We decided to start our day with some of our favorite things.
The kids loved these Reindeer Cake pops!
I enjoyed a Chestnut Latte while the kids played at the park. Just add some friends and it would have been favorite.
We came home and enjoyed a festive lunch.
And festive school snacks.
Just a touch of Christmas because it’s early still.
Then matching PJs and looking at Christmas lights. I love this time of year!
We finally went and had some new family photos taken and I LOVE them!
We waited way too long since the last time which was Emmy’s newborn shoot.
I need to be sure we have these done now at least once a year, the kiddos change so fast.
How often do you book family photos?
We started our day with a new to us playground.
We’ve driven by this place many times but never stopped. The weather has been just so easy but so so dry, I am worried about drought already =(
We had our typical day of an early lunch, dropping Cannon off at school then hitting up the Library after pick-up.
I love that the kids love the library as much as I do. They have an outdoor play area that is open as long as it’s not too cold or wet.
On Saturday we had a lot of chores to do but made time to go for a hike.
We tried to go to one of our favorite trails in Boulder but it was closed because of fires last season.
We did find another trail and enjoyed the sunshine.
The end of a hike can always be a bit tough but lollipops always help get us back to the car.
We hit our goal of 52 hikes for this year and next year I hope to share all of the kid friendly hikes we find.
When we got home we tried on outfits for family pictures.
I finally took down our chalk board, I loved this one!
We have officially made it to 1000 hours outside!
Last year we heard about the 1000 Hours Outside movement and we were all in.
When 2021 started we started tracking our time outside, I wasn’t super uptight about it, I just tried to record how many hours each day in a spread sheet so actual hours could be a little more or a little less but close enough for us.
We clearly spend much more time outside in the summer vs. the winter. Vacations and camping really give us a lot of time outside. If you are thinking this is super extra and analytic, you are right and totally on brand for us. I do love that most days we spent at least some time outside. I would love to be closer to three hours most days, so much research shows how beneficial time outside is for everyone.
We also hit our 52 hikes for the year goal.
Now our goal is to be outside even more in 2022!
Life is marching on and it feels like we are speeding towards the holidays! Here are a few quick updates on that we have been up to:
Voting! So happy we have mail in voting in Colorado.
Booking Cannon’s Covid Vaccine was a highlight, now we just wait fot Emmy’s turn.
Emerald’s bed frame arrived and we are all excited to set it up for her!
We have been spending lots of time outside. It has been very warm and dry here. Nice for us trying to get our 1000 hours outside .
I’ve been collecting new holiday mugs, I am obsessed. Eyeing there two:
What have you been up to?
Things I am most looking forward to this month:
My goals for November are to:
October was amazing we loved traveling, camping, celebrating Halloween and enjoying the beautiful weather. November has a lot to live up to after such an amazing October.
We are still working on our 1000 hours outside goal and our 52 hikes goal.
It’s time to think about what to get for the little people in our lives! Most of these things are items we have and love ALL the time.
Tricycle – We have two trikes that the kids ride around inside and love to race!
Sharper Image Remote Control RC Cars – This is a great starter RC car, both kids love it, the large tires make it less of a problem when it runs into furniture. It also just flips over and keeps going, no frustration!
Little Tikes 7 foot Trampoline – This has been a pandemic life saver. When we can’t get out it’s a great way to burn some energy. We keep ours in the basement but it can go outside as well.
Magna-Tiles Set – Both Cannon and Emmy love playing with these sets. We are adding two different set to our collection this year.
Kids Fire Tablet – We have had ours for a couple years now and they are amazing for travel. The kids drop them all the time and the case has kept them safe. We like to watch movies and play educational games on them.
Ikea Table – We love and use this little table all the time. It’s great for crafts, coloring and eating lunch. I feel like Emmy spills less when she is at a table that is her size.
Toddler Chair – We love these, great for reading books.
Vtech go go Train – This train is so fun for little ones, both Cannon and Emerald love the set we have. This one has Mickey and friends.
Skip Hop Backpack – We have had a skip hop backpacks for years, they have held up well and are cute. Emmy loves to keep all her treasures in hers.
Step2 Roller Coaster – We have had this roller coaster for four years, it still looks new and the kids still love to play on it. It’s a huge hit when friends come over to play.
Ikea Kitchen – I love how simple and modern this play kitchen is. We have had ours for years, bought it used so I am not sure how old it is. Holding up wonderfully.
What are your family’s favorite toys?
I am well aware that many will say it’s all too early, and maybe it is. But we started pulling out some festive things. We are leaving for our trip so our time in our home before Christmas will be cut short this year. I LOVE my house at Christmas time and want to enjoy it as long as possible.
First we got out this little playhouse for the kids, they love it and it helped them feel less sad that Halloween was over.
It was a hit, so were the ring pops.
Emmy was excited about her new Christmas blanket.
We added Christmas sheets to Cannon’s bed as well. They also talked me into setting up their mini trees so my house is officially confused with some fall/Thanksgiving and now Christmas mixed in.
When do you decorate?
New month, time for a new book nook! There are so many good books for fall and Thanksgiving books.
It was so fun putting this little book shelf together. Here are some of our favorite books:
Pete the Cat Falling for Autumn
Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie: A Thanksgiving Celebration
Shelves – Banners – Shelfie Sign – Kids Custom Chairs
**I own some of these books but also check many out from our local library, it would be very expensive to add all of these titles to your collection in one year. We are building ours with a few new favorites each year. This year the kids really loved Olaf Gives Thanks and The Golden Acorn after we borrowed them from the library so we added those to our collection.
Monthly Book Nooks:
January – Arctic Animals/Winter
February – Love/Valentines Day
March – St. Patricks Day/Spring
April – Easter/Spring
May – Emmy’s birthday theme
June – Cannon’s birthday theme
July – Camping/summer
August – Back to School
September – Fall/Harvest
November- Thanksgiving
December – Christmas
We had a wonderful Halloween here and we are just a little sad that it’s already over.
We watched Nightmare Before Christmas one more time, it’s the kids favorite.
My parents came over for dinner so they could answer the door for us while we were out trick-or-treating.
We made pumpkin soup, mummy dogs and the kids had “witches brew” (Just sparkling water with green food coloring and raspberries).
Lastly I made “monster Mash” for desert. It was so fun to share dinner with my parents and so kind of them to answer the door for us so we can go out as a family.
The kids LOVED walking around the neighborhood, it’s crazy to see how much they change over the years.
Jack and Sally this year were so much fun. How many more years will I get to do matching costumes?
2020 – Cinderella and a pumpkin
2019 – Tinkerbell and Peter Pan
2018 – Wizard of Oz
2017 – Max King of the Wild Things
2016 – Pumpkin
What has been your favorite costume you have ever worn? Family costumes or now?