Early September bits & pieces

I've noticed a distinct change in the air: mornings are cooler, breezes are more refreshing, and I'm consistently seeing temps in the 60's at some point in any given 24-hr period. There is so much chatter about PSL and "fall bucket lists" and scarves and pumpkin-everything. I love fall so much (as quippy as that may sound) and I'm eager for a true fall, which we didn't experience in Texas. All that said, as a rule, I want to be as thankful for the previous season as I am excited for the next.

My favorite little things right now, on the edge of summer and fall:

• Cooper finding his voice more and more! Squeals and squeaks and exclamations of "Ah!" followed by huge smiles. Gosh, we love him.
• A trip to the outlets to find a few more things for Nicholas for work. We left after breakfast, packed snacks for the drive, listened to some of the Meateater podcast in the car. I wore Cooper, and we had such a good (and fruitful!) morning as a family of three.
• Rearranging and cleaning and generally making our home more cozy. We spent about 8 hours on Sunday vacuuming and moving the mattress and bed, and removing dresser drawers so we could move the dresser. etc. Simply moving the bed from one side of the room to the other significantly increased the cozy factor for our bedroom.
• Planning gift knits and making a list of current and future projects, nearing the finish line with my Vertices Unite shawl
• A walk at the local arboretum with my friend Lauren and her little girl :)
• Mrs Meyer's fall-scented candles (apple cider and acorn spice are my favorites)
• Watching the first episode of this season of The Great British Bake Off. I'm looking forward to watching one episode at a time, like TV used to be like in the pre-Netflix era. ;) We watched it after we were in our pjs, Cooper was asleep, and while enjoying a tray of coffee and almond cookies. (I know I'm not the only one who must bake in anticipation or in response to watching an episode).
• Cooper taking two hour naps on my chest. It doesn't happen all the time, but if I can anticipate a long nap coming, where I'll be immobile, I make sure to refill my water bottle, and have the remote and my phone close, some easy knitting (socks for N in this case), and sometimes a snack.
• Coffee dates with my sister-in-law. We get coffee together rather frequently, but this most recent time, we sat down and had coffee for here, and lingered and talked and rocked the carseat while Cooper got an awesome nap. Katelyn meal-planned and I knit and it was so wonderful.
• A new giraffe toy for Cooper
• My boys snuggling at church and on a family walk
• Sneaking outside to look at the sunrises nearly every weekday (and the sunrising later every morning)
• Visiting the farmer's market with Katelyn. And eating corn from the farmer's market. My goodness it was so good.
• Planning for Cooper's first trip to the apple orchard (this and his first beach trip feel significant to me)
• Seeing Cooper reach for toys and interact more. He is getting more and more able to entertain himself on the play mat when he gazes at the high contrast sections and reaches for toys. He loves the "crinkly" texture/sounds as well. And he has a little elephant lovey that he can hold onto (sometimes) if only to chew on it ;)
• Browsing for baby sock patterns that will knit up larger than a newborn size. He's already outgrown the socks I made for him!
• Hanging up some art in the apartment, finally
• Celebrating Labor day with a cookout and a few rounds of cornhole
• A walk between breaks in the rain, noticing the beginning of red leaves

It's not truly fall yet, but I am eager for sweaters and all things fall, and of course, eager to pull out some of my hand-knits that will likely see more use in a Midwestern climate. In a week or two, I'll pick up some tiny squash for fall decor and keep my eyes open for a fall wreath for our front door. What are your favorite things about this time of year?