A Fall Trip to New Jersey Recap Blog

I need to get back into blogging. When you fall off the bandwagon for a while, it’s so easy to keep pushing it off. Life has been busy with mom duties, keeping up with the house, school starting again, a bit of travel, and just feeling so tired all the time. But enough excuses—I really, really miss blogging, especially now that fall is coming, which is my favorite time of year. I have so much to catch up on with pregnancy blogs and recaps, but I figured our trip recap to New Jersey is a solid place to start!

Some of you do not have social media, and since I shared this a few weeks ago, I better let you all know here, we are having a boy! I can’t believe I get the privilege of raising two boys! Deep down, I’ve always known I was meant to be a boy mom. (And yes, this is our last pregnancy!) We’re so excited and feel incredibly blessed! 💙 My son is so excited and talks about it all the time. I wasn’t sure how much a three-and-a-half-year-old could really comprehend about pregnancy or having a sibling before they arrive, but he’s so aware. He’ll run up to kiss my belly and talk about all the things he wants to buy for his brother or share with him—it melts my heart. We are so, so excited! And thank goodness we kept everything—our journey just got a whole lot less expensive!

Now that I’ve shared the exciting news, let’s get to the recap blog! I know there are a few missing months of posts, but I’ll try to sprinkle in as much as I can later. We’re on fall break right now, but once my son goes back to school, I’m hoping to have a bit more downtime to sit and write—maybe even share some of the recipes we’ve been making and loving lately.

We’ve had an early riser lately, which means he usually has about an hour to spare before getting ready for school. Since the mornings have been so nice, we’ve been spending that time outside in the driveway doing chalk or riding his scooter—his new favorite activity. We live on a downhill, so it definitely gives me a bit of a heart attack every time!

Our goal for this week is to fill a bunch of squares with his favorite characters. Stay tuned for that! We got the idea after we drew one square with Peppa Pig! The night before we packed for our New Jersey trip, he kept wanting to draw airplanes. When it comes to chalk, I go through quite a bit throughout the year, and one of my favorites is the multi-color pack from Amazon—it’s totally worth it for all the fun colors. I usually dump everything into our big chalk bin, and the neighbor kids love coming over to chalk up the driveway with us!

Thank goodness I packed everything the night before, because I ended up turning off my alarm after falling asleep in my son’s bed when he woke up in the middle of the night. Kyle came running upstairs because he thought I was getting ready—but nope, I was sound asleep with our son, just ten minutes before we were supposed to head out the door! Thankfully, we still had plenty of time to get to the airport since it was around 5:30 a.m. I’m lucky to have a husband who loves to be early for everything (which I’m definitely not complaining about, because that’s usually how I like to roll too!). But lately, with pregnancy, all I want to do is sleep—which is so unlike me. I used to get up at 3:30 a.m. to write these blogs! I guess that’s why they’ve been slacking.

When we got to the airport, we made it through security in just a few minutes—woohoo! Then we headed to our gate with over an hour to spare. I grabbed a cappuccino, and my son picked out a chocolate chip banana muffin. I had packed a bunch of fidget toys (I linked them all in my amazon shop!) my mom brought over for the plane, and since my son had never seen them before, he was completely entertained for the entire hour-long flight. And, of course, pregnancy cravings are weird—I ended up eating a Caesar salad at 9:30 a.m.!

Kyle’s dad picked us up from the Newark airport when we landed around noon. I always love driving through Kyle’s hometown—it’s surrounded by beautiful farmland and rolling mountains, and the trees were just starting to change! It felt so nice going from 90-degree heat back home to the crisp 80s.

First things first on a pregnant lady’s agenda—a bagel in New Jersey, of course! There’s just nothing like bagels in the North. We stopped at Valley Bagel & Deli at the Panther Valley Mall for some fresh bagels with my favorite cream cheese flavor, walnut raisin. It was so good, especially paired with a Joe Tea!

