31 Days of Halloween: Days 1-4

The first day of the Halloween countdown is finally here! I've only been looking forward to this day for...oh, about 11 months. We're just five days into October but I've already seen tons of fall decor and pumpkin crafts and recipes floating around Instagram. Needless to say, I'm so, so excited to see what everyone's been up to. As for us, we couldn't help ourselves and got a head start on fall festivities in September. This season comes and goes so fast we want to cram in as many pumpkin farm outings and harvest festivals as possible. 

For anyone just joining in on the fun, you can read all about our countdown linkup here. And if you're looking for Halloween inspiration, head on over here. Otherwise, go ahead and grab a button and link up below! This week's linkup is open until October 11th, and a new one starts each Wednesday for the next month. You can also follow along on Instagram #cdtohalloween16 

It's just not October without a trip or two to the pumpkin patch. The more the better. In case you missed it, I talked all about our two visits, and shared about a hundred photos. Give or take. Highlights for Ez: lifting and moving each and every pumpkin that he could physically lift and move. Highlights for Declan: rolling and throwing all the mini pumpkins. Highlights for me: Cinderella pumpkins in every color. I can never have enough. Highlights for Joe: Seeing the rest of us happy ;)

This past weekend we gathered Gangy and Grampa and made a visit to our favorite corn maze. This is a classic must-do fall activity for me, and it did not disappoint. Lots of stomping through dirt, examining corn cobs up close, a train ride, and giant checkers - a little something for everyone. Bonus points for the muddy bubble bath the boys took afterward.

I'm not sure who was more excited, the kids or me, when I pulled our giant stack of Halloween books from the closet. Most of these are old favorites from the past two years that Ez immediately recognized and wanted to read over and over (I'm looking at you 5 Little Pumpkins & 5 Black Cats)  but we were lucky enough to add Little Blue Truck's Halloween to our collection (thanks Gangy!). We may have one more Halloween book on its way, and I'm hoping it arrives soon because I can't wait to read it to the boys, but for now it shall remain a surprise. If you'd like to check out our 5 favorite Halloween books from last year, click here. We also had a lot of fun doing this cute little 5 Black Cats craft last year.

Summer is officially over when I decide to dust off all my mixing bowls and baking pans and turn on the oven again. We gave it a nice long 2-3 month break but I was ready for some home baked goods last month. Nevermind that the weather wasn't exactly fall weather, we could just crank up the a/c and pretend, right? We started with pumpkin donuts using our brand new donut pan. Not sure how I made it this far in life without one of those. Once I perfect the recipe I'll be sure to share. Next up was apple muffins. And pumpkin spice iced coffee has been on repeat daily. I'm not a huge fan of PSLs, but I love the Coffeemate creamer. Just a splash goes a long way. If you'd like a little glimpse into some of past years fall baking, you can check out a few recipes here.

Thanks for following along!! I love reading what everyone's up to this month. And for an extra dose of festive inspiration, head on over to mingle with our hosts: Courtney, Jamie, and Liz.

  

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