1. cookie butter in my oatmeal

2. a baby pulling up

3. a friendly invite

4. finding success in the small victories, like making it to the beach

5. a couple years of roasting chickens experience turning up in a tasty turkey

6. finding a similar family pace with friends on vacation

7. cooking with friends who cook

8. 5 children under age 6 playing pretty well together over the course of 5 days

9. friends with espresso makers

10. new bookclub friends

11. the after-soup

12. most excellent popovers in a new popover tin

13. a silly baby playing

14. a 3 year old thinking about what she wants to say and trying very hard to say it

15. a 6 year old listening

16. rub-a-dub-dub, 3 girls in a tub

17. the knot genie

18. Stacy’s Pita GINGERBREAD pita chips!!!!

19. Trader Joe’s Jo-Jo multipack

20. a baby scooting around the kitchen, backwards

21. editing flower and Sistred photos.

1. nap-time for everyone

2. pumpkin beer

3. the smell of onions cooking

4. an uneventful drive

5. an uneventful flight

6. old friends good as new!

7. a lovely host &  hostess whose home is full of whimsy and fun

8. donut after donut after donut

9. warm crullers just as good as I remember

10. coworkers and friends being the same thing

11. introducing the girls to some of our favorite people

12. watching them develop their own friendships

13. friends who cook

14. friends introducing our Zuzu to new friends and explaining the sociology of play at given ages

15. Companion bakehouse eggs

16. seeing my old boss tattoo my daughters forehead and then snicker

17. that said tattoo didn’t stick

18. watching 2 girls play like they’ve known each other for years

19. friends including a slightly younger friend in a sleepover

20. kind souls entertaining a piranha like baby so this momma can eat

21. too many fun activities to get to in an old favorite of a  town

1. early nights

2. giggling girls

3. frozen york peppermint patties

4. a Friday donut

5. a six year old counting out her coins to buy what she wants

6. November landscapes

7. brilliant fall leaves hanging on

8. forgiveness

9. calendar planning

10. counting my blessings

11. the tiniest of blooms

12. other people’s photography

13. a baby’s fuzzy duckhead

14. 3 sisters

15. writing time and energy coinciding

16. Soulemama’s fall posts

17. ounces lost

18. anticipation of friends and feasting

19. meeting my exercise goals

20. a quick bite with Lovey

21. moving forward post-election

1. friends

2. travel planning

3. warm babies

4. sitting babies

5. 3 year olds doing well in class

6. pictures

7. Instagram

8. insurance options

9. a well-check going well for a certain 6 year old

10. November- a month to give thanks

11. Special K Popcorn chips- my new favorite snack!

12. first report cards

13. a certain 6 year old contesting her first report card

14. IEP progress

15.  a chatty little 6 month old talking up a bear her own size

16. not getting Halloweened out till after Halloween this year

17. early to bed more than once in a week

18. a few minutes to chat

19. my mothers’ laughter

20. my sister’s good idea for family time

21. holiday season upon us

1. a weekend filled with birthday parties- 4 of em!

2. grilled tilapia with Alice Water’s risotto

3. salmon with almonds, pesto, tomato and puff pastry

4. Lovey cooking

5. discipline charts

6. 4.5 lbs gone in 10 days!

7. lunch dates

8. party preparations

9. Unicorns

10. birthday parties galore!

11. Fall weathered mornings

12. School Fundraiser nights

13. babies arms reaching out to momma

14. staying calm when I’m angry

15. a new digital scale

16. Trader Joes treats

17. future vacation planning

18. friends

19. eating too much and realizing it

20. almond milk

21. knowing to hit post on the gratitude list before the feeling goes away

1. end of summer growth spurts for all 3 of the Sistred

2. weekend meal-play-dates

3. birthday party invites

4. myfitnesspal.com

5. a wonderful Kindergarten teacher

6. a wonderful pre-school teacher

7. an apple-picking day filled with treats

8.a good performance review

9. 2 celebratory dinners

10. morning school drop-off

11. more time with friends

12. a pie-social

13. homemade aoli

14. lunch dates

15. Instagram

16. discovering the art of mobile photography

17. a cool morning

18. porch meals

19. a first tooth- a molar for Sugarplum on 9/11/12- the bottom right

20. motrin

21. being able to where shirts with color!

1. early morning thinking and writing time, however brief

2. talking with Sugarplum

3. children tatooing each other

4. beach-park livin

5. back-to-school shopping on tax-free weekend

6. sunday morning chess- the pie kind

7. rolling over

8. sleep

9. talking with all 3 of my girls

10. little half words from the Quail

11. realizing we need a safety lock on the fridge

12. noticing the differences between my girls

13. “back-to-work” clothes for me

14. Netflix

15. a most excellent cardio appt that came with the words, “soon it will be like it was never there”

16. celebratory artery-clogging dinners after said cardio appts

17. the new Nikon D7000

18. kindle books

19. new double Dora jammies

20. moving up to size 3-6 mos for Sugarplum

21. first haircuts gone awry- they always do

1. learning to focus

2. a baby tucked and snoring in a sling

3. looking down to see sparkley blue eyes beaming back up at me

4. Lovey’s 4th of July apple kuchen

5. reconnecting with good friends

6. grilled sweet potatoes with lime, cilantro & salt

7. strawberry rhubarb pudding cake

8 pimentto cheese broccoli

9. water play

10. birthday parties

11. little rock stars

12. Parenthood

13. The Vampire Diaries

14. A good cardiology check for Sugarplum

15. sizing up on the Quail’s shoes

16. Random offerings of cake

17. Lovey’s nickname of “Lil Tugboat” for Sugarplum

18. Seeing Sugarplum grinning up at me like a cute lil loon one morning after the last several nursing having been mostly sleepy, closed eye cuddles

19. Instagram

20 hen gathering

21. a week-night dinner invite