Around here thirty-eight: 09/16-09/22

a glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this minute.

Intentional Hours Outside:  445 hours (of 1000)
Up only eleven hours this week, as we I felt slightly trapped inside taking care of sore throats and fevers while trying to get chores down too.  It was a weird week that felt really rushed for time, even more so as the first day of fall (Thursday) marked the official move into less daylight hours now.  uh oh.  hah.   I got in a nice jog on Sunday to try to prep (or at least make sure I could do it - HAH!) for my 5K this weekend on a beautiful local trail.

Reading (still!) Home Field by Hannah Gersen.  I'm moving so slowly through as I'm not being very good at carving out reading time.  I listened to a big chunk of Tell the Wolves I'm Home on audible while I took my jog on Sunday afternoon.  Also reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Illustrated edition to Greyson before bed.

Celebrating our Violet's second birthday, a little early, last Friday night with an animal birthday party.  So thankful to everyone who came out to our house to enjoy the evening with us and honor our two year old Va-vi.  We had a peanut-eating elephant, animal cracker cupcakes, and these animal masks.  It was pretty lowkey and just perfect for our Miss Vi; our resident wacky, adorable, meatball, silly two year old!

Hiding out under the bleachers at Greyson's flag football game on Saturday as it poured down rain.  It was Grey's first rain football game and he didn't hate it (hah).  They won, making their team 3-1 and he still is having a great time playing in the games and practice.  I'm loving the fact that I always have "you have to go to school if you want to play football" in my back pocket when Grey wakes up particularly cranky for school...mwhahha.

Planning all sorts of upcoming stuff like an alumni cornhole tournament this weekend, Beer Olympics (only two weeks away!) and new ideas for The Hunting Daddies.  I have a list of three other mini-trips that I need to figure out in terms of planning (and financing!)  Usually planning makes me feel energized, but lately between the sick kids and the part-time job, I've been feeling waves of pressure.  One little step at a time though...

Pulling out the Halloween decor this week because it was a beautiful fall day and I knew it would have the kids smiling.  We have so many Halloween books that get the kids excited about the holiday.  I must have read Max's Halloween and Ten Timid Ghosts twenty times already this week!  We don't overdue it on the decorations, but it's just enough to get our spirits in the mood.

Enjoying this beautiful weather.  It's been high seventies here all week and bright blue skies with the most perfect fall breezes coming through.  We've had the windows open with the curtains billowing up and it makes me feel so happy deep down in my bones.

Watching this TED talk about the museum of four in the morning and loving it so much.  Maybe my new favorite because of romance and the universe conspiring for the sake of beauty and all the tingling feelings.

Making these three ingredient chocolate/pumpkin muffins (my absolute fav because of both ease and taste) for breakfast on the first day of fall, and then baked potato soup in the crockpot for dinner that same day.  We also had taco pasta (easy and yum) and veggie pizza for Violet's party (thank you Heather for chopping all the veggies!)