Enjoying Fall

This past weekend was the perfect (if not a little too warm!) Autumn weekend in the cities. The trees were in full color, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was warm enough that you didn't need a jacket. We decided to take full advantage of probably one of the last warm weekends of 2010 by spending most of it outdoors. And boy, am I ever glad that we did!

On Saturday, our good friends N and D and their adorable tots, A and M, drove up to meet us at an apple orchard to pick apples. Audia and A really seemed to love picking their own apples from the trees and putting them (though not very gently....) into bags.

D is amazing at multitasking, no?

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it a billion times more, but it is sooooooo cool to have a best friend who has a daughter the same age as Audia. Watching them interact is SO much fun, and is getting even moreso as they get older.
On Sunday, Chris and I took Audia to a nearby park to go for a nature walk. Would you believe this place is only 10 minutes from our home? It has walking trails, both paved and unpaved, anywhere from .5 miles to 2 miles long! Not to mention the huge playground, gorgeous lake, and plethora of grassy picnic areas. If I had known it was there a little earlier in the year, I would have been taking the munchkin here LONG ago! Needless to say it will become a staple place to frequent in our family!

Unfortunately, all three of us got severly ill from food poisoning on Monday, so we have been stuck inside for the past three days. Good thing we spent as much time outside as we did this weekend! As a kid, I always detested Autumn to a certain degree. Mainly, I think, because it meant school was starting and I had to be responsible. But these days, I am beginning to think that Fall might be one of my favorite seasons. Experiencing things through the eyes of a toddler definitely puts a fresh, new, exciting spin on things!