Getting Back in the Swing of Things

It's been a crazy couple of months. Typically, the whole summertime/school year scenario doesn't apply to us since none of us are in school but this year was different. The beginning of summertime was marked by a long awaited visit from my mother in-law and closed with the arrival of my brother's family for a few weeks and nothing in between these two summer book ends was of little consequence!

Our full "in between" consisted of visiting family in California for a week and attending a wedding there, writing and directing our church's VBS skits, finding out that we were pregnant **happy dance!** and afterwards traveling to Alaska with my parents to spend more precious time with family.  I was fairly well ready for some domestic monotony after returning from Alaska but we still had our last leg of summer left and company would soon be arriving. The kids came and were bursting full of energy and hope for their summer plans despite the sweltering heat! So for three weeks I loaded us up in the car each morning, drove to my parents' house and came home only after we had spent the entire day with them. While constantly being away from home was tiring, I wouldn't give up a single moment we spent all together!

But now everyone has returned from their wanderings to their own homes and we begin to get a glimpse at our new "normal." I have longed for this week of rest. To catch up on laundry and restock our house with food that doesn't have a questionable expiration date. To have quiet mornings with my sweet little boy and reconnect with friends I've missed. To allow my mind to dream of our new baby and the joy it will bring.... yes, I am glad that summer is at an end and life can now quiet down to a (relatively) dull roar.

My first order of business in this next new chapter is to cook dinner! Something I haven't done for at least 3 weeks since my sister in-law was the resident master chef while they were here. On my agenda for the evening is Baked Caprese Rigatoni. It's a new recipe I discovered (and drooled) over on Pinterest. Probably not something my husband would have picked out considering the amount of tomatoes it calls for, but I'm pretty certain this lovely little recipe and I can win him over!

Doesn't this look amazing?!