Later that evening, we headed to the Car Show at the mall and then ordered dinner to go from Terranova Pizza. Everything was delicious, and my son absolutely loved seeing all the cool cars. Of course, his Pop couldn’t resist spoiling him with a bunch of new Hot Wheels—it made his whole night!

The next morning, we headed to our nephew’s birthday party! He’s close to our son’s age so it’s so fun to see them get together to play.

On the way there, we stopped at Black Drop Coffee. I went the first four months of my pregnancy hating coffee—the smell, the thought of it, everything made me sick. Thank goodness my love for coffee came back just in time for fall! The thought of feeling nauseous during my favorite season would’ve been terrible. I ordered a honey oat milk cappuccino and picked up a ginger molasses cookie on the side. Both were absolutely delicious—the perfect cozy fall combo.

The birthday party was so much fun! It was held at a kids’ art studio, and they did so many cool activities. Plus, it was a pajama party—which is why he’s wearing pajamas!

We spent the rest of the day at Kyle’s sister’s house with family! It always makes me a little sad that we don’t live closer because it’s so much fun watching all the cousins play together—they have the best time.

On the drive back to Kyle’s dad’s house, we stopped at True Food Kitchen, and I ordered the salmon and grain bowl. We didn’t get back until around 9 p.m., and my toddler—who hasn’t taken a nap (his refusal) in over a year—was still wide awake in the backseat! I was honestly impressed with how well he adjusted to the long trip. He just jumped right into the new routine, slept through the night, and went about his day completely unfazed.

Early Sunday morning, we headed out for a walk on the land. I took my coffee to go, and the weather was perfectly crisp—the kind that instantly wakes you up and makes you feel refreshed. That cool air seriously cures any pregnancy nausea. I just wanted to sit outside and breathe in the fresh air all day long.

At 9 a.m., we got cleaned up and headed to church. Some of you messaged me on Instagram asking how I get my three-year-old to sit through an hour of service—and the trick is packing a small bag of quiet fidget toys (like the ones we use on the plane), coloring books, and a little bag of cereal to snack on. He does really well! He uses his whisper voice, and sometimes he’ll even sit there completely engaged—listening and singing along. Ok, ok… maybe I also tell him Santa is watching him.

After church, we picked up bagels for breakfast at Hot Bagels Abroad. We split a Taylor ham, cheese and egg bagel, along with a cinnamon raisin bagel topped with walnut cream cheese. If you’re from Jersey, you know the Taylor ham sandwich is a classic—and it really is so delicious. It was actually one of the first things Kyle ever made for me when we met! He even went to three different grocery stores down South just to find Taylor ham.

After breakfast, we spent some time at the house playing with LEGO sets , wood trains, and watching the Eagles game—and what a fun game it was to watch!

When the game wrapped up, we headed over to Tranquility Farms to catch the tail end of their fall festival. We love visiting Tranquility whenever we’re in town—it’s such a fun spot, especially for kids. The atmosphere, the animals, and all the fall activities make it one of our favorite traditions.

To celebrate the Eagles win, we picked up one of the best apple pies in town! Kyle’s dad was making steaks for dinner, so we figured we’d better bring along a delicious dessert to go with some ice cream. The perfect way to end the day.

Every time we visit, I look forward to Kyle’s dad’s steaks and Sheryl’s salads! Kyle actually learned how to make the steak the same way for our Christmas dinner last year, and it was amazing.

On Monday afternoon, I took my first trip to Uncle Giuseppe’s grocery store in Morristown, and it was like an amusement park for people who love grocery stores (aka me!). They had everything! I could’ve spent hours just walking the aisles and checking out all the specialty items.

On the way back, I grabbed a bowl from Chopt—I’ve been loving their Blissful Harvest Bowl lately, and I always have them add cranberries. It’s so good and perfect for fall. I’ve been making a similar version at home lately but with butternut squash!

My son has been begging to go apple picking, and since there isn’t much around where we live in South Carolina, we headed back to Tranquility on Monday night to make his little dream come true. We spent the evening picking apples in the giant orchards, and he loved every second of it!

