foggy morning.

this morning I woke up and on the spot made the decision to slow it down. this week has been filled with too much - too much work, too much traffic, too much stress, too much... of everything - and so in that moment I decided to work from home. the babies got to sleep in before going to nanna's and I got to avoid the commute and work in my pajamas beside the comforting glow of the Christmas tree. and the fog this morning? well, that was icing on the cake that is today- there's something so soothing, so peaceful about a foggy morning- something just so needed today.

(life lately)

Life lately has revolved around mastering this new routine- the one that involves lots of work and fun with the babies... and fun at work and the work of raising babies. You know, all of that. Lucky for me, I love my new assignment and more importantly, I love the people I work with. I don't so much love the heavy, heavy traffic that has become a part of too many morning commutes, but that aside, it's all good. Exhausting, but good. 

Speaking of babies. Mine are pretty cute. 

And sometimes the work + babies thing is too much. Like when I'm rushing through making baby food and the majority of the butternut squash ends up all over my kitchen instead. Fun. Or when I'm running late to soccer practice so have to show up in my dress clothes and heels- in the rain. But, then, there's Friday night and snuggles on the couch with the sweetest three monsters I've ever known and it's all good again. 

bedtime shenanigans.

at the end of the day...

Today I'm wrapping up my first week back to work, my first week on my new assignment, my first week leaving my THREE(!) babies. Leaving them to head to the office will never be an easy thing to do- but as I've said before, very rarely is the easy thing the right thing. And right now, this is the right thing for our family. 

These past few days couldn't have gone better. I am tired- TIRED, I tell you, but everyone is happy, everyone is taken care of. Jackson- notorious for sleeping in- was up  early Monday morning, reporting to Nanna that he just couldn't sleep because he was too excited to spend the day with her. My babies are excited for the adventures they are having while I am off having some of my own- how lucky are we? 

So lucky. And I'm so blessed- I get to play so many roles in this life of mine- some more important than others, of course, but as I've been talking with my team this week, I firmly believe that I will excel at all of them and that each of the roles I play enables me to excel at all the others. They are interconnected. It's something that I think of as exponential success- success in one area can enable and multiply ones success in another area.

And with all of that said- I love, LOVE, that at the end of the day we are just a family full of love, blessings, challenges and hopefully a whole lot of adventure who is just trying to make the most of each day, wherever that day may take us. 

gratitude.

I'm been in a rut all morning- Monday is getting too close for comfort, it's raining outside and despite my best efforts, my house seems to have entered a new level of chaos. I know I'm the barometer for this family, I know that and yet I can't seem to shake this mood. So, time for some gratitude. Time to be more thankful for all the good in my life because Lord knows the good far, far outweighs the bad. Today, I am thankful...

for three healthy, beautiful, funny babies who I love more than the world itself.
for a hard-working, loving husband who balances me out in all the ways I need balancing.
for that same man who is the most goofy, fun, caring dad to our monsters.
for dreams- LOTS of them- and knowing that we're making them come true.
for sound machines and all the chaos they block out so that my smallest little guy can nap.
for washing machines and dryers & clothes to express ourselves in and keep us warm and comfortable... laundry is not fun, but at least we have laundry to do.
for so, so many dirty dishes- evidence of having more than enough to feed our babies. 
for disney junior. because sometimes I just need 20 minutes to get things done. 
for coffee. no explanation needed. 
for having the choice to work. too many women around the world don't have that choice- I do. I will work for them. and for the ability to work at something I enjoy, for a company that values me so much. 
and even for what I see as "messes" but what they call  "mountains" that some little people made when they were supposed to be making their beds. 

so, I've been thinking...

...that days like today are going to make it really hard to go back to work. I mean, look at these faces. And this weather? It's like the perfect fall day just fell into our lap in the middle of July, making it impossible for anything to be on our to-do list except being outside- sorry, laundry, you didn't make the cut. Maybe tomorrow. 

Jackie checking to see if his new soccer cleats are indeed the fastest shoes in the world. Confirmed.

saturday at home...

saturday was the perfect summer day at home- a quick trip to the berry patch followed by hiking our trails, picking wildflowers, watching the neighbors bale hay while eating (many) popsicles, playing outside until the sun set and then roasting s'mores over the fire...

summer nights.

Jonah has the life...

"jump-aline"

book buddies.

{life lately- jonah at 5 weeks}

Jonah bug requires a lot, a LOT of cuddle time. He's also decided that he's going to be grumpy every night from around 9 until midnight.  Luckily, he's seriously cute.

I'm not a big fan of the "selfie" but I've realized that if my children are going to have any evidence that I actually existed in their youngest years then I'm going to have to resort to it since I'm always the one taking pictures. 

Jonah and I also got our first post-baby run in this week. My incredibly slow pace bored him right to sleep. Unfortunately, my lingering sinus infection (yes, I still have one.. it's miserable) has kept me from running again. I'm hoping to get back out there later this week assuming I start feeling better. 

And we're attempting to stay busy and entertained without Dan around. We are almost 2 weeks in to his new work schedule that lasts until May- he is working 7 days a week and long shifts which means I'm pretty much on my own.  

Oh, and I may have turned the big 3-0 this week. More on that later... 

I have moments every day amid the sleep deprivation insanity where I just stop and think... are these three really mine? Was I really chosen to be their mom? Crazy blessed. 

...with my 5 week old Jonah. This week he is suddenly very alert. He likes to be held upright when he's awake so he can turn all around and look at everything. He has also started to smile a lot more and coo a little bit. I love this little man so much.  

Audrey doing what Audrey loves best, reading books. Today she came up to me and said, "Mommy I need to tell you something... you have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the gal who'll decide where to go." ...she may be a mean little 2 year old, but she amazes me with the stuff she knows.