To be honest, the end of summer was kind of a blur. Dave has been traveling a lot for work, and was literally gone half of September. Which means, of course, I was left to wrangle the circus that is our home with three boys by myself. I love it so much, I really do, but after the fourth or fifth day of the constant whining/fighting/drama when my tank is on empty, I kind of start to go cray.
Finally things have been starting to settle- just in time for us to list our house for sale! We like excitement over here, apparently. Looking back, I realize it probably wasn't the wisest thing to buy a house, get pregnant and change jobs our first year of marriage but WE MADE IT. I'm starting to realize that's kind of how we do things, Dave and I. We have pretty high capacities, although now having three high-energy boys in the house makes things just a liiiiiitttle more crazy than normal. But that's neither here nor there.
The reason I feel the urge to write today is because the past two days have felt like true fall here in West Michigan, and I want to remember them. This will most likely be our last fall in this house, and I'm paying attention to the little changes in the weather and really enjoying them. I'm a lover of fall through and through. The dark and gloomy days, and even the sunny ones, with the crisp smell of leaves in the air, the beautiful changing colors and the smell of donuts and cider when I walk into my local farmstand- these things make me so so happy.
And as far as the circus goes, things are slightly tamer around here during the day with Zachary at school since there is nobody for Julian to fight with. That boy is SUCH a firecracker! The past two days I've realized something- even though he doesn't nap most days, he can still do quiet time in his bedroom. Oh sweet, sweet quiet time. The chances of the baby taking a nap at some point during quiet time are pretty good too, which leaves me with a tiny window of time to myself in the afternoons which I love. And you know what I've been doing with that time?
Cooking!
There's something about fall that makes me want to cook. Sometimes the gloomy days get to me, even though I love them. But taking myself into the kitchen to cook really lifts my mood and excites me, and breaking out old recipes is like greeting a good friend you haven't seen in ages but it feels like you were never apart. I've also been cooking more healthfully than normal and avoiding gluten, store bought dairy and refined sugar. Yesterday I made vegetable soup and ham & raw cheese quinoa cups. Today I made Kielbasa with peppers and onions and steamed some butternut squash. I also got some raw milk today from a local farmer! It is very tasty, but I'm finding I need to get past the *thought* of it if you know what I mean!
Tonight Dave worked downtown, so the boys and I had a fun filled night of eating good food, watching movies and doing homework to worship music. I love my (not so little) family and find myself feeling grateful tonight.
As we head further into fall with a few unknowns, I'm looking forward to many things. A move to a better home for us, more frequent date nights with my love, a healthier outlook for me with some diet changes, growing, happy and healthy boys, photography planning, being part of a rich women's bible study (BSF) group and a MOPS group, and creating new traditions as I learn the art of celebrating everything. Yes, everything. More on that in another post.
I'll leave this here for tonight- happy, excited, and thankful.
