Autumn Bucket List

Well it's that time of year again.  Connor is old enough this year to do lots of fun things, so here is my our Autumn Bucket List.  Enjoy!

Go Pumpkin Picking

Connor wasn't really big enough for this last year, we did carve a pumpkin and he loved playing with all the goo inside so I'm hoping this will go down well.  There is a place not too far from where we live called Arnprior Farm that has started pumpkin picking just in the last couple of years so we are heading there to give it a bash.  Connor loves being outside & they have a maze and other vegetable patches where you can harvest your own potatoes etc as well so I think he will really enjoy it.

Jump In Muddy Puddles

Channeling our inner Peppa Pig here.  Everybody loves to jump in dirty water don't they?  In Scotland we get plenty of opportunities to splash about in puddles - it's pouring down as I type - and Connor is a typical boy who is never happier than when he is all dirty and wet.  So grab your wellies & jump in the nearest puddle, who cares about the mess, you only live once & these are the kind of things that our kids are going to remember.  It's all about making memories & having adventures.

Make A Fort Inside

I've always wanted to do this.  I vaguely remember making dens with my sister when we were little but they were never up to much.  However, now we live in a time of Pinterest so there is no excuse for a sheet thrown over a washing line - although for sheer speed this is a good option.  I can't wait to make a fort in the livingroom when it's pouring down outside (most days) & curl up with Connor to watch a movie - usually Lion King, Jungle Book or Winnie the Pooh.  

Take Autumn-themed Pictures

This year I want to get pictures of Connor (and us) outside playing in the leaves, splashing in puddles, generally having a ball.  I love the colours of the season and there is nothing cuter than photographs of kids being kids.  My sister takes fab pictures and has the whole professional camera setup whereas my picture taking skills are below amateur so I will be roping her into this one.

Scavenger Hunt & Autumn Crafts

We've never really done a Scavenger Hunt except at Easter but that doesn't really count so I'm pretty excited about this.  My plan is to go out for a walk & collect all sorts of leaves, pine cones and anything else that looks good & bring them home to make an Autumn picture/collage.  A bit of printing with the pine cones, a bit of glitter you get the idea.  Messy but fun.

Find Conkers 

I have already tried this one but sadly the tree I used to get my conkers from when I was little has blown down & there are no more conkers to be had.  So it was back to the drawing board, the only other place I know of with a horse chestnut tree is not within walking distance & I don't have a car at the moment - that's another story - so this one is on the back burner till we're back on the road.

Dress Up For Halloween & Go Guising

So excited to dress Connor up this year, I'm thinking he's going to be Peter Pan.  Last year he was a mini Jax from Sons of Anarchy - so freakin cute!  He's not really old enough to go out guising (trick or treating) as he's usually in bed for 7pm but I'm sure we'll be able to work something out.  Rules are made to be broken after all!

Fireworks Display

Again he's not old enough to go to a proper show - they start when he's already in bed plus by the time November comes about it'll be bloody freezing here so I think we'll pass on that.  We will definitely get some fireworks to let off at home where me & Connor can watch from the warmth of the house and let Daddy freeze doing the technical part.

That's it so far, I will no doubt think of more things to add as we go along.  

Whats on your Bucket List for Autumn?

xx

Connor A/W Wishlist

I love Autumn.  Since I live in Scotland & we don't get much of a summer here (maybe a week in May!) Autumn is definitely my favourite season.  What's not to love - beautiful colours everywhere you look, no excuse needed to layer up & be all cosy aaaaaand the countdown to the C word is on (sorry)! 

Since I had Connor I've loved it even more, all the cute boys clothes make me so excited to buy his Autumn/Winter wardrobe.  I thought I'd share a few bits I have my eye on for him & a some that I've already bought.  As his birthday is in September he got a few pieces from different people but I still feel the need to go & buy some extra things.  He's a typical boy and loves nothing better than running around and playing in the dirt so his clothes never last particularly long - it's always good to have a back up supply!

Zara | Joules

I really struggled to choose between these 2 jackets.  I absolutely love the parka which is from Zara, the only problem is that it isn't waterproof which is definitely a must for a Scottish autumn/winter.  The navy jacket is from Joules; I saw it in a vlog I watched a few weeks ago and totally fell in love.  I have been trying unsuccessfully for the past week to order it- it's been out of stock every single time but finally I managed to nab it last night.  I'm so excited for it to arrive & can't wait to see C in it.  I'm hoping it'll fit okay, I ordered age 2-3 as that's what he mostly wears & I've got everything crossed that we won't need to roll the sleeves up.  I swear he's like a T-Rex; long body & tiny wee arms that don't seem to grow as quickly as the rest of him! 

