Fall in Michigan

I forgot just how beautiful Autumn is in the Midwest. The folks around here say that this has been the most beautiful Fall they've seen in a long time. This time last year, there was snow all over. Last week we were playing at the park in 70 degree weather! We have been soaking up all of the outdoor playtime we can.

First, we went to Schawllier's Country Basket to go apple picking. We thought they had a tiny selection and did all of our picking... then we discovered row upon row of apple trees that we had totally missed. Next year we'll get it right! To make our mistake less painful, we bought some apple and pumpkin donuts, played with hyper baby goats, pet the kittens and floppy eared bunnies, played in the corn pit, and raced rubber duckies on the water slides. It was a total hit!

We also enjoyed Grandville's Fall Fest. I have been impressed with the sense of community in our little city. Almost every month there is some gathering put on to bring us all together. They had blueberry days in late Summer, the Fall Fest, a silent parade of firetrucks to commemorate those who serve our county, and soon we'll have a Christmas tree lighting. Vince loved the makeshift slides and Kate couldn't get enough of the corn pit.

And let's not forget the simple joys of fallen leaves. Our neighborhood has a mature population of trees. They are EVERYWHERE. This being our first Fall here, we have been surprised with the amount of raking we've had to do. The leaves just keep coming! While this poses a problem in the adult world, the leaves are pure heaven for the kiddies. Kate watched Vincent for half a second before she caught on and dove into the pile. I will admit, their playfulness makes is quite difficult to actually get the leaves rounded up and bagged for removal.

Fall has always been my favorite.