Welcome Autumn

Today is the first "official" day of autumn. In my mind autumn starts on September 1st, but that is neither here nor there.

I've been itching to go back to Thanksgiving Point Gardens. We didn't make it this year for their tulip festival, but I've been before in September and remembered it was just divine.

Sometimes I feel like I say the same ten sentences over and over here, "it was perfect", "the weather was divine", "our kiddos are amazing", etc. I sound like an old broken record that is sappy sweet and you are tired of listening to already.

So I won't say any of those things. I'll just encourage you, if you are from Utah, to check out Thanksgiving Point Gardens. They are glorious (sorry, glorious just slipped in there, I couldn't help it... promise).

Going in the late afternoon creates just the loveliest etherial light.

James was obsessed with watching the river on this bridge. So much so that he had to peek through the slats to see the water flow beneath him.

I wanted to recreate this photo a bit from the same spot when James was four months old. Below is the face James gives us when we ask him to smile. Totally cracks me up. (And click on that link, you won't be disappointed).

Sure glad E knows his way around my camera because I force it on him quite often.

Best smiles? Provided by Daddy who jumped and pretended to fall down. James kept saying "do that again Daddy!"

At the end of the loop we took my waterfall loving boy to see the amazing waterfall feature they have there. He was entranced.

Happy first day of fall.

Blackberries

We went back to our neighbor's house the other day to pick the last of the autumn blackberries. Once we got home James and I had the grand plan to let Juliet try them. So we stripped her down, brought her highchair outside, and I sat back with the camera. She put on quite a show.

 I think it's safe to say she liked them.

James says {almost 34 months old}

James has been talking up a storm lately. I feel like he's made a new developmental leap with his language, he'll remember something we'd said once days before and use it correctly in the right context days later. He keeps us laughing too, that's for sure.

So here are a few of the funny and sweet things he's been saying and a few photos from the other night when James and Juliet were playing with Daddy on the lawn. Adorable if I do say so.

• "I the kitties in my house! Mabel and Rumpus." 
• Nectarines are called "factories", doesn't matter how many times we tell him how to say "nec-tar-ine" he still hears "factories". :)
• James: "Tummy full over here and here" (touching his tummy) Me: "What about near belly button?" James: "Not full there!" And then he proceeds to eats more.
• "I love lovie so much! I like to snuggle him. He's a good friend. Yes, he's a good friend."
• Unprompted: "I love mommy so much. I love dada! I love YOU!"
• "I like grandpa Craig, I like to snuggle him. I like to snuggle the whole family."
• "Dry season and rainy season in the rain forest! I know these things." Hahaha!! He heard this on Go Diego Go but I thought it was so funny that he added "I know these things!"
• Woke up on the wrong side of the bed and said "I woke up a little cranky" 
• When hiking Daddy told him to slow down and enjoy the scenery (he's been known to run the entire hike), he said "I'm working out!" 
• "Daddy's coming home. I want to hug him!"
• Me: "Are you still cranky like cranky the crane?" (a silly character in Thomas the Train). James: "Yes." Me: "I want you to be happy like Thomas." James: "No please." 
• "There's my kitty! He's my best friend."
•  "I need daddy! I'm missin' him I love you so much." 
• Last morning is how he says yesterday or anything that happened earlier. He tells me all the time stuff like "last morning I had a tumble right here" or "last morning I didn't eat breakfast and was feeling sad."
• While leaning backwards on a chair he said "look over here Mommy! What is it? It's a delicious tummy! Come and get it!" meaning he wanted me to come kiss his tummy.
• James: "I'm ready for a nap." Me: "Can you eat more lunch?" James: "Plllleeease?!" Me: "Can you have two more bites?" James: "Pllleeeasssse? I'm ready for a nap!" He really loves nap time and asks for one every day and if I tell him it's not time, he'll pull out the long "plllleeeasssseee..." that I always cave to. 
• While running around Juliet "running around the snuggle bunny! Running around the snuggle bunny!"
• "I'm so stinkn' cute. I'm a smarty pants!"
• "I'm givin' lovie snugs. I'm making more snugs to lovie!"
•  "It was nighttime last morning!"
•  "That's bees! I don't trust them!" when seeing some honeybees on the tv.
• When Juliet would drop her toy he told Daddy "she cracks me up!"

And one of Juliet and Daddy, because these two... I can't even...

And James playing with "the snuggle bunny".

Rolled away. "That cracks me up."

This darling girl {and a video}

This darling little girl has my heart.

And boy oh boy is she fun to dress.

And here is a video of this sweet baby babe.

The golden hour {Red Butte Garden}

Photographers refer to the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset "the golden hour". The light hangs low in the sky and everything glistens in gold. This is especially true in the fall and the spring, when the light is particularly golden.

Since the weather has been perfect and the kiddos happy, E and I decided to pack a picnic dinner and bring it to Red Butte Garden tonight.

There really isn't a lot to tell (you've read tons about Red Butte on my blog already!) other than if you are in Salt Lake, and you haven't been to Red Butte, you are really missing out.

I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

After I complained about her horrible sleep a couple of days ago, this little girl hardly took any naps for two days and then last night went to bed at 7:30 and didn't wake up until 6:30 this morning!! Hurrah!

How did this become my life? I am so damn lucky. Don't ever take a moment for granted.

Roses in golden hour are more beautiful than any other time.

We brought the picnic basket and had a fantastic picnic. Menu was turkey sandwiches, olives, raspberries, two types of cheeses and crackers and caramel chocolates for dessert. I married wisely.

GOLDEN.

Look at those little wisps of hair on the left side! Some are really getting long! And curly?

My gosh I'm in love.

More Red Butte photos (there are a lot) click on the garden tag. Not all posts are Red Butte, but a lot are.