Happy August my friends!

I saw someone post something the other day that said August is the Sunday of summer, and goodness, that feels so true! I love the slightly slower pace of August, much like a Sunday, and it also holds the gnawing reminder that routine is starting shortly and the grind is about to pick up. We had such a lovely July filled with wonderfully fun things. Josh started building a play set for the kids at the end of May and come July, finally finished the hard work and we were able to roll out the surprise to the kiddos! It’s been a hit! (Note to self: Costco deals are great … there also are 1,039,204 pieces involved.)

Here’s a peek at the standing three’s:

• Here’s the August playlist! It’s pretty eclectic. Don’t judge.
• Ready to sink back into an overview of the summer?  You can download this exclusive free download that’ll give you a place to process through some highlights and gratitudes of the summer! I find sometimes its really easy to fall into the mundane and forget about all the special moments along the way. I hope you find this fun to pause for 10 minutes and think back to all the special moments of the summer! It’s also a fun activity to do with kids in your life!
• Try a new recipe! This orzo dish is a hit with everyone who tries it and is personally one of our faves.

Ingredients:

• a box Orzo pasta
•  EVOO
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 package cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1 package crumbled Feta cheese

Steps:

1. Boil pot of water + 2 Tblsp salt, Add pasta & cook orzo for about 9 minutes or until al dente.
2. In separate pan, heat ¼ cup olive oil, add 1 yellow onion (finely chopped) + 2 chopped cloves of garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Cook on med/low for 10 minutes, stirring.
3. Cut up cherry tomatoes (in quarters) & add to onion mix. Cook on low for 15 minutes, stirring.
4. Add 1 cup chopped fresh basil. Heat & set aside.
5. Combine chicken, pasta & tomato/onion mix.
6. Add package of crumbled Feta cheese.
7. Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

You’ll find a few books in my bag right now: this book (which as I grabbed the link for, noticed they are making it into a tv series), next on my reading list, and my current morning read, written by my own pastor! We go through books here all the time, making trips to the library and often buying ones that we just can’t say goodbye too. Right now, Kirsten brings me this book multiple times a day (shout out to Daniel Tiger), and Logan is bringing me this one which is the perfect bedtime read. The colors are phenominal and all of this author’s books are our faves here.

My kiddos have been obsessed with “cleaning” with this Melissa and Doug set. It’s never too early to create good habits right? And maybe help mom out a bit too 😊. My dear fellow twin mom, Rachel, sent Kirsten this gorgeous dress asa surprise and we have been spending the month doing a whole lot of twirls.

And lastly, we were invited to partner with Huggies on their new diaper line, Special Delivery Diapers, and as part of their promotion, I got to sneak in a photo shoot with my littles. (I know, a rarity as a mom!). (But we also love that we got to fall in love with a new kind of diaper that’s fragrance-free, paraben-free, lotion-free and free of elemental chlorine bleach.)

My birthday is next week (Monday!) and somehow I flew through my 33rd year in a blink. Maybe more on that later. 😉

Love always,

Chelsea

PS – Our family lost one of the best this month. 💔 Though age and health let us know it was coming, hearing that Josh’s grandma passed away last week wasn’t easy. She repeatedly told me when she passes, she wants this picture shared. “It’s one of my favorites.”, she’d say. It was our prayer for so long that she’d live to see the day we had children, and we are so grateful for the 2+ years she got to spend in their lives. While they may never remember their Gigi, and while that reality hurts our hearts, we are immensely grateful that we will forever treasure 2 years of abundant memories.

This woman was one of the strongest I know. She made sure we knew we were loved by her, even though she was tough as nails and a little spicy.

She made and held onto our future child’s blanket for years. I remember the day of our last egg retrieval, she sent me an email saying “The blankets (one blue and one pink) are patiently waiting. Of course I’m praying.” …. and it brought us so much joy when we got to tell her we’d be using them both.

In one note she wrote after a miscarriage, she shared “I’ll probably get to heaven before you so you can bet I’ll hold these babies. I’ll tell them how much their Mother loved them and wanted them. I’ll take care of them until you and Josh get there. Love you honey.”

Grandma Jones, I know you’re making good on your promise and are in the presence of Jesus now. Though our hearts hurt for what we’ve lost, we rejoice in the freedom, joy, and new life you’re experiencing. We’ll miss you until we meet again. 💕

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