The Unofficial End To Summer

Since September of last year, I had been waiting for the beginning of summer because that was when we would get to meet our little one. We have spent almost one whole season with our little one. Before the official end to summer, I would like to try to take him out to Montauk because that is our favorite place. Unfortunately, it is quite a few miles away. Once the summer traffic has disappeared we'll pack him up and take him out there.

This "summer" Charlie:
-was born
-made it to the beach
-learned to roll over back to front and front to back
-met all of his uncles and some of his cousins
-swam in his pool
-was Christened
-began grasping and playing with toys
-got his first mosquito bite
-went to a duck pond
-went to a fair
-went to a car show
-went to the Hamptons
-went to a parade
-listened to a concert outside

I used to hate the end of summer because it meant that I had to go back to work but, this year as summer ends I'm excited to see what the Fall will bring. The perk of Fall used to be new school supplies and Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Now, the Fall means that we can to see Charlie grow and experience all kinds of new things every day. Some of the things we would like to do with Charlie are:
- Apple Picking
- Go on a hay ride
- Have a photoshoot in a leaf pile
- Go to a pumpkin patch
- Take a walk through the changing leaves
- Decorate a pumpkin
- Make apple sauce and have Charlie taste it!!!
- Go to a football game
- Go to the Bronx Zoo
- Go to the NY Botanic Gardens

Here are some links I've found to Fall Activities with Infants and Toddlers:
http://www.ehow.com/info_7931681_fall-activities-infants.html
http://www.disneybaby.com/blog/10-great-fall-activities-to-do-with-your-baby/#slide1

As I think about all the activities that we will do with Charlie, I can't wait to see how much he will learn and grow. Parents have a responsibility to teach their children everything they can. Infants/toddlers learn by experiencing different settings with their parents. Charlie may be too young to remember most of what he do in the next few years but, he will have experienced it and will have taken something away from it. My friend Sarah wrote a great post on homeschooling that I feel embraces this concept. You should really check it out!