It’s that time again already…. I’m linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for their super fun What’s Up Wednesday Link Up party! Since the last What’s Up Wednesday post, I have given birth to our son Gavin, so things have been very interesting this past month!

What We’re Eating This Week…
It’s still the awesome Newborn Meal Train – choo! choo! 🙂 My FIT4MOM Village and our family and friends are still bringing us food almost every day, no complaints here! Our fridge and freezer have stayed nice and full – and our bellies too! This week, we’ve had Mediterranean chicken sandwiches, baked ziti, and enchiladas delivered to us. Not to mention all the fresh salads, snacks, and desserts too – yummy! That’s why you have a baby 😉
 

What I’m Reminiscing About…
Our annual camping trips to “our spot”, which is Safety Harbor at Lake Chelan. We (Jeremy and I, and our friends Kevin and Carrie) found this spot six summers ago, and it is amazing because it is boat-up only, so it’s very secluded. There are no roads leading to it – it is literally only accessible by water, so not many people know about it. I actually don’t even have very many pictures of it because there is absolutely no cell service out there, so usually my phone is just packed away and never even brought out while we’re there. We have gone many times on adult-only trips, and then with “the kids” (Hayden and their daughter Meghan), and then when I was pregnant with Zara, and then last summer with Zara too – her first camping trip. All have been amazing. We have been planning on going this Labor Day weekend for Gavin’s first camping trip, but now we are unfortunately changing that plan. We are still doing something very fun (and at Lake Chelan) for Labor Day, but we are not going out to Safety Harbor. It’s the right decision (Gavin is still VERY young, and our time will be limited with Hayden that weekend), but this is the first summer in six years that I won’t be seeing our beloved Safety Harbor. Cue the single silent tear.
  

What I’m Loving…
Getting to know the newest little man in my life! ❤ Gavin Russell, 17 days old ❤
  
And being the mom to these two under two, LOVING it!! ❤
 

What We’ve Been Up To…
Enjoying being a family of five and exploring our new normal. It’s been a continual change since Gavin arrived – the first few weeks with Hayden here :), this past week without Hayden :(, and next week Jeremy goes back to work :o. So we are slowly figuring out and settling into our new normal.

What I’m Dreading…
Peeing. Sorry TMI, but I dread going to the bathroom right now. Stitches + urine = It stings, okay! This one does not warrant a picture, so moving on….

What I’m Working On…
What I’m thinking about working on is changing up my schedule a bit. Ever since I left the corporate world to focus on raising our family in late 2013, I have rarely set my alarm clock in the morning. I have become a bit of a night owl (I enjoy my “me-time” after everyone goes to bed), and then I just let Zara wake me up in the mornings. She usually wakes up at 8am, and she has even been sleeping in later than that this summer. Now that Gavin is here, and especially once Jeremy goes back to work, I’m going to have the two babies to feed and get ready in the mornings. So I’m thinking about setting my alarm clock for 7am and having some “me-time” in the mornings before the kids wake up. I think I’ll enjoy August first with no alarm and then maybe make the change once we get more of a routine going. Most people will be going Back to School… I’ll be going Back to Alarm Clock.

What I’m Excited About…
Football!!! Go Hawks!! And it’s my third year playing Fantasy Football in a super fun all-women’s league. And I’m getting a Marshawn Lynch jersey this year. And my kids have super cute Seahawks outfits to wear. So excited!!
 

What I’m Watching/Reading…
My summertime guilty pleasure… Big Brother. Any other fans out there? I laugh every time Johnny Mac opens his mouth. Is he for real? He is hilarious. And I love how strategic poker-player Vanessa is. She just might win it all! And I can’t wait to see the twins in the house together and how that changes things up. So fun!

As for what I’m reading… I stayed up until 2am last night, reading this book! It’s getting so good, and it’s hard to put down. I knew that my Gavin would be waking up soon to nurse, so I justified my late night as just staying up until his next feeding. I can’t wait to read more tonight! 🙂

What I’m Listening To…
A lot of classical music (for Gavin) and metal (for Zara)! My husband the musician swears by playing classical music for sleeping babies, so we’ve been putting that on a lot. And he also discovered Zara’s love for the hard stuff – she’s the cutest little rocker! She puts her horns up and nods her little head every time.
 

What I’m Wearing…
Well I’m 15-20 pounds lighter than I was two weeks ago, but I’m pretty much still wearing the same types of clothes… sundresses, leggings, flip flops, etc. It’s nice not having to stretch my clothes over my belly anymore! The main difference right now is my new favorite accessories: my beloved ring sling and baby!

What I’m Doing This Weekend…
Unfortunately, I have to miss my family’s annual rafting trip this Saturday. We have gone every year for…. a long time. We started when we were kids, and now we’ve been going as adults with our kids. We’ve grown from fitting into one raft (2 adults, 4 kids) to needing three now (10 adults, 9 kids). Of course, Gavin is too little to go, so he wouldn’t have gone anyway, but when we had originally scheduled it this year, the date was over a month after his due date. But since I am only 3 weeks postpartum this weekend, I am still healing and I am not able to go. So instead, while my family is rafting without us, we might go out on Carrie and Kevin’s boat and watch the Blue Angels show this weekend. That is always fun too! We’ve also been invited to a BBQ, so it sounds like it will be a fun summery weekend, regardless. Here are a couple photos from our family’s fun rafting trip last year though!
   

What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month…
Being cleared to work out again! For multiple reasons.
1) That means I’m all healed. This recovery is taking longer than my first one did…. that’s what a 1.5 lb heavier baby will do, I guess! Ouch. 😉
2) That means I can take the babies to Stroller Strides and Stroller Barre classes in our new double BOB stroller – whoo-hoo!
3) That means I can start running again! I’ve missed it and I’m anxious to get back to it.
4) That means the babies and I will get on a daily routine again, which will be nice and necessary.

What Else Is New…
Zara finally got her water table! And she obviously loves it! SO FUN 🙂
   

And the Bonus Question this month…
What Will I Miss Most About Summer…
The long hot days. The warm clear nights. Sunshine. Boating. Swimming. Flip flops. Sundresses. Lazy lake days. Movies and music in the park nights. Basically everything that summer is! But fall is fun too. So no worries! Life is fun, no matter the season 🙂