H&M | M&Co | H&M

These 2 jumpers are ones that he got for his birthday at the beginning of the month, they are an absolute bargain at £6.99 each!  H&M had a few other styles as well but none that were in stock in  Connors size the day I was in.  I picked the shirt up from M&Co a couple of days ago, again it was pretty cheap at £9 & I think it'll look really cute layered over the long sleeved red polo in the next picture! 

Zara | Next | Zara | Zara

We had the red polo last year in a variety of colours and it just looked really cosy, they also wash really well and hold their shape - as does the majority of Zara's stuff, I've found.  So when I saw that they were back this year obviously I had to add them to my 'Connor's Autumn Wardrobe' list.  We also have the aqua top in a mustard colour which looks really cute with the sleeves turned up to 3/4 length so again I'm just getting a few colour options.  Next have such a good range of clothes this year, I feel like they can be quite hit or miss with their boys clothes sometimes but they've definitely struck gold this year.  Connor loves dinosaurs which seem to be a prominent feature of this years A/W collection, lucky us!  However, he has loads of jumpers already and doesn't need much else so I thought we'd get this little dinosaur raglan top as you can never have too many!

Zara

Connor already has loads of jeans that he got for his birthday so he doesn't really need much in the way of bottoms this year but I just love Zara's leggings.  He hasn't had a pair for quite a while actually, he mostly lives in jeans, but I just love khaki & the camouflage pattern so when I saw these we just had to have them.  They will also match perfectly with the pair of Timberland look-a-like boots which I have ordered for him!   

So that is basically what I have in mind for Connors Autumn/Winter wardrobe.  I'm pretty sure that by the time I get around to buying this stuff there will be far more available & the list will have doubled.  Maybe I'll do a haul once I get it all in, what do you guys think?  

If you follow me on Instagram I post regularly over there - come & say hi!

xx

Little Fish Turned 2!

So.  Somewhere along the line I became the emotionally unstable mother of a 2 year old.  This realization has hit me like a ton of bricks & the night before his birthday I found myself looking through baby pictures & wondering where the hell the past 2 years had gone.

Cue a text to my husband that reads 'how are we going to have a 2 year old in the morning?' with about a million crying emojis (did I mention how emotionally unstable I was that night?!).  His answer?  'Because he was born 2 years ago?' smart arse.

Anyway, like I said it hit me all of a sudden that my baby isn't a baby anymore.  He's a walking, talking,  whirlwind of a boy - a toddler boy.  He's only going to get bigger & there's bugger all I can do about it :(.  Just a thought - if we don't celebrate his birthdays that means he can't get any older, right?

After I managed to put down the baby photos I started to focus on the positives.  No he's not a baby anymore & but now is when the adventure begins.  I made a list of my 5 favourite things about Connor at 2 to remind me that even though he's growing up (& that is heartbreaking) he really is just amazing & that will never change.

1.  I love that we can have conversations now, like proper conversations.  His understanding of words has been great for a while but it's only been over the past couple of months that his talking has followed suit.  Don't get me wrong he still has the 1 word for about 4 different things but I know what he means even if no one else does.  It's also quite handy that if I don't guess the right word first time he'll tell me 'No' & I'll run through the list of possibilities until he says 'Yeah' & only then are we allowed to continue talking!

2.  I absolutely love how much he loves learning.  He is so interested in everything & never shies away from new experiences.  He's such a clever little boy & it's amazing to watch him learning something new every single day.

3.  He is turning into such a polite, loving wee boy.  He absolutely adores animals & babies, he's so gentle with them & always wants to smother them with cuddles and kisses - cuteness overload.

4.  My favourite thing that he does at the moment is sing along to the Rihanna & Calvin Harris song - This is What You Came For.  He only knows roughly 1 word at the end of each line but what he lacks in vocabulary he more than makes up for in dance moves!  Generally it goes like this - 'Baaaaaaaaaayybeeeeeeeee' 'moooooooove'  'ooh oooh oooh ooh ooh'  you get the idea.

5  Finally, I'm just so glad that he is still happy & healthy and hopefully always will be.  He is a great sleeper & eater and we are incredibly lucky that so far this has never changed (touch wood).

It's amazing to think that 2 years ago I was handed a baby & had absolutely no clue what the hell I was supposed to do with him.  But here we are 2 birthdays later, still standing & actually, we're doing alright!

xx