so long, summer...hello fall!

It seems like summer passed too quickly... and it sure was busy. However, I'm grateful that we were able to make good memories together.

Here's a recap of all the fun we had!

*went to Idaho twice in the span of three weeks. Oi!
*got to see one of my best friends/sister-in-law Megan- it was much needed :)
*played with cousins Ryleigh, Ethan, Myla, and new baby Emelya. 
*stayed in a cabin at Garden Valley with family and visited Jonathan's uncles.
*fished, canoed, and swam in the pond there. definitely a highlight of the trip.
*took Talmage on a "parents-son" date to his first movie- Monster's University!
*picked lots of different berries and made yummy raspberry, strawberrry, and blackberry freezer jam. My first jam experience :)
*had fun times at parks and splash-pads and the farmer's market!
*saw the beautiful Silver Falls. love that place.
*chopped off my hair. well, most of it...it's already grown back an inch!
*went to riverfront carnival where Talmage rode his first roller-coaster and other kiddie rides. 
*had an awesome fourth of July that included fun with friends, a parade, and fireworks on the river!
*took a family daycation along the coast. Traveled to Pacific City, Tillamook Cheese Factory, and Canon Beach! 
*went camping and hiking at Detroit Lake. What a night that was...
*had mother-in-law Michelle and sister-in-law Cressa visit us. We took them to Depoe Bay and Lincoln City beach.
*picked peaches! Also a first. Then canned them along with pears from the church's fruit farm.
*went to the Oregon Zoo for the first time. awesome place!
*introduced Charlotte to nursery. The transition was a breeze- she loves it in there.
*potty-trained Talmage. And celebrated his victory over pull-ups at Super Bounce :D
*had a successful crop of roma tomatoes. But it would have been cheaper to buy them from the store, ha. 
*shopped at the outlets on Labor Day weekend. I hate shopping unless stuff is on sale.
*went to the duck pond and fished with wormies. We didn't catch any fish but the worms were all the entertainment we needed. haha...

I'm sure there's more...but that's what I can recall via Instagram pics. haha. When I was making up this list I couldn't believe that we jam-packed all of that into 3 months... we spent many weekends just staying at home, too, watching red-boxes or playing games. We stayed up way past our bedtimes and walked around the neighborhood scavenging for blackberries. We battled our kids rising tantrums, teething, and sleeping in the same room at night. Whenever we returned home from picking berries, all hot and sweaty, we'd go jump in the complex pool. We ate way too much fast food and had way too many popsicles. But all of it together made a perfect summer.

And summertime is wonderful, but my most favorite season of all is approaching! FALL. I love the smells, colors, and comforts of this season. Growing up I always wanted a fall wedding (somehow we ended up getting hitched in a blizzard, lol). I've already bookmarked tons of fall recipes and picked out which candles I want our home to smell like. THIS IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR.

And yes, I will be spending the next week's nap times crafting up fall decor (fingers crossed..nap time doesn't always go according to plan anymore. thank you very much, three year old wild child) starting with this one:

If you want to make this wreathe-

*woven branches wreathe is from Walmart ($5-$7?) and so is the lace ribbon ($4)
*burlap leaves from any fabric store. I got mine from JoAnns for $4/yd.
*all the felt for the rosettes is from JoAnns. these rosettes are super simple to make- there are tutorials all over pinterest for them. all you need is some hot glue and scissors!
*the wooden monogram initial I've had forever...I just mod-podged some new scrapbook paper on it. You can find these letters at any craft store.

I love how it turned out. It was simple enough to do within a few hours but still pretty and full of autumn flair.

ahh...fall. Welcome, welcome!