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It's Fall Ya'll!


Well, it was for like 2 seconds but Mother Nature has a thing about teasing us Southern Californians with a brief taste of Fall - you know, she lets the weather cool down enough for us to break out the sweaters and beanies so we can FINALLY enjoy some Fall goodness and then a day or 2 later she's all like "just kidding, girl!"


Yup. True story!


The first weekend of October, we got the cool crisp air and temps dipped down into the 60s, which was PERFECT because we were eager to start crossing things off our Fall Bucket List. We went to Riley's Apple Farm up at Oak Glen in Redlands, CA with my brother-in-law, his wife, and 2 girls (London & Paris). I've never been actual apple picking before. And as you can probably imagine, I was beyond ecstatic to be able to experience it for the first time with my girls.



Restaurant + Bakery at Riley's Apple Farm

So I had this idea that we'd pick a whole bucket full of apples and then we'd be able to bring them home and bake all kinds of pies and stuff! Because that's what you do in the Fall, right? First off, I've NEVER baked an apple pie in my life so it was highly unlikely that I would have really made one. But the thought itself was ambitious enough to drive all the way to an apple orchard. And second, we didn't pick enough apples. They were gone by the time we left the farm because my husband and 2 babes ate them all up. Go figure.





Ella chillin' in her Baby Jogger City Select stroller

Riley's Apple Farm also had a pumpkin patch up at the top of the hill so we got to do some pumpkin patching there, too! Both our girls picked their pumpkins, this mama blogger got her fair share of photos, and everyone enjoyed themselves! It turned out to be a great start to Fall!




Or what we thought was the start of Fall here in Sunny Southern California.


Summer came back and the "All Things Fall"-ish feeling kinda went away. We were hoping to hit up more Pumpkin Patches: Peltzer Pumpkin Farm in Temecula and Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch in Yucaipa (which is a family tradition and we usually go every year) but it just didn't happen. The hubby has had to work a lot and we've been kinda busy doing other things that we didn't get a chance to.


But hey, 1 more weekend left before Halloween and still a few more things to do like Pumpkin Carving at my sister-in-law's house (which has been another family tradition for like the last 5 years), finishing up Halloween costumes and then some major trick-or-treating to wrap up the month of October!!! Can't wait to show you more Fall goodness so stay tuned!



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Do you have a Fall Bucket List? What have you accomplished thus far?

Share in the comments below!



  • Jul 18, 2018

OH - EM - GEE... I officially have a three-nager. My sweet Miss Ella Bella turned 3 on June 28th and I can hardly believe it!!! Like seriously?! How is time flying by so fast?! It really does feel like it was just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. And now she's a kid. A walking, talking, annoyingly cute little kid that I just can't get enough of no matter how many tantrums she throws or how many times she's said to me "I want a new mommy." Yes, ladies and gentlemen, she's already said those words to me. She's a sweet little girl but she's also got her sassy and feisty moments for sure!


Ok so turning 3 was kind of a big deal for her. She understands what birthdays are about now. She's been to a bunch of birthday parties, she knows about the presents and birthday cake, she knows she's 3 now. What she doesn't understand is that her birthday comes only once a year and not every single day. So we've kinda been celebrating her birthday for about a month now. And what I mean by that is... she's been getting "presents" in the mail, we've been taking her for ice cream... I guess it's safe to say we've been totally spoiling her. Totally.


We weren't planning on throwing her a huge party this year... we've kinda decided that we would probably start doing big parties when she was older and actually had friends she wanted to invite. But we still did a little something to celebrate her special day.


Ella's a huge fan of #Blippi, an educational and fun show she stumbled upon while watching YouTube Kids (yes my kid watches YouTube). And he's forever going to cool indoor playgrounds, outdoor parks, and trampoline parks, which Ella LOVES and is always asking us to take her there. So on her actual birthday (which was on a Thursday), we took her to a new indoor playground that just opened up in Riverside called Luv 2 Play.





Even Everly got some play time in and seemed to enjoy herself.



Then Friday evening, we took her to get some frozen yogurt... because she asked for some and we're definitely not ones to turn down the chance to get some frozen yogurt.





And then for the big finale, we had a little family get together for some ice cream cake and presents.




Her birthday celebration may have been small and simple but she was a happy camper and that's all that matters.


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What kinds of parties/celebrations have you planned for your little one's birthdays?




Living in the Inland Empire has its perks. We have easy access to hikes and trails galore. I've lived here for more than 10 years and I've only had the opportunity to explore a few. The "easiest" one for me is Mt. Rubidoux. And when I say easy what I really mean is it's the closest one to me AND it's a paved trail all the way up the mountain. Which makes it easier to push strollers up. But that's about as easy as it gets.


The walk from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill up to the entrance to this trail itself is up a pretty steep grade. Daniel and I were already huffing and puffing by the time we reached the beginning part of the trail. Which goes to show just how out of shape we both are. Just a few short years ago we were both fitness junkies and in the best shape of our lives. But in our defense, we were pushing a double stroller (that weighs 29.5 lbs by itself) carrying a 27 lb. toddler and an 18 lb. infant. Plus a diaper bag. And that was NOT easy!




Anyway, once you actually get to the top of the hill to the start of the trail, it gets a little easier.


There are 2 trails you can choose to go up. The left trail is a shorter and faster trail to travel. However, it's a pretty steep climb. Much like the one we climbed to get there. And the trail to the right is longer but not as steep. Wanna guess which trail we chose?


Yup! You guessed it. The one to the right.


When Ella asked if she could walk instead, we didn't protest. We were hands down thrilled we didn't have to bribe her to get up and get some exercise with us old fogies.





The last time I hiked up this trail was when Ella was maybe around a year old. We used to come here pretty often for a mommy and me playdate with a fellow mom-friend and her daughter. I almost forgot just how pretty this hike was. And the views of Riverside is just so gorgeous.



Of course this gem made my Ella Bella want to explore it up close and personal.

She said it was her castle. And she was the princess.


I love how new places and things excite her. I cannot wait till we take her to Disneyland for the first time. If she loved this castle so much, I can only imagine just how crazy she'll be about Sleeping Beauty's castle. Oh to be a kid again!!!


Anyway, where was I? Oh that's right... Mt. Rubidoux. When we finally made it up to the top, we took a little rest break. To enjoy the sights, to get a drink of water, to just be in that moment.




It was windy as heck. And it got chilly as the sun started to set. But it didn't seem to faze the babies at all.


So we stayed a little while before we made the trip back down the hill.






I couldn't tell you how long it took us to get up and down the mountain but I will say it was such a great workout. I definitely felt it the next day, that's for sure! We'll have to hike another trail soon.


Got any suggestions on which hiking trail we should conquer next?






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