Thomas and I went to Chiles Peach Orchard outside of Charlottesville, VA the other Saturday and it was a day to remember. We want to make it a tradition to go every year with T! It was actually our first time apple picking and it was so much fun! The weather seriously cooperated, because we had bright blue skies and it was 60 degrees. I pulled out my sweater, booties, and a little hat for T! He was so cute in it, we couldn’t handle it. Something about babies in beanies really gets me!

We woke up Saturday morning, drank some coffee, ate breakfast, and then headed out mid-morning. We made a pit stop in Charlottesville to grab lunch from Roots Natural Kitchen. It’s one of our favorites. It likes Chipotle, but with all local ingredients and toppings like kale, sweet potatoes, beets, roasted broccoli, chicken, etc. They do amazing job at flavor & the bowls are huge so there’s almost always leftovers! We got our bowls and then headed to the orchard.

When we got there, there were families picking pumpkins and apples, drinking cider, eating donuts, playing, having picnics, etc. My heart was so happy the second we arrived. I just knew it was going to be a good day! There were lots of people, but it wasn’t overcrowded at all. Last year, we tried another orchard and it was WAY too crowded. We actually didn’t even end up picking apples, because there were too many people. So this year, getting to actually pick the apples was a first for us. They had granny smith and fuji available. I was really hoping for honey crisp (my favorite variety), but I have to say that the freshly picked ones were so sweet & delicious. I’ve been snacking on the fuji with peanut butter and cinnamon almost daily, and I used the granny smith to make an apple crisp! We served it as our dessert at a dinner we hosted with friends, and it was a hit. We paired it with gelato and everyone loved it. This is the recipe I used! I also decreased both sugars to 1/3 cup & it turned out great. Not overly sweet & paired perfectly with gelato. But if you like it super sweet then keep it as it is.

We decided to just bring our new UPPAbaby stroller apple picking, because we figured the basket would be great and that way we could both be hands free with T. It worked out so well! We were able to bring it through the orchards no problem, and it kept T all warm and cozy. As you can see, he was pretty happy about it too! We had a different stroller & car seat before that was great and we really liked, but this one is just phenomenal. It’s designed so well, and I feel like they really thought of everything. The basket underneath is huge, they have a little sun protector to keep the sun out of T’s eyes, it comes with a bassinet for infants (but T is too big now), it’s light and easy to use, I love the look of the design, and T just looks so cute in it haha. The seat adjusts so I can lean him more forward or back depending on what he’s doing.Needless to say, we love it so much. We also got the UPPAbaby MESA car seat, and love that too! It’s super comfy, light, and hooks right into the stroller. The best part about this stroller is it converts to a double, so it expands for growing families! We aren’t pregnant, haha, but we definitely want more kids. So I’d say it’s worth it because it’ll last!

 Thomas loves the stroller too. He was researching it like crazy when we were pregnant, but we wanted to start out with a smaller one since we’re in a tiny apartment. I love the other one, but think we should have just started with this one! Also, I can’t stand how cute these two are together and how much they love each other. My heart is exploding. You can see we stored all our apples underneath in the basket! Also, we had this whole row to ourselves to pick apples and it was so great.

After we finished picking, we headed to the main store to see what they had. We just some apple cider donuts, because how could you not? Thomas had never had one, and he said it’s his new favorite donut. I’ve been trying to explain how good they are, but he wouldn’t believe me haha. But now he does! They’re cake donuts (my favorite kind), with cinnamon sugar on the outside and made with apple cider. If you haven’t had one, you should try one if you can! We sat at at picnic table, soaked up the beautiful sunshine, talked about life, fall, traditions, etc. It was the best family day. Getting to be a family of three is a whole new world, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Going places is a little harder than it used to be, but sometimes just doing it is so worth it!

We had the best time, packed everything up, and headed back home for cozy soup & a movie! It was the best fall day full of so many favorite things. If you love fall, I hope you’re able to do some fun fall inspired things too! Here’s a list of some of my favorite fall activities in case you need some inspiration:

-apple picking

-pumpkin patch

-carving a pumpkin

-making chili

-baking pumpkin bread or muffins

-watching hallmark fall movies

-walking to enjoy the leaves & cool air

-trying seasonal coffees

-making apple crisp or pie

-going to the farmer’s market

-going on a hike

-roasting up lots of fall veggies

-going to a winery

-hosting a dinner with friends

-attending a local fall festival

-and so many more!

Hope you guys enjoyed this very fall inspired post!

Xoxo,

Lex

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of UPPAbaby.  The opinions and text are all mine.