Schaefer Family Adventures: October 2020

October 2020 was a beautiful month. We were blessed with many sunny warm days at the beginning and slowly the weather began to cool and the leaves turned brilliant colors.  One of the most enjoyable parts of being a parent is seeing the world through their eyes. It brings a freshness and newness to life.  This is the first year that John has really noticed the leaves changing.  He will point out the colors he sees and marvel at the fact that they were once green and now they are red, orange and yellow! He thinks it is fascinating and I am seeing this season with fresh eyes, marveling at the beauty around me.

About midway through the month we took a quick weekend trip to Disney World.  I didn’t realize how much I needed this trip, going somewhere familiar and doing something normal.  Although we had to wear masks the entire time (John included) and the temperatures were over 100°F with the humidity, we made the best of the trip and really enjoyed our time in the parks. The parks were at 25% capacity and actually still felt “full” since they have stopped using the FastPass system for now and lots of restaurants are still closed.  Lines were socially distanced which meant they looked super long, winding around the park.  Most wait times were around 30 to 45 minutes but it was still great to actually be going on rides and experiencing Disney. Yes things were different but to be able to do something “normal” was such a relief.  Hand sanitizer was everywhere and it made me wonder “What is their budget for sanitizer? How much do they go through a day?” We went to Magic Kingdom the first day and Hollywood Studios the second day.  John is finally tall enough for most rides so he had a blast going on the bigger kids rides.  Grace has seen many of the Disney movies so she was so excited when she recognized characters. It was such a joyful trip and a much needed break!

We came back to Steubenville and it seemed that autumn had arrived while we were away. The trees were full of color and there was a crisp breeze in the air.  That week we celebrated John’s birthday.  It’s incredible how fast these first 4 years have gone by and how much he had grown into his own unique self.  He is so funny, so creative, so loving.  I marvel at him daily, wondering what plans God has for him.  He is such a sweet kid who love people and his joy is contagious.  He thinks he’s hilarious, which he is, and he cracks himself up with his “funny jokes” as he calls it.  On his birthday he started the day by going to Mass with Matthew and heading to Dunkin afterwards to get a birthday donut.  Later that day we went to a park with friends and then had them over for dinner and dessert. It was the perfect day for John and we loved celebrating him!

We ended the month with Halloween, something John had been excitedly anticipating for the past 364 days. The kids dressed up as Cinderella and Prince Charming and sprinted their way around a neighborhood with friends. They ran from house to house collecting candy. It was a beautiful evening and a great way to end a fun month!

I’m always in awe at how quickly we come to the end of a year. Just two months left and we will be entering a new calendar year.  What a tumultuous year it has been, but also one of unique growth. I really can’t wait to put this year’s images into a family yearbook so we can look back at the infamous year of 2020.

Enjoy scrolling through some snapshots of our October!

xoxo,

Laura

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See more family adventures HERE