Well here we are. Kids might be back in school, but we are in the thick of it over here! It is hot and we are busy. I was also maybe dealing with a clogged milk duct all weekend 🤬 so that was NOT fun, but what WAS fun was Friday lunch picnic, back-to-back movie nights, a Saturday evening baby shower, Sunday breakfast and to top it all off, Henry’s 1st Birthday Party. He destroyed his cake and it was the cutest! I hope Dempsey was taking note 😋

We skipped our Friday morning coffee shop walk in lieu of an afternoon walk. We were trying to be out of the house while our housecleaners were there and we definitely accomplished that but it was so hot and Andi was behaving very badly! Oh well, a picnic is always fun 😄

That night, we made a caprese ravioli dish that I thought Dempsey would love but what he mostly loved was mozzarella cheese and not much else. Every time I’d set down some more in front of him, he’d throw what he’d been holding and go straight for the cheese 😂 After we put him to bed, we fired up Coda and boy does it feel nice to watch movies again! I liked but didn’t love Coda. The concept in general worked, but the details didn’t feel fully fleshed out and it bordered on cheesy a lot of the time. That being said, sign language is just so beautiful to watch. I really really loved that scene where she told her family how much she loves singing and the scene between she and her brother later on, when he is trying to convince her to pursue her own interests ❤

Saturday started with a wild-haired boy who looooves making that scrunchy face lately. It’s my favorite 😍 And just look at those teeth! I made ricotta pancakes for us all and Vietnamese iced coffees for the adults and it put me right in my happy place. While Dempsey was napping, I read and Joey did some yard work and it sure feels nice to have nothing to do once in a while.

Who knows what we did the rest of the day, but around 4, we piled in the car and headed to Steve and Rose’s baby shower. There was a big crowd and lots of BBQ to be eaten. Dempsey was finishing up his Coors Light 😂😂😂 before eating a bunch of pulled chicken, pulled pork, mac and cheese and bread. It’s so fun showing him off at parties! Back at home, we put him to bed and decided to watch A Ghost Story. After seeing The Green Knight, I’ve been really excited to try out some of David Lowry’s other films. “It’s like really beautiful but also so stupid?” is a real thing I said halfway through. Gotta get over the thought of a guy just walking around in a sheet with eyeholes to really appreciate the beauty. I dug it for the most part though!

A busy Sunday for a busy boy! We met Steve and Lorna for breakfast and he was very into banana bread and an orange slice. I didn’t realize it, but we’ve never given him orange! That afternoon, we made our way to Hannah and Josh’s for Henry’s 1st Birthday! It was a fiesta and that’s the kind of party I can get behind. Guys, Hannah is just so amazing and talented. She made the cake, a cactus cupcake display and those literally perfect cookies and I am just so blown away by her. Henry did sooooo good digging into that cake! The boys need to work on their smile game for pictures but I can already tell they are going to be best buds for life, just like Hannah and I ❤❤ Hannah’s dad gave me some of the peach jam he’s been making for as long as I can remember and I feel so lucky! I might even share a little bit with Demps 😋 We made nicoise salads for dinner and Dempsey was not into his potato?? Who does he think he is? He did pretty good with those green beans and salmon though. After he was down, we watched Big Brother and the Christmas episode of Ted Lasso and I wouldn’t be surprised if Joey was listening to Christmas music today 😂 How was your weekend??

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 🙂