Fall is here!

My last blog was about the end of summer and now here we are in the thick of fall and man oh man have I missed this blog of mine. I love coming here and sharing our life, spewing random things and making a little piece of Internet memory for myself. Note to self, schedule some blog time in at least once a week.

So what's new?

My Mom recently made a super spontaneous trip to see us (read: bought tickets less than a seek before flying) and it was absolutely magical. We decided not to tell Maddie and when she woke up and wandered into the kitchen to see her Gramma standing there it was just the cutest situation ever. She was beyond confused, surprised and elated and spent the next 5 days in Gramma heaven.

It was also really awesome for me to spend time with my Mom and get to work on our own relationship. It's interesting how things change when daughters become mothers and start relating to their own mothers and WOW things can get messy but I feel so close and at a great spot with my Mom now. This visit couldn't have come at a better time for all of us and we made some awesome memories together.

Maddie is loving school and we are loving the way she is flourishing in her new environment. We knew that she was going to enjoy being busy and having new things to learn and explore, and she is definitely thriving. It has been interesting to watch as she tries to navigate her new friendships. This is the first time in her life that she sees the same kids on a regular basis and she's definitely learning the ins and outs of friendship; we are trying to be as positive and supportive as possible while letting her grow in her role as a friend. She's got most everyone smitten with that amazing personality of hers, of course, so we are hopeful for the next 14 years of school :)

Busy remains the word of the season but I think we are hitting some sort of stride. I am learning to let us have time that isn't booked on the weekends and to take advantage of leftovers and slow cooked meals to help us slow down on the weeknights. Is it chaos? Absolutely, but we are able to keep doing all the things we want and need to get done and still have quality time together in some way every day, so I'll take it.

Now that Annabel is mixing up her nursing with solids I am able to get away a little more than I used to so I took an after work spin class with Kate Friday and feel ready to start training for Boston 2016 (fingers crossed one of the charity bib apps takes me!). This also means that I am cherishing our cosleeping and having her snuggled up close to me all night, especially since the little angel actually sleeps (I am looking at you, Madeleine Jane no sleeper!).

So that is that; nothing too exciting to report over here but a real promise to be back sooner!

And, of course, come pics! The weekend before last we carved pumpkins with our awesome neighbors and snapped a bunch of cute pics I figured I needed to share. Bonus, some pictures from our amazing time with Gramma!