our autumn book basket

Pier and I have been snuggling up and reading lots of books about changing leaves, apple pies, and pumpkin patches.  I like to keep a thrifted basket on hand in our living room to be filled with books of the season.  Reading about the changing cycles of nature is my small way of helping my children recognize the beauty that surrounds us each season. 

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The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin | BEATRIX POTTER
The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night | PETER SPIER
Pumpkin Moonshine | TASHA TUDOR
A Apple Pie | KATE GREENAWAY
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves | JULIA RAWLINSON
Tractor Mac Harvest Time | BILLY STEERS
Leaf Man | LOIS EHLERT
Autumn | GERDA MULLER
Thankful | EILEEN SPINELLI
 


These books are really sweet and fun to read together.  Pier has a soft spot for characters with trucks and animals, and I love books that teach life lessons in order to establish a strong moral code.  I'm always looking for new books to add to our seasonal library...are there any autumn reads that your little ones love? 

 

matching jammies

If you know anything about me, you know I am a sucker for matching my children.  I personally can't wait for the day that Eulalie and I can wear the same dress in our respective sizes and be twins...but that day is not today (you can tell I haven't given this any thought, right).  Today, I took a few sibling photos of Pier and Eulalie in their matching jammies.   We've all been under the weather the past week, so moments like this are bright spots on those hard days.  My mama heart can't take the cuteness!

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Pier fascinates his little sister.  He makes her smile so big and she loves to watch him play.  It's taken a while for Pier to warm up to her presence, but now I think we're making significant progress.  He wakes up every morning and asks where "you-wee" is and whenever he sees her, he exclaims "HI! HI YOU-WEE! HI!!!".  He's lately been really into old church hymns like "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Come Thou Fount".  His favorite right now is "Be Thou My Vision" and he sings it to Eulalie whenver she starts crying...last night, as I was doing the dishes, Pier "taught her" how to dance while we played Be Thou My Vision on repeat.  It calms her down immediately and it's really the sweetest to witness. 

Hope you've enjoyed this rare moment of my kids being magically smiley to one another! Now I'm plotting what pair of matching jammies I can buy next...

the apple orchard!

A day at the apple orchard is one of my favorite family activities to check off on our autumn bucket list.  We spent my birthday weekend doing just that and it was bittersweet knowing that this would be our last fall in Indiana picking apples.  The apple orchard is an outing I eagerly anticipate year round.  Give me some 70 degree weather, fresh apples picked right from the tree to snack on, and a squishy baby to wear and I'm in my happy place...I seriously couldn't wipe the smile off my face the whole time we were there!  And the apple cider donuts. Oh the apple cider donuts.  I could write a love letter to those warm fried circles of dough, but alas, there are no words.

Thanks to my Indy bestie Val for snapping these for us!  I was hoping to get a Christmas card pic out of it, and it looks like we have some great ones to pick from.  Getting a toddler and a baby to smile and look at a camera should be an Olympic sport.  

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ethical fashion | outfit no. 06

So, date night outfits are fun to chat about, but that's not really what I'm wearing in my day-to-day.  Here is an example of an outfit I wore running errands and going out to lunch with my mom whenever she was in town.  I love the ease of throwing on a one-and-done garment, and this lightweight black jumpsuit fits the bill for a busy mama.  This is yet another investment piece, but I wear it on a weekly basis and it's SO comfy you feel like you're in your jammies (my kinda outfit).  Just this week I've worn it twice already!  I scored a pretty impressive deal during a Hatch end-of-season sale on sale when I bought this jumpsuit, and I want to take a moment to tell you that it's totally possible to have quality high-end items at a somewhat affordable price point. 

