Life Lately: September 2024

September was eventful in some ways, yet the same in other ways. Some of our routines are feeling quite rooted which has helped me feel more stable/secure.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have extra Hudson-time and Wednesdays are a special time because Hudson and I go to a restaurant (more often than not, it’s Chick-fil-A and we have a “favorite table”.

Fall is time for school photos. Definitely was not disappointed in this year’s photos 📸 

A recent purchase was a “build your own fort” kit (that I definitely saw on Instagram and purchased). There are ball and sticks that allow you to build a fort and a nice sheet to cover it. We constructed a fort next to our big couch and enjoyed a Phineas and Ferb movie while snacking on popcorn, M&Ms, and other snacks. We’ve only had one movie night so far, but hoping that Hudson will stay interested in them, especially this fall/winter when it will get dark early and parks won’t be a viable after-school entertainment option.

Another impulse purchase was a bubble machine from Target - all the summer stuff was on clearance, so I snagged a bubble machine and a giant bottle of bubble solution for under $10. We have played with it multiple nights in the driveway after school.

The small bottle that came with the machine lasts about 20 minutes with it running continuously. But with the amount of extra bubble solution I bought, it will last us forever probably.

It has provided a great (free) outdoor experience that we can have at home 🫧

Speaking of parks, I took Hudson to a nearby park that features a gigantic slide tower. From the road it looks tall, but when you actually get next to it, you realize that the road is actually higher than the ground where the tower starts.

I asked Hudson if he would go up the tower with me and he reluctantly said Yes. We climbed all the way up, taking some breaks to allow Hudson to calm down. I had to physically help him towards the top, but after going down the slide, he was excited to climb back up again!

Hudson can do hard things and I am so proud of him for continuing to try!

…and speaking of Doing Hard Things, I hiked a mountain this month with the Product Team at Realtracs! It was physically demanding and I was incredibly sore, but it was a great team building experience.

We were fortunate enough to have been selected by the lottery to stay at the top at LeConte Lodge. No power or running water; fortunately there is potable water and flush toilets available for lodge visitors.

It was uncomfortable being without most of my normal creature comforts, but I'm so glad I had the opportunity to do it!

I have been a HUGEEEE Andrew McMahon fan since high school; I discovered Jack’s Mannequin first, but quickly discovered Something Corporate and loved them as much. Unfortunately, by the time I had caught on to Andrew McMahon, SoCo had pretty much disbanded.

I’ve seen Jack’s Mannequin and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness live many times, but when a SoCo Reunion tour was announced, I was ready to throw money at it.

I didn’t get the best seats, but it sort of didn’t matter. I still enjoyed every single minute of the show! The energy and performances was on point.

I wrote a dedicated blog about my latest blanket project 🧶

But this month, I completed all the squares and assembled them together to create a very cozy fall blanket! I absolutely love it and I’m proud of what I did.

Also, in honor of pumpkin season / fall, I crocheted some cute amigurumi pumpkins (using this pattern). I am pretty comfortable using worsted weight yarn for amigurumi, but since I had some extra blanket yarn, I used it to (and am very pleased with how it turned out).

…and Hudson kept asking me “Is this for me?!” and while I had to tell him “No, they’re for decoration”, I let him play with them and he decided to pose with them as well. 🎃🙏