Sweet Memories of Fall

Fall candles I got for my birthday

I'm so glad Fall is here and that we are finally enjoying some cooler weather. The changing of seasons always makes me think of previous years and what was going on in my life during the same season last year or even years ago. Maybe it's the change in the weather and how it feels when you walk out your door, or the colors that are different all around you, but the changing of seasons always brings back certain memories for me.

Even though it's been almost 3 years since I had Mara Kate, the beginning of Fall still brings back strong feelings of how I felt as Fall approached in 2005. I was nearing the end of my pregnancy and I was starting to get SO excited about meeting my baby! I remember thinking throughout my pregnancy "I won't have this baby until it is cold outside". During the long Summer Atlanta heat that year, it felt like the cold weather would never come. So, as the temperature began dropping my excitement and anticipation began building. I still remember how I felt those last couple months before Mara Kate was born. I remember having done all my Christmas shopping so early that year and I had everything already bought and wrapped in the top of my closet by the time Fall arrived, because I knew that once the baby arrived, I wouldn't have the time or energy to shop.

That Fall I drank in the Fall colors, knowing it was getting closer and closer to my due date. I even remember going for a walk with my mom and Kane just hours after my mom arrived in Atlanta and it was finally cold outside. I wore one of Kane's large fleece pullovers, one of the few things left that fit me those days. The purpose of the walk was to try and move things along. I was feeling quite large and walking wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do at the time, but I did it anyway. And yes, less than 12 hours later my water had broken and we were on our way to the hospital to meet our new baby! Since that Fall my life has never been the same---it has been much, much better!

I wonder what we'll be doing the beginning of next Fall. Possibly settling into a new home after finishing up this season of life called grad school. Learning what our marriage/family/home will look like after school is behind us? It's exciting to think about all the possibilities ahead.

Until then, I plan to breathe deep, drinking in the cool weather and the beautiful colors. I'm looking ahead to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and all the specialness they both bring. And, I'm sure as I watch Mara Kate open her Christmas presents this year, I will once again remember her first Christmas---when she was just 4 weeks old, so tiny and fragile. Goodness, where has the time gone?!