Our New Beginning in Colorado: 2016 in Pictures

I have read and seen so many negative comments about this past year. It breaks my heart. I truly believe that you have to see the good in the world and when we marinate ourselves in the negativity, it changes our perception on everything. I am refusing to allow the negativity into my house and into my mind. Life is full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, it is what makes us human and this time on Earth meaningful. This year was amazing for me and my family and I would love to share how and why!

In January.... I met my cousin Sheldon because we so happen to live in the same state now! This was actually a picture taken on New Years of 2016! My kids still try to call him "Uncle Sheldon" all the time and it makes me giggle but this was an amazing milestone for our family! I honestly could not think of a better way to ring in the New Year and I am looking forward to continuing this again this year!

I also became a Nanny to help with my families finances and my kids registered for school here in Colorado for the first time! This is also about the time I started contemplating on bringing back and revamping my blog... at least the first time I mentioned it to my family out-loud.  

In February... everything was CRAZY! We experienced our first Snow Storm and the boys had their first taste of a snow day! There was actually snow non-stop for 3 days! The picture above was from the first day... maybe I should have shared the last day where our car was buried?! LOL

Spring Football for Little Man and Spring Soccer for Goalie also began, although it did not look or feel like spring at all! This was their first experience with sports in Colorado.

We also enjoyed a fun Super Bowl party (again with my amazing cousin, Sheldon) and he was pied in the face MULTIPLE TIMES because of his Super Bowl bets.

I also made the big decision to bring back my blog and renamed it, Pinot Noir and Prayers!

In March... We enjoyed our first Easter in Colorado! Unfortunately, we missed Mass because I was new to the whole "defrosting your vehicle before you can drive it when it's freezing outside" thing. I learned some valuable lessons in cold weather living.

This is also the month we surprised the boys and redid their entire room with Star Wars bedding and decor! They were the happiest little boys in the world!

Our first Easter in Colorado Springs was absolutely amazing and a wonderful way to end March.

In April...  we were able to enjoy the outdoors more and I spent more one on one time with my baby boys. We did a lot of Kids in the Kitchen and Clean Eating too.

This was my final month as a stay-at-home mom. I did Nanny a few times during the week but it was only for a few hours. I volunteered at the school as much as possible and finally got Goalie back on track for his therapies.

In May... we attended our first ever baseball game! It was an awesome experience! Check out Colorado Rockies: Our First Baseball Game for more pictures and fun. 

This was the end of the school year for the boys and the beginning of our first summer vacation in Colorado. I began my new job this month too!

We also enjoyed a Kentucky Derby Party. 

In June... we always celebrate A LOT! We have Little Man and my husband's birthday plus our 2nd Wedding Anniversary and Father's Day all within two weeks! It was Harry's 31st and Little Man's 9th birthday this year and we celebrated them together with a Finding Dory theme and went to watch the movie as a family.

We bought a membership to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and went on several breath taking hikes, including the Seven Falls. 

 In July... Little Man was able to train as an Altar Server at our new parish. In Florida, he had already been serving for a year so he was excited he was able to start in our new church too!

This month was full of Reading, swimming and working out!

In August... we had a 4th grader and a kindergartner! This was the start of the boys first full year at school in Colorado. 

My husband and I made a promise to plan dates to have special time together too.

This was the month I was invited into The Zelie Group and it has been an amazing experience so far!

In September... our family grew! We adopted two more cats, Shadow and Cloudy because we felt that they would be special additions to the family even though they were 10 and 6 at the time of their adoption. We were right! You would never guess they were older because they are just as active as our spunky 2 year old cat, Lemon!

We had our first experience at the Labor Day Lift Off!

We also became a scouting family and joined the Cub Scouts! We have a Lion Scout, which is a pilot program, so we are one of the first! And a Webelow! I'm still new at this so I would love some suggestions on how to help the boys with their badges etc.

We attended my cousin's wedding in Kansas and Little Man was an Altar Server! I also volunteered to be a catechist at the church.

