How was your week? Ours began on a good note but the past few days have been a little stressful. On Wednesday, we were up in the night a bunch with Ryder and by Thursday morning he had a high fever. I ended up taking him into the doctor who sent us onto the hospital for some blood work. It was a honestly a rather scary day filled with a lot of praying but thankfully everything seems okay with our sweet little boy.
Ryder is such a huge source of joy and light in my life and I don’t quite know the words to use to convey what a source of calming sweetness he is to me. Somehow he even managed to stop crying during his blood draw and give the two nurses the cutest little flirty smirk. Such a trooper.
Without a doubt the thing I’m loving most this week is my family and our health. It’s something I thank God for every day and this week served as yet another reminder to count our blessings a million times over.
Earlier in the week, I managed to get crackin’ on today’s TILF post so I guess now is a good time to segue right into my weekly roundup of a few simple things that are making me smile. As always, I’d absolutely love to hear about a simple — or HUGE — thing in your life that made you smile this week as well.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Things I’m Loving Friday
-
Baby Watch!!!
Can you believe my sister is just DAYS away from having a baby!? Leslie and Ross’ due date is this Tuesday and we’ve been on high alert for the past week! Knowing my sister and brother-in-law are about to meet their little one makes me so incredibly excited for them and I absolutely cannot wait to snuggle with my new niece or nephew so soon. That’s one loved little baby already, that’s for sure! Chase says they’ll be having a girl and he’s currently one for one on the baby predictor game, so we will see!
-
Banza Pasta
A couple of weeks ago, I cooked up a batch of Banza chickpea pasta for our family to try for the first time. I was shocked by just how good it tasted and we’ve since made many dinners with a variety of different Banza pastas as a base. (The rotini is my favorite. I love the texture and the way sauce clings to the spirals.) The chickpea pasta is higher in protein and fiber than traditional pasta and we’ve loved it topped with everything from traditional marinara sauce to a creamy cheese sauce and, most recently, a garlic butter sauce served with sauteed kale and shrimp. So tasty!
I had a return to make at Old Navy earlier this week from a little Labor Day weekend sale shopping and I ended up leaving with a bunch of fall pants for Chase. I’ve loved Old Navy pants for him ever since I discovered their slim-fit and stocked up on slim-fit chinos and a couple more pairs of the pull-on skinny jeans I love for him. (Yes, they’re girl’s jeans but they’re the best and I think they’re more unisex than anything.) We struggle a lot with finding pants and shorts that fit Chase’s slim frame and Old Navy is one of my go-tos!
-
Banner Elk Vacation Planning
Last weekend, Ryan booked a house for our family, my parents and my sister’s family to escape for a week in the mountains in October and I CANNOT wait. Our time in Banner Elk after Chase was born was so, so special to me and I’m thrilled we’ll be heading back to the same area for a family mountain trip again this fall. The countdown is on! Also, if any of you happen to know a professional photographer in the Banner Elk area, my family is hoping to have someone come take some pics of our crew since we’ll all be together and I’d love some recommendations on who to reach out to before we go. I’m already imagining the cuteness of cousin pictures and cannot wait to see Chase and Ryder with their first baby cousin!
-
Friday Flashbacks
5 Recipes We Loved (I’ve been meaning to do a second installment of this post because we’ve made some delicious new-to-us recipes recently. Check this throwback post out if you need some meal plan inspiration heading into next week!)
21-15-9 Decreasing Reps Bodyweight Workout (The decreasing repetitions format in this workout is my favorite for keeping boredom at bay and motivation high!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing you are loving this week?
