My Five Fall Favorites {Blog Hop}

One of my favorite seasons over the year has always been fall (my all time favorite, however, is spring... it may just be because my birthday marks the first day of Spring most years). I LOVE the smells, the weather and the fun family friendly activities that fall brings. So when my friend, Joann, over at A Mommy's Slice of the Pie proposed that we write about our five favorite things about Fall I already started to write this blog post in my head.

1. Apple Picking 
Last year we started a family tradition of going apple picking in Julian with the kids. I want to continue this tradition every year to get the kids ready for Fall. We had such a fun time wandering around the Raven Hill Orchard and eating apples as we went. My son had such a fun time that when I asked him if he wanted to do it again he asked that we jump in the car now to head out!

2. Pumpkins
I love everything about pumpkins. Using them for decorations, growing them (we have little sprouts coming out of the ground now!) and eating them. I love baking with pumpkin. Its healthy and delicious and the kids love it. My son may even have attempted to eat raw pumpkin in the previous years. And the best part about pumpkins is going to Bates Nut Farm to pick out a few to carve and a few to bake up! Oh, and my favorite pumpkin product of fall? Well... it's gotta be the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks! Yes, I know this doesn't actually have any pumpkin in it but it's oh so yummy!

3. Cool Nights
With the hot heat of August behind us (hopefully) I have really enjoyed the crisp cool air that comes in the evenings. We open all of the windows and the front door while we eat dinner at the table and enjoy the breeze as it sweeps through our home. Such a nice feeling! Plus I love being able to use a comforter again at night. The cool nights also mean that I can start running again in the evenings. I will love having that "me" time back again.

4. Fallen Leaves
Now this may sound silly. Especially because I live in Southern California and we really don't see season changes as drastically as others around the US and world do. But fallen leaves always make me love the season even more. The crunch under my foot and the layer of browns, golds and yellows is always a comforting thing. I also love going to a park with the kids and playing in the leaves. I need to get out and take some snapshots of the kids at the park one of these days! Perfect idea for our next little photo shoot...

5. Less Crowds
Living in a city that's a tourist destination to most usually means that our local hot spots are packed during the summer. Not to mention that the kids are out of school until the new year. But when the new school year starts and most of the tourists go back home I feel as though we have our local spots back to ourselves. The zoo and Sea World can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace and we can play at the beaches without running into or over someone. Not to mention the lines everywhere are a lot shorter. Gotta love that!

So those are my five Fall favorites... what are yours?

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