In October... we finished our second seasons of football and soccer! Both boys had an amazing season! They learned so much and made some amazing friends. 

I received my first Little Catholic Box this month as a gift from my dad! 

The boys received their Cub Scout uniforms and attended their first big event as a Scout, the Boy Scout Centennial Campout! They shot BB guns for the first time and made their very own emergency cable bracelets. 

This was Goalie's birthday month and he turned 6! To celebrate we visited Diana's Pumpkin Patch and the boys even earned a Cub Scout Patch for completing the corn maze!

We were forced to buy a new car this month as well because our older one decided to crack an engine block while my husband was driving home from work one night.

This was our first Halloween dressing up together and we decided on a Star Wars theme: Little Man was a Flame Trooper, Goalie was Captain Rex, my husband was Darth Vader and I was a Storm Trooper. It was so much fun, I can't wait to plan another family costume.

In November... was filled with amazing food! We were blessed to attend a Friendsgiving and still do a traditional Thanksgiving at home and invited new friends to share the experience with us! 

We also participated in our first Turkey Trot (yes, we did dress like turkeys!)

Let's not forget...Goalie lost his first baby tooth!

This month was the end of our OFFICIAL first year in Colorado. We have learned so much and are ready to fill this next year with more neat experiences!

In December...there is so much to share, I barely know where to begin!

I was asked to join the committee at church to help with our Parish Faith Nights and this month was my very first one! It was Advent themed and we made Craft Advent Wreaths and sang songs.

I won a Mass Box during a Giveaway and hosted my first ever Giveaway during December!

We attended the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Electric Zoo Safari as a family! So many beautiful lights and even got a chance to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus while we were there.

Goalie was in a Winter Musical Production called the Big Chill at school and both boys won awards for Outstanding Student and their participation in the 100 Mile Club!

I also have found myself pulled into the Bullet Journal craze and am currently working on my first ever Bujo and adding some Liturgical Pages and trackers along with so much more!

To end this month, I was able to watch my children sing in the Christmas Eve Christmas Choir and it just made my heart so full, I could have burst! There were so not so fun things that we endured this year but as you can see, the good far out weighed the bad! And it will continue to be that way as long as we realize all the amazing blessings around us and never forget what is important! How was 2016 for you and your family? I hope it was filled with many blessings and that the upcoming year is even more amazing. You still have a couple more days before the end of 2016... let's go out in a bang! I am linking this with Revolution of Love.

God Bless!

Menu Plan Monday: October 31- November 6

With all the Halloween fun yesterday, I am a day late sharing my Menu Plan Monday post. I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween but remember that today, All Saints' Day is the TRUE celebration. This was apparently the warmest Halloween our area has had in awhile... I honestly wouldn't know since it was our first Halloween here but it was amazing! Here is a little sneak peak into our Halloween celebration yesterday:

This was our first year doing a family costume and it really was a big hit! We all had a blast and the kids are excited to plan our next Halloween family costume. I'll be sharing more about our Halloween later on and I am prepping the house for our All Saints' Day Celebration this evening! I can't wait to see pictures of all the All Saints' Day Celebrations today! Here is our family menu:

Monday: Halloween

Chili (Friends' home)

Tuesday: All Saints' Day

Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs

Wednesday: All Souls' Day

Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Thursday: Feast of Saint Martin de Porres

Ratatouille

Friday: Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo

Vegetable Soup

Baked Apples for Dessert

Saturday: Lantern Festival

Crockpot Salsa Chicken Tacos

Sunday:

Chicken and Dumplings

My Sunday Best: All Saints' Edition

This Tuesday is All Saints' Day and there are only 4 more Sundays until Advent begins! I am also ashamed to say that we have missed Mass the past two weeks due to not feeling well, having one car working properly and just playing catch up. Goalie was actually upset when we were leaving after CCD today but we should be on track soon. Praying and fingers crossed!

