The Sights and Sounds of the Season

While I enjoy summer for many reasons, including my kids being out of school and lazy mornings at home, I absolutely LOVE fall! I never realized that fall was my favorite season until after my oldest daughter was born. She was a little over a year old and I took her outside in the late afternoon to watch as I planted some mums and other plants. The cool air, her squeals of delight and the refreshing feel of being outside without humidity was a feeling I may never forget. At that moment I wondered why I had never noticed how spectacular fall was. Did my little girl's squeal of delight open my eyes or could it be that I was older and wiser or had I just always taken such things as fall for granted? I may never know why that fall day stands out in my mind so much but it does and it may well be a lifetime memory for me.
So each year as fall approaches, I think about the beautiful orange, yellow and red leaves, the smell of apple pie baking, the slightly overcast days, the feeling of pulling out my favorite sweater in the mornings to knock off that chill and the simple delight that can come from taking my kids outside to enjoy a cool, crisp fall day. I look forward to that warm pot of soup on the stove and sitting on my deck with the perfect cup of coffee and the smell of fall in the air.
For me, the sights of the season are the leaves changing colors, the mums sitting out, the pumpkins decorating yards, the kids jumping in the piles of leaves that have been raked. And the sounds of the season for me are hearing all the kids outside playing and squealing with delight. I often wonder if any of those squeals have made another parent take a look around and notice the beauty that is fall.
I know fall is officially a few days away still but our temperatures have cooled down, I see people posting recipes for apple dishes and soups and I've seen many fall decorations including pumpkins in the stores and my heart races just a bit knowing that soon, very soon, the sights and sounds of my favorite season will be here~~