Happy Fall!

I've always loved this time of year.  I think it goes back to childhood, when fall meant a new school year, a new wardrobe, a new Trapper Keeper...  Fall was when I made my New Year's resolutions.  This year, I told myself, I'll be popular.  This year I'll make new friends, I'll do better in school, I won't doodle incessantly in the margins of every notebook.  Of course, by November those resolutions were already broken, but I never lost hope.

Fall also means perfect weather, where it's crisp enough to wear your favorite plaid coat but not so cold you can't muster up the willpower to leave the house.  The leaves are changing, the holidays are approaching, and culinary delights like pumpkin pie chai lattes appear on cafe menus.  It really is my favorite time of year.

So, to that end, I thought I'd share some of our recent fall exploits.  What can I say?  Give me an opportunity to dress my kid in a pumpkin hat, and I'm grabbing that sucker by the horns - er, stem.

Jack gives the new park on Commonwealth and Del Ray Ave. two thumbs up.  Or he would if he wasn't clutching the remains of a pumpkin biscotti in his fat little fingers.

And here I am, overcompensating for Jack's lack of enthusiasm by smiling like a moron.

This past weekend was a full-out fall extravaganza.  On Saturday morning, we went to the Fall Festival at Mt. Vernon.  What an amazing place to visit with kids.  We went ahead and bought the one-year membership for $25.  It pays for itself in two visits.

So basically Jack had no idea what to do with the hoop.

Checking out the pigs at Mt. Vernon.

Note the joy on Anneliese's face.  Also note her foot position.  I think you can guess what's going to happen next.

On Sunday morning, we met up with Sarah at Eastern Market.  How have I lived here for three years and never been??  There were so many great vendors and fun things for Jack to check out.  The fact that you can buy a bag of fresh donuts for three dollars isn't too shabby, either.

It only took me 138 years to discover Eastern Market.  Auntie Sha Sha and Jack were clearly already in the know.

On Sunday afternoon we headed over to our friends' house in Old Town for their neighborhood Oktoberfest.  I miss the neighborhood camaraderie of Old Town so much.  Okay, fine, so we didn't actually speak to our neighbors when we lived there.  But I like to think if I lived there now, I'd be friends with them.  Especially since our neighbor lived in a multi-million dollar mansion and had a wine cellar the size of our current house.  I did enjoy the view of his yard, at least.  Ah well, at least we can crash our friends' neighborhood parties in the meantime. 

Jack stops to smell the flowers.  I'm not sure the window lurker in the Eighties tracksuit is entirely pleased.

Fall is also an excellent time of year for cooking.  Or for John's cooking, to be more specific.  He made a delicious pumpkin soup with coconut milk last week, and I'm anticipating lots of veggie pot pies with homemade crusts over the next few months.  If you have any delicious fall recipes or fun fall activities to share, please post them in the comments!
Happy fall, everyone!