I am also disappointed that I did not get a picture of myself and Goalie before I changed into my "I'm in a rut" clothes and got comfy on the couch with a blanket. These past few weeks have been super hard. Broken down car, being sick and fighting the depression and anxiety that become so much harder to deal with in difficult situations. I can share a cute picture of Little Man though. 

Here is Little Man's Sunday Best, he is dressed as Saint Dominic. The Black cape was suppose to be connected at the neck but I could not find a safety pin to keep it together this morning. He is wearing a large white shirt (suppose to look like a tunic) with black pants and a black "cape" which looks more like a veil from this picture. He has a rosary and was pretty pleased with his 1 minute costume. Little Man was dressed as Saint Dominic to do a presentation on him during CCD today.

I had asked the children in my CCD class to pick and research a saint they would like to learn about. Well, I only had three children dress up but I was very impressed with the amount of effort the kids put into their research and saints. I am hoping to share the other costumes on this post later after I have permission from the children's parents. 

After the saint presentations, I discussed some old Christian Halloween traditions and how they have evolved into the modern Halloween we know nowadays. The kids were really interested in the Soul Cakes and story of the Jack O' Lantern. You can find more information on those topics and more on my Seven Ways to Have a Very Catholic Halloween and {JEI}: All Saints' Day. Overall, I think having a small break from our books and getting some hands on learning was fun, exciting and the kids learned a lot about some of their favorite saints. I even shared information about my Confirmation Saint (Saint Bernadette) and encouraged them to keep learning about the saints because they also get to pick a saint in their Confirmation. 

Remember All Saints' Day is Tuesady! My boys will be dressed up as Saint Dominic and Saint Joseph so make sure to come checkout my pictures on Instagram later in the week!

This was my Sunday Best but I'll try to update with a picture from our All Saints' Day Mass!

God Bless!

Boys Scouts: Centennial Family Campout

This year my family made the jump into Scouting. Little Man is a Cub Scout, a Webelow to be exact, and Goalie is a Lion Scout, which is a new program that is being piloted this year for Kindergarten aged boys. This new adventure has already made my kids so happy and I am so glad we decided to give the Boy Scouts a try. The first BIG event we participated in was the Centennial Family Campout.

When we first arrived to the Campout location, all the troops present participated in an absolutely beautiful Flag Presentation complete with horse calvary. Both of the boys stood and watched the Presentation with such reverence and stood with a Scout Salute during the Pledge of Allegiance. I can tell you that seeing that I am raising my children with a love of God and Country has become one of those things that can bring this mommy to tears.

I love that the Scouts offer uniforms for the children that participate in their programs. I was raised in a military family and learning to have respect for the meaning behind a uniform is something that has ben instilled in me and I hope that I pass that along to my children. I am absolutely IN LOVE with the morals that the Scouts teach to the children.

The Boy Scout Oath is as follows:

On my honor, I will do my best 

To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; 

To help other people at all times; 

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

To start off the day we made our very own paracord bracelets! The boys actually have several of these because they like the look and they are aware that in emergencies that the cords can be used to help you survive.

In addition to learning important things when you are out in the wilderness, the Boy Scouts brought the wilderness with them to show the kids and teach them about animals and their habitats!

Two big events that happen when you are a Scouting family is the Soap Box Derby and the Pine Wood Derby. Both events involve creating a vehicle to compete with in a race. Well, at the Centennial Campout we were able to make potato cars! We made cars from potatoes and raced them down a ramp. I think the boys learned that peeling potatoes takes a lot of work!

Have you ever attended a Lowe's event called Build & Grow? I think all kids' should have the chance to build something with their hands and this program is a great way to do it! There was a Build & Grow station inside one of the vendor buildings and the boys had such a great time building their very own boats! What made it so much more fun was that they had to rely on the instructions because there were so many people attempting to complete these boats that the attendants were very busy! The boys had so much pride in their hard work and it really was heart warming to see them work together to complete their boats.

