- Back in the swing of thangs... -

...and swinging oh so hard and fast! 

 GOSHHHH it's been a minute or ten since I've posted here; and truly, I don't even know where to begin!  Life has been hap-hap-HAPPENIN' at its normal pace of: way.too.fast, and I'm kinda sorta maybe definitely just clingin' on for the joy ride.  I was ready for a big *siiiigh* long breath of relaxation and peace once the big kids started back into school in mid-August [because did I mention the summer got a little long? ...a little full of bickering and nit-picking and arguing? ...a little too drawn out in terms of not having enough structured activities planned on the daily and some family members -- including but not limited to ME -- nearly going off the deep end a time or two? ...NO! Of course I didn't mention that, because the last post I penned about our life events aside from "back to school" was posted in mid-July!]; but, so far we're rat-racing right along through December and I'm still waiting for said coveted breath. 

I digresssssss. 

Through the organized chaos of the past spring, summer AND fall, I have gone through a spiritual conversion [of sorts, to be explained in more detail in a future post] and then a spiritual crisis [again, "of sorts" and to be explained in VERY MUCH detail in a future post maybe written by 2025], and then just a settling of the soul with the "little way" of St. Thérèse of Lisieux as the goal.  Through this series of life events combined with one very intimate session of spiritual direction with a priest, I've come to realize that the "little things" ARE the big things!  This season/"era" of family life is so important, and if I don't get this portion right RIGHT.NOW, then nothing else matters. There are approximately 16.2 minutes of Juliette's nap time/Mommy's alone time left today, so I'mma leave this post with photos of a few of the things that have made me smile lately/since my last blog post ~5 months ago: 

- relaxing on the beach during family vacation in Michigan a couple of weeks before school started:

- renting an old dairy barn with my very best college friends and their families for the second half of said family vacation ^^:

- enjoying the last bitty bit of warm summer nights:

- visiting the greatest "great" grandmas:

- praying the rosary as a family before bedtime:

- having unexpected weekday breakfast dates:

-watching the big girls teach Juliette how to ride their old balance bike:

- volunteering at 3rd grade school library:

- cheering on our favorite soccer players on Saturday mornings:

- teaching the big girls to sew:

- celebrating Brian's parents' 50th wedding anniversary: 

- attending the parish Blue Tie Ball with the best friends: 

 

- growing my Etsy shop/small biz:

- celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary: 

 

- watching Harper in her first ever season of volleyball:

- getting a head start on Christmas shopping the day before Thanksgiving: 

- and lastly, tucking in this crew each night [sometimes usually after some very long days and VERY TRYING bedtime routines]...

...and knowing all the while, again, that the "little things" ARE the big things!  These moments aren't always easy, but I know all too well that they are fleeting and precious; and I want to soak them all up and treasure them forever!  

And so! Maybe I'll be back to tell you how our Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas and everything in between was, or maybe I won't... But if not, it's 'cause I'm busy loving hard and savoring each and every "little thing" as it comes!!! 

- Snippity Snaps -

Anyone else's camera roll being taken over by kids' Snapchats??!? Kids these days.......... #sendhelp

Harper: "Mommmm, can I get my own Snapchat???"
Me:  "No."

 :-*

- October Odds & Ends -

Aside from all the Halloween-ing that went down last month, there were still plenty of free days on the calendar to have some fall fun!  The weather is chilling off, autumn vibes are in the air, and I'm HERE FOR IT!  Would it even be approps to kick off October without a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and a trip to the pet store to discuss which type of 2-4 legged creature would make the best family pet?!? I think NOT!

 

 

Just days after Scarlett nonstop whine/begged Brian to call the number on the business card of this woman standing outside Petsmart selling pup pups ^^,  our girl contracted some sort of viral thing that had her feverish and fatigued for several days.  But!  Nothing a day off school, a few naps, and a loving little sister couldn't fix! 

She was back on the mend in no time... 

 

...and back to school for fire safety week, where her class got a visit from the local firemen and also got to "tour" the inside of some big red firetrucks! 

 

October also brought her preschool class's field trip to Liberty Apple Orchard! It was one of the first SUPER chilly mornings of the year, but we busted open the winter gear tote and bundled up from head to toe before heading out to pick apples! 

Meanwhile, on the homefront, Juliette continued her life motto of "while the cats are away, the mouse must play" and enjoyed many days of destroying the older girls' Barbie Dream House while they were at school. She also improved her climbing tricks; can't ever turn a head on this one! :-O 

The rest of the month was filled with random goodness LIKEEEEE:

-- knocking out homework on a beautiful evening outside...

  -- popcorn and movie night inside with ALL THE BABIES...

-- Harper having her artwork chosen by the art teacher to be featured at the local Art Museum... 

 -- roasting marshmallows on the firepit and making s'mores at Grammy and Papa's...

 

-- Harper and Scarlett being asked to be flower girls at their babysitter's wedding next summer...

 

 -- Juliette learning how to fold laundry....................

-- Papa finishing his Ironman race...

-- and finally, the culmination of Harper and Scarlett's first soccer seasons through the YMCA!  We LOVED watching them play! 

 

 

October, WE LOVED YOU and all the fun days and beautiful weather and sweet memories you brought for our fam! 

Onward to November! ;) :) 

 

 

- Growing Butterflies: ROUND 2 -

After a very successful session season of caterpillar raising/butterfly growing during the initial COVID lockdown of spring 2020,  we decided to take another stab at it this spring!  Scarlett was so excited to watch the process more intently this time [she was a fresh 2 years old in spring 2020!] and be able to "narrate" some of the vlogs for our followers [AKA a small group of very charitable family members who pretend to be ever-so-interested in even the smallest of small of updates!].

 

TBH, even though this was definitely a STEM activity for the kids, I was just as amazed at the beauty and perfection of nature and all of God's designs! The process of metamorphosis is truly miraculous, and it is sooo awesome to see the transformation of these caterpillars during their month inside the cup!  Needless to say, if you're a middle-aged adult like me and want to order a cup of these critters for yourself, I would not judge you even a tiny bit! ;) :)

 

 

 While we waited for the chrysalides to hatch, we stayed busy with crafts:

And AFTER they hatched, Scarlett was diligent about feeding them [with a sugar-saturated cotton ball!] each day: 

And thennnnn....what time is it, you say?!?  FLY HIGH DAY!  After not quite a month in total of feeding/growing/watching our caterpillar-turned-butterfly friends, we released them into their natural habitat!  A couple of them really stuck around for a while and the girls were able to hold and hang out with them before they fluttered away for good! :)

Don't be strangers, little friends...our back yard is always ready for visitors!!! :)