Right Now

I'm hanging out with our broken-armed child while her siblings are at swim practice.

My parents sent her an Amazon gift card so we're watching all the movies from my childhood, currently Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which has some terribly misogynistic messaging, but also great dance scenes and Jane Powell. In one of the first scenes when Adam brings Milly to the homestead and tells her to get dinner ready, Cora turned to me absolutely outraged, "he's not going to help?!! Mom!!" Her favorite part so far is when Milly hits all their hands with a spoon. Will be interesting to explain the stealing of the women and the Stockholm syndrome and marriages that result at the end. Ah beloved childhood classics!

Last Saturday, after a week full of missing all the fun things and being incredibly cheerful about it, I took her to get her first pedicure. And let me tell you, she is a FAN.

I've mostly adjusted to my new shorter hair. The first time I washed it was a shock, but it dries so quickly that I've actually dried it (almost) every day! I'm almost like a real grown up!

Landon had his first middle school dance and it was apparently very fun, though he did NOT dance. James, who went to all-boys private schools his whole life was shocked at his failure to capitalize on an opportunity to mingle with girls, but Landon was like eh, I see them everyday.

Claire has her next dance next Friday and cannot WAIT.

The kids continue to have sleepovers every Friday and Saturday night (and this past Thursday and this Sunday night thanks to a short Fall break) and I realized I didn't have a picture of this regular occurence that is just one of my favorite things.

Life continues to be weird and normal. I work from home, Cora visits me every day when she gets home from school and tells me about her day and sings to the cat. And then she goes to eat a snack and play with her horses or draw pictures and I go back to my legal work and this is normal now.

It's October 9th and fall simply refuses to come. Maggie desperately wants to wear her seasonal sweaters, but has to make due with a tutu instead because it's too hot for anything else.

I keep trying to take her on walks because exercise is good for us, but she just wants to sit in the yard and look pretty.

Meanwhile Milo has promoted himself to my supervisor and spent all day Thursday micromanaging my work.

He has very high standards.

And apparently I was not meeting them.

Sorry Milo, I'll try harder next week. Meanwhile we're still earnestly pretending fall is here. We made Trader Joe's haunted cookie houses.

And yesterday we used the kids' school holiday for our favorite fall tradition - the Arboretum Pumpkin Village! With the traditional stop at Tacodeli for 18 tacos (actual count) which were devoured in mere minutes.

We've been going to the pumpkin village since 2013 when I was 8 months pregnant with Cora.

The kids keep getting bigger, but their love of a good pumpkin house remains the same.

As does their penchant for sticking close together in their little trio.

A kidpack if you will.

This year's theme was Bugtopia and they did a great job.

Nothing like sweating through your bra in 96 degrees surrounded by pumpkins. Fall in Texas! So crisp and refreshing.

Cora obviously followed her doctor's directions and walked at a safe and moderate pace.

Absolutely no running through hedges without looking where she's going.

That would be unsafe.

The kids solved the riddle of the children's garden maze, and were JUST as excited about it as they were last year.

Any time we go anywhere I get home and realize I have 67 pictures of the three of them together taken from behind where I'm strolling with James. And I just love them. Because that's generally our view the whole time we're anywhere - the three of them racing ahead to enthusiastically explore all the things, and James and I holding hands and walking like normal people behind them, smiling at their exclamations over everyday things they've probably seen before.

It's the best.

And now, food!

Sat: Chicken Enchilada Chili, toppings.
Sun: Driving to San Antonio and back to visit the grandparents, so probably stopping on the way home.
Mon: Sheet Pan Roasted Veggies and Sausage (I use that recipe as a base with chicken sausage and change up the veggies), Garlic Parmesan Orzo.
Tues: Black Bean Tortilla Pie (family recipe), side salad.
Wed: Fettucini with prosciutto and peas.
Thurs: White Bean Soup, bread.
Fri: Homemade Pizza.
Sat: Lasagna Soup, bread, side salad.
Sun: Out for a fancy family dinner to celebrate James's 40th birthday!!!
Mon: Mississippi Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Rolls (James's chosen birthday meal).
Tues: Chicken Verde Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, Black Beans.
Wed: Cauliflower Soup, bread.
Thurs: Pasta with Vodka Sauce
Fri: Date night!

Maggie hopes you have the very best week ahead.