[Fall Wish List] Check In #1

We're almost halfway done with my self proclaimed Fall season (of October and November) so I thought it would be fitting to have a little check in as to how we are doing on our Fall Wish List.

So far we've...

gone to RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns. This past weekend we had the pleasure of joining Desiree, Scott, Marcus, and Julia for RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns. It was their second time going and our first and seriously, these pictures do not do the event justice. It's just one of those things that you have to see in person to really understand and really take in the whole thing. The basic gist of it is that there are tons of different pumpkin sculptures - they are either single carved pumpkins or pumpkin sculptures made of many carved pumpkins. The detail is amazing and I can only imagine how long it takes to put the whole thing together. Thank you so much for inviting us to tag along, Desiree, we had the best time and were in awe of the beauty!

We've also...

celebrated Halloween with Mickey

decorated for Fall

 made a Halloween craft

 watched a football game (and then some!)

went to TWO pumpkin patches

had some Fall drinks - Caramel Apple Spice and Toasted Graham Latte

OBSESSED with the Fall Starbucks cups! // Fall Starbucks re-useable cup

So far I think we're doing pretty good! I have some Halloween things to check off this weekend and then we're moving on to Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's almost November already... time slow down!

[Countdown to Halloween] Partying with Mickey.

Welcome to week #4 of our Countdown to Halloween link up! I can't believe that the end is nearing and that Halloween is THIS Saturday! Being away for a week sure made it sneak up awfully quickly! Speaking of being away for a week... for those of you who didn't catch my post on Friday, we were gone all last week on our very first Disney cruise! To say it was amazing would be an understatement. We loved it so much in fact that we booked another one!!!! 2017 can't come soon enough!

Today, though, as we nurse our vacation hangover and somehow adjust to reality again (what no ice cream machine or 5 course dinners and dessert???) I wanted to share a little sneak peek into our vacation onboard the Disney Wonder -- Mickey's Halloween Party! When I mentioned this on my Fall Wish List a lot of people thought that I was going to Mickey's Halloween Trick or Treating at Disneyland. I didn't say anything back then because I'm paranoid and didn't want the internet to know I would be gone for a week, but sadly, we did not in fact go trick or treating at Disneyland (though I'd LOVE to one year!), but we in fact went on a Disney cruise and had Halloween on the High Seas! There will be tons more pictures and more details about the cruise in the coming days/weeks, but today, I want to focus on the Halloween party.

Mickey's Halloween Party was on our second full day on the ship which was also our first full sea day. We had just left Ensenada, Mexico and were headed to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and we had a whole day onboard the ship. We woke up late, had breakfast, met some princesses, and then went back to the room to change into our group costumes - T Birds and Pink Ladies from Grease!

Cousins.

After some cousin pictures, we headed down to the main lobby area to wait for the party to start. I didn't take too many pictures during the party but I did take a couple videos. 

After the party was over, we stood in line to get a group picture and attempted to take a couple family pictures before someone was over it and we had to leave to go get some lunch.

The group in our T Birds and Pink Ladies attire.

Someone was over all the picture taking for the day.

Overall, the Halloween Party was super fun! Mason loved the music and danced along and clapped his hands. I thought the choreography was great and they danced a lot, especially for having such large character costumes on.

I'm so happy we got to celebrate Halloween with Mickey and his friends!

Now, link up with us and show us what Halloween fun you've been having!

An InLinkz Link-up

Five on Friday

Hey-o Friday! I'm so happy to see you! Unlike last week, this week went by at record speed. I seriously can't believe it's already Friday but hey, I'm not complaining! In fact, this weekend mama is going on a little getaway to visit my friend in Northern California so the boys are on their own (good luck!). A little less than 8 hours of work, I'm home to finish packing, and then I'm on my way! But first, my weekly five.

ONE.
Fall food.



I FINALLY was able to find the Fall cups at Starbucks! (insert praise hand emoji!) We stopped by Starbucks on the way to a play date on Sunday and I literally almost didn't get a drink because when I walked in, I didn't see anyone with Fall cups. I seriously told Seth "I don't want a hot drink, it's not worth it if it's not in a Fall cup. I'll save my money" (no joke - sad, I know). Luckily they did have them though - just in tall and venti only - so I skipped the grande and ordered a tall - JUST to get the cup.
Now that you officially think I'm crazy, take a look at that baby. I know it's just a cup, but isn't it so pretty??? Seth didn't think so, but I'm hoping that's just the "man opinion" and you ladies will agree with me!



In addition to my Fall Starbucks cup addiction, I also might have a small addiction to holiday Oreos. So when I went to Target the other day for "just the essentials", these babies happened to fall into my basket as well. #oreosareessentials


TWO.
Essie nail polish and gel top coat.

Essie Bahama Mama and Essie Gel Top Coat

I FINALLY used my Essie gel top coat and I have to admit, I love it! It actually works super well and kept my nails from chipping for way longer than regular nail polish without it. I've now taken it off once and painted them twice (and even used it on my toe nails!) and I'll never go back. It was super easy to take off (just regular nail polish remover worked fine) and super easy to put on!


THREE.
Blog Market Blog.

