The brisk came today. A tiny wind lifted crunchy leaves with that chill that makes you say oh hi friend fall, you’re finally here.

We found pumpkins at Aldi for $1.99. They had much bigger and less beat-up ones but Gray was over the moon about these two.

The boys couldn’t wait to carve the pumpkins. (Translated: Couldn’t wait to have Mommy do all the work.)

I actually love to dig into the insides- it reminds me of faerie caverns. And it’s always a nice surprise to find one full of seeds.

We put on Jack Johnson and covered the table in newspaper. I let them draw what they wanted me to carve.

Carter’s pumpkin (I cut it exactly as he drew it!):

Gray’s pumpkin (his “drawings” were mainly lots of little pen pokes so I got creative with a big blemish on the side of it):

I think we’ll be going back for a couple more this week. I already OD’ed on pumpkin seeds and neeeeed morrrre. I also saw the idea somewhere to paint the outside of the pumpkin with chalkboard paint. That sounds kinda fun.

Here’s how I roast our pumpkin seeds: Clean off the seeds in a large bowl of water and rinse. Place on paper towels to dry for about a half hour. Then pat dry and transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt. (If you’re really adventurous, add some cayenne or other seasonings like cinnamon!) Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until crisp.

What do you do with your pumpkins?

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Stephanie is Mom to three boys & a girl in Valparaiso, IN and blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

Appropriate for the fall, winter, & spring week we’ve had here- “fintering” as I’ve been calling it, or “sprinter”, or “fling”-whatever- Lands’ End has got the whole family, from baby to gramps, covered in these crazy seasons.

Lands’ End baby has fall must-haves for your sweetie pie. Definitely for the more cutesy-like, the softest of soft Corduroy Overalls [$25], Stripe Interlock Bodysuit [$12.50] with genius snaps that grow with your child , and even little soft-soled Loafers [$14.50] will have your little guy looking picture perfect. Seriously, these Loafers are the cutest things ever. And for the wee princess, pair the Corduroy Dress [$19.99] with sweet Mary Janes [$14.50].

Go spring with your diaper bag and cheer everyone up in this dreary weather. Lands’ End’s roomy Diaper Bag Tote [$29.50-$34.50] will hold everything you need and more with 6 mesh pockets on the inside and one outside, a soft changing pad, and full-zip top. You’ll find Lands’ End won’t let you down in quality, style, & price. Watch for even more new styles available this spring. *And keep on reading to see how you can win an adorable pink floral or this charming embroidered frog tote for yourself!

Bigger kids bundle up for the bus stop or snowball fights in the Fleece Jacket [$29.50] and Insulated Squall Pants (snow pants with reinforced knees!) [$39.50], in toddler sizes on up. Complete the look with hats & gloves in a wide array of color choices.

The ThermaCheck Fleece for Men & Women at Lands’ End is made to resist static, is incredibly lightweight, and will keep you warm & cozy. The Half-Zip Pullover [$24.50] layered with my bright green Goose Down puffy vest [only $25!] has been a great combination for outerwear the past couple months. Both of these items are also available for men, too. If you want to get all matchy matchy or something, there you go.

Win! Lands’ End is giving away their charming Diaper Bag Totes all over the place and that includes here! I have a pink floral or blue with embroidered frog tote to giveaway, each worth $34.50. Just leave a comment if you’d like to win and I’ll choose two winners at random. Enter by Monday January 14 before 11:59 pm. Contest is closed.

Congrats to the winner of the pink floral bag- Sundi said I would love to win– the pink floral is adorable! And to Denise, winner of the blue frog tote, I have a friend Stephanie with 3 boys too. And I also  have 3 boys. I’d love to win the blue bag. Land’s End is the best!

Find me warming up over at Adventures In Babywearing.

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