Our blog circle is back up this month! Click here to check out the letter from my friend: the always-entertaining, Evangeline!
Mason, Rylan, and Elli,
This month was full of school, a marathon, vacation, and fall. We had some kitty cuddles, visiting with Uncle Tony and Janelle, a big family meal, a popcorn party (for filling up the “Mason and Rylan Be Kind to Each Other” jar), and a trip to Chick-fil-A on a day off of school. Mommy, Rylan, and Elli took a walk around the park after dropping Mason off at school one or two days. We also celebrated Gabriel’s, Aunt Heidi’s, and Nonni’s birthdays this month. On Aunt Heidi’s birthday, the adults went to an Escape Room, which was fun (while all the cousins stayed at Nonni’s).
We also had a month of sickness. Elli had another ear infection before we left for vacation. Then Rylan started to get a fever right before we left. Ry, you stayed sick throughout a lot of the vacation (although it never seemed to bother you unless the fever got high), and it started to get scary how long you had a fever. It eventually went away though. Daddy also had a cold/virus that ended up scaring him into the hospital with chest pain. He worked that day and worked the day after, but that night was pretty scary. After the urgent care office sent him to the ER, he had a CT scan, EKG, and blood work to make sure he was ok. The doctor came into the room after all of that and said, “I think you’re healthy!”
Mommy and Daddy had big personal accomplishment months in October. Daddy was 10th (or 11th – the results have been confusing) overall in his marathon in Chattanooga. And I should also mention that the course was measured wrong, and it was about a mile too long! Daddy, Uncle Ian, and Poppy all still did well considering the craziness of that race. Then a couple weeks later, Mommy found out that one of her pictures was a finalist in the Voice Competition, and the picture will be printed in a magazine in a few days!
Our vacation was the main highlight of the month. We left on Friday (Mason we picked you up after lunch from school) and went to Chattanooga. Our family, Nonni, Poppy, Tony, and Janelle all stayed at one house, and Aunt Heidi’s family stayed in another house about half an hour away.
We got to go to the Apple Barn on Saturday morning and we also drove around the campus at Bryan. We left Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon, after the race was over. The race ended at Coolidge Park, which was fun. Mason played in the fountains there, but Ry, you were feeling too sick with your fever to play.
We drove to Destin and got there that evening. Our house was close to the beach and even had a golf cart to drive over whenever we wanted.
That week we played games, ate yummy food, swam in 2 different pools, played at the beach, had a quick visit to the 30A places, drove go-carts on a cool track, and played miniature golf.
Tony and Janelle flew out on Saturday morning, and the rest of us drove halfway home to Knoxville on Saturday night, before driving in heavy traffic home on Sunday. It was a long, but fun vacation.
Mason you had your first field trip this month, where you went to the pumpkin patch. I think you loved it; as you seem to love everything about school still. You know almost all of your letters, are learning word families, and are working on some math concepts. Unfortunately, Mommy has failed on having Mommy-Mason dates for the past two months, but Daddy has gotten a little one in both times. It’s a lot harder when you’re at school so much! Recently, you and Rylan have been getting along better together when you’re home from school except when you’re overly tired.
Rylan, you are still hilariously cute, and you went through a phase this month of love. You would tell Mommy and Daddy at least 10 times a day how you loved us and would give us a hug at the same time. You stopped doing that as much, but you still say, “Mommy, I love EVERYBODY!!” in a really sweet voice. When you go to bed, you’ve decided that you don’t want me to do anything with you; you only want Daddy. When you are saying a number, you say, "Is it this many?" while holding up lots of fingers slowly and carefully. Also, when you make certain words plural like “knife,” you say “knife-iss.”
Elli, it seems like you spend most of your time being really happy or really mad. You laugh (and fake laugh) a LOT, but then you also growl and scream like a siren a lot. You have 4 teeth now, and they’re super cute when you smile. You're still not really standing alone, and you don't seem super close to walking, but I'm sure it will happen sooner than it seems. Your hair is long and crazy; I hate to cut your bangs, because it seems like the one easy time in your life to grow out your bangs instead of having to deal with them, but your hair is often in your eyes. It's still difficult to go by a stranger without them commenting on how cute you are.
Here are the quote winners from October....they're pretty good. You guys are funny.
“I only have one cash. But you have 70 hundred cash.”
“Mommy, I wish our van had smokestacks so we could watch smoke come out of them.”
“Look! A cantaloupe!!”
“Mommy, why do some people cal you “llama” cause they don’t know your name?”
“Look!! I see Steven Curtis Chapman!! ”
“I wish our van had wings. That way we could fly to Africa and we wouldn’t have to walk.”
“I willn’t look good while running!!!”
“Meow! I can definitely do burnouts with my paws!”
“Did Jesus have a skid mark?”
I love you, little cuties. Until next month....