What We Did -
Part 1 anniversary celebration with tacos and 22 Jump Street. A day trip to Malad to visit my mom and her new puppy, visit the new splash pad, and go to Malad's very first art walk! Girls brunch at Caffe Niche (they continue to have my second favorite coffee. first is sugarhouse coffee). Our neighbors watched the kids and we had a quick day date to 3 Cups and added in a Target run for good measure. Part 2 anniversary celebration in Park City where we spend two glorious days and nights sleeping, eating, and tripping. We kicked off fall AND birthday month (more on those later.) A birthday party at The Leonardo. Brunch at Beaumont Bakery. First time at Oquirrh Park. A weekend with Ev while the big kids were in Malad. Track 5, a podcast show/Taylor Swift dance party (highly highly recommend).
Inspired by -
Pastel Halloween décor. Cooler mornings. A clean(er) pantry. A truly amazing sunset. The way the moon looks just above the mountains while the sun is still out.
Watching -
BIP, Reservation Dogs, What We Do In the Shadows, B99, Lularich, Only Murders in the Building, RHSLC, Sex Education, The Chair. Sex Education is the best thing on TV right now. I won't be taking questions at this time.
Reading -
Emergency Contact, Rise and Fall (I finished it!), The One You're With, The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Thinking about -
Lists lists list. My brain is all lists. Lists of Halloween costume ideas. Lists of what fall/winter clothes the girls need. Lists of all the fun projects I want to work on that I have no energy for. Also, how to find joy in all the tasks of adulthood and parenting.
Also thinking about how yesterday while picking up one of Norah's (many) notes I realized that we won't always have her artwork and rule lists everywhere and I started to cry? My, but motherhood has done a number on me.
Listening to -
The 9/12 podcast. The Believed podcast. Both quick series about 9/11 (but not what you would expect) and the Larry Nassar case. To balance all that cheery content I also listened to a lot of the Popcast. I did NOT listen to the episode of You're Wrong About about Michael leaving.
Researching -
Red garbage trucks, a Taylor Swift themed outfit for Track 5, planners, Halloween costumes, birthday gifts for ALL THE KIDS, Morticia Addams makeup, Dr. Marten dupes, bunkbeds, and green wallpaper.
Organizing -
The kids clothes, endlessly. The pantry. All the cords by the couch that connect to the wifi and the phone and computer chargers. Ev's toys, in preparation for him getting a few new birthday toys. My closet. My shoes. One kitchen cabinet so I could see all my coffee supplies more easily.
Cooking + Eating + Drinking -
Recipes from the Mealime meal planning app. (korean beef bowls, taco salad are the favorites so far). FOOD FROM PARK CITY (mostly Firewood. It was the best food I've ever eaten.) Amaaazing drunken noodles from Siam Orchid. My favorite tortilla chicken soup.
Grateful for - Being able to celebrate all the kids birthdays. Having the time to do all the fall things. My mom being fully vaccinated.
What the girls are into -
Playing the floor is lava. Or sometimes water.
Norah - taking the links of the paper chain counting down to her birthday. Playing endless variations of hospital. The inciting incident may change, and the injury may change, but it always ends with her going to the hospital for a broken bone. Once, a collapsed lung. She will also draw the x-rays. She's gone full tilt into reading chapter books and has been devouring Dory Fantasmagory. Watching her get immersed by reading is my favorite favorite thing. She is also getting more into writing and so far mostly makes "about me" pages. I helped her make a list of possible story ideas to work on and it included unicorns, dinosaurs, LOLs, hospital, space, Halloween, animals, among us, nature, donuts, candy, and toys. Which...is a pretty good summary of her interests.
June - playing with the decorative skeleton. Being a princess with an accent. Usually during the hospital game.... Pretending to be a baby or a baby animal. Pretending to be pregnant, though lately she has grown impatient with trying to keep a doll under her shirt, so she will declare that the bed is her uterus and the baby will hang out there until she is ready to deliver. She's very excited about Halloween and things that are spooky. She is always speaking in an excited manner and making her eyes big when she has a fun idea. She is very into cuddling, especially when she is supposed to be in bed, and tells me "you can scratch my back if you want..."
What Everett is doing -
Crawling everywhere like he is on a mission. Being delighted when he can follow someone into another room. Standing up for a few seconds on his own. Getting VERY offended if something gets taken away from him. Bobbing his head when he is excited or happy. Getting very demanding if he isn't fed a favorite food quickly enough. Climbing in laundry baskets, and over the ottoman, over and over again. Clapping, laughing, and smacking his lips when we ask him to say things.
Magic -
Sitting outside in Malad watching the puppy and the kids chase each other. The fire show in Park City. Watching the moon on the balcony of our hotel. Holding Everett after he falls asleep. Watching the girls run down the street to trick-or-treat.
Missing -
My pre-pandemic brain, which feels like it's probably gone forever. Sleeping in our bed. The time in my life that I think existed, where I didn't wait in dread for Daylight Savings.
Looking forward to -
More family walks. Sitting under more blankets. Coffee, generally. How excited the girls will be on the first snow.
