Three Things

Today I'm sharing three things about each of the kiddos along with pictures of each of them in September when they were three.  I was talking with a friend the other day how much I LOVED the age of three and these pictures show why!  

- SECOND DINNER -

I'm sure that lots of you preteen/teen moms can relate to this but I feel like Luke is eating ALL THE TIME.  He eats breakfast before he leaves for school and packs a thermos of oatmeal to eat during middle school "snack break" mid-morning.  Eats lunch and then has a big snack after school.  Eats dinner and then makes a sandwich an hour or so later.  Dave and I can't help but reference "second lunch" from the office almost daily ;)

- RAKING IT IN -

Luke has been watching leaves fall in our backyard with dollar signs in his eyes :)  We pay the kids per bag of raked leaves and he's banking on a pretty hefty payout this year.

- DRUMLINE-

Luke has been playing with the high school drumline at football games and he's LOVING IT!  It's surreal to see him in those same stands where we met but so cool!

- SAXOPHONE -

Our school has 5th grade do an "intro to band" a few times before they have to pick an elective for 6th grade and Mason has fallen in LOVE with saxophone.  His exact words were, "mom... Jack and I heard the smooth sounds of sax and knew it was meant to be" :) hahaha  His dad is REALLY hoping he hears some awesome drum beats this year and decides to go the percussion route but either way we're loving that he's getting excited for band!

- ROLL TIDE -

Mason's flag football team is back and playing in a league where each team was assigned a college team name and he's on Alabama.  Mason doesn't want to play tackle so I'm not sure how many more seasons of flag he has and we're loving watching him!

- CLASS MERCHANT -

Mason's class all had to apply for "class jobs" and Mason is the merchant which he is LOVING.  He helps run the class store on Friday mornings and has been having the best time.

- OVERHAND SERVE -

Griffin is playing volleyball again this season and is LOVING IT.  She's working hard on her overhand serve and her little team is getting fun to watch.

- DJ GG -

Griffin is our family DJ ;)  Anytime we're home she's asking to have music on.  She'd like it to be party time all the time but is fine with some quieter tunes as well.  I'm thinking she may need an Alexa for Christmas to play music in her room... if you have one for your kids I'd love to hear what you think!  She typically just play playlists that we have on Spotify on her iPad so maybe a little bluetooth speaker would be better?  

- SHORT HAIR, DON'T CARE -

I was worried when she decided to go short that her hair would take way more time to style but the opposite has been true which has been awesome!  Typically she'll wash it 2 times a week and then I'll blow dry it with my Revlon dryer brush and it looks cute for DAYS.  (In between she takes baths and just doesn't get her hair wet).  I'm really hoping that she decides to keep the bob up!

- BACKYARD PROJECT -

We have a big backyard project happening at the beginning of October and we're so excited!  We have some prep to do the next few weekends so if you see me hobbling around it's because I spent my weekend digging up bushes.

- FALL CANDLES -

We had a couple cool mornings this week and I just switched my volcano candles out for fall ones and it's one of my favorite times of the year ;). I love the spiced cider by Capri Blue the best.

- HOCO -

This week is homecoming and I've been running around like CRAZY - but it's been so fun because our kiddos get to have some of the events that we didn't get to have last year.  Not sure I'll ever take a dance or powderpuff football game for granted again!  I'm wiped out but it's a good wiped!

- 

Chicken Spaghetti

I shared this recipe years ago - but with the arrival of cooler weather here in Texas it was worth an updated reshare because it's just so dang good.  It's a super simple crowd pleaser that's always on my family's short list of favorites.

Here's What You'll Need...

- Rotisserie Chicken

- Chicken Broth

- BIG can of cream of mushroom soup

- shredded cheddar

- chopped onions

- 1 lb spaghetti noodles

- seasoning salt and pepper

Reading Recap

 The Secret Keeper of Jaipur is the sequel to The Henna Artist which I read earlier in the year and I loved it even more than the Hanna Artist which I LOVED!

Weekend Happies

Sharing a few little things that made me extra happy this weekend!

So many things made me smile in the picture below - the dress, the dog, the headband - all of it!

Friday Favorites

  Happy Friday, friends!!!   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us!!!!  If you're linking up with us make sure you grab our graphic, link back to one (or both!) of us and share your own Friday Favorites post.

Before I share my favorites I wanted to share something super special.  You may remember a few years ago when we rallied around Sheaffer's cousin and her son Holt.  Holt was diagnosed with cancer back in 2018 and not only did y'all pray for Holt but we came together to raise a TON of money for their family.   Alden’s family used that money for travel to treatment, for treatment, and for all of the other expenses that come with treatment.  If you remember, after treatment, Holt was declared in remission! Praise God!

Ever since that declaration, Alden has been dedicated to paying it forward and helping other families, which is such an incredible testament to not only her but to how well her family was loved during such a difficult time.  The video below is worth the watch and details exactly what she's up to...

"With September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I have identified a family who is in desperate need of our help.

Heather and Pedro Piñero’s 6 year old son, Braxton, has a story unlike any other. Braxton was diagnosed in 2018 with neuroblastoma and spent the next year fighting for his life. After the long and hard treatment, scans would show that he beat neuroblastoma! However, as a side effect to some of the chemotherapies he received, he has developed pulmonary fibrosis.

The Piñero’s are awaiting results to confirm what the doctors fear to be true; that Braxton is suffering from a very specific type of pulmonary fibrosis called PPFE. PPFE is more rapidly progressive than regular PF and, and the thing that’s the hardest to hear… PPFE is ONLY developed as a side effect from some of the chemotherapies he received to battle neuroblastoma. It is terminal, incurable, aggressively progressive, and there is no long term solution or treatment. He beat one of the worst forms of cancer you can be diagnosed with as a child… and yet, he will possibly succumb to the chemotherapy. 