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I've always wanted a black jumpsuit, but never could justify spending money on something that I would only wear a handful of times (it's super hard to find nursing friendly ones!).  This jumpsuit is actually maternity (!!!!).  I wore it up til my 9th month and it quickly became one of my favorite summer outfits.  So, not only can I wear this particular jumpsuit pregnant, it's also a button down meaning I can nurse Eulalie in it quite easily.  Plus the fabric is soft and breathable and the black color covers every stain imaginable. Win.  I'm also surprised at how easy it is to transition from summer to fall.  I traded my warm weather sandals for mules and threw on a chunky cardigan for some coziness.  This is one of my favorite ways to style it, but I also can be seen throwing on a sweater or jean jacket and a scarf you've got the perfect fall look!  

outfit details:

JUMPSUIT | hatch collection
(pssst found one on e-bay for you!)

CARDIGAN | old navy (old), similar
SHOES | nisolo

 

 

life lately

september highlight reel

 

 
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1 | Eulalie was baptized into the Catholic church on September 3, 2017.  You can see the photos HERE in case you missed it.

2 | We took a spontaneous road trip to Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana to attend mass at the basilica.  The weather was perfect, the church was INSANELY beautiful, and the music at the mass made me feel like I was in heaven.  The Fossier children, however, did not have the same sentiments and many tantrums were thrown that afternoon.  It was a 2.5 hour drive for us and they cried the whole time (don't worry, we road trip to Louisiana every few months so our family is ol' pros at the car ride game).  Nonetheless we were grateful we got to check another thing off our Indiana bucket list and had a great time despite the torrential meltdowns! 
 
3 | Pier started school!  Mother's Day Out, actually, and he goes twice a week now (as opposed to last spring when he only attended it weekly).  He had a great first month back goes over a different theme each week.  So far it's been "back to school", "bugs", "under the sea", and "things that grow".  He gets so excited whenever we drive up to his school and exclaims, "HERE PIER SCHOOL!!!!" to anyone who will listen.  We're working on sharing and being kind to our friends, but other than that, I think it's the perfect environment for him right now.  

4 | We're teaching Pier about how caterpillars turn into butterflies.  Pier found a huge caterpillar eating our parsley in the garden and we adopted him as our family science project.  I love watching my son's eyes light up wheneverhe discovers something new.  We put Caterpillar (he needs a cooler name than that...) in a glass mason jars with holes in the top, some more fresh parsley, and a few sticks.  Pier asks me every morning, "where cat-pil-er go?" and we watch him in his cocoon as I explain that soon he'll turn into a beautiful butterfly. Sometimes we'll watch the animated version of "the very hungry caterpillar" which Pier loves, and I feel like a great parent for like 5 minutes because we're doing something educational.  Someone should give me an award. 

5 | I celebrated my 26th birthday with my people and it was such a beautiful day.  I was treated to birthday breakfast, a shopping trip, a nap, and a much needed haircut.  Then Bradley and I went out to dinner in Mass Ave at a place called Black Market and walked to Sub Zero Ice Cream for dessert.  They pour liquid nitrogen on the cream and toppings and make the ice cream right in front of you...it's pretty neat. I loved that I got to spend some quality time with my husband.  Holding hands, having uninterrupted conversation, and eating a meal someone else cooked = a dream. Thank you for the sweet birthday wishes!  Your love and prayers were absolutely felt and I'm genuinely touched by your kindness. 

6 | Speaking of birthdays, my mama surprised me mid-birthday-week to help me celebrate.  We have birthdays days apart so it was a real gift to spend it together.  She really is my favorite present and she spoiled me with birthday shopping, brunch, and free babysitting.  That woman has a heart of gold and we are a mess of giggles whenever we get together! Also, thank you dad for sending her my way and going without the company of your wife for the week ;).  We wished you were celebrating with us! 

7 | The Fossier fam went apple picking with our family friends the Keinsley's and it was a blast.  Seriously, the apple orchard is the highlight of my fall and I'm going to miss it immensely whenever we move back to Louisiana.  I can't believe it was our last time doing my favorite fall tradition!  I can't think about it too much or I'll probably cry.  I'll post photos later this week because they make me smile so big each tie I look at 'em.