Boy in a blue tshirt with a backpack on standing in a kitchen.

1. This boy is eight todayโ€ฆ EIGHT! Dominic greets each new day with a huge smile and enthusiasm; he has since he was a toddler and itโ€™s such a joy to witness. He continues to be a ball of boundless energy, has loved learning hockey and baseball this year, loves Transformers and Justice League, building Legos, doing projects, and when I asked him recently what he wants to do when he grows up, he said, โ€œI want to build thingsโ€. ๐Ÿ’™

Every birthday celebrated is an unbelievable blessing and something we will never take for granted.

2. Joseph finally returned to school this week after his tonsillectomy; heโ€™s still not 100% but has definitely improved since Tuesday. This has been a doozy of a recovery, Iโ€™m so glad heโ€™s finally turned a corner.

3. Love this sweet girl and her spunk!

Little girl with blonde hair in a purple sweat suit sitting outside.

4. Letโ€™s talk booksโ€ฆ how do you decide which book youโ€™re going to read next? Do you keep a running list, check out new releases, make lists by season, etc.? I kind of bop around all over the place, but two years ago when Dominic was in the hospital a lot and I was getting back into reading, I asked for book recommendations on Instagram, and got tons of amazing recommendations. Of course I put them into a spreadsheet ๐Ÿค“ When I hit a lull, I go back to that spreadsheet and see what sounds good at that moment. My sister also got me a subscription to Book of the Month for my birthday, which is a great way to check out newer books. Iโ€™m still reading People We Meet on Vacation; Iโ€™m thinking that after Iโ€™m done I might pick up Beartown.

5. I always see summer bucket lists making the rounds once school is out, but Iโ€™m loving this list of 40 fun things to do this fall.

6. Since today is Dominicโ€™s birthday, he chose to bring in chocolate chip cookies to share with his class. I baked up my favorite chocolate chip cookies and made sure there were extras for us at home :)

7. Okay, I had no idea that there was a difference between PYREX and pyrex!

8. I needed to see this list, maybe itโ€™ll be useful for you, too!

Text box with title "10 Simple Meals When You Don't Know What to Make..."

9. Weโ€™re still watching The Killing and loving it! I believe weโ€™re in season 3 now; love all the twists and turns.

10. TGIF!ย And this girl turned eight yesterday! I love our little birthday buddies; they really have very similar personalities ๐Ÿ˜„

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Golden retriever with a party hat on.