fun-filled weekend

so much going on here! the past few weeks have been the same old thing for our stay-home days. then last weekend happened - coach and nonna came for a quick visit (coordinated with coach's meetings). then this weekend (details to follow). then next weekend with fabo and cacky and aunt b coming to see us, among other things (like a wedding). 

so what to do during this fun weekend? well...

last night, we had leftovers for dinner - it gets better - then went for a walk to pass out grocery sacks. in anticipation of halloween, where you knock on doors to get things, our church is knocking on doors to help give something to others. we passed out bags last night with a note of what we're doing - asking for non-perishables to help replenish the capital area food bank just in time for the holidays. we'll go back by sunday to pick them up. last night, actually was just dropping them off - no door-knocking. tomorrow, we'll actually knock on doors to ask for collections. it was a great family event to prayer walk through our neighborhood, the place where God has blessed us with a house to live in and live among our neighbors. we prayerfully placed the bags, asking for God to bring us to get to know those who live closest to us, and for ways to share the Gospel and encourage them (and them, us) in their/our walks of faith. after our walk, we came home to pop popcorn and watch "mickey's treat" on dvd. 

great night :)

then comes today...american heart association's heart walk this morning!

the hospital for which i work is part of a partnership of 6 hospitals around austin who very much support the efforts to raise money for heart disease research and treatment. and our surgery department had a team (led by my director) who raised more money than any other team at our facility. and then the walk came today. so we donned our matching t-shirts and headed out in the 50-degree weather to walk for a good cause.

i persuaded 2 of my coworkers to walk with us, so we all threw our kids in wagons (thanks, peytons, for loaning us yours!) and walked away!

kaleb really had a much better time than he shows on his face here. lots of snacks, and we were outdoors the entire time - his dream morning.

getting ready for the race to begin, we all crowded the starting line. and then we were off!

we visited daddy at work afterwards, and warmed up with a snack from the coffee bean just down the strip from him. he was excited to hear about/see all the swag we came home with. everything from balloons to mardi gras beads (no flashing involved) to tattoos to bananas and granola bars (thanks, heb). and kaleb's personal favorite...chap stick. i thought ellie loved the stuff, kaleb has shown even a greater appreciation for it!

both kids are resting (and i soon will be too) for the afternoon full of open house at tcby, complete with bounce house and free yogurt - what a great combination. then back home to fire up the grill for dinner with new friends who have a son 1 day younger than kaleb.

it's been a great weekend exploring the city we have grown to love, and to spend having fun with my kiddos while doing so!

meal prep

i've gotten into a rhythm of weekend meal planning that consists of laying out a menu for the week every saturday morning, and then the kids and i go the grocery store after eric leaves for work. sunday afternoons are usually reserved for getting things ready for the week - if it can be made ahead, prepped and frozen, mixed together before the night we eat it, i do it! and today, kaleb's helping :)

 last week was rough for us...i worked longer hours due to busy-ness at the hospital, so i went straight from work to pick up the kids. it was full of cafeteria lunches for me and last-minute dinners for the family. so i strive this week to do better on both fronts!

i planned everything out yesterday, trying to incorporate more crock pot meals (kaleb doesn't like me to cook dinner after school. if anyone's in the kitchen when we get home from school, he thinks we should be eating!) and using ingredients from my own pantry/fridge/freezer to save on the grocery bill. i did pretty good!

and because i scourge the internet for new recipes each week, i was on pinterest and found this link. it inspired me - what a great way to do lunch! so kaleb and i just finished chopping, dividing up, and stuffing quart-sized mason jars for all 5 of my lunches for the week. a couple of ranch...a couple of balsalmic vinegar...a french. i've got some hard boiled eggs and avocados to take along and add to the mix when i empty the jar each day.

 

i'll keep you posted as to the success/failure of the salad-in-a-jar.

happy columbus day

school's out for the day...that's right: an extra stay-at-home day! and all in honor of christopher columbus. how nice of him to sail the ocean so we could have an extra day to play :)

i went in to work for a couple of hours today, then came home to two kids and a husband ready to have fun! we ran a couple of errands, and then stopped at chick-fil-a for lunch before heading home. daddy complained he never got to eat chick-fil-a with the kiddos, but i informed him really it was that none of us ever ate chick-fil-a. i think the last time we ate it was in march when cacky came for a visit. not so recent  for us either!

kaleb fell asleep on the way home, so i put him in bed and covered him up - it's frigid here these days. i don't know if he sleeps with enough stuff in the crib with him:

and then i headed to the craft room to work on one of SEVERAL unfinished projects. this one's for ellie's bed. i made a list of all i needed/wanted to finish by the end of the year, so maybe i'll stick to it now that it's written down...

the e's stayed out front when we got home so they could see the recycle bin being dumped out. when we got home, the truck was doing the opposite side of our street, so they stayed out there for him to go all the way down the long street AND turn around AND come back - like 25 minutes! and what better to do than to pick up a bunch of acorns?!? 

they collected a whole tupperware container of them. daddy told ellie he'd dump them over the back fence to see if any oak trees would  grow. she liked my idea better, though - i'm going to pinterest (is that a verb?) craft ideas to do with acorns, and we might get crafty after nap time. 

loving fall weather these days! loving the extra time i get to spend with my family today!