.....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......

.....the first box......

.....my neighbors have been so wonderful to drop off all of their boxes from grocery and diaper deliveries.....I had no idea the means of transporting our belongings would provide such ample entertainment for the little ones.....who needs a babysitter when I have 25 different sized boxes lying around?......

....although, after a few hours of being held hostage in several boxes twice his size this morning, Brody was over it.....the girls played peek a boo, hide and seek and magician (their favorite) all while making Brody be the one to cram into every box....

.....by dinnertime, however; he had gained some respect from the sisters and staked his territory......

.....and speaking of dinner, I am not sure what has gotten into me, but I am craving time in my kitchen this week......breakfast, lunch or dinner- it doesn't matter what meal.......I am doing it big because I am savoring it all; every last mix, chop, stir, fry or blend in my favorite place of our apartment......Stefan and I have cooked so many times in the kitchen and have had some of our best memories in the little 50 square foot space that has brought so much joy.....

.....add a little wine, some friends who are also hungry, some little girls who love to be our helpers and a 16 month old who wants to taste everything and all of a sudden, we have ourselves a feast prepared with love.....

.....this easy chicken and black bean tostadas recipe can be found here......

.....and if you are feeling extra healthy and are in a salad mood, you can throw these homemade croutons on your plate to feel a bit rebellious.....Stefan makes a mean chopped salad and then add these babies and you are good to go......for the record, he adds a secret spice recipe to his croutons that isn't listed in the recipe I included......I'd tell you, but then he wouldn't let me blog about him anymore; so I need to let you run with your own spicy concoction......his spice combinations are the real deal, though......come on over and you can try for yourself.....

.....I have lots of catching up to do on the second half of our Texas trip......all four children in Stefan's family, their spouses and the 9 grand children surprised Stefan's Dad for his 70th birthday at a quaint little lake house we rented for three nights....it was magical......it was hectic.....it made a memory he will never forget.....

.....this picture makes me smile.....

......what also makes me smile is all of your support and voting for the Top 25 NY Momma blog votes sponsored by Circle of Moms...........thank you so much for allowing your voice to be heard......you can vote once per day for another two weeks, so please rock the vote!.....

.....click here to cast your vote......

....more Texas memories to come, as long as you can peel me away from packing and cooking.....

......good night!......