Fall is here, and it’s for sure one of our favorite times of year!  It was fun to start creating traditions and new memories with our little guy — somehow even our favorite things are made even better by sharing them with sweet little Isaac!  Here’s what we’ve been up to this autumn…

This year we bought Cornbelly’s season passes, and it was so fun to go as often as we wanted.  This was our first visit there with all the Turley family, many of whom also bought season passes.  It was so fun to be there with everyone and the sunset after capped off a perfect afternoon!

We love supporting our BYU Cougars! We were able to attend an “alumni day” event at the Costco in Orem, where Isaac met Cosmo for the first time!  He was such a champ and did great.  Tom also took the opportunity to get his flu shot while we were there — he was so brave!

Tom has been wanting to run a half-marathon this year, but he really wanted to do it for his own personal accomplishment and not through a formalized race.  So, he ambitiously marked out a 13 and a half mile route through Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain, and one Saturday he just did it!  We were so proud of him!  We officially deemed it the “Harvest Hills Half Marathon” and we went and cheered him along the route!  He even got a medal at the end — first place! 🙂

At one of mommy’s doctor appointments to check on baby sister, we ran into Josie Jensen, the midwife who delivered Isaac!  She couldn’t believe how much he’s grown — he’s such a cute little boy and it was fun to see the two of them together!  Sadly she’s moving and won’t be mommy’s doctor anymore, so we were really glad to be able to say goodbye and have her see Isaac one last time!

Isaac loves his time with the McBrides — they do so many fun things together!  These are some pictures Sara sent us from one of their visits to Cornbelly’s.  We love our little pumpkin!

We love visiting with our grandparents.  Nonnie, Grandpa Bill, Grandpa Turley, and Ana-Maria sure love visiting with Isaac, too!  He’s so blessed to have so many living grandparents, and we know these pictures will be priceless as he grows up!

Daddy went to Italy to see Matthew and Emily, and while he was there, mommy went with Isaac and some of our Turley family to Cornbelly’s.  It was a cold day, so we bundled up tight!  After, we went to dinner and then Emma slept over.  Isaac really loves spending time with his cousins and extended family!

Grandpa Bill turned 84 this year, so to celebrate his birthday, Nonnie had a pizza party and invited everyone over.  It was fun to celebrate him and spend time with our Nixon cousins!

Mommy loves working for BYU!  One day they had an exhibit of an original 1830 Book of Mormon, and mommy was able to hold it and look through it.  It was a very moving experience!  Then, walking back from the exhibit, the campus was just so beautiful with all the changing colors.  BYU is such a wonderful place to work!

We were so excited to welcome daddy home from Italy!  Isaac was tired from all our “welcome home” celebrations that he fell asleep in the car and then cuddled daddy until he went to bed!

Unfortunately this autumn, Uncle Noel Bowcut died.  We were able to make it to Burley to be at his funeral, and it was special to celebrate his life and think back on the good man that he was.  It was also nice to see other family members who we don’t get to see often.

On one of our Saturdays, we spent the evening with Liza and Ella while their parents were at a wedding. We went to Red Robin for dinner and had such a great time!

We absolutely love General Conference weekend!  This time was especially enjoyable because we scheduled a Bowcut family party between the Saturday sessions, and then on Sunday we had pumpkin cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  Also, this Conference was pretty monumental because President Russell M. Nelson announced that church meetings on Sunday would now be two hours instead of three.  A new “home-centered, Church-supported” model was rolled out as part of this called “Come Follow Me” and we are so excited to be able to implement its wonderful principles in our home and with our family!

One Saturday as we were driving home from running errands, we noticed that one of our neighbors a few blocks away had a mini-hoops stand out on the curb with a big sign that said “Free” on it.  It’s funny because we’d actually looked at a mini-hoops when we’d been at Costco that morning, so it was crazy that we’d come across one for free!  We got out of the car and checked it out, and it looked nice and clean with all its parts, so we took it!  Unfortunately with Isaac’s car seat, we couldn’t quite fit it, so we opened the back of the Jeep and daddy drove home REALLY slowly while mommy held onto it out the back gate.  We’re sure it was a sight to see!  It was fun to play it when we got home (after we wiped it all down, of course) and then that evening, we introduced Isaac to “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”  It was a fun but very unexpected Saturday!

We love our annual Turley family Halloween party!  Chili, root beer, costumes… It’s always a blast and our little pumpkin looked so cute!

We started a family tradition this year that was so much fun — we went apple picking!  We went at the tail end of the season unfortunately, so the pickings were slim, but we were able to get enough to make some homemade applesauce later.  It was such a fun experience and something we look forward to doing every year!  We also got a fresh peach shake from the orchard — yum, yum, yum!  It was a perfect autumn day, and the unseasonably warm 70-degree weather made it even better!

Our little guy had his six-month checkup, and he is growing and developing so well!  He had to get some shots, which wasn’t fun, but he’s such a good baby that after cuddling for a second, he stopped crying and fell right asleep.  We love this little guy so much!

Halloween is such a fun holiday and we love giving out yummy treats to the neighbor kids!  We’ve been told we have the best treats on the street. 🙂  This year we had so many trick-or-treaters that we had to use treats from our pantry to make sure everyone got something!  It was a fun night (despite what Isaac’s face says!) filled with yummy food, fun movies, and lots of family time!

We officially announced our newest addition, Baby Girl Bowcut!  Seeing her at the 20-week ultrasound was so special, and we can’t wait for her to join our family!

The last week that Cornbelly’s is open, they have some big celebrations and light off fireworks.  We loved having season passes this year and look forward to getting them again next year!

We’re grateful for the opportunity to live in a free country and be able to participate in the democratic process.  Voting is an honor and we were happy to do it as part of the midterm election!

We celebrated the two-year anniversary of our first date by having a dinner date at Tuscany.  It was wonderful to reflect on the last two years and everything that has happened — I don’t think either of us could have predicted it, but it’s been more wonderful than we could have imagined!

All in all, it’s been a great fall!  Life is crazy and seems to be moving faster every day, but we’re sure trying to enjoy and cherish every moment!