School is in full swing.... everyone is feeling pretty good about it. Evelyn and Dane certainly have a lot more homework. Anna does too! But they are all very responsible and thankfully, enjoy learning and keeping on top of their assignments. Anna needs a bit of persuasion, but she is invested and desperately wants to learn to read well. Grant has gotten off the hook as far as homework goes--- so far! He rarely needs to do much aside from reading, and I'll take it, because he probably dislikes school work the most of all four:)
Flag football season is underway. Grant LOVES to play. I mean he LOVES to play. Dane is tolerating it well because he adores Coach Tighe and his best buddy Braxton of course. He enjoys football, but he is one that would prefer a little down time and he already has three soccer practices a week, and a game on Saturday. So I fear we may have over scheduled poor Dane.... he's handling it well. Grant and Anna are enjoying chorus at school-- as is their mom, who is the chorus pianist and assistant (apparently!) Last week both chorus teachers went out of town and I took over. I was nervous, but LOVED teaching these 90+ elementary school kids a few new songs. I really can't believe how much I love teaching music and how I had no idea how much I loved it until receiving the calling to be primary music leader. It has brought me so much joy and I love taking on the assignment in the school too. Next week, I'll be starting a gig to teach music to the younger classrooms at Grant and Anna's schools. I'm also the art teacher for Anna's classroom. I hope I didn't overcommit myself. I'll keep you posted- ha!
We've had a month full of visits from amazing friends and family.... and even a camping trip! At the beginning of the month, the Rustands came for a soccer tournament and stayed with us a few days. Of course we had the best time ever- as we always do! Loved watching the girls play soccer, go out to eat, stay up late to talk and swim! It was a super fun weekend. We also seeing Patty and Kevin and their new little baby girl!!!!! It was so fun to be together with the whole Marston crew and welcome such a sweet little girl to our family! So happy for them. The Mike and Jess Stevens family came to town last week and we sure lived it up! BBQ's, parks, beaches, Seaworld! We had such a fun time with our cute little cousins. Of course the best part of the weekend was just sticking around at home and catching up, watching the kids play together. We love when our family takes time to come be with us. It really was awesome. Last week the kids had a day off of school and so I met up with some girlfriends and their kids up in Julian for our annual camping trip! We had a blast doing all of our traditional September activities! Hiking, s'mores-making, fire building, pie eating and pumpkin patching!!!!! This is a favorite September weekend for sure.
Of course, I must mention it was my birthday and boy, did we ever celebrate! It was more of a birth-week than a birth-day! I felt loved in every way possible. Dinner out with friends, ice cream cake and bundt cakes hand delivered by special friends, pedicures with Ev and Anna, a visit from Cathy!, dinner out with the kids and Blake, a front porch make-over complete with beautiful pots and a personal landscape artist sent down to our house from Nancy and Herb! A new pizza oven from Blake! So excited! And such a treat to have my parents in town for only a few hours! Their South American cruise had a port stop in San Diego of all the luck! SO fun to spend Saturday with them!!!! Couldn't ask for anything better than that:) And then on Sunday, the Jones made my favorite meal and favorite cake- PUMPKIN! We had a fun time. I feel so blessed to have such great people in my life. Can't believe I'm 42!!
The kids enjoyed performing in the primary program at our church last Sunday. Each child memorized their lines and delivered them well. They sang their hearts out! Of course I enjoyed conducting the music and being a part of the program, but not entirely in charge of the program. Wasn't anywhere near as stressful! After the program, I put together six minute-to-win-it games for the kids to play. They LOVED it and it was such a fun treat well deserved for doing so well!
Blake took the young men in our church on a campout and adventurous hike last weekend. Blake is sure busy keeping up with youth activities at our church. Within a matter of 10 days he did the following: Held an activity on a friday night to catch up with the young women on an indexing challenge. Put on a FULL Italian dinner for the girls because they won the challenge. Planned and executed a tri-ward swing dance night. Planned and executed a campout. Then just when he thought he could take a breath and relax, I reminded him at my birthday dinner that he was in charge of all the dessert for the big fireside the next day! Poor Blake! He is amazing with all he juggles. His calling to work with the young men is definitely the most challenging one he's had. He's worked with them before MANY times, but never been in charge. It's not easy!
As always, this month my sister and I enjoyed sending each other Fall memes:) Loved seeing the amazing pictures she took of her foster baby- Smalls. SO CUTE. My Mom sent me a few pictures of myself as a young elementary kid and I realized I look NOTHING like my children. They laughed and laughed and definitely thought the same thing. Speaking of pictures.... loved receiving this darling picture of Geraldine from Nancy. She looks so peaceful and beautiful. Miss seeing Geraldine and hoping to make a visit up to see her soon! A few pictures that made me laugh this month included my good friend posting this picture of a can of Redi-whip that her son (one of Grant's best friends) packed in his lunch when she asked him to go be responsible and pack his own lunch. So funny! I could see Grant doing the same thing. He's lucky I haven't asked him to make his own lunch yet... but it's coming soon. A friend sent me this picture of a woman sitting inside a one-man-tent on soccer saturday because she was tired of conversing with all the parents one deals with day in and day out on the soccer fields. Haha.... I laughed and laughed. I generally adore all of our soccer families, but you do feel socially exhausted making small talk all day long every weekend! My friend Sameen, texted our group of friends with a picture of her Halloween decorations and the caption was so cute and funny. I adore her--- we laugh because she lives in the house I lived in before we moved here! So she is always comparing her home decor to mine. It's pretty funny. My good friend and carpool buddy- and neighbor-- told me she had something very special for me. I was very excited! When her son showed up with a laminated carpool schedule.... I was ecstatic! I can barely keep it all straight and neither can she! And that's just two carpools! I also have two soccer carpools and Evelyn's school and play carpool. In awesome news, I found an amazing checkers table second-hand through an app that I use to find cool things such as this. I was so happy! Anna and I certainly didn't mind driving down to Chula Vista whilst Blake was at a youth night activity! He doesn't always approve of such activity until he sees the results. The kids are LOVING it; we use it for doing puzzles and playing chess and checkers. So far, a huge winner! In sad news, our friends the Douds moved last weekend and are no longer in our neighborhood or attending our school. They live 14 minutes away-- not too bad, but a loss for our family. It's been fun to help them buy new furniture for their new place though! Shopping is always fun!
So that's our September for you! It's been full of new adventures, full of visits from loved ones, full of sports and musical theatre! Just your typical day in the life.