I am sure you can see why the success of this month’s fundraiser means so much to me.  I have a God-sized goal to raise $31,200 in 2 weeks in order to pay for Braxton and his brother chase to attend play therapy once a week, and for Heather and Pedro to find emotional sustenance once a week, for an entire year. An average session costs $150. $150/session X 4 people= $600/week. $600/week X 52 weeks= $31,200.

I would love to have you come alongside me as we pray for this family and do our best to raise funds for them.  Thank you for taking the time to read about my cause and for all of your prayers for my Holt, my family, and for this family that you will meet soon. 

Saying prayers of thanks for all of you, 

Alden"

If you would like to donate directly and forego a cookie order, that would be amazing!  Alden wouldn’t say this herself, but as of Thursday night, she had already committed to making 164 dozen cookies.  She is sooooooo happy to bake like crazy, but she is only 1 person, and I want to help her reach her goal for this precious family without having to bake night and day for weeks on end.

If you would like to give a cash donation, you can do so via the following:

     *Venmo (@feedingfridaynightlights)

     *Zelle (feedingfridaynightlights@gmail.com)

     *PayPal (feedingfridaynightlights@gmail.com)

First up on my FAVORITEs list is Fall sports starting back up again!  Griffin had her first volleyball game last weekend and she had the best time...

Flag football is baaaaaack!  Mason's team is playing in a new league this Fall...

... and these boys are looking EXTRA cute as the Crimson Tide!

This post was one of my FAVORITE things I saw on social media this week...

... and this song is a FAVE right now.

These were some of my FAVORITE drawings from a bonus question I had on a test this week...

... and one of my FAVORITE FAB memories of all time popped up this week.

I incorporate a lot of drawing/coloring/art in my classes and last week a few of my classes colored these Fall inequality color by numbers and rather than just pass them back I cut them out, strung them up and made a banner.

If Squishmallows are your kids FAVORITE make sure you check out Costco... these HUGE ones were $10 and we picked up a couple for bday gifts!

Spirit Day is everyone's FAVORITE!

And last Friday we took our Pizza Friday tradition on the road for some pre-game dining...

... and then headed to the stadium to watch the first home football game.

Middle Schoolers can play in our stand band and Luke was nervous but so excited to get to play!  It was totally surreal for Dave and I because we spent EVERY Friday night in those stands doing the same thing so it was crazy town to be there watching our kid! 

We had the best time with some of our FAVORITE friends and are excited for a fun season watching the mustangs!

Allie and Bess is running a BIG SALE right now and their "Dottie" bracelets are marked down 40% off and then there's an ADDITIONAL 20% off with the code DOTTIE20.  You can click  HERE (affiliate link) to shop this stack of 8 that's normally over $100 and on sale for just around $50 right now! I love my Dotties because they're super vesatile, great alone or mixed in with other bracelets and they're waterproof!

Yesterday I was giving away some of our FAVORITE games and the winner is SABRINA P! 

Sabrina, shoot me an email (momfessionals@gmail.com) and I'll get those sent off to you this weekend!

Last, but not least - next week is one of our FAVORITE weeks of the year...

HoCo! ;). Bring. On. The. Mums, Y'all!!!

HAPPY Friday and I hope y'all have the best weekend!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Favorite Family Card Games

Today I'm sharing a few of our very favorite card games.  We love card games for lots of reasons - one of which is that they're super easy to throw in a bag when you're heading out to dinner and think there might be a wait, or when you're going out of town and want to bring something fun to play in the evenings, etc.  These are some of our tried and true faves and make sure you scroll all the way to the end because I have a fun surprise :)

I'm including links to YouTube videos explaining how to play the games which I hope y'all find helpful!  I wish I could have everyone over for a game night to explain in person but this is the next best thing!

Exploding Kittens is hilariously weird and fun.  All three of my kids really love this game and along with the funny elements there's definitely strategy involved which makes it interesting.  

Fall and Halloween Books

Today I'm sharing a few new additions to our Fall/Halloween book collection along with some oldies, but goodies.  YES - Mason and Griffin are reading chapter books and YES we still enjoy sitting down together reading a picture book as well :). I don't think you ever really "outgrow" a great picture book and I love the idea of having this collection of books for years to come.

Teacher Tuesday - 7 questions Pt II

Almond Joy Cookies

 

I was planning on sharing this recipe next week but after my family DEVOURED them this weekend and can't stop talking about them I knewI needed to share ASAP :) These are DELISH!!!

Friday Favorites

 Happy Friday, friends!!!   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us!!!!  If you're linking up with us make sure you grab our graphic, link back to one (or both!) of us and share your own Friday Favorites post.

Amazon Lately

 Happy Thursday, friends!!! Today I'm sharing what I've been priming lately and buckle up because there are some fun finds ;)

First up are  these boots I ordered for Griffin.  She needs them for part of her Halloween costume (yes... we are already planning her costume - hahaha) and they are SO CUTE!  They'll be cute with skinny jeans and dresses as tights as well.  The quilting on the back is a really pretty detail and I felt like they were a great deal for the price.

 

Fall Touches

I said I wasn't going to do this because it's still 8000 degrees here on the surface of the sun and then the mood struck and the next thing I knew I was knee deep in pumpkins in the attic and I wasn't mad about it :) Last year I did a "neutral Fall" look and this year I decided to go FULL ON fall tones and I'm obsessed!