As an adult, I have NEVER seen rope be made. I was able to experience that for the first time and watch my boys make it! Their favorite part was playing tug-of-war after all the hard work of creating the rope was completed.

In addition to the crafts, vendors and displays, there were several survival areas that allowed the children to learn survival skills. One such skill was how to light a fire. Unfortunately, the boys only created sparks and never actually got a fire going but they are so ready to give it another try. They have been begging to go out and start a fire so we can roast marshmallows for s'mores and cook some hotdogs. 

Archery was a tough task to master but both boys were super excited to give it a try for the first time. Neither got a bullseye but they have been asking when they can have another chance to practice.

To end our time at the Centennial Celebration we had to end on a high note. What's better than BB guns to children? Nothing! My boys were crawling out of their skin while waiting in line to tryout the BB guns. They had a briefing on "Range Safety". I loved that they even had the boys request permission to enter and leave the range. 

I do not think we could have had a better experience out at the Boys Scout Centennial Family Campout and i can guarantee you that we will be participating in the Boys Scouts upcoming events. I have never had any contact with the Boy Scouts prior to my children wanting to be involved but I think that these group of men and boys will really be a great influence on my boys and teach them lifelong skills. If you have been thinking about finding something to have fun with the entire family, Scouting is the way to go!

{JEI}: All Saints' Day

Welcome to the weekly link-up recently turned Blog-Hop Just Enough Info: JEI for short. This lovely Blog-Hop is hosted by The Zelie Group and we would love for you to join us! This week we are discussing All Saints' Day! Let's get started with this week's questions:

1. How do you celebrate the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day feasts? 

Where to begin?! There are so many things that I like to do to celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. I have already shared some of these activities through my Seven Ways to a Have a Very Catholic Halloween. In preparation for All Saints' Day we celebrate Halloween. We dress up and do the whole "trick-or-treat" thing and we spend time together as a family watching movies and discussing what the TRUE meaning behind Halloween and All Saints' Day. 

On All Saints' Day we dress up as our favorite Saints and decorate our home altar and home accordingly. There are prayer cards, saint pictures and metals hanging from all sorts of places on this special feast day. Little Man ALWAYS dresses as Saint Dominic de Guzman. Goalie has been Saint Michael the Archangel several times but I think he wants to be Saint Joseph this year. We spend our day praying for those who gave us treats on Halloween and for the Saints' intercessions. We also enjoy some foods that we make during Liturgical celebrations in honor of our favorite Saints!

All Souls' Day is very similar. We pray for those in our families that have passed away and I am in the process of creating a "Book of the Dead" that has old family photos and other family information inside that can be brought out on this day to pray that our family members have all made it through the gates of Heaven. I began working on this several months ago but I did not complete just yet so it may not be unveiled until next year.

2. What was your favorite costume as a kid growing up? 

Honestly, I have never been a huge fan of dressing up until I became a Mommy! When I was little I was your typical princess or other dressed up little girl and I think i remember dressing up as a baby one year! Yeah that's right... I dressed up like a baby. Thinking back, I just did the bare minimum to achieve my trick-or-treat candy. 

Now is a completely different story! My boys really like me to dress up with them or face paint or something so I always try my best to impress them. I love to see those adorable smiles and hear those sweet little laughs.

3. What candy are you most likely to “test for safety” from the kiddo’s loot?

We have lived in a VERY small town for a VERY long time so we never really had to check the kids candy. We literally knew everyone handing it out and it was never a huge concern. Now we live in an area where we don't know many people and I am sure that this year will be completely different. I will be throwing out any candy that does not look tightly wrapped or that is a brand I have never heard of... just to be extra safe. I try my best to always to assume the best of people but my little boys' safety is something I do not mess around with!

Thank you for joining me for another week of Just Enough Info!

You have all week to answer this week's questions about All Saints' Day:

1. How do you celebrate the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day feasts? 
2. What was your favorite costume as a kid growing up? 
3. What candy are you most likely to “test for safety” from the kiddo’s loot?

