Fall Fun at the Dallas Arboretum - 2014

Ever since I was a little kid, Fall has been my favorite season.  Even growing up in deep, deep, DEEP South Texas, where the leaves didn't change color, the weather was a constant degree of HOT or HOTTER almost all year long.. (read: yuck, or yuckier) there was still something about the Fall that appealed to me.  So when I moved to Dallas 8 years ago.. and I realized that you could, in fact, experience all four SEASONS in Texas, I was ECSTATIC.  The leaves change color, the weather changes and pumpkins come out in mass.  Especially at the Dallas Arboretum! It really is a sight to see.  I can't imagine the shear amount of truckloads that must filter in for days to have the number of pumpkins they have there each year.   According to their website, there are over 65,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash!  

This year, Chad surprised us with some time off of work so we could take our bear to join in the festivities...and officially welcome Fall to Dallas.  She LOVED every second.  :) 

 Excited about the new squirrel friend she made.  :)

Really was the friendliest Squirrel around.. 

Everleigh and that squirrel "chatted" for a good 10 minutes :)

Happy Fall Ya'll!!

Kelley Family Halloween - 2013

Since I'm already a week late on Everleigh's 13 Month post, (which is coming soon, I promise ;) I'll just skip right to our Halloween festivities from last night.  :)  

Although this was actually Everleigh's 2nd official Halloween, this was her first year in an actual costume (a baby BEAR of course!!) and her first time cruising the neighborhood trick-or-treating!  And since this was also OUR first time receiving kiddos at our door in our new house, Chad and I were also excited about all the activity happening in our neighborhood.  Kids running amok dressed in the cutest outfits...Everleigh loved every single minute of it!  Hamming it up right from the start, she got into the spirit by waving and pointing and "talking" to everyone that passed by.  The weather was perfect, the kiddies had tons of fun and we topped off the night with way too much sugar but full and happy bellies!  

Hope Everyone had a safe and happy Halloween :)  

Here was our afternoon (and evening), in pictures (with her cousins, Kenzie and Logan ;)  

New England Adventures - Day 1

There are always two major factors to any Kelley Family Getaway...

#1.  Chad Kelley ALWAYS books our flights at the BUTT crack of dawn (why I continue to let him make our flight plans, I'll never really know..;) Actually, I take that back... I DO know why he does it.  He likes to get to our destination as soon as humanly possible to begin our adventure...which I actually appreciate...except not at FOUR in the morning when my stomach and baby belly absolutely DO NOT want to cooperate with the early morning wake up call. 

and #2.  Plans and itineraries are merely suggestions of what we'd like to accomplish during our trip.  How we get there and in which order things are done is all left to chance.  Chance, and a good pair of walking shoes, that is. :)

After a "SOMEWHAT" interesting start to our trip.. (read: I almost went rogue, pregnant, Mexican on this self righteous, SHAMELESS couple and their family of FIVE for trying to CUT in front of at least 150 people waiting to get through the security checkpoint at DFW airport...justifying their bad examples by simply saying "they were running late... and that I was a "bad Christian" for not letting them cut in front of us".  Seriously?!?!?!  We were ALL late and had somewhere to be... that line was RIDICULOUS!!  Basically, words were exchanged..(I was BEYOND livid by this point, showing my apparently "non-christian" colors and was ready to go down swingin'...) when they FINALLY went to the back of the line, where they should've started all along... 

Determined to NOT let this crazy, too-early-for-confrontation, confrontation stand in my way of a great trip, we refocused on the task at hand.  NEW ENGLAND!! First up, our pre-dawn flight took us to Boston to pick up our rental car... where we took to the road and headed north to Salem, Massachusetts. 

Quaint little street in Salem

On our way to the Salem Witch Museum

Creepy entry stones into the local cemetery...

One of the memorial stones for those involved in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692

There is something creepy, yet intriguing about old cemeteries like this...

Next stop:  Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Our home base for the next three days :) 

On the road again... :)

Right in time for dinner, and with our list of restaurant suggestions from our cute little inn keeper, we headed to downtown Portsmouth to feed the baby belly at River House :)

Dinner with a great view of the water front :) 

With daylight still upon us, we took to the road again to check out the island near by:

New Castle, New Hampshire

back to our cute little hotel for the night.  The Port Inn

Next Up:  We head NORTH to Portland, Maine along the coast