October! October is my favorite month of the year. In North Carolina, it's still very warm... unseasonably so. We have days in the 80's mixed with days in the 60's, and that's pretty typical. It's when a little chill starts to creep back into the air. The mornings are a bit cooler- cool enough to want a little sweater or light jacket, and the evenings are darker, too.

We pull our 'fall colors' out from storage and put them back into our closets. Boots and booties make their entrance for the season and adorn our feet. The girls and I squeal with delight. We love wearing boots. I give up on keeping my toenails painted, for I know they'll be covered by closed-toe shoes. Relief. I pull my leggings back out and then remember to add work out routines back to my evenings so I can keep wearing my leggings.

October is the month I first became a mom. My oldest was born on the hottest day of the year in October 2010. What a day! He shares his birthday with my Gram, who now celebrates her birthday in heaven. We'll celebrate them both this Friday- with pizza and cake, and all the fun things.

October is busy for us, musically. It's a busy season for our church life, and equally busy start to symphony seasons for Sacha. School activities start becoming heavier, and field trips pop up, too. Our calendar is jammed. Can't live or function well as a family without it. 

B wants to have a birthday party at our house with his friends later in the month. We said yes, though I am reluctant to have people over until we finish more renovations in our house. We're trying to update our downstairs bathroom... a painting project that turned into having to replace part of the wall, and so on. Never simple. That's how it always goes. More to do in the kitchen. Looking at windows to replace the old ones. Need to start working on outdoor areas, too- like refinishing our front columns and getting those repainted. So much to do.

My Christmas gift spreadsheet is on my mind. I need to start filling it out and keeping my gift list in check. I cleared a section of our upstairs office to set up my wrapping station. I can't believe I'm ready to make a start with wrapping Christmas gifts.

Oh, and Halloween! It's coming. So much fun for the kiddos. For the first time ever, I have a rehearsal on All Hallows Eve, and have to work for a bit. Planning on sending the kids off with their grandma for some trick-or-treating, and I'll join them a bit later.

October is busy, busy, busy... but I still love it, and look forward to it every year, even though it seems to fly by. It'll be gone soon, and I will long for it again.