Hello, again! A Summary of My Last Two Months of Life...

Oh Friends-- those of you who still stop by to read this space despite my lack of consistency...thank you...I love you...that is so kind of you...

(I couldn't resist this meme when I found it online--it's for you-- my favorite people!).

I'm hoping, one of these days, that I will be more consistent in many things-- blogging, making my bed, sticking with a meal plan that works for my family, and washing my girl's socks, underwear and gym clothes every Friday so that when Monday rolls around I don't start the week with this,  "Oh shoot-- no one has clean socks or underwear again?  And where ARE your gym clothes....Wait I'm supposed to know? You gave them to ME?! They're probably at the bottom of the laundry pile in the deep recesses of the basement. I promise I'll find them...maybe...by the end of the day...or month...or year." 

Um. Yeah. Sorry, kiddos.

Isn't it funny how as adults our lives become this huge conglomeration of details that we are supposed to manage and keep up with-- disparate details that feel like they have nothing to do with each other and yet they're all part of this one big, full life.

My brain has been swimming in details lately--

And so, even though I hoped to write a post in September right after Aubrey (my littlest!) started kindergarten...somehow it's almost November and that post never got written.

So here, in lieu of a lovely, organized, well-thought out post about how life has changed now that my littlest has started school, I'm offering a random smattering of photos from the last two months because it seems that my I-phone is about the only place I remember to capture life on a daily basis.

Honestly, as I sat down to write this I started thinking "Where have the last two months gone? What in the world have we been doing?"

As I scrolled through the over  6,198 photos on my phone, I was reminded that while life has been busy, it has also been blessed! And busy. Busy and blessed!

Thank you I-Phone for that reminder.

My photo capturing reminded me that since September 1st we have:

• Shopped for sneakers, back to school supplies and backpacks. All of which was eventually taken to school for supply drop off and set up with smiles. 
• We successfully started the school year- Ava in 6th grade, Ella in 4th (Ella switched schools, so we have two kids at Christian Central Academy this year) and Aubrey in kindergarten!! (Bah! that's a whole other blog post all together!). 
• We navigated getting up early again, (Ella getting up an hour earlier!), new bus numbers, new bus schedules and some separation anxiety from my sweet-faced 5 year old. 
• We re-started our moms group at church (yay!), which I'm facilitating. We've enjoyed re-connecting after a busy summer, and have welcomed 3 newborns already!! 
• I attended two retreats- one local church women's retreat in Sept., and one day of a 2-day writing conference in Michigan in Oct. (I drove 7 hours to the retreat on a Friday morning, slept at a friend's house and drove 7 hours back the next day to have dinner with my husband to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary! WooHoo!). 
• We've navigated the crazy, costume collecting days of Sprit Week at the big girl's school (with  more than one late night trip to Rite-Aid or Target!)
• I managed to write one freelance article for a local magazine (it is about urban living as a family and highlights my friend Heather's journey to move her family from the suburbs to the city, and how fun and crazy that can be sometimes!). It will be featured in the HOME section of Buffalo Spree at the end of November. 
• We had a new roof put on our house! Yay. Who knew that picking out shingles could be so complicated. I've never looked at so many roofs in such a short period of time. 
• I've been on several field trips already-- one to the farm with Aubrey and one to see a play with Ella, both of which were delightful. 
• We traveled to Columbus, Ohio one weekend to visit Scott's mom and to see the puppies that his sister and brother-in-law just helped to deliver (they had been fostering a pregnant dog all summer, and then delivered, took care of and found homes for the pups! Isn't that amazing?!)
• We celebrated our 15th year anniversary with cookie cake- and each bought each other cards, which we haven't actually signed yet!! Oops! 
• We've picked pumpkins and apples, have eaten cinnamon donuts and have watched the weather turn cold and rainy. The leaves are bright and the gloves are slowly being trudged out of the basement--  Fall is in full swing, and cold weather is upon us...

Here are a few photos of some of the shenanigans....

Have you ever accidentally started a favorite tradition? Um,  yeah. So, now the kids always hope for cake on the first day of school because one year, like 4 years ago, it seemed like a good idea to buy one from the grocery store bakery while I was there. This year we got an ice cream cake-- Yummy!

I could NOT pass the balloon up. I mean who doesn't want a massive helium unicorn to greet them after a long, hard, first day of kindergarten?! 

The Kissing Hand. Need I say more?! (: 

First day! 

So, maybe I went a little crazy and also picked up some little $1 Store gifts on the first day of school as well...

And, made a sign for Ava and Ella (Aubrey helped me with this- her first day was the next day! She got a sign too, but I can't find the picture...)

And found these cookies at Wegmans...I know...it was all a little over the top! But, it was fun and sweet, and in my defense the treats were spread over two "first-days"- the big girls first day and Aubrey's first day. 

Ahhh...the bus stop in September. When t-shirts are all you need...that doesn't happen again until May in these parts! 

I ACTUALLY stopped to smell (and take a few photos) of these wildflowers the first week that all of the girls were in school...just because I could! 

I bought myself some sunflower because they're my favorite. 

More "stopping to smell the flowers" photos...

This is the way you say "Happy Anniversary" when you've been married 15 years and knows your husband loves cookie cake! 

One of many spirit day photos! 

My 24 hour trip to Michigan- and the picture of the mini camper that I dream of owning to do my writing in some day (I'm not kidding! haha!)

LOVED every minute of the 8 hours I was at the Breathe Writer's Conference.

This photo of our trip to Columbus really needs no explanation....Ava's face says it ALLLLL!

So, there you have it friends. Several months ago I set a goal to write 40 blog posts in my 40th year...I haven't given up on the 40 blog posts, though at this rate it might take me more than a year to get them all down (this is #6/40).

We'll see.

Besides all of the busy family stuff I have been doing a LOT of journaling, praying, and seeking wisdom about where God might want to use me in this new season of life.

 It's a season that I thought would be quieter than it actually is so far...a season that has left me with a lot of deep questions  about who I am, how God can use my gifts to bless others, and where my dreams to write more consistently and perhaps even professionally fit into all of THIS-- from the car trips to mis-matched socks and everything in between.

Hugs to you all. I'm working on a piece about what life is like now that all of my girls are in school and hope to post it next week..

Until then may God bless you abundantly, may we see His abundant blessings (even when life feels like a never-ending ride on a Tilt-a-Whirl) in our daily lives and may we be all find a way to be light and life  to those around us, because heaven knows this world needs a little more light!