Next week we will be discussing Sports and Exercise:

1. What sports do your kids play?

2. What do you do for exercise? 

3. In the Mom Olympics, what would your event be?


The Zelie Group has some fun questions coming up in the next few weeks so make sure to follow us on Facebook and we would love to hear what you are interested in! What are you looking to learn about? Do you have questions about the Faith? Questions about the Liturgical Year? We want to help and learn and grow with you and your families!

Also stop by the new Page I created on my blog for new information concerning The Zelie Group. It is a work in progress but it has a good start!

#WorthRevisit: Saint Bernadette

The feast of All Saints Day is right around the corner so I thought it would be a great time to share about my Confirmation Saint! Here is my #WorthRevisit with Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You:

Monday, April 16, 2012

A Special Birthday and Feast Day

First of all let me start by saying...


Happy 85th Birthday Pope Benedict XVI!

PRAYERS FOR BENEDICT XVI:

V. Let us pray for Benedict, our Pope.

R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. [Ps 40:3]

Our Father, Hail Mary.

O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

— Excerpted from the Roman Missal. A partial indulgence is attached to the versicle and response.~ Catholic Culture

In honor of the Pope's Birthday I discussed his Coat of Arms with the boys. I printed this coloring page but we didn't have time to color them today. We will continue celebrating the Pope's Birthday tomorrow with some cupcakes and coloring pages. Another great way to make today feel special is to bring yellow roses into your home. I wish I knew where to find some near my home but I am thinking about planting some maybe next year?

In addition to Pope Benedict's Birthday it is also the Feast day of Saint Bernadette Soubirous(My Confirmation Patron Saint) Today is a very special day for our family! There are actual several feast days that commemorate Saint Bernadette but we celebrate them all. Who doesn't love a reason to have a celebration with friends and family? Saint Bernadette has always had a special place in my heart and in my faith as I grew as a young adult. I admired the strength of heart that she possessed although her health and body were weak. I hope that one day every person can feel the love of Jesus and Mary, our blessed Mother the way Bernadette could. I am striving to be more like Saint Bernadette, to offer my sufferings as reparations for my sins and those of the whole world, to love God in such a way that it emits from me and my family and have patience and understandings that this world is not our real home.

You can place your petitions at the Grotto of Lourdes through this website here. The Grotto is where Bernadette dug into the mud and created a spring that is a special place of pilgrimage in Lourdes, France. It is a place that many miracles of healing has occurred.

Some of my most favorite quotes from Saint Bernadette are...

"O Jesus and Mary, let my entire consolation in this world be to love you and to suffer for sinners."

"O Jesus, I would rather die a thousand deaths than be unfaithful to you!"

"I must die to myself continually and accept trials without complaining. I work, I suffer and I love with no other witness than his heart. Anyone who is not prepared to suffer all for the Beloved and to do his will in all things is not worthy of the sweet name of Friend, for here below, Love without suffering does not exist."

"I shall spend every moment loving. One who loves does not notice her trials; or perhaps more accurately, she is able to love them."

"O my Mother, to you I sacrifice all other attachments so that my heart may belong entirely to you and to my Jesus."

"I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home. There I shall find my Mother in all the splendor of her glory. I shall delight with her in the joy of Jesus himself in perfect safety."

"From this moment on, anything concerning me is no longer of any interest to me. I must belong entirely to God and God alone. Never to myself."

"Love overcomes, love delights"

"Those who love the Sacred Heart rejoice."

"Jesus, my God, I love you above all things."

If you are interested in learning more about this special woman you can read A Holy Life: The Writings of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. I have never been able to finish this book but I hope to read it fully very soon. I will be watching The Song of Bernadette tonight with my boys. My husband will even be home in time to join in the showing. We will be praying a Rosary together as a family and hopefully get back into the routine of reciting it together as a family each night. Today was definitely fun and spiritually strengthening!

Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us!

Saint Bernadette, Pray for us!

Menu Plan Monday: October 24- October 30

This will be our first week with NO sports activities! I am kind of in shock and still looking at my planner double and triple checking I haven't missed something. This is also the last week of October and the chilly air is getting a bit chillier so I am looking forward to some hearty soups and crockpot meals! This week's menu is very simple. We still have some activities that were planned for this week and I am working a little extra with the holidays coming up so quickly. I'll be sharing more recipes again soon, hopefully starting this week! Here is my Menu Plan Monday post for this week's linkup:

Monday:

Leftovers

Tuesday:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Wednesday:

Dinner with the Football Parents

Thursday:

Butternut Squash Soup

Friday:

No Meat Chili

Saturday:

Halloween Party

Sunday:

Grilled Chicken with Veggies and Rice

Seven Best Animated Halloween Movies for Your Family

Last week I shared Seven Ways to Have a Very Catholic Halloween and I am still feeling inspired by the Autumn crisp air to share my seven favorite Halloween movies to watch every year with my family for this week's Seven Quick Takes. This list is not the only list of Halloween movies we get into each year but I figured the animated movies might be the most family friendly.

***This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links, I may receive a small commission. This does not change the price of the product for you but would help support the advancement of this blog and my family. Thank you in advance!***

{ONE}

The Halloween Tree

The Halloween Tree is a movie from my childhood. I would watch this movie with my brother and sister every year during the Halloween season and a few times throughout the year. I think what I like most about this animated movie is that it explains the origins of certain Halloween ideas. Witches, skeletons, monsters and mummies are all used as decorations and costume ideas during Halloween but why? This movie explains the history in a kid friendly and eye captivating story. If you enjoy the movie, you should even take a chance on the The Halloween Tree book! There are a few variations from the movie to the book but both are favorites in my house. 

{TWO}

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Is there anyone who hasn't seen this amazingly classic movie?! I am absolutely in LOVE with all the Charlie Brown tales but this one is my second favorite (A Charlie Brown Christmas is my ultimate favorite!) This was the first year my children were able to watch this movie with me and they fell in love with it too. At the pumpkin patch Goalie kept searching for "the Great Pumpkin" and even after choosing a pumpkin to carve wanted to stay in the pumpkin patch. Adorable! 

{THREE}

Nightmare Before Christmas

Honestly, I get a little afraid of some of the Tim Burton films but this one I really enjoy. This has been a family tradition to watch this movie around Halloween for the past several years because while we lived in Florida, we spent the Halloween season with a family that LOVED Tim Burton films and they watched them year round but especially during the month of October because their son couldn't get enough of the intriguing tales. My boys followed suit and always request this classic movie.

{FOUR}

Halloween is Grinch Night

Dr. Seuss had an amazing gift of connecting to children through the adorable and catchy stories he shared with the world. Halloween is Grinch Night is normally run as a Halloween special on PBS or other kid-friendly TV stations. It is included in the Holiday collection of Dr. Seuss and Green Eggs and Ham and Other Stories. I remember watching this cartoon as a child and I still enjoy watching it to this day. Dr. Seuss will always be a part of my families life because he was just an amazing writer and knew how to share a good story. 

{FIVE}

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Disney has always been a pot lock of extraordinary movies to share with your family. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is no different! I was lucky enough to get this movie to share with my boys for another first Halloween movie screening this year. It is always so entertaining to watch your children go from moving a mile a minute to being completely enthralled into a movie. I remember watching this film and being afraid of the headless horseman. Apparently my children are way more brave than me because they weren't afraid at all and watched this movie twice in one night!

{SIX}

Hotel Transylvania

This is a more recent film and I love that they just came out with Hotel Transylvania 2. I really enjoy the perception in the film that the monsters are afraid of humans. The backward twist I think makes the scary things of Halloween to become no scare at all. This is a catchy movie so be ready to hear the kids singing songs and dancing while watching this film. 