We stayed until sunset, letting him run wild and get all dirty with a group of boys—going down the slide, chasing each other, and exploring the farm. Every time we went, he met a new group of kids to play with, and it was so sweet watching him in his element, completely carefree and happy.

Early the next morning, we headed to Turkey Brook Park in Mount Olive, NJ, for a morning of play. This park was so cool—it had all kinds of fun obstacles, lookout towers, and colorful murals for kids to explore. He had an absolute blast! We spent almost two ours there playing before we got hungry for lunch.

When I saw that Tatte Bakery opened a new location in Morristown, NJ, I was so excited to visit! I’ve been following them on Instagram for years and knew they had locations in D.C., New York, and a few other places—and I’d always wanted to go. So, we decided to head that way and experience it for the first time!

I’m not joking—when Kyle and I both took our first sip of the oat milk cappuccino, we looked at each other and said at the same time, “This is the best coffee we’ve ever had.” It was exactly our style of espresso: chocolatey, nutty, and smooth. I’m not a fan of floral, fruity, or sour coffee beans, so this one was absolute perfection. We immediately knew we’d be buying beans to take home for our machine!

We ordered the avocado toast with a poached egg on fresh bread made in house, the savory chicken salad sandwich, creamy tomato bisque, and a deliciously chewy oatmeal cookie. The food was amazing! I thought their soup was a solid 10/10 and paired perfectly with our sandwiches.

This boy is currently on a full three-year-old food strike. 😅 He took a few bites of the dinner roll, but luckily I had packed his favorites—cheese, crackers, fruit, and yogurt. I’m definitely going to have to figure out some kind of reset for him soon because his food palette is not it right now!

After lunch, we spent the afternoon exploring Morristown and then headed back to spend some time at Kyle’s dad’s work. My son loved playing construction man around the mall—he had on his full tool belt, hard hat, and was completely in character, “fixing” everything he could find.

Later, we stopped by the stables across the street before heading back to get cleaned up for the night. We had a big day planned for us on Tuesday!

On the way home, we stopped by one of Kyle’s family members’ houses, and it’s safe to say it was a huge hit when my son spotted a backhoe and excavator parked in the driveway.

We woke up super early to head to the American Dream Mall in Rutherford, NJ (right outside of NYC), and this place is truly like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. You can’t even picture it just from someone describing it—it’s that incredible! They have indoor theme parks, Nickelodeon Studios (with Paw Patrol playgrounds and rides!), water parks, indoor skiing, an ice skating rink, a giant Ferris wheel, museums, mini golf, an aquarium, Legoland, theaters, huge roller coasters, and so much more. It’s seriously unbelievable!

We met up with the cousins for a super fun day at Nickelodeon Studios! My son was in his absolute glory—being the Paw Patrol-loving kid that he is. I’m pretty sure I even saw a happy little teardrop when he spotted the Paw Patrol playground and rides. It was pure joy watching them all have the best day ever! He asks me every morning if we can go back.

When we visited the American Dream Mall a few years back—back when I was pregnant with my son!—we had lunch at an Italian restaurant there called Carpaccio, and I remember loving their pasta e fagioli so much. I was really hoping they’d still have it on the menu, and thank goodness they did! We met up with one of Kyle’s really good friends from Jersey for lunch and enjoyed the most delicious meal—calamari, pasta e fagioli, and I had their misticanza salad with grilled chicken. Everything was amazing!

While Kyle and our son went back to Nickelodeon Studios for another hour before heading home, I took some time to wander through a few stores at the mall—and treated myself to some Switzerland chocolates from Läderach. I had never heard of the shop before, but I was instantly intrigued by how beautiful (and, yes, a little pricey!) everything looked. Being the chocolate lover that I am, I had to try a few, and let me tell you—they’re definitely worth the price!

And then I snagged a few things for my boys at Zara 🙂

A perfect cozy and foggy morning to find a local coffee shop before picking up some groceries.

