I figured the very tail end of September makes for the perfect time to give a Life Lately update, and if you’re unfamiliar, this is my replacement for Instagram Stories since deleting the app in January. It’s meant to document the insignificant moments that don’t warrant an update, but really do tell the story of the past few months. You can also go back and see No.1 and No. 2.

The number one question I receive is about the house. I get it, house content is my absolute favorite too and while there will be plenty to come in the future, our build process has been a comedy of errors. We’re still many, many months away from even anything exciting but we do love checking in as often as we can for meetings and to check progress. Oshiomogho has been the project manager for the build which makes our case super unique (and presents lots of opportunity for patience and self control in conversation, as you could imagine.) Here is Z, a two year old master of avoiding stray nails and resisting the urge of playing with insulation.

I’m still buzzing from our trip to L.A. that was so good for the soul. You can read all about what we did and what I wore here and some more personal things about what I learned from saying “yes” to this trip here.

People still ask me if I really get dressed every day, even now that I’m not on IG. The answer is, “yes ma’am.” It might be a matching sweat set and more often than not, it’s a dress that feels like pajamas. But don’t put it past me to wear a blazer and jeans in the Texas heat, either.

We all have been getting together once a week for “girls show night” (truly garbage television I’d otherwise never consider watching–think the Kardashians and the Bachelorette) and while the show content is garbage, the commentary and family time is always such a highlight of my week. What started as a girls night routine has now become girls night + my parents + the spouse of whoever is hosting since we rotate. I left for college at 18, was married at 21 and then moved to Virginia for 7 years. In that time, I missed the sheer amount of time our family of nine was used to spending together and this night always fills me with gratitude and nostalgia. I dreamed of this, you know?

Not much to say here, just some cousin sweetness over the past month. We currently are in the stretch of Fall where one of our kids has a birthday pretty much every weekend. When I question everything as I look at another 88 degree day in late September and swipe to see a 65 degree day back in Virginia, these photos are the times I am reminded of my conviction in the fact that moving to Texas is one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. I lived 5 years of motherhood with the nearest family member being a three hour flight away and it’s just so much better this way.

Back at the house for another weekly check-in and these lug-sole loafers do the trick every time. (Shorts and loafers are my answer to an 80 degree Fall.)

This one needs no explanation except that I can’t believe how grown my babies are. Football season has been sweeter than it has been since O retired from the NFL years ago and I’m so grateful. These photos were taken on Jersey Day during spirit week–can you even?! I wrote about the unique grief of being essentially forced out of the NFL if you want a deeper look into this topic.

If you saw the Fall Momiform, you know I consider a ballet flat the shoe to give a try this season. I just have to say that they are almost slimming on my wide feet (gasp!!) I don’t say that often, so my baked potato feet needed to be documented here.

In last week’s newsletter, I shared everything you could ever want to know about what to make this Fall and how to make meals happen in the busiest time of the year, plus my go-to recipes in the Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan genre.

I think that’s it for this round-up, friends. If you’re looking for weekly catch-ups, be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, the gold standard. If you’d like me to write about a specific topic, be sure to email me at jill@goldandgraphite.com!