We have been taking full advantage of every fall day we are able to spend outside! The colors have been spectacular and it has been a blast collecting leaves and looking at all the different colors with Odin and Aspen. The outdoors provides so much opportunity for learning. This mama had to brush up on the life cycle of leaves due to one very inquisitive 3 year old. What better way to teach your children than to let them be out experiencing it for themselves!

It is the beginning of rainy season here in the PNW. Moss is starting to be more present everywhere and mushrooms and other fungi are popping up all over on the trails- even in our own backyard! We are much more prepared for the rain than we were last year! What a learning curve that was for us. We got these awesome Oaki suits for Odin and Aspen this year. Perfect for rain, shine, mud or snow (which we seldom get here). They are waterproof and provide a great wind barrier. We can put several layers on underneath for the colder days. So far they have been awesome! It’s definitely going to change how we explore through the fall/winter. I think they are something we will actually find really useful during spring and summer too!

With the temperatures getting cooler this fall we have been doing most of our hiking/exploring in the afternoons. The fog is so crazy thick. It reminds me a lot of the thick foggy mornings we often had in Germany. Often times there is still very thick fog well into the afternoon. I have never seen fog like here. I love it. There is nothing better than a chilly hike with lots of fog and moss!

 

Someday I will have one of these Giant Maple trees in our yard.

 

We have been finding some pretty cool stuff in the creeks and streams. Stay tuned for our blog post in the next few weeks to see what we discovered…

 

So thankful to live in a part of the world where we get to experience the seasons change!

 

On to the next adventure…