What's Up Wednesday: September

Today I decided to join in with a new group of bloggers on their monthly What’s Up Wednesday.   Without further ado; here’s what’s up with me!
 

What we're eating this week:

I’m not getting too fancy with meals this week due to our schedule.  The two main highlights for dinner will be our family favorite of chicken and sweet potatoes on the grill and chicken pot pie.  I’m not sure if you all have experienced the wonderful chicken pot pie from Costco or not, but it is my hubby’s favorite.  It is a seasonal dish for them, and was just released for the fall and winter months this week.  I’m not joking when I say I had to talk him out of purchasing two.

 

What I'm Reminiscing About:

This is a standard thing for me, but I love looking back at photos of the kids.  They can be from last year or last month and I am always in awe at how much they change and what new things they learn.  Time is just so precious and to be cherished.

 

What I'm Loving:

I’m always loving something.  Every night when I get home I light my Gold Canyon candle in “pumpkin patch.”  I also am quick to jump into a pair of sweat pants I picked up at Costco a few weeks back.  They were $9 and are some of the softest I have ever worn, no joke.  I believe the brand is 32˚? 
 

I am loving how Miss Tess is discovering the world of baking with me and how adamant she is at teaching me the splits (it’s not going very well).  I also love listening to Mr. Brady sing his favorite songs and sharing his love for counting (5,6,7,8,9,10 as fast as he can).  I guess the other numbers before five aren’t important anymore. ;)
 

Finally, I love all things pumpkin flavored (especially coffee creamer), cauliflower dishes, and green smoothies.

 

What We've Been Up To:

Everything, ha!  The weather has been amazing here in Iowa.  We have had some nice summer-like days with cool, crisp evenings.  We have been soaking up all the time outside that we can before that dreaded winter arrives on our front steps.  There have been trips to the apple orchard, the farmer's market, and we made our last big drive up to the lake house.



She's Thrilled; I Promise

 

Our evenings as of late consist of walks to the playground and socializing with our neighbors.  This is my favorite time of year so I am cherishing these beautiful fall nights and using every excuse I have to bake, burn candles, and bundle up in comfy clothes  as I play outside with the kiddos.

What I'm Dreading:

I feel like I have been chatting about this a lot already, but I’m dreading next week when we take Brady to Iowa City for another kidney procedure.  We will spend the morning in Radiology and the afternoon with his specialist.  Brady had an appointment today with his pediatrician who prescribed an antibiotic for us to start using this weekend.  Hopefully that will eliminate any infection from this procedure since we don’t have such good luck in that area.

What I'm Working On:

I feel like turning my house into a home is a constant project for me.  With Brady upgrading to his big boy bed, I am thinking about how to rearrange and/or make his room more fitting for him.  I am also trying to find the right add-ons for our master bedroom and light fixtures for some other areas.  I tell ya what, it’s a process.

What I'm Excited About:

A neighbor of ours has the movie Pitch Perfect 2 and I have been dying to see it.  This Saturday night a bunch of us are getting together to watch.  I hope it lives up to the hype I have created in my mind.  I loved the first one and am certain the second won’t disappoint.  Bring on the music and laughter! 

Side note: I heard they are making a Pitch Perfect 3 to be released in August of 2017…say what?

What I'm watching/reading:

This month has been insanely busy for us.  Needless to say I haven’t watched a single television show or read a book.  I have watched The Princess and The Frog about seven times. ;)  We are also watching Mickey’s Halloween Episode on repeat.  Oh, the life of a mommy.

What I'm Listening To:

With the craziness of this month and the anxiety I have building due to Brady’s appointment, I have switched permanently to our Christian radio station these last couple of weeks.  I’ve blogged about how this music can really lift me up, calm me down, and help put life in perspective.  I know when I need it, and this month has been one of those times.  I do still listen to my country music flare when I am getting ready some mornings.  Every mommy needs some beats here and there!

What I'm Wearing:

I have been living in my Zella leggings as of late.  I purchased a cropped pair and a long pair during the Nordstrom’s anniversary sale a couple months back.  So far they have lived up to the hype.  They are so soft and wash up great. 

Another item I seem to wear nearly every day are my New Balance sneaks.  They are super comfortable, a must for this mommy on the go, and I happen to think they are pretty darn cute. 

What I'm Doing This Weekend:

My sister-in-law and niece (those hot little numbers on the left) are flying in from California for the weekend.  We haven’t seen them since our Maui vacation in May so it will be wonderful to catch up face to face again.  Plus, the kids actually haven’t seen one another since last December (we chose not to bring our little ones to Hawaii).  At their young ages, so much development occurs in such a short amount of time so it will be neat to see how they interact together.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

First off, I can’t wrap my head around the fact that tomorrow is October!  Here’s my list of to-dos for our family.

1.  A visit to the pumpkin patch

2.  Carving pumpkins

3.  Trick –or-treating

4.  Making that darn Cauliflower Pizza that’s been on my to-do list since June ;)

Favorite Halloween Tradition:

I was raised in a family that was a stickler about tradition and I loved it!  We have so many fun traditions throughout the year.  The one holiday where traditions were missing was Halloween as it wasn’t a favorite of my folks.  The hubs really enjoys this holiday, but quite frankly I could take it or leave it.  Needless to say we don’t have any traditions besides your standard carving of pumpkins and traveling house to house for candy.  And well, I don’t think I’m planning anything new for this year either. ;)