We grabbed some coffee at Greene’s Beans Coffee Roasters, and it was such a good choice. I ordered the Hackettstown Hazelnut Decaf, and it was amazing! Even my son kept trying to sneak sips every time I turned around.

We spent the rest of the morning cozied up in the living room, playing with new LEGO sets and trains while Kyle caught up on some work. The rain outside made it feel extra cozy—just one of those perfect fall days that makes you want to stay in and soak it all up

For lunch, I made a salad with romaine, spring mix, leftover steak, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, mandarins, candied pecans, apples, goat cheese, and a simple oil and vinegar dressing. It was so so good!

We headed up the road to a park for a walk—it was the perfect sweater-weather afternoon! I’ve finally been able to build my stamina back up and go for longer walks without feeling like I’m going to pass out or can’t breathe. The southern heat has been rough on me this pregnancy, and walking has been such a struggle. You all know how much I love my walks, so it felt amazing to finally enjoy one again!

We ended the day with an amazing dinner—grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, and a delicious side salad. Even our little food-strike child surprised us by eating an entire chicken breast, baked beans, and corn!

The next morning, I made Kyle’s dad’s favorite—sticky cinnamon buns! These are seriously the easiest ever and taste so good. My mom has made them since I was a kid, for every holiday, and they’re such a nostalgic favorite for me. I know I’m a sourdough cinnamon roll girl now, but these are what I grew up on every Christmas morning—and I’ll probably start that tradition again. The best part? They take barely any prep time! You can grab the recipe here!

For breakfast, we stopped at Stella G’s, where I had a delicious coffee and a fruit and yogurt parfait. It’s such a cute breakfast spot tucked in the downtown area. Before leaving, we grabbed some pastries to go from Aroma Bakery across the street since we were heading to Kyle’s aunt’s house to visit—and, of course, we didn’t want to show up empty-handed! We spent the whole afternoon catching up with them, and it was so nice.

When we got back, I made myself a yummy salad for lunch before changing and heading to the farm for the afternoon.

Kyle headed out to spend some time at his dad’s work, and I took our son to Tranquility Farms. The weather was perfect—sunny, breezy, and the ideal excuse to get him outside for the afternoon. He was so happy running around in the sunshine!

First, we grabbed tickets for the tractor hayride! Honestly, it was so bumpy that I was thankful I wasn’t further along in my pregnancy—I probably would’ve gone into labor, haha! It was such a pretty ride though, with views of the pumpkin patches and all the fall produce. We spent the rest of the day feeding the animals, treating ourselves to cotton candy ice cream, and watching my son make a group of new friends on the playground. He played with them for over two hours while I happily sat at a picnic table, soaking up the sunshine and just watching him have the best day.

Remember when I said my child hasn’t napped in over a year? Well, a miracle happened. On our way to dinner, he must’ve played so hard at the playground because he fell right asleep in the truck! It was only for about ten minutes, but still—he actually napped! It is possible I guess…

We spent our last night having dinner at Bell’s Mansion, and it was the perfect ending to our trip. The restaurant was stunning, with gorgeous views and the most beautiful weather for sitting out on the patio. I ordered the honey-glazed salmon over mashed potatoes and green beans—it was absolutely amazing!

We were up bright and early on Saturday morning and out the door for the airport. I grabbed the Starbucks oatmeal—which I actually kind of love! I’m so glad I ate it because it held me over on the plane. I’m still in that phase of pregnancy where if I get hungry at all, I instantly feel nauseated, so I keep snacks with me at all times.

It was one of the best weeks in New Jersey! As much as we loved our trip, we were also excited to get home because my brother and his girlfriend were in town staying at our house. We planned to watch the Iowa game that afternoon, my brother made chili, and we had cake to celebrate my dad’s birthday. It was the perfect way to wrap up such a special week.

My husband has been in Germany all week, we’ve been on Fall break from school, and that means I’ll have much more time to blog and get some recaps up next week when the schedule is back to normal! Talk soon!