Mommy Musings

Skip was actually off on Columbus Day {hey, I'll take any holiday I can get}.  The girls were too, as was my best friend's husband.  We took that as a cue to head out to pick some pumpkins since it's such a rarity everyone is off together these days. The farm we went to is closing this year. I'm excited about the Wegman's we're finally getting, but bummed it's closing.  I've gone here my whole life.  So we made sure to soak up every minute possible! We went through the hay maze, saw some animals, picked pumpkins, and took tons of pictures.  It was warm that day, and such a great time!

Emmy is one of the biggest cheerleaders I have when it comes to my running.   She always asks me my mileage as soon as I walk in the door.   Last year she and I ran once together, only ¼ of a mile before she got tired.   And this summer I promised her we’d go out again. She had me put some music on my old iPhone that she has {Pitch Perfect soundtrack and Taylor Swift}, put on her sneakers and headphones, and we headed out!   She made sure to have me turn on my Nike+ app so we’d know how far we went.   I followed her lead of when she wanted to run, and when she wanted a walking break. We did a loop around the neighborhood of a whole mile!   Which when you’re six is practically a marathon.   She was SO excited to tell Skip and Charlie about it, and immediately hit the shower after.   She smiled later that night when she said her legs hurt from running.   We haven’t gotten out since, but I definitely need to make it a priority! I love my little running buddy.

I swear the girls are growing faster and faster every day.   Some days I miss their baby-ness, but for the most part, I am LOVING this season we’re in.   One of my favorite things is watching them play together.   Sure, they have their fair share of fights still.   But they hug each other tightly after school every day and rush   home to play together.   I love it for the peace it gives to me, and I love it so much more for them.   I’m very close with my two sisters and love watching Charlie and Emmy develop that same bond!

Today I'll wake up to snuggles from my girls.... I'll paint the trim in my bedroom and start moving furniture back in... I'll go out to lunch with my husband... I'll go food shopping and clean downstairs... I'll help the girls with their homework.... I'll probably eat too much cake, but also hopefully go to the gym... I'll have a few friends over to cheer on the Giants with me... Today I turn 33 and I wouldn't spend it any other way than this.

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The girls’ school staggers the opening for the first few days.   Because of that, Emmy started with the main school {1-8} and Charlie started two days later with the pre-k.   For four years my little girl has been home with me.   It’s bittersweet to see that time together end, so I was happy for two more days with her! We spent it at the park, and a little shopping at the mall, and just lots and lots of snuggles.   As much as I’m happy she’s thriving at school, I miss this one-on-one time with my girl!

The girls are big on birthdays around here for their toys.   It seemed like we had one every other day.   In the beginning, Emmy came up with the idea.   We’d decorate, sing and blow out candles, and eat some cake. A few weeks ago, Charlie jumped on the trend, and we celebrated Monkey’s 8 th birthday {yeah, he’s not really that old} It’s such a fun way to break up the routine of the week, and it makes my girls’ faces just light up.   Plus, who doesn’t love extra cake?

A few week ago, we went to one final carnival of the season as a family.  Friends of ours go to another local Catholic school, and they were having the carnival as their fundraiser.  We were happy to support them!  It was smaller, so there weren't too many rides Charlie could go on, but we had a blast anyway!  And they both came home with prizes from the games too {and I got to eat my fill of cotton candy!} A great night to end the carnival season around here...until the summertime again!

Even though we have a swingset with a slide in our backyard, we spent a TON of time at the park this summer.   We are lucky enough to have a whole bunch within a fifteen minute drive from us, so we’re constantly rotating which we go to.   In fact my best friend told me about a new one we’d never been to   right at the end of summer!   Now that the girls are older, it’s easier to bring them, and let them run off all their energy.   Park trips will definitely continue as far into the fall as the weather will let us!

What life looks like when Skip gets home after working 56 out of 80 hours and not seeing the girls for 3 1/2 days straight. These are the moments we cling to when he's gone!

With both girls in school full-time, I have a lot more free time during the day {Skip too when he’s on nights or off!} Most of it is spent working for me, but it’s also given me the opportunity to look around the house and notice little changes here and there I want to make. The first was repainting our bedroom.   I had painted it grey with a darker accent wall a few years ago. Which I loved until we moved the furniture around the accent wall was no longer behind our bed.   In comes an $18 clearance gallon of paint from Lowes. It’ a soft, grayish blue, and I am absolutely in love! So much so that I decided to repaint our bathroom downstairs.   It had been a burnt orange before, which again was fine, but I had the paint and felt like a little upgrade. I’m completely in love with these two rooms now! On the bigger project end, I managed to convince Skip that we needed to rip up all the carpets upstairs in our house RIGHT THEN {I have no patience when it comes to home projects} The carpet