Life with Dylan

Category: Fall

  • Just another Fall day at the pumpkin patch

    Dylan and I spent some time at the Irvine Regional Park this past weekend.  We wandered the grounds of the Irvine Park Railroad’s Annual Pumpkin Patch and said hello to some animal friends at the OC Zoo’s Zootacular. It was the perfect reminder of how wonderful the simple things in life really are. 

    A beautiful Fall day, walking through a pumpkin patch, listening to children’s laughter and watching the tranquility of an old watermill was just what I needed to help me refocus my priorities in life. 
         
    How often do you take time away from your busy life and enjoy the simple pleasures the world has to offer?

  • Stop the presses! Rain fell in Southern California

    After what seems like forever, Southern California finally had its first big rainfall of the season.

    I can only think of one thing that gets us Southern Californians talking more than a storm and that is earthquakes.

    You see, we don’t have a very visible change of seasons. We pretty much have blue skies and sunshine year round.

    I’m not complaining about the weather, but you can understand why we get so excited when the rain comes.

    I was in awe of the clouds today and the past few days leading up to the rain. In fact, if you follow me on Instagram you might think that I am a tad bit obsessed with clouds.

    Storm clouds are coming.

    It rained – stormy sunrise
    That’s one big rain cloud!

    We didn’t get tons of rain – but enough to wet the roads, clean the car, and get people talking. Oh, and there was thunder and lightening too! I love the sound of the rain – it totally relaxes me. I’m looking forward to more rain and the bright green hills that the rain leaves behind.

    Beautiful skies over the ocean. The worst was yet to come. 

    Do you like the rain?

  • Seasons Change

    I believe that Fall has finally arrived in Southern California. 
    When I was younger, Summer was my favorite season of the year. Spending days at the beach playing in the sand was the best. Now that I am older, Fall has become my favorite time of the year. Cool breezes and colorful leaves are something I will never get tired of. Not to mention my Pumpkin Spice Lattes. 
    What is your favorite season?

  • The Dark Side of Halloween

    This Halloween was one of the best we have had. We started celebrating in early October by decorating the house and getting in the ghostly mood. Then it was time to start making the rounds … visiting the Irvine Railroad Pumpkin Patch, previewing OC Zoo-tacular, attending the ENC Fall Faire, and finally some Brick-or-Treat fun at LEGOLAND California! Whew, I’m exhausted just writing all of the things we did.

    But it didn’t stop there. We still had a pumpkin to carve and some trick-or-treating to do!

    Pumpkin carving has always been something I look forward to doing. It’s another outlet for my creativity – this year, I let Dylan be the creative one. I know, so selfless of me huh?

    He chose a simple design that he thought would be just scary enough for the neighborhood. Evil eyes, no nose, and a monsterish looking mouth filled with sharp teeth.

    The initial cut is always exciting because you never know what you will find inside. Will it be filled with seeds and “guts” that will take major elbow grease to get out, or will it be a hollow pumpkin that only takes a few scrapes to clean out? Dylan’s pumpkin was just about in the middle this year and it didn’t take too long before we started carving away.

    (more…)

  • Fill In The Blank Friday

    So Happy Fall Has Arrived!
    1. Nothing says Fall like… a fresh baked pumpkin pie, butternut squash soup, and Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte!
    2. My favorite autumnal tradition is… The pumpkin patch of course!  And lighting the fall scented candles like pumpkin spice and spiced apple. The house smells amazing during the months of October and November.
    3. My favorite Fall treat is… hot apple cider and fresh baked pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
    4. Fall makes me think of…changes because… as I watch the leaves change colors and the weather become cooler I change my wardrobe and my way of thinking. I tend to spend more time at home reflecting on what I have done over the year and what I will change for next year. 
    5. Autumn free form word association, GO!… gold, brown, merlot, falling leaves, crunchy, apple, pumpkin, turkey, costumes, brisk, boots, sweaters.
    6. My go-to outfit in the fall is… jeans, big sweater and my boots. 
    7. My favorite Fall holiday is (Halloween or Thanksgiving)… Definitely Halloween because I love decorating – and dressing up – and going to the pumpkin patch – and carving pumpkins with my son. I could go on forever. I’m not a huge Thanksgiving person because I really don’t like turkey. I know weird. However, this year I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving too because Dylan and I will be spending it with my Dad in Northern California.
    Share your random thoughts in the comments below 

  • Something Had To Give …

    There come a point in time when you have many so many things going on, deadlines to meet, papers to write, laundry to wash, and as hard as you try to keep all the balls in the air sometimes something has to give. Unfortunately, the ball that I just couldn’t keep in the air was our blog. So, finally someone told me that they have been checking our blog and it still shows Dylan’s birthday from July 2010.

    Once again, I will do a quick recap and try my best to keep up. I promise once school is done in May I will have more time. At least I hope so! In a nutshell, here is what we have been doing:
    DYLAN – excelling at school (2nd grade now), advanced to Wolf Cub Scout, started after-school tennis and science classes, loves reading and of course playing his video games!
    MICHELLE – still working for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, still attending University of Phoenix (BS in Psychology), running a successful business (Shel Cosmetics), single handedly keeping Starbucks in business so I can stay awake on a mere 4 1/2 hours sleep, and of course raising the most wonderful child on God’s planet!

    OK, now for the pictures to get you all caught up …

    Dylan caught a fish!
    Just another summer day at Disneyland …
    First day of school, not a happy camper to get up at 6:30am after sleeping til 9 all summer

    The cutest Anakin Skywalker for Halloween
    Mommy and Dylan self-portrait after Aunt Stephie’s Engagement Party!
    2nd Grade School Picture

  • My Son the Ring Bearer


    Dylan was in “Aunt” Emily’s wedding yesterday and I could not be more proud of the little guy! He did such a good job and looked so handsome in his tux. Dylan and Caroline, the flower girl, got along so well and have very similar personalities. They definitely stole the show as far as cuteness goes … but Emily, oh Emily was a beautiful bride!