I love September! We had a wonderful month enjoying extraordinarily ordinary moments like the onset of fall, hiking, homeschooling and more.

"I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they pass."

Welcome to “Moments” here on JoyFoodSunshine. At the end of every month I share a recap of our family's favorite moments!  Here's a snapshot of our life from September 2021!

Life lately

I love September! We had a wonderful month enjoying extraordinarily ordinary moments like the onset of fall, hiking, homeschooling and more.

Baby Zach (8 months)

I can't believe Z is 8 months old. I feel like I get sadder by the day knowing the baby phase of my life is rushing towards extinction. I have never felt more sure and more sad about something before in my entire life. I just love him so much, and I love the baby phase. I've had a baby on my hip or in my body for the past 11 years and I just wonder who or what I'll be without one.

This is how you'll find us. I prefer to carry him, and Zach prefers to be carried by me. We're both happiest this way. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when I don't have a snuggly baby sharing every moment with me anymore (seriously, someone tell me it'll all be OK).

Z is sitting up for longer periods of time and while he still doesn't seem to be remotely close to crawling, he can roll his way to just about anywhere.

My favorite thing ever is right there where cheek and neck collide. I just kiss his cheeks all day long!

We went shopping one day as a family and Ritch wanted to let him give the grocery cart a whirl. I protested but eventually conceded. He was ok for about 2 minutes, and then he decided he'd preferred to be carried - a desire I happily obliged.

I'm still soaking in rocking him to sleep a few times a day - look at that sweet face.

Homeschool

We technically started homeschool in August, but found our groove a little bit more this month. I'd be lying if I said it was easy for me this year. Having to juggle nursing/napping schedules + 5 other kids' learning is proving to be challenging for me. So, our word for the year is grace. As long as we're learning we're doing ok! I snapped this photo as a "first day of school "pic!

Hiking

Fall is my favorite time of year to hike. The weather is perfect, the fall colors are beautiful and the pools are closed! 😉

We hike Horse Flat Trail in the Alpine Loop every fall. The view is spectacular but the hike is pretty difficult (well the last 0.75 miles). The kids were total champs though and they all hiked it so well (minus Z and K who were carried of course).

The last time we did this hike I was pregnant with Zach. Hiking with him on the outside is FAR easier even though he's bigger.

Haircuts

This actually was a pretty big deal in our house - Naomi got a BOB! She has been asking for a Bob for almost two years, so I finally realized it wasn't just a phase and that she was serious.

Ritch and I have always said that hair isn't a battle we're really willing to fight - and it's definitely not a hill worth dying on. I struggled with letting her cut her hair short but she was SO happy she did. I think she looks absolutely adorable too!

She asks me every day, "Is my bob gone?" Because she knows that hair grows a little bit every day, I assured her that it will be a long time before her bob is "gone."

Mara got a haircut too, and while it was less dramatic her attitude was totally worth the professional styling lol!

I told her she didn't have to wash her hair that night, so she planned on just rinsing off in the bath really quick while keeping her hair dry. Well she jumped in with Keilah before I could make sure her hair was up and out of the way and Keilah dumped water on Mara's head. She cried harder that I have ever heard her cry before. I felt so sad and promised to curl it for her again in the morning.

Recipes

I've been doing a lot of testing for 2022 but here are some of our favorites we've made this month:

• I made this Crockpot Chicken Chili 3 times this month because 3 of my friends had babies! It's my go-to because it's easy and healthy. I cook it the night before and chill it in the refrigerator so that I can deliver it any time that's convenient for them the day I'm supposed to bring a meal. I bring it over in a freezer-friendly container too, in case they want to save it for later it freezes really well.
• I'm SO HAPPY that this Greek Meatballs recipe is finally on the site for you all to make and enjoy. We make it at least twice a month with this tzatziki and naan. Bethany usually makes the entire meal herself it's that easy!
• I'm still on a Greek Yogurt Brownies kick - they're so easy and yummy.

Things I'm loving

I decided I wanted to get some fresh PJs and sleep sacks for Z. This blue striped sleep sack is so soft as if it were possible, it makes me want to snuggle him even more. These PJs are soft and cute too!

Also, I think I may have mentioned these last month, but these baby spoons are my absolute favorite. I bought some more for Z because I could only locate two of mine.

Snapshots

Here are a few more snapshots from September.

Those eyes.

One of our September Sunday selfies.

Ritch took the kids shooting! It was Naomi's first time and she did so great (better than I did my first time).

We've taken FULL advantage of Farmer's Market season and we go every Saturday.

This girl.

Baby in a box!!

The two fingers!

The pool closed at the beginning of this month, but not before we enjoyed it a few more times.

Happy Baby!

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