september highlights

Time to remember and highlight the best of September! I sure love these highlight posts. Looking back on these kid’s happy faces bring me so much joy. Thank goodness I snap a lot of pictures so that when I look back on my photo stream for September I can easily remember bits and pieces of what we did. Here we go!

Hunter began his first season of outdoor fall soccer! It’s 7 weeks long and we started September out with his first evening practice, which he absolutely loved. And doesn’t he just look so adorable with his shin guards, socks and cleats?

We had our big, fun filled, annual canning weekend in Seattle. Read so much more about it HERE.

Moving day. The kids and I got out of the way and headed to ride some dozers at a park near our old house while the men loaded the uhaul and did all the heavy lifting. Until a yellow jacket wouldn’t leave us alone since the kids snacked on grapes in the car on the way to the park. They just smelled too sweet for the pest to stay away.

Got the keys!

First day at the new house and just loving our new bigger yard. Zoe likes to go up-down-up-down-up-down that little step to the grass. She also likes to fall.

And we found a pear tree on our property. Bonus, they are delicious! I’m thinking it’s either a bartlett or anjou pear tree, or at least something that looks and tastes like them.

First game down. Officially a soccer family. #soccermom

These BLT bites. Sure to please with many non tomato options too. Go make em –> recipe here.

Exploring the wooded area next to our house. I love that nature is right outside our front door.

Our forest exploration ended after being caught in an unexpected downpour. Zoe was not amused.

Taking a stroll to the library downtown in Ridgefield to check out story time. What I love about this picture is Hunter guiding Zoe with his hand on her back. He loves to guide her in the right direction and can be so sweet with her.

After story time park play. Zoe loved this slide. I can’t even count how many times she went down it.

And Hunter’s favorite part, of course. Backhoe digging. A boy’s dream.

Soccer intensity at it’s best.

Hunter started swim lessons at the end of August and is getting so much more comfortable and making progress every week. He’s been going full face in the water for a few feet and I’m so proud of the improvements he’s making. More importantly, he loved it and is always so sad when it’s over.

She’s quite fond of finding sticks on walks just like her big brother.

Hawaiian nachos + kale chips for all the crunch. So simple. Just toast corn tortillas in the oven with a little spritz of olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt until toasty. Add leftover diced pork + pineapple (I had some frozen from the freezer) + thinly sliced onion + shredded cheese and bake until the cheese is melty. Serve with quac on the side.

Home date nights are the best! We love our standard spread of sausage, cheeses (an aged sharp cheddar, gouda and brie), sour dough bread and apple slices. Epic. Every time.

These almond butter zucchini muffins are amazing! Sub in any nut butter you have on hand and enjoy a filling snack any time of day. Recipe HERE!

Baby bumpin’ at 18 weeks. Time is seriously flying by and I actually forget how far along I am all the time. I’m beginning to notice my growing belly more and more every day.

We found an adorable farm stand a couple of miles from our house. A lady grows tons of fruits and vegetables at her beautiful home and sells then out of a little area in her garage/barn. It’s so cute. We enjoyed all the gourds she had around. I picked up kale, asian pears, cucumbers and some tea towels I just couldn’t resist. Sadly she was closing shop for the season the following week so I have to wait until next spring to come back again.

Zucchini almond butter muffin snacking before going into the Portland Children’s Museum. Energized and ready to take on the last day of September!

The last time we went to the children’s museum was when Hunter was around Zoe’s current age (19 months) and I was super pregnant. Both of the kids loved it. They had a special area set up all about the blue man group with lots of glow in the dark lights and things to learn about sounds and music. We did clay molding, construction digging (a fav) and water play. We met some friend there and spent a little more than 2 hours at the museum and did not even get to every area there was. Perfect for the rainy days we have coming up this fall!