to Get Thankful

Thanksgiving is a few days away and I have always hated how quickly we pass this holiday by to move onto Christmas. So to celebrate the meaning of Thanksgiving and to have my kids spend a little time reflecting on being thankful, we have been putting together a list of our family's "thankfuls". It started 2 years ago, when we asked our extended family what they were thankful for. As the emails started pouring in, we would write them down and post them in the kitchen for us to reflect on each week.

In 2007, we had a Thankful Turkey:

In 2008, we had a cornucopia of thanks:

Our kids have learned that we have lots to be thankful for from good health, to grandchildren, to God, to good grades, to trips to Disney World (I am sure that will be on the list this year). It is important to us that they understand that all of our blessings come from God and for this, we are thankful.

Here's wishing you a very thankful thanksgiving this year!

Rejects

With all the pictures I took, you know I have some rejects from the pumpkin patch! Enjoy!

And my personal favorite:

Texas Style Pumpkin Patch

Ya'll are so lucky. Seriously- I have seen so many great authentic Pumpkin Patches around the country over the past few days and I am jealous!! Here in Texas, we pile a bunch of pumpkins together in a parking lot and call it a "patch"!

Ok, it's not that bad, but it's certainly not on a farm with rolling hills and beautifully colored trees in the background. I managed to find a local nursery that was having a fall festival on Saturday, so I piled the kids up and off we went. So the visit is more for mom to get the obligatory fall pictures of the kids, but you'll see in the following pictures that the kids had fun!

First, we had a gourd hunt- similar to an Easter Egg hunt, but you search for gourds. My kids managed to find a few, but there were families that hogged them all up. Seriously? What are you going to do with 30 tiny gourds? Save some for the rest of us!! Oh well, kids enjoyed it? Check!

Next, we have a hay ride. So what if it goes down an alley and back again. Do we have a tractor and some hay? Yep! Kids enjoyed it? Check!
Now, for picture time- little bubba just wasn't in the mood- no smiles from him, but he still looks precious. Kids enjoyed this one? Not so much, but they are a patient bunch when it come to me taking pictures.

Lastly, Daddy helps the kiddos carve and does an excellent job on getting exactly what Jack wanted...a skull and crossbones!!

Happy Fall Ya'll

Texas Style!