There is something about autumn that has always felt like home to me.
Maybe it's the changing leaves, the cooler mornings, the familiar traditions, or the way everything seems to slow down just enough for me to notice the little things. Fall has always been my favorite season, and every year I look forward to finding ways to make memories with my family and bring a little bit of the season into our everyday life.
But this year, autumn feels a little different.
This is the fall I'm spending pregnant with our second baby. The fall we're watching Liam grow into his own little world, making new friends, and experiencing things outside of our family. The fall we're preparing to welcome another little girl into our lives.
If you had asked me a year ago what this season would look like, I don't think I could have imagined it.
And somewhere between our usual fall traditions, pregnancy appointments, little outings, and ordinary days at home, I've been trying to capture as much of it as I can.
Not because every day has been particularly exciting, but because I know one day I'll look back and wish I could remember all of these little in-between moments.
A Fall Tradition, Shared With a New Little World
One of my favorite fall traditions is visiting Seorogal Orchards.
It's a place we've returned to every autumn for years, even before Liam was born. It's become one of those familiar family traditions that I look forward to each year, and something I hope our children will grow up remembering.
This year, though, we experienced it a little differently.
We visited with Liam's classmates, teachers, and some of their parents who were able to come along that day. It was such a sweet thing to see a family tradition of ours become something he could share with his new little world.
Of course, we still brought our camera. I wanted to capture the day just as we always do, but I found myself looking at everything a little differently.
There was something bittersweet about watching him run around with his friends, sharing a place that had always felt like part of our family story. It was another little reminder that he's growing up, making memories of his own, and finding his place outside of the little world we've created for him.
Part of me wanted to hold on to the familiar feeling of having these moments just for our family. But another part of me was so happy to see him enjoying himself, making memories with his classmates, and sharing something special with the people who are becoming part of his everyday life.
I think that's one of the things motherhood keeps teaching me. We can miss the way things used to be while still being so happy about everything our children are becoming.
And I'm glad we got to capture this year, too.
Growing a Little More Slowly This Fall
Pregnancy has been its own experience this time around.
Some days have been better than others, and if I'm being honest, it's been a bit of an up-and-down journey. I'm still dealing with nausea and vomiting, along with restless legs, ligament pain, and those uncomfortable little pregnancy surprises that seem to come with this stage.
The low energy has probably been one of the biggest differences compared to my first pregnancy.
There are days when I feel like I can get so much done, and then there are other days when even the simplest things feel like a lot. Some mornings I have a little more energy to move around, get things done, and enjoy the day. Other afternoons I find myself needing to lie down and take a nap.
I've had to remind myself that both kinds of days are okay.
I don't always have the energy I wish I had, and there are things I'd love to be doing more consistently. But I'm learning to work with the season I'm in rather than constantly wishing I could keep up with the version of myself who had a little more energy.
I'm still trying. Still showing up. Still finding little ways to enjoy this pregnancy, even when it's not always comfortable.
I've been keeping up with my doctor's appointments, checkups, and the vaccinations recommended throughout pregnancy. It's reassuring to know I'm staying on top of everything, even when the days themselves can feel a little unpredictable.
There was also an unexpected appointment on Wednesday, November 11, after a particularly frightening morning. I had started experiencing contractions early that morning, and then I received some family news from back home. By 11 a.m., I was out of the house and at the doctor's office.
It was a scary day, and one that carries a lot more emotional weight than I want to get into here. I'll save that story for another post, but it's one of those moments that has made me pause and appreciate just how much can happen in a single day.
For now, I'm taking things one day at a time.
A Few Days on My Own
Recently, Kita had to travel back home to the Bahamas for four days, which meant I was home with Liam and managing things on my own for a little while.
With Christmas already on my mind, I decided to get a little head start on decorating. I put up the Christmas trees in our living room and Liam's bedroom and started adding a few festive touches around the house. It felt nice to get some of those little things done while I had the chance.
We also made time for a few little outings and activities together. I took Liam to Sky Zone, and one evening we had a Christmas movie night at home with hot chocolate and marshmallows. Nothing too elaborate, just one of those simple evenings that makes staying in feel a little more special.
I also had a few things in mind that I wanted to find, so one of the days turned into a little shopping adventure.
We visited ten stores that day!
I wasn't really looking to buy a whole lot. I mainly wanted to find a sheet set that would go with Liam's candy cane duvet from IKEA and bring a little more red into his room. Somehow, along the way, I also found a tree collar at Aldi and picked up some Wallflowers from Bath & Body Works.
Nothing too extravagant, just a few little things that caught my eye.
