Hello, Fall.

Do you remember the first leaf that you touched? I know I don't. My daughter, Eleanore, doesn't. Charlie probably won't. But its one of those things that I imagine must have been magical.

I watched Charlie twirl and crinkle his leaf in his hands, crunch it between his tiny stubby fingers, rub it across his face and then pull it away at the feel of its rough edges. My heart slowed down, trying to hold time back with it, so that I could live in the moment for just a few seconds longer.

I remember Eleanore's first leaf too, but not quite as clearly. Her Aunt had sent her a fluffy package full of leaves, all the way to Texas from Portland Oregon. Even the envelope itself, smelt like the northwest. At the time, we lived in a 2nd story apartment, so I took her outside and one by one, we dropped them off of the balcony and watched them flutter to the ground. For the rest of the season, she'd take every found leaf to an elevated area, hold it up into the air, and drop it, even if it only landed right at her feet. Alright so maybe my memory on that wasn't as faded as I expected it to be.

I'm a sucker for the seasons, particularly fall and winter. I embrace everything that they have to offer. Before I had kids, I liked the seasons, but that's as far as it went. Just a crush. Now that I've got two children who soak everything up like a sponge spilt in pumpkin spice latte (like how I tossed the psl reference in there), I feel the need to turn every little thing, into a big thing. My crush turned into a full blown romance. Leaves- laying in them, painting them, capturing them and setting them free. Cold air- wearing scarves, putting on mittens, knee socks and leg warmers. Warm autumn flavors- pumpkin, apple cider, cinnamon and nutmeg, nutmeg, nutmeg. Christmas movies in September. Holiday scented candles at 8am. "Happy fall" note cards, decorated with paper coffee mugs, to all of our friends and family.

Do you have any fall traditions? We've got a few so far, but we're always looking for more excuses to get our hands dirty and take pictures of new memories. Fall is our absolute favorite time of year, and if we can, we'd like to pack every single day full of hot chocolate and marshmallow crafts.

We'd love to read about what you do with your kids. You could even upload some of your fall family adventure pictures to our new Flickr group? I get easily inspired by other Mothers, and would love to peek into your seasonal lives if you're willing to share.