Weekending.

I have two big stories to share from the weekend. First - we found fall!

at the park, Friday afternoon

Friday was a glorious fall day. Holly and I enjoyed an afternoon walk in the park, soaking up sunshine and marveling at the colors. Well, I did ... Holly chased after and barked at squirrels.

The main event, though, was Sam's first birthday party. He turned one on Wednesday (can you believe it's been a year already?!) and we celebrated with family and friends on Saturday afternoon. I had the privilege of baking the cakes (a roasted apple spice cake from Smitten Kitchen). The baking took much of Friday (and nearly all my pans) and I finished them Saturday morning. Happy to report - they turned out beautifully!

I made a two-layer 7x11 cake for the guests and a two-layer 5" round for the birthday boy. (I made the full cake recipe and there was also enough batter for a short loaf cake ... which I am still enjoying.)  It took Sam a few minutes to get the whole "smash cake" thing

but he did figure it out eventually

with a little help from his brother. Of all the photos I took, this one is my favorite.

But this one, from my sister, is my new lock screen photo.

selfie session photo bombed!

and here's the best of what Charlie captured when he pushed the camera button.

It was a good thing all that fun happened Saturday; we needed yesterday to rest!

I saw snow pop up in my Instagram feed yesterday. Yikes - it's still October! But not, I guess, for much longer. Still, here's to a wonderful FALL week!