This month the kids had a great cross country season and a fun Halloween, I turned another year older and entered my third trimester of pregnancy! 

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!  So here it is for October 2020! 

Life with my tribe

This month the kids had a great cross country season and a fun Halloween, I turned another year older and entered my third trimester of pregnancy! 

35

Welp, this month I officially became a geriatric OB patient and turned the big 3-5. I have never really cared about my age, but for some reason turning 35 put me in a serious funk! I had to work hard to just let it go and enjoy a sweet day with my family instead of focusing on the fact that I learned how to drive 20 years ago. LOL! 

I always love the rare occasion that my birthday falls on a Saturday. Any other day is just a normal day of being a mom, but when we celebrate on a Saturday it means I truly get to take a break! I told Ritch all I wanted was to not have to change any diapers or cook anything – and he definitely delivered! 

We enjoyed a beautiful (but difficult) hike to one of our favorite places – the Primrose Overlook. The fall colors were at their absolute peak and it was beautiful. We relaxed the rest of the day and Ritch ordered dinner from my favorite restaurant – and drove all the way to the city to pick it up for me because the one near our house wasn’t open – even though I told him we could absolutely get food somewhere else! 😉

He led the kids in making brownies for dessert (my favorite) and they all made me really sweet cards. Ritch spoiled me with a beautiful necklace from my favorite Melanie Casey Jewelry and we just relaxed and enjoyed the evening together. 

I’m not big on making a huge deal of my own birthday – but this day was perfect. Surrounded by my 6 favorite people doing what we all love. 

Baby 30 weeks (3rd trimester)

I’ve officially entered the third trimester of my last pregnancy! I always knew once we got here time would fly – with the holidays and all the busyness of the season. 

I feel really great. By this point in my last pregnancy I was in pain most of the time, but that is not the case this time around and I am grateful. Ritch commented that I finally started the “pregnancy waddle” when we walk (hahaha – love his honesty) – which I totally did.  Around week 27 I felt like my belly really popped, and normal activities like tying my shoes, walking and bending over became markedly more difficult. 

I’m feeling this little guy move all the time, which I love. I’ve finally reached the point where I can see him moving pretty dramatically from the outside, which is so fun for our whole family. 

I’m starting to think about decorating the nursery for a baby boy. I have never decorated my babies’ rooms, other than just using a pink or blue crib sheet! But since it’s my last baby I thought it could be fun to go all out and make a super cute nursery.

I go back and forth, because I know it would just be for me – not for the baby. But Ritch is encouraging me to do it so I have no regrets! I think if I find a theme or decor that I really love I will go for it, and if not he’ll just enjoy his plain old blue crib sheet like the rest of his siblings! 😉 

Keilah – 20 Months

Oh. My. Goodness. This girl. I can’t handle her cuteness. Her language exploded this month, and she has started speaking in short sentences. She says “I don’t know” in her cute little way, “I did it!!!” and “Woah I strong!” She regularly puts two or more words together, “Mara’s dress” “Gabe’s Bag” etc. She can really communicate what she’s seeing and thinking and it’s the best. She has also started being able to identify herself and things that are hers – “me!” “my pumpkin” “mine!” etc. and finally started saying her own name. The other day, while we were snuggling after she woke up from her nap she looked at me, patted my shoulder and sad,” Mommy, friend.” I about melted into a puddle. 

She grew many new teeth, including some back molars which made her miserable for a few days. They have helped tremendously and she can now eat a greater variety of foods without choking.  

Keilah is still a big old trouble maker. One day, while I was cleaning up lunch, Bethany found her in my bathroom covered in my lipstick. It was adorable and hilarious, but a big old mess. 

She makes the cutest goofy faces, including a new one that involves rolling her eyes up as she looks at the ceiling.

She will only fall asleep if I’m holding her hand while I’m snuggling her, and I love it. Also at bedtime I do this goofy little thing where I say, “blankie” and rub her back, then “lovie” and make it kiss her cheek, “mommy” and give her a hug, and then end it with “Keilah” and tickle her. She loves it and always says “again!” I do it three times before I say it’s time to go to bed. When it’s time to be done I say, “all done!” then she asks, “why?” I say, “It’s time to go to sleep because mommy is tired.” and she sweetly replies, “Yeah, I tired too.” 

I am going to miss snuggling her to sleep more than anything once this baby boy is born. So I am soaking in every minute – which I have done since day 1 – and am so not ready for this season to end. 

Cross Country

The kids started cross country the first week of September, but had their first two races this month. This is B and G’s third year participating, and Naomi’s first. My kids are not very competitive, but they have fun running with their teammates. In previous years I have been the only homeschool parent who dropped my kids off for practice (the rest of the kids just stay after school), but this year our really great friends are on the team as well, which has added a whole new level of fun. 

I love this program because it’s low-key while still teaching them the value of hard physical work and sportsmanship. I love that all three kids get to do it together also, so it is really conducive to our family life and doesn’t cut into our family time in the evenings. 

Homeschool

We’re in the homeschool groove at this point. Still loving our co-op, and the kids are used to their routine. Not much to report here other than I can’t remember a year that I’ve been more grateful for homeschooling my babies than this one. 

Halloween 

We had a great Halloween! Friends came over for pizza and salad and then we all went trick-or-treating. Our neighborhood was crawling with laughter, fun, and normalcy. It was awesome. I’m usually not really into Halloween, but given the year we’ve had I decided to get new costumes for all the kids and let them pick anything they wanted! So we have a Mandalorian, Wonder Woman, Princess Elena, Fairy and Kitty Cat!

Well, besides Keilah. She wore the Kitty costume that a friend passed onto me when Bethany was a baby. All four of my girls have worn it, and I am feeling a little sad that K is my last sweet pink and white kitty. She has worn it every day for the last week or so, she LOVES being a “kitty cat!” Here are all four girls wearing the costume!!! 

 

A few of my favorite things…

Here are a few products and other things I have loved in October!

Saucony Running Socks

Oh. My. Goodness. I am in LOVE with these running socks. They come in a big foot size (LOL – but seriously) – which is amazing because I run in a 9.5 shoe and socks always slide down my ankle and bug me while I exercise – until now! They are SO comfy, stay in place and are thick enough not to fall apart after a few runs, but thin enough to fit well into your running shoes. Game-changing socks right here!

Hand Towels

We needed some new towels to keep in our bathroom that were large so they wouldn’t fall off the towel holder ring every time Mara used them (LOL). These towels are cute, absorbent, well-made and large! Love them!

Trail Mix

Ok, I ordered this Whole Foods Trail Mix on a whim and am obsessed with it. I usually don’t like candy in my trail mix – but these peanut butter cups are not too sweet and are the perfect companion to dried cherries, cashews and almonds. It’s my new favorite snack!

Recipes I’m Making on Repeat

Here are a few recipes we enjoyed in October!

Flourless brownies

These are what the kids made for me for my birthday dessert! So easy and delicious!

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

So truth-be-told I didn’t make these pumpkin sugar cookies (I ordered them for a baby shower I threw for my friend this month). However, since the Christmas baking season is upon us I thought I’d remind you about this best sugar cookie recipe!

Fall Moments

Here are a few fun photos from this month, enjoying all the pumpkin patches, fall festivals, daily life etc. 

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