September 2014

Lately, Sam will wander into our bedroom, after he has been tucked into bed, and quietly sneak up on the bed. He'll plop down, get comfy, and say, "so...what should we talk about?"

I love it!

It is as though he has finally decided that conversation can be enjoyable!?!? He doesn't do it every night, but when he does...it is amazing. For now, he only does it with Matt and I - but that's a great place to start! Hopefully this new interest of his will continue and blossom!?!?!

I admit, going to a bazillion soccer games can get tiring...but the fantastic weather that we had in September really helped motivate me more to go and enjoy it! My mom came to several games to cheer for Tyler's team. Matt coached the team this season and had a blast doing it! 

 My dad even made it to one of the games, which was awesome and much appreciated! Lilly occupied his lap for the majority of his time there. He would make her giggle by blowing on her neck ...and then he would laugh because Lilly's laugh is so contagious!

The kids' school had a "Dress Up Like Your Favorite Fictional Character Day."

Huh? (I thought it was random too!)

Well, Sam thought and thought and then decided to be Puss in Boots. 

This is the outfit he came up with:

(Cowboy hat, snow boots, and whiskers painted on his cheeks)

 Tyler chose the one and only Harry Potter.

The principal was dressed up like Dumbledore, so Tyler got to go up in front of the school at an assembly and be the principal's helper!

 Lilly wanted to be Fancy Nancy, and she pulled it off quite well:

During sacrament meeting one Sunday, Tyler made his own "Pass Along" card and gave it to me.

What a great kid!

 September also brought back the second season of Sam's Miracle League baseball games!

 Going to the games is a highlight of his weekend...and MINE!

I can't help but have a huge grin on my face watching Sam play baseball.

His teammates are all so unique and they are fun to cheer for too!

Sam's coach brought an Orioles flag to hang up at their dugout each game. 

Sam named the bird "Ollie."

 I got to accompany Sam on a field trip to the Nature Center. The kids went down to the river and collected samples of the river water. Then back at the Center, they looked at the samples under microscopes (they are studying microorganisms). Sam and I were BOTH totally grossed out by the tiny, living creatures that were in the river water samples. NASTY!!!

This happy face picture was taken BEFORE we looked at the samples. Sam's entire countenance changed as soon as the stinky river water was put under the scope. He was on edge and hovering near the door for the rest of our time there. I don't blame him one bit!!

 When the kids are at school, Charlie and I have plenty of time to spend together. We usually go the gym, do errands (which he LOVES), play outside (he usually rides his balance bike), or just play cars in his room. He asks, "will you play with me?" about 100 times a day. Charlie just loves to have my attention!

I had to share a picture of the 107 brick pavers that I dug up in our backyard during Labor Day weekend. What a pain! Luckily, I found a buyer on KSL who wanted them and I earned some money for all that hard work!

 Even though it wasn't October yet, the witches were out early this year at Gardner Village. We took advantage of the awesome weather and went on our annual visit with Grandma. 

 We took cousin Alex along with us too. We had fun doing the witch scavenger hunt and taking our worksheets to the Bakery where cousin McKaleigh works! We traded the sheets in for a chocolate chip cookie....yum!

Thanks to Grandma Deb for keeping traditions alive!!!!

Love you!