That evening, Liam had an outing with his godfather and godbrother, which gave me the chance to have a little bestie date of my own.
I had actually skipped lunch because I was already looking forward to ordering a burger and a big dessert. I had this whole plan in my head, but by the time I finished the burger and fries, I was far too full to enjoy the dessert I'd been saving room for.
Of course!
It's funny how those little plans become memories, too. A few days of decorating, shopping, getting out of the house, movie nights, and little moments together. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but it was a nice reminder that even in the middle of motherhood and pregnancy, there are still little moments that make up the sweetest parts of everyday life.
And somewhere in between looking after Liam, keeping the house going, and finding little ways to enjoy the days, I managed to make a little time for myself, too.
A Little Red for Fall, and a Lot of Meaning Behind These Photos
Before Kita left for his trip, we also managed to take our fall family photos.
I've been looking forward to these pictures, especially because I wanted to capture the changing leaves while there was still a little red in the trees.
I've been drawn to red as an accent color this year. I'm still very much a neutrals girl, but I've found myself wanting little pops of red throughout our home and in the things I'm drawn to lately.
I love how a small touch of color can change the feeling of something without taking away from the softer, more neutral look I usually gravitate toward.
And seeing that red in the trees made me so happy because I knew it would carry beautifully into the Christmas photos I have in mind, too.
But beyond the colors, these photographs mean a little more to me this year.
I'm pregnant in our fall family photos for 2026.
It's still a little surreal to think about. If someone had asked me a year ago whether I'd be pregnant this autumn, growing our family and preparing for another baby, I don't think I would have been able to picture it.
Yet here we are.
There's Liam, growing a little bigger each year, Kita beside us, and our little girl growing quietly along with us.
I know I'll look back at these pictures and remember more than what we were wearing or what the trees looked like. I'll remember what it felt like to be carrying her, how different this pregnancy has been, and how much our little family was changing.
I think that's why I love documenting these seasons so much. Sometimes a photograph captures something you don't fully understand the importance of until much later.
And I know these will be photographs I'll be especially grateful to have.
Finding Time for the Things I Haven't Finished
If there's one thing I've been struggling to keep up with lately, it's my blog.
I still have my From Poppy Seed to Watermelon pregnancy series and illustrations to finish, and I really want to bring that project together into one place so I can share the whole journey.
It's something I've been excited about documenting, and I don't want to leave it unfinished.
But between pregnancy, everyday motherhood, appointments, and everything else happening around here, finding the time and energy to sit down and create hasn't always been easy.
I've also been a little behind on Pinterest, so as I'm writing this, I'm quite literally posting back to back to catch up.
It's a little funny, but also very much where I am right now.
I want to get these autumn memories written and shared before I start editing Christmas memories or taking our Christmas photographs. I don't want to move on to the next season without giving this one a little space of its own.
There's always another idea, another photograph to edit, another post I'd love to write. And sometimes I get caught up in everything I haven't finished instead of appreciating the things I have managed to do.
I'm trying to give myself a little grace with that.
The blog is still something I love, and I want to keep creating and documenting our life. But I also know that this is a season where my energy needs to be shared between a lot of things, and not everything will happen exactly when I'd planned.
Maybe that's okay, too.
A Little Piece of Autumn to Remember
I think what makes this autumn so special isn't any one particular outing, photograph, or milestone.
It's everything happening around them.
It's returning to a place we've loved for years and watching Liam share it with his new friends. It's being pregnant again, even on the days when my body reminds me just how much work that is. It's the little shopping trips, the burger I was too full to finish dessert after, the red leaves I wanted in our family pictures, and the ordinary days when I managed a little more than I thought I could.
It's knowing that our family is changing, even while some of our favorite traditions stay the same.
I'm trying to hold on to this version of life without wishing it away. The busy days, the slower days, the moments I photograph, and the ones I simply get to live.
Because before I know it, autumn will have passed, another Christmas will be here, and we'll be welcoming a new little person into our family.
And I think I'll miss this version of us, too.
So, for now, I'm letting myself enjoy the season as it comes. A little slower than usual, perhaps, but with so much to be thankful for.
A Little Note to Remember This Autumn
For the fall I carried you,
while your brother grew a little taller,
and the leaves turned shades of red
outside the windows we passed.
For the familiar places,
the photographs we took,
the little traditions we shared,
and the new memories finding their way into our family.
For the days that felt heavy,
the afternoons I needed rest,
and the little moments that reminded me
there was still so much beauty in between.
This was the autumn our family was growing,
in more ways than one.
And if I ever find myself looking back,
I hope I remember it all.
Not because everything was perfect,
but because it was ours.