Seasons.....Oh How We Missed Seasons!!

While we lived overseas, I knew that I missed the changing of the seasons.  I would think about it but then just move on with life.  In Papua New Guinea, there was a wet season or a dry season.  During the wet season, it was warm and hot during the day....but a big thunderstorm would come that afternoon.  You could see it building and moving closer and closer.  During the dry season, it seemed colder.  It never really poured, like during wet season. It would just be rainy and drizzly all morning.....even though it was called "dry" season, it was often very hard to get your clothes fully dry when you hung them on the line.

I love the time we lived in PNG.  I loved the new and different "seasons" I experienced.  In fact, it was in PNG that I experienced my first earthquake....and we experienced more than one...some so strong they shook things off the walls or counters.  Supposedly, when the earthquakes increased, the seasons in PNG were about to change.  I am not sure if there is any truth in this....but it what a couple PNG friends told me...

This fall, however, we experienced seasons in America to their fullest.  Fort Collins, CO is THE place to live if you love seasonal weather. Raleigh, NC just cannot compare to the fall and winter we have enjoyed so far.

In mid-October here in CO, all the leaves were changing, but the weather was still warm enough (because the sun is so strong during the day here) to really enjoy the parks. 

It may sound kind of sad, but we had no friends yet....so the parks became a way to get out of the apartment and "live a little".  They kept Ben entertained because there was always something new at each one.  Mel just enjoyed watching her brother charge all around from one play space to the next.

Then, toward the end of October (and all through November), we got a mix of cooler weather with an occasional snow.  I kid you not....one day we would be playing out at a park in our hoodies.  The next day it would snow.  The following day the sun warmed everything up again and we were back at the park.  It was glorious, actually!

Here are some pictures from our trip to Anderson Farms with my aunt and uncle....and pictures from the first snow that Ben can remember....

Don't you just love this sign and Ben's entire arm through the fence? 

This sign makes me laugh, too:

 

These Colorado festivals include lots of fun things for the kids, but equally fun things for adults.  Here is the maze for the kids....and later you will see pictures of the corn maze for the grown-ups.  No joke....someone could get seriously lost in that maze....

We are just loving all the time we get to spend with my aunt and uncle.  It is so great to have family close-by.  We always laugh and have a great time when they are around. Above is a picture of us all trying to figure out how to get to the next "check point" in the maze.  Below is a picture of Ben on a pony ride- thanks to my aunt who insisted he had to ride a pony!

We will have to try again next year for this family picture....didn't quite work out this go-around...

We decorated a little for Halloween ....snapped a few pictures....then it snowed!  Luckily all the snow was gone before it was time to trick-or-treat....