With my own rake in hand, I listened to the squeals of the neighbor kids across the street having fun in a giant pile of leaves today. Raking the colorful confetti that decorated their front yard, they made a huge pile large enough to jump in. Giggles and laughter filled the air and I couldn’t help but smile.

Throughout the jumping they decided on a perfect game – “let’s pile the leaves on top of one of us and scare mom and dad!” I couldn’t help but chuckle remembering that exact game I played as a kid. I sat down in my own pile of leaves and watched as the big sister piled the leaves high on top of her brother, often telling him to “stay still.”  With the leaves piled high, the girl ran to her mom and beckoned her to come see what they had made. When mom appeared at the pile, out jumped the little one with a ferocious “boo!” The kids laughed and mom couldn’t help but smile too.

The tree in our front yard has almost dropped all of its leaves, signaling yet another change in the seasons. Soon our colorful landscape will all drop, creating more piles of excitement to play in. I don’t think you’re every too old to play in a pile of leaves.

This weekend was the true sign that fall has arrived. Not only was it the weekend of my first planned Fall Festival (which I had to postpone), but the gloomy skies above and constant trickle of rain was a sign that the season has changed.

Fall is my favorite of year – not only for the brisk cool temperatures, but for the beautiful colors that decorate the landscape and remind me of why I call Colorado home. I can’t help but marvel at the changing of the leaves from their summer shades of green to vibrant reds, oranges and yellows that are echoed among the mountainous divides or pop out along the tree-lined streets. Nature’s beauty surrounds us in many forms, but the intense colors of fall are hard to compare to anything else as they beckon me inward to enjoy their beauty.

My husband hiked a beautiful trail a week ago to Sandbeach Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, where he captured these photos.

Happy Fall!