.....fall harvest......

.....it has been several days since Stefan arrived home from traveling for 6 weeks straight......to say he crammed in his big trips before baby would be an understatement.......the last 6 weeks went something like this......Brazil for 5 days, home for 8 hours to unpack, repack and head to New Orleans for 2 days......swap out bags over breakfast with the kids before heading to the office for a full day, only to catch a red eye to Germany for bedtime......etc, etc, etc and ouch......and that was only two of the six weeks......it wasn't fun......

......the kids did not like the in and out of the house in the least.......especially Brody, who is adjusting to nursery school and the anticipation of a new baby who will soon make a grand entrance......his best buddy was scarce around here and Brody is a typical two and half year old who is very strong willed and opinionated.....this summed up to a losing combo for everyone.......I think of windows, divorced mommas, single parents and military wives all the time when I am in a phase of solo parenting.....I don't know how they do it.......

......we took full advantage of our first Sunday afternoon together and unplugged to everything and everyone.......we drove without a destination and soaked in the autumn goodness that comes with the month of October......we stopped at farms, fruit stands, pumpkin patches and chicken coops.......we found a gorgeous, remote spot for a picnic and relished in the solitude of just our family in an open field surrounded by maple trees......we missed a lot of pictures because we left our phones behind for a lot of the day.......it was lovely and we were lost in making up for lost time......

.....Brody covered his face so Stefan couldn't see him upon their reunion.......he ran away from Stefan and avoided him at all costs for the first hour of Stefan being home......but eventually, his grudge wore off and my boy was happy to be reunited with one of his favorites.....

....the girls have each other and watching their sisterhood grow has been such a gift....we would have never planned to have two children 15 months apart, but God is good and knows what is best for us.....the closeness of their age is such a blessing......

.....children are resilient and bounce back to their routines quickly......it did not take long after Stefan returned for them to fall back into the security of their happy little home and start counting the days until their Papa T's visit from Texas.....Stefan's Dad planned a trip at the end of the summer and we have been excited to show him our slice of the suburbs......

.....it is easy to understand why Brody is so impacted when Stefan isn't present in our house......over the last few months, he has loved to be around other males.....it doesn't matter if it's Papa T, a new little boy he met at the playground, or our mailman; Brody soaks in the testosterone and relishes in the attention and adoration of other males.....he is definitely bonding and associating that there is a difference between boys and girls and right now, he chooses boy......

......and over the weekend, he chose Papa T.......besides Daddy on a few occasions, there was no one else that he wanted to spend his time with......

....and that is just as much of a joy to see as watching two sisters bond over sidewalk chalk and dress up clothes.....

.....I am enjoying my three children immensely right now.....

......fall always inspires me to head back to the kitchen after a summertime break......I have signed up for the local CT farm share and we are on week two of having organic and local grown vegetables delivered to our door......we participated in a farm share in NYC and it was one of the best ideas to kick start us in to healthy eating and creative cooking for the fall......

.....the fresh beets have been amazing in my micro green salads and I blanched and froze the swiss chard to add to our kale smoothies this winter.......

....and as much as we love our vegetables, Stefan is still a Texan and our home will always been a meat  and potatoes kind of home......I crave red meat, especially when pregnant; but I have been really selective on the beef I am buying to be consumed in our home.....there are so many horrific things I have read about the meat that is available for consumers to purchase and I have gotten to the point that I will only buy grass fed and hormone free meat......

.....not long ago, OBE Organic reached out to me and asked me to try their beef......they are an Australian organic meat wholesaler of free range beef and I have to tell you, it was the best burger Stefan has ever made......I sent Stefan to the store to purchase their products and he ended up coming home with several pounds of OBE Organic ground beef........it is football season after all and my man loves the game and his grill......he added a few spices that he normally does to his burgers, but these were exceptional.....

....we combined them with homemade french fries from the local potatoes we received from our CT farm share and were feeling pretty good about eating "burgers and fries" for the night.......you can follow OBE Organic on Facebook, as they post great recipes to try, too......I am looking forward to trying the slow cooker beef stew recipe next......and I am sure I can find some veggies in the house to add to it too......

.....happy fall eating.......

.....16 days and counting......

.....rock the vote......Circle of Moms......

....I am thrilled to announce that Our blessed, beautiful suburban story has been nominated again for Circle of Mom's Top 25 Family Blogs......winning this last year opened doors for some great sponsorship opportunities with large and small businesses and also helped me meet some amazing people in cyber world......

......click on the link below......

.....I would love your vote and appreciate your support......

......happy weekend!.....

....birthday bliss......

.....as a girl, I loved fall because it meant my birthday was around the corner.....I love celebrating birthdays, even my own.......I love Halloween, love the anticipation of dressing up and I loved the actual night of knocking on as many doors as I could in a 3 hour time span......the candy counting and consuming was a bonus, too.....

.....as an adult and most recently during the last decade in the northeast, I love fall in a more complex way......yes, I still love to celebrate my birthday, although I do not necessarily like the aging factor; but the colors and climate combined with the pumpkin patches and apple trees puts me in an October tizzy.....and now, as the new season approaches and I also witness my children enjoying the novelty of the season, I am also lured back into the memory of having my first child almost six fall seasons ago......

.....two more children followed shortly after her.......so now as the bliss of my birthday arrives every year, I find myself pondering all day on how I can be a better example to them over the next year.....not just as a mother; but as an example of a good and noble wife, a dear and loving friend, a compassionate and attentive neighbor, and a God seeking woman who also can stand independently with her own traits and talents......

....they watch and absorb it all and as each birthday year rolls by, I have less time to mold and shape them......I have less time to use my one big, beautiful life to impact them the way I intend to......the way I want to.....

.....yesterday, I thought a lot about attentiveness and inclusion in our home.....three kids ages 5, 4 and 2 already makes for a lot of commotion......talking over one another, yelling, sharing, screaming, not sharing, loving, playing, laughing, crying, wrestling, hugging, giggling and seeking time from me......lots of time from me.......and in less than 30 days, there will be one more trumpet to sound, as our last baby gloriously makes her arrival......

.....sure I have ideas on how I can improve at making each of my children feel more included and connected in our family......I have intentions on how I want to change some of the ways I show them my attentiveness, especially on days such as yesterday when my eyes burned, sleep was scarce and I am all over the board, hormonally......some days I will rock it out well and other days, I will fail miserably......and in the end, as long as I own up to my mistakes and there are more victorious days than defeats, then that's a win for all of us......

.....we will be celebrating wildly this weekend since Stefan was out of town on my actual birthday........but the best gift of all was knowing that in a few short days, our family will come full circle this fall season......six years ago, the fullest, greatest blessing was given to me as I became a mother on a crisp, fall night......and soon, on another fall day in the near future, we will wrap up this amazing journey of creating babies and our family will be complete......

.....our family will be whole.....

.....Stefan sent flowers yesterday and the card attached will forever remain in a place I can view it often......recently, we agreed on her name and he included her in the card......it was the first time I have seen the names of my four children next to Stefan's name......the first time I have seen our family documented in one place.....the people I love.....the ones I adore......the reason I love the fall season and every day before, after and in between......

....sorry.....we are keeping her name under wraps until she makes her grand entrance.....

....happy fall.....happy day......happy year ahead......