little one

Summer is coming to an end, and I am mostly ready for it. I cracked open the first can of pumpkin earlier this week, and it was like, YES THIS IS JUST RIGHT AGAIN. We’ve been loving the summer, but let’s be real:: there really is nothing quite like the fall season with its crunchy leaves and pulling the sweaters out of the storage totes and sipping on hot drinks all day long.

The last few weeks have seemingly flown right by, and suddenly it became September. Earlier this week, we hosted a big backyard gathering for Labor Day with a bunch of friends from church, and it was such a fun evening with some of the funnest people we know. We hauled our dining room table out into the yard and strung some lights in the tree and set up picnic blankets and yard games for the evening, and the weather turned out beautifully after a very hot, humid day. We grilled chicken and sausages, and everyone brought a dish to add to the meal…we had such an great spread of food! I am so thankful for the friendships and community we have come to know and love here in Tennessee…in so many ways, it seems like we have lived here so much longer than twelve months. It has become home so quickly for us.

In other news, I’ve been working on getting a little home bakery business started the last few weeks, and that’s been a fun little venture. It seems like my house smells like cinnamon rolls almost constantly, which isn’t a bad thing at all. So far, I have about the right amount of orders per week to keep me busy enough, but not where it overwhelms my schedule. I’m working on setting up some separate pages and accounts for my little bakery, so stay tuned for that if you want to follow!

Here are a few interesting links::

I’m going to try this soon (today’s lunch?)
read this, dear heart
so challenged by these thoughts
yes, yes, yes
on my wish list because I’m on an organizing kick
and also this
this one on current repeat

What about you:: ready for fall?? 😀

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I am routine loving kind of person.

Our days tend to follow the same daily kind of structure:: wake up, quiet time, get Ayla up, have breakfast, take a morning walk, nap time, to-do list, etc. etc. etc….and it’s just what works for us. I thrive on routine and I like to plan what our days will look like, versus just flowing with the winds of whatever comes along. I’m learning to be a bit more flexible, which is a good thing…but generally we stick to our normal routine and I like that very much.

Our nighttime routine is probably my favorite part of our days together. I love coming to the end of a day and having dinner together and talking about the good things and funny things and challenging things that happened to us during the day. We eat and then clear the table and do the dishes, while Ayla plays at our feet and pulls silverware out of the dishwasher and clangs bowls all over the floor. Sometimes we take a walk around the neighborhood or play in the yard or sit on the floor to read books together before bath time, but that just depends on how late and long our dinner went. Ben is usually the one to give Ayla her bath, and it gives me time to finish up the lingering dishes, sweep the floors, and pick up toys (or scroll Instagram, if I’m being honest 😉 ). She plays in the tub for a while, and then gets out to dry off and get in cozy jammies for bed. Once she’s dressed, we all play and tussle on the bed for a few minutes…it’s maybe not the best idea right before bedtime, but it’s just what we do, hehe. It’s some of the best moments of my day!

After her bath, we then go sit on the couch in the living room and she drinks some milk before we carry her upstairs to her room. Ben and I take turns being the one to hold her in the rocking chair while we read her a book or two, sing a few worship songs, and then quote Psalm 23 together. She sits there with her blanket, sucking her thumb, and just taking it all in with such concentration. It seriously melts my heart every single night!

We kiss her good night and lay her in her crib, being sure to give her the corner of her blanket to hold in her left hand. She has to hold the corner, not any other part of the blanket. If she’s not super tired, she usually gets right back up once we lay her down and runs back and forth in her crib while we laugh at her and Ben bounces the mattress underneath her like a trampoline. Yeah like I said, we’re not the best at keeping a caaaaaaaaaalm bedtime routine, hehe. I wouldn’t have it any other way, to be honest. After a few minutes of this, we’ll lay her back down and give her another kiss and walk out of her room. Most nights she will settle right down to sleep, but sometimes we will hear her playing and jabbering for a while after we leave her to sleep.

What about you: are a routine kind of person? What are your bedtime routines?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!