I’ve seen lots of bloggers do posts like this, offering a glimpse into their lives outside of their normal blogging beats, and so I thought I’d take a stab at it tonight.

Here’s what I’m loving lately.

*Chocolate. [see also, Sweat]. Halloween. Need I say more?! I keep thinking I’ll be “over it” but then find my hand in my daughter’s Halloween pumpkin every day. It’s not like I don’t know what a Snickers bar tastes like but it’s mini! I shall have three! Sigh.

*Sweat. [see also, Chocolate]. I’ve been back in a gym groove, after several months (cough, cough) off. The break was nice, but the way my clothes are fitting … not so much. Something needed to be done, and this week I finally got back to a normalized gym routine. Nothing crazy or obsessive, and no restriction or over-exercising at all … I’m just happy to be back to a somewhat regular sweating routine! It’s my mental and physical release; with a husband, two kids, a full-time job, and a household to co-run … I need that little bit of me time.

*The sound of my children laughing together. Nothing makes me happier than watching the two of them “chase” each other, squeal together, and crack each other up having raspberry-blowing contests at the dinner table. Sometimes Luis and I just look at each other in disbelief, as they sometimes just laugh for no reason and it’s like we’re not part of their secret little world. While it’s adorable, there’s also something bittersweet about not being in on their every “joke” now.

*Ben’s peg-leg crawl. He still hasn’t mastered a true crawl but he is Speedy Henriquez, whizzing about with his little peg-leg. It sounds silly, but it’s the cutest thing to watch and when he “chases” after his sister … there’s nothing sweeter.

*Maya’s logic. It started snowing here like whoa on our way home from school on Halloween. “But Mommy, it can’t be snowing. The leaves haven’t fallen off the trees yet!” She comes up with stuff like this all the time, and it blows my mind. Another example: I had shown her a photo of me, Luis and a baby Rocco (he was a tiny puppy at one point …) and told her she was in my tummy in the pic. Somehow we got on the subject of how long she was in there and I told her nine months. She looked perplexed for a minute as she processed this; she knows her months, thanks to a song from school — and understands there are twelve in a year, meaning nine is a lot … which propelled her to then ask me if there were toys in my tummy when she was growing in there. I had to hand it to her — it was a good question!

*My Don’t Hurry Be Happy Lululemon pullover. I keep telling myself I should sell it because the DHBH has great resale value on Ebay and the lulu buy-and-sell Facebook groups I’m a part of … but it’s the coziest item of clothing I own and I can’t take it off. If you own one, you know; it’s soft and fleece and warm and yummy. So for now … I’ll keep it.

*Skim chai lattes with whipped cream. Don’t judge. I fully realize the irony here, but it’s what I like.

*Property Brothers. The show and the twins. I’ve been obsessed with this show for about a year now and I can’t get enough of Jonathan and Drew Scott. I can’t wait for their new show where they remodel their own home. Whenever we watch it, Maya asks if the house is broken and if that’s why it needs to be fixed. It’s hard for an almost-four-year-old to wrap her head around why someone would want their house renovated if it isn’t “broken.” Sometimes I forget how literally they take things!

*Day dates! We’re taking Tuesday, November 18 (our 8th wedding anniversary), off for a day date. I love day dates for a host of reasons — but mostly because we get far more quality time together than we would on a normal evening date.

*Thanksgiving. My whole family — including parents, sister, brother, sister-in-law — are all descending on Kalamazoo for TDIK3 (Thanksgiving Day in Kalamazoo 3; 2007; 2013; and now 2014). There will be pilgrim hats and bonnets, courtesy of my crazy mom; food for days; and most importantly — a very full house. And, if my brother gets his way, there will be a little snow.

*These photos. The shoot was a challenging one but man oh man, I love how they came out; Staci captures the essence of our family so beautifully — in spite of us being a crazy circus.

*Photo projects. Every fall/winter I throw myself into photo collages, photo albums and printed gifts. Last year was the exception — as we had a newborn at home — and I’m more than eager to get back at it now.

So that’s what I’m loving lately.

How about you??