Fall is Here!

Fall has finally arrived in Bluffton! There have been at least 5 consecutive days that the temperature hasn't reached 85, the seasonal section at Target smells like mixed candy (you know the distinctive smell of Tootsie Rolls and Snickers and lollipops all mixed in) and the small grassy lot across from our neighborhood has pumpkins in it! Fall, baby! And I LOVE IT!!! John has always been a Fall lover. It generally means more use of his outdoor clothing, and in times past has been the season of a healthy real estate market. I guess growing up in NC, I took Fall for granted. I'm sure I focused more on the loss of my summer tan and all the leaf raking instead of the many cool things about this season. But living here for the past 5 years, my appreciation of Fall has grown so much! Throw two kiddos in there with all the festive things to do for them and this season may soon become my favorite!

While Jack was at preschool on Tuesday, Finn and I ventured to Cahill's Market to roam the pumpkin patch with some of our MOPS friends. Of all times to forget my camera! Fortunately my friend, Vicky, had her camera and snapped a few shots of my little Jaws maneuvering himself around the pumpkin yard. We escaped with buying apple butter and pumpkin butter, but no pumkin. Jack wouldn't allow such a purchase without his blessing.



So...we went back to Cahill's that night with Gigi and bought the most beautiful pumpkin you've ever seen! (Shout out to Cahill's...it's the coolest little store. If you're ever in the area, you have to go there and eat lunch. Best food around!) Here's the fam checking out the animals. The horses were pretty friendly. That could have been because Jack is our resident horse whisperer. He approached the horses as he does every other animal: "Hey horsey, horsey. Awww....yeah. Hey, buddy. It's okay..."

Jack enjoyed his pumpkin patch frolick.

And here's the finished product! We bought one of those stencil books that teaches you how to carve one, step by step. We let Jack choose which picture he wanted. He made it clear that he wanted a happy face and not a scary one, which surprised us all since he has an odd fascination with scary things.

Gigi and Poppy Johnny joined us for the Ussery Family Night of Fall Festivities:) We started at the pumpkin patch, headed to the driveway for the gutting of the pumpkin, and then took our party to the kitchen for some chili, cornbread and pumpkin pie. It was so much fun! Maybe we can make it a little Fall tradition.


Happy Fall to everyone!