I recently came across The Blog Market blog and I love it. The blog is new to me but so far from what I've been reading, they have great pointers, advice, and suggestions on all things blogging, small business, tutorials, inspiration, and resources. I especially love this post of theirs. With this blog, I strive to do all the things they mention in the post and I hope it comes through!


FOUR.
Stella and Dot trunk show.

In case you missed my post on Tuesday, I'm hosting a Stella and Dot trunk show to help raise money for breast cancer. You can see the post here or go straight to shop the trunk show here.

FIVE.
Snapchat.

As I mentioned yesterday, I finally did something that I said I'd NEVER do and I got Snapchat. And I have to admit... I kind of love it! I definitely don't think I'm interesting enough for people to want to see my snaps and in my videos, I think I sound like a robot, but I'm kind of addicted. I'm not sure I'm ready for the whole world to see my snaps, but if you have snapchat and would like to be friends, let me know in the comments and I'll see you my screen name (is that even what it's called? is that from instant messager?? lol #old)

And with that... have a GREAT weekend!

PS I'm excited to be the featured blogger for High Five for Friday today! Hop on over to Tif's blog : Bright on a Budget, Caitlin's blog : Coffee with Caitlin, Della's blog : Della Devoted, or Katie's blog : Cup of Tea to check it out and link up with us!

[Fall Fun] Watch a Football Game.

When I put "watch a football game" on our Fall Wish List, I had originally hoped that we could actually go to a football game. The Pittsburgh Steelers (Seth's favorite team) play the San Diego Chargers in San Diego on Monday (October 12th) and I thought it would be awesome to get tickets. Not so awesome it was on a Monday night, but still, we could make it work. And then... I looked up ticket prices and nearly fell out of my chair and watched my dreams of getting Seth and his Dad tickets for a suuuuuuuper early Christmas present, die. I wish there was a way I could have afforded the $200+ per ticket price because the Steelers almost never ever come to San Diego (or even San Francisco) and I thought this would be the perfect gift. Maybe next time. We'll keep looking!

So, instead, we decided to FINALLY get Mason a Steelers shirt of his own. I literally think Mason hasn't had anything Steelers since he was a baby and we got a hand-me-down onesie, a terrible towel burp cloth, and a set of jammies. Literally Mason was like 3-9 months old. This shirt purchase was long over due. We got the shirt off of Dick's Sporting Goods online and they have tons of other teams stuff too (in case you're in the market!).

Since we couldn't go to the game this coming Monday, we did the next best thing, we dressed up in our matching shirts last Thursday night and we cheered on our team! They ended up losing (boo - stupid kicker) but we still had fun in our mama, daddy, and mini matching outfits!

Go Steelers!

[Countdown to Halloween] Pumpkin Patchin'

I think we've officially hit our quota of pumpkin patches this Halloween. Though, if I'm being honest, I wouldn't mind going to another! I don't know what it is, but I just love the pumpkin patch. And my favorite thing? Probably the pumpkins. Normally, I hate orange, but there's something special about those big, round, orange pumpkins that I love.

We went to our first pumpkin patch (at Irvine Park - my favorite park!) the weekend before last when my Dad and step mom were visiting. It was hotter than hot that weekend but we decided to brave the heat and head to the pumpkin patch as soon as it opened. The early morning worked well as in there weren't too many people, but it definitely did not help with the heat. We rode the train, checked out the pumpkins, and played some games before leaving after about an hour and a half.

Our second pumpkin patch trip was to Tanaka Farms. We went to this pumpkin patch last year with our friends, Lauren and Seth, and their son, Logan (Mason's BFF), and this year, his new little baby sister, Norah, got to come too! Last year the boys weren't super into it, but this year was completely different and so much fun! (At least for the moms... the dads had to chase the kids around!) We went on Saturday night around 5pm and they closed at 6pm. It actually turned out to be the perfect time because it wasn't hot (at all - hallelujah!) and wasn't very crowded. I do wish that we could have gone maybe around 4:30 instead of 5 though to have a little extra time. Oh well, next year! We opted for the tractor ride over the petting zoo since we only had an hour and it was perfect. We practically had a private tractor tour as there was only one other family on the ride with us. And then we stopped to see the pumpkin get shot in the air by the pumpkin cannon and the boys were mesmerized. Though it was short, our visit was perfect!

Seriously, we had the VERY best time! The boys didn't want to leave and to be honest, neither did I. If we have another free weekend before Halloween, I totally want to go back!

So, you might be thinking "two pumpkin patches is kind of over kill" but no! They are actually both VERY different. The pumpkin patch a Irvine Park is more man made. The pumpkins are all picked and pretty much no matter which pumpkin you choose, it will be nice. They only set out the good ones so you don't have to sift through the bad ones to find the one you want. You just kind of choose what color and size you want and you're on your way. They also have a train ride (the train is always there) and then a bounce house and other games. Tanaka Farms is more real life farm. As you can tell from the pictures, there are just rows and rows of pumpkins. You can choose whatever one you want but you need to check it out before you buy it. There are tons of bad pumpkins (complete with flies and all), but it is the more farm experience that you might want. There's a tractor ride and a pumpkin cannon as well as a petting zoo. Both places are completely different and super fun. I love going to both each year!

What Fall and Halloween fun have you been up to? 

Don't forget to link up with us (below) and share!

An InLinkz Link-up