Fall Fun

Fall for me has always been associated with the beginning of another school year, and it probably always be. But this fall was different in a way because not only was it the beginning of another school year but also it felt like our new beginning here in Michigan, of us all exploring our new surroundings and enjoying every minute of it. One of the things we loved about living in Minnesota was all of the green spaces, but here in Grand Rapids nature surrounds us. We have trees and wildlife in our backyard and trees line nearly every road we travel on. This didn't strike us when we visited the area in April to find a house, but it did when we moved here this summer and saw all the green leaves. But these leaves over the past month have transformed into a palette of bright colors. There are colors that only can be found in nature and when the sun shines on them, they take on different hues and are truly brilliant. I've spent a lot of time over the past month traveling around Western Michigan to observe pre-student teachers, and being able to see the amazing colors was by far the highlight of this travel.

We, like much of the rest of the country, have had above average temperatures this fall.With the warm temperatures and the sunshine we were able to enjoy quite a bit of time outdoors. Alyssa gets so excited to go outside and explore, she's even started to say "outside". And Lauren's eyes just dart all around, checking everything out. She's so alert and observant, always taking in all of her surroundings. Alyssa has particularly enjoyed going down the slide in the backyard and landing in a pile of leaves, and she's very meticulous about making sure all the leaves are piled up. She makes sure that none are left under the slide. When she goes down, she'll even lift her arms and say wee!

We've gone to a few different parks in the past several weeks and enjoyed the trees, trails, fresh air, and play equipment. Most of these pictures are from our time at different parks, and while they don't do justice to the colors around us, they do show how much much the girls have enjoyed the time outdoors. We're keeping our fingers crossed that we can continue to be outside for a few more weeks before the weather turns colder and we have to bundle up in snowsuits :)