Fall catch-up

Well I think this is a first for me - the entire month of September with not one blog post! But that is pretty much how I feel right now...behind, barely keeping up, running to this and that and all around. We are finally, about 8 weeks into the school year, feeling like we are catching our breath. Busy, but manageable. Used to the new routine. Adjusted.

Brian is happy in his new job. David is making it through a week of full-day school without exhausted meltdowns, and he's doing well in school (I wish for maybe a little less homework - he has the most we've ever had in 4 years of elementary school, about 45-60 minutes a night between math, spelling words, writing, and book-in-a-bag). Katy also loves her new school, adores her teacher, and her new friends. She is making progress in adjusting to the new year...it's two steps forward, one (and a half?) steps back. Luke, after a rocky start, is also liking preschool. He's learning to control his impulses and be a good friend, and he's finally interested in letters and writing, which he has never been before. And Anna is quickly approaching two years old. She says new words everyday (latest: apple, sorry, airplane), and has NO problem standing up for herself in this chaos. She screams A LOT. She has figured out that that is a very effective way to get everyone's attention when she is not getting what she wants. Eeeek.

We've been up to lots of things...photo dump!

Our annual Labor Day trip to Young's Dairy with Grandpa and Grandma Sue. It's such a good deal and the kids look forward to it like it's Disney.

Maybe not the best two in the family to swing metal clubs around.

She LOVED feeding the animals.

There are four of them, you just gotta. 

Luke's first morning of preschool. I just cherish this smile. He was SO excited, after all those years of taking his siblings to school. It was finally his turn! And he insisted on holding his "crocodile."

Really awesome local event called Cops & Kids Day. They have so much hands on stuff for the kids to do and lots of free things to give to them. We donated to the ALS foundation so Katy and David could throw balls to dunk our local chief of police into ice water.

This pretty much sums it up.

We all do our part to prepare for football season.

This year David is old enough to join Cub Scouts. Brian was very involved in Boy Scouts, and our older neighbor boys are in Boy Scouts, so David was really excited to try it. We found a pack that has lots of boys from his school, and meets at the same time as Girl Scouts (so it's nice that it's just Scout night for the family). Brian ended up being Assistant Den Leader (of course he did). Here they are headed to their first camp-out (they didn't stay over night this time).

Katy and her friend Emily have gotten really into dolls (American Girl and the like). They've been doing chores around the house for a quarter each to save up and buy a new doll at Michael's with a coupon ($14). They finally got it and were so happy.

Apple picking fieldtrip with his preschool. I am loving the tiny, very close by, loving preschool that he is attending this year. There are 27 kids in the school TOTAL. Our old preschool had 300.

Love.

David with his new insignia.

Uncle Joey comes for a visit. When we tell the kids that Joey is coming, they all yell, "Jooooeeeeeyyyyy!!!!!" (except now Luke calls him "Josie" and we all laugh hysterically.)