- {Bucket List} - Dress up for Halloween -

In light of Harper's obsession with "gogs" [AKA dogs], the Halloween costume choice was pretty easy this year:

^^ The ears/headband lasted a whole three seconds ...eeeven though I wore them around our house like an idiot for a full two weeks before Halloween hoping she'd therefore start liking them also... WRONG [in a Donald Trump voice]. So sadly wrong. 

But ears or not, she's still the cutest little puppy I've ever seen! 

Big props to Daddy for being the tutu-fluffing photo assistant again this year! :)

Happy Halloween!!!

#happyfallyall #bucketlist2016 #:)

- {Bucket List} - Carve the PERFECT pumpkin! -

One of Harper's first words [or maybe the first???] was "ew gross" -- AKA "ew grahhhhhh" -- with the -ahhhhhh being extended on and on for super gross things such as anyone's unpainted toenails or food remnants that she finds smashed and dried under the wheels of her highchair. She rattles off "ew grahhhh" and "oh boyeeeee" [oh boy] on repeat when she has an audience and finds extreme satisfaction when people understand what she's saying and say those words back.  

...And "ew grahhh" is exactly what she thought about this project:

[If the video isn't working, CLICK HERE to watch on Vimeo...]

^^ Many many more unprompted ew grahhhs before I broke the camera out, as you can imagine..... Dang kid never performs! ;) 

In the short time after all the goop was scooped out but before the carving began, Harper decided she was ready for a snack. So she ate while Brian slaved [but still gave several points of approval]...

...and in the end, she loved the finished product! We've been turning off all the lights and lighting the candle and displaying it proudly every evening!  ...After all, it is the PERFECT pumpkin! 

#happyfallyall #bucketlist2016 #:)

- {Bucket List} - Jump in Leaves -

These twooooo and their mutual love for each other...............  My heart literally beats for them!  *heart eye emoji* *heart eye emoji* *heart eye emoji*

On a side note, Brian instantly snaps into a great mood when life's agenda involves anything outdoors, and -- much to his satisfaction -- his mini-me exited the womb the exact same way!  One sniff of nature and these two be instantly flyin' high...

On another side note, Harper has been loving the leaves this fall!  Throwing handfuls of colored leaves and stomping on crunchy brown leaves are definitely at the top of the list, but nothing beats her sweet giggle/clap combo when a gust of wind comes along and blows up a mini-tornado of swirling leaves!

#happyfallyall #bucketlist2016 #:)

- {Bucket List} - Decorate the House -

Be still my fall-loving heart! :) 

 

 #happyfallyall #bucketlist2016 #:)

- {Bucket List} - Pumpkin Patch -

We realized this morning that we're down to the last three squares of toilet paper in the .e.n.t.i.r.e. house [which I'm positive is the first time this has ever EVER happened in my 20-something-year-long life; have I ever posted about my obsession with over-over-OVER-stocking the closets with TP and tampons???].  This said situation ^^ very quickly de-escalated to a struggle: shall we a) sh*t at home and wipe @$$ with paper towels or b) wake up the baby to drive across the street to Wal-Mart to get the TP.....and possibly use their disease-ridden restroom while in the store?! ...

#firstworldproblems 

The debate continued and then pretty soon Brian was like:

Jay to the kay, but seriously.  WHERE BE ALL THE TP????? I'm positive the last time I checked the stash there were 48 rolls left...

In better news...

...we eventually got our sh*t together [no pun intended] and headed out for an awesome day at Rhodes Family Farm! The fun-filled, beautiful-weathered afternoon knocked out two bucket list birds with one stone: go to a pumpkin patch and go through a corn maze! 

Feeding the goats in the petting zoo was the biggest hit of the day!  We gots an animal lovaaa on our hands! 

When we finally made it out to pick a pumpkin, Harper bee-lined to the biggest, most deformed one in the patch... 

Life is so incredibly fun with a lively 18-month old!!! I love her and our family adventures so much! <3

#happyfallyall #bucketlist2016 #:)

- {Bucket List} - Leaf Art -

It's time to go, Van Gogh; there's an up and coming artista on the block! *heart eye emojis all around* 

#happyfallyall #bucketlist2016 #:)

- {Bucket List} - Football Game -

Hut, hut, hiiiiiiiiike.

Football ranks right up down there with golf in my book, but! Cheers for Harper's first Friday-night football game and another check off the bucket list! 

We went to the high school game in town with Brian's parents and our little nephew, Murhpy. Harper and Murph had a blast running around playing [in the misting rain] and cheering on the Wildcats, too! 

Annnnnd that's a winner! 

#happyfallyall #bucketlist2016 #:)

- {Bucket List} - Have a Bonfire -

I don't even care one tiny bit that it's Labor Day weekend and fall doesn't "officially" begin for another 2.5 weeks; we're full speed ahead into autumn around here and checkin' things off our family bucket list like it ain't nobody's business! 

Next thing up: have a bonfire. 

...Okkkk, so we didn't technically have [read: host and burn and enjoy] this bonfire on our 10x20 city-slicker subdivision plot...

...but we hit up "Uncle" Jon's BBQ bash out in the middle of the corn fields and he doesn't waste time messing around with piddly little one-small-flamed fires.  Daddy and Harper pulled up a front row seat to the warmth and glow!

2 checks off the list... 14 to go! 

#happyfallyall #fallbucketlist2016 #:)

- {Bucket List} - Pick Apples at Eckert's -

Cue loud, fast, exciting music for a not-so-exciting annoucement:

Fall bucket list 2016 commences at Eckert's!  

The last time we were here was when Harper was ............well, still just a sperm and an egg. :| But even back then as frolicky and carefree newlyweds, we both noticed all the little kids picking apples and pumpkins and couldn't wait to create a little minion of our own some day and take him/her to the orchard! 

And now, three years later...

Boo was cutting her bottom molars that weekend and was a glutton for paci-sucking and extra snuggling! Of course I easily obliged to both... ;) :)

#happyfallyall #bucketlist2016 #:)

- Happy Fall, Y'all! -

It's fo' rizzle:  fall is here in full swanggg! I thought maybe I just had a wild hair up my @$$ yesterday and would wake up today ready to enjoy warm sunshiney summer again, but nope!  Up at the crack of dawn plucking the half-dead petunias out of the landscaping [are mums on sale yet?], scouring the basement for fall decorations, and passive-aggressively setting the ole' scarecrow in the garage for dear husband to brush the spiderwebs off of and stake down in 'da dirt.  What's that I hear? The high today is only 80 degrees with 45% humidity??! That's what I'm talkin' about.

To put some ice cream on top of the warm apple crisp: Brian and Harper went to Schnucks this morning to get some groceries for a couple Labor Day BBQs we're going to and came home with a 6-pack of Schlafly Pumpkin Ale and oh boy! That just sealed the deal. 

Goodbye, summer. HELLO, FALL!

This is sooo me right now: 

...Now if only we could drop that 80 degree + 45% humidity to like 60 + 0...

But while I'm waiting for ^^ all 'dat to go down, I went ahead and made a 2016 fall family bucket list: 

...and you better believe we'll be checking these off regularly and proudly in the next few months to come! Stayyyy tuned!

#fallbucketlist2016  #happyfallyall  #:):):)