{SEVEN}

Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest

Goalie is addicted to anything Curious George and we have probably watched this movie daily since September! The music, the animation and the beautifully written story are perfect for a family movie night! Little Man likes to pretend he doesn't like to watch this movie but he will even ask his younger brother if he wants to watch this film constantly. Check out the story of No-Noggin the Scarecrow and watch how Curious George enjoys the season of Halloween in the country with the Man in the Yellow Hat. You won't be disappointed!

I created a Colorado Autumn Bucket List several months ago and I had to include Halloween movies. This is just a small list of the movies we have enjoyed as a family this year and I hope that you are able to enjoy these and many more with your families while there is that crisp chill in the air so you can snuggle in some blankets, enjoy some hot cider and buttery tasting popcorn!

God Bless!

Autumn Hometown Hunt: Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze

Our family has thoroughly enjoyed the variety of family fun activities that are available to us in this amazing place we call home. It just wouldn't be Autumn without a trip to a Pumpkin Patch! Living in a state that has many farms, there were a lot of locations to chose from. Originally, when I created the Colorado Autumn Bucket List we thought Anderson's Farms would be a great location but I did not look to see how far of a drive it was at first. We picked a farm that was not necessarily closer but allowed us to avoid tons of traffic. Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze did not disappoint!

Once we arrived, we had to take your typical family picture together. I sometimes forget how hard it is to get a good picture of us all together, smiling and looking at the camera at the same time! I really like how cute this picture turned out. 

I don't know if you can really see that we are all wearing matching shirts but we are! I am "that mom" and I love dressing my family alike and having my boys were similar and/or matching outfits during special events. I honestly don't know why seeing us dressed accordingly brings me so much joy but it truly does and thank goodness my boys have accepted it and don't put up to much of a fight when I set out the outfits.

I LOVED that Diana's Pumpkin patch offered this adorable photo opportunity with their "How Tall this Fall" sign. It is crazy to me that these two boys were once so little they were inside my belly! Look at them! Both over 4 feet tall! I think the backdrop of the corn stalks made this even better because you can see how tall those amazing things get too.

We are Florida natives and we are accustomed to playing in the white sand beaches often. This wondrous corn bin was more exciting than any sand pit my boys have ever played in before. Little Man and Goalie both took turns burying each other and making corn angels as Goalie called it.  

My husband is a big kid at heart and thought that the corn bin looked like too much fun for him to not join in! He took his boots off and jumped into the corn bin and the boys instantly started to bury him. I am so glad that everyone enjoyed themselves. Plus the nice shade from the covering was a welcomed break from the sun. 

When we decided to purchase a few drinks to calm every one's thirst I noticed a sign for Boy Scout patches. We just recently joined the Boy Scouts as a family this past year and we have had a blast so far! I couldn't pass up the chance to but these for my boys. It took us about an hour to complete the corn maze This small patch will be something that will remind my boys of the awesome time we had together as a family and make them just a little bit more proud to be a Scout!

Here's a few more pictures of our experience on the farm at Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze:

Rubber Duckie Race

My Little Pumpkin Patch! 

One of the best things about Diana's Pumpkin Patch is that the price of admission includes all the great activities AND a pumpkin! We walked through the Corn Maze, took a Hay Ride, played in the corn bin and tried out the other play areas throughout the farm. 

Here are our perfect pumpkins! My boys watched The Great Pumpkin for the first time and that is all the boy's spoke about while we were searching through the patch for our pumpkins. You have to have the perfect pumpkin to carve a great Jack O' Lantern. 

This last picture is what I live for! My sweet boys had such a blast at the pumpkin patch and devoured their caramel apples so fast that they just passed out in the Jeep! Remember your children won't stay small forever so give them an extra hug and kiss while you can. I know mine are getting tons! I hope that you and your family are enjoying Autumn and making memories. If you are in Colorado, I highly suggest taking the drive to Diana's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze!

God Bless!