Every year, by the time my mom’s birthday ends, I get this feeling that’s part dread and part yearning for summer to be over and fall (sweaters! hot coffee! turning leaves!) to be here. Then I remember August and even most of September are still fully summer and I shouldn’t wish them away. So here are some late summer favorites to remind me to enjoy this moment right here 🙂

The Switch from Hosting Things to Attending Things

In July, we hosted BBQs three weekends in a row, so when August rolled around, I said CLOSED FOR BUSINESS! It is so so nice and convenient to be in our own home and not have to travel anywhere when we have people over (being able to just sneak upstairs and put Demps down for a nap or bedtime is a MAJOR plus), but you know what else is nice, not cleaning or cooking the meal and just showing up someplace to enjoy yourself. We have a baby shower, two first birthday parties, a family breakfast and a wedding this month and I am soooo excited to be the guest and not the host for a little bit 🙂

Quick and Easy Dinners

Right now, dinnertime looks something like this. One of us entertains Dempsey (or supervises while he entertains himself) and the other one of us cooks dinner. Sometimes we switch halfway in between but gone (for now) are the days of us being in the kitchen together, so I am reeeeaaaallllly trying to set ourselves up for success by sticking to super simple recipes right now. There’s been lots of grilling and pasta dishes and um, also just going out to eat, because that’s truly the easiest dinner 😂

Post-Olympic Life

Okay, you guys know I live for Summer Olympics but now that they are over, it’s been nice to not feel like I have/want to just sit on the couch and watch Olympic coverage all night. Back to sitting in the backyard to read for a bit or even throwing on a weekday movie (Space Jam: A New Legacy, anyone??). I’m also getting myself into bed earlier without beach volleyball going “late” into the night and that’s always a major plus.

Life with a Busy Baby

It’s starting to feel like I have to stop calling Dempsey a baby and start calling him a little boy, because that’s what he looks like these days. And that little boy is BU-SY! He basically wants to stand up and get into stuff 24/7. It is exhausting but also the best! He is waving, pointing, making a little motorboat noise with his lips 🥺, “walking” with his push toy and eating meals with us. I love every single second! This week, we took him to the zoo! He waved at some wild pigs and it was the actual cutest ❤ Cannot believe this “baby” will be one in a couple of months!

Being Back at the Office

Sort of. I’m there twice a week now and though I SUPER miss seeing Demps and spending the day with my parents, I’ll admit it’s nice putting on real clothes and chatting with coworkers and interacting with Joey in a non-parent capacity (we eat our little lunch and take our little walk), without being tempted to get things done around the house. It’s crazy how less chaotic actual work feels when I’m undistracted at the office. Plus I know Dempsey is in great hands. And it makes working from home the other three days of the week feel pretty good too!

Please tell me what your favorite things about current life are 🙂