Here's to Fall Traditions

 

First up, our yearly visit to a sweet, little family farm with a straw maze, pumpkins of all sizes for cheaps, and a big box of corn for the kids to play in...

We just barely made it this year before they closed for the season.  In fact, there wasn’t anybody there during our visit, just a metal box to place our money in using the honor system.  Jenna wanted to visit the chickens and all four of us wanted to squeeze through the maze.  

Here's a couple of pictures from Travis Farms a few years ago:

Then, there is perhaps my very favorite tradition of the year:  Fire Night.  It’s the opening night of our fireplace, a tradition we started four years ago.  Jenna knows it so well by now I can’t deviate even the slightest bit!  Caroline had no memory of it this year. 

We make a huge, family-size pallet in the floor and stock it with pillows, extra blankets, and favorite stuffed animals.  I cook a big pot of vegetable soup and serve it with cheese and Ritz crackers.  

 I bring out all of our favorite fall books, with one or two new ones added in every year, and I give the girls a little surprise to help prepare for colder weather (one year I got everybody smartwool socks).  We eat and read books...

This year, the girls received soft, handmade “Laura and Mary” nightgowns.

And then the girls make an apple pie with Daddy, inspired by our book The Apple Pie Papa Baked.  We use a recipe of Kay's that is hilariously and inappropriately written by my dad, which never fails to make me laugh. 

And sometimes, a one or two of us will make fire night last all night.

Note:  The girls adored the nightgowns.  But not as much as I adore the sight of them running down the hall, red and white material billowing all around them.   I’ve been meaning to make these gowns for a couple of years!  How does that happen?!  In fact, I made Jenna’s last year right before fire night, only to abandon the whole project because of other pressing Christmas stuff!  I even had Caroline’s material purchased!  This year…I called Rita the week before and asked her to make Caroline’s.  I’m SO glad I came back to these.  They are beautiful.    

I am surprised I've never written about fire night before!  Here's a few sweet pics from fire nights past...

And yet another year...