Mase, Ry, & Elle,
Man. I cannot get caught up on these letters. But I’m determined to do it before the year is over! Here’s what September looked like for us.
We went for a family adventure to a new-to-us park in Charlottesville on Labor Day and loved it! The water part is super fun, the ground is bouncy under the play places, and it’s easy to see the whole area as a parent.
Elle Belle, you turned three at the beginning of the month! Daddy was home on your birthday, so we opened some presents in the morning, took you out to lunch at the Cheese Shop (where you didn’t care about your sandwich and only wanted chips) and then got you dessert at the donut place (where you got ice cream, not a donut). For supper, Nonni and Poppy came over, we had homemade pizza, dessert on the patio, and a few more presents.
We liked the Charlottesville park so much that we went back again the next week! This time we explored a little more in the grassy area and the walk way. We also went to Wegman’s and ate supper from their hot bar. Everyone got a dessert on the way out too!
Ry, we’ve had a hard time getting a date in for you every month, but we were able to go out to your favorite date place - Waffle House - again last month! First we went to the Fastrax place in Waynesboro. We rode go-carts together, played a little, and watched some boys in the batting cages. After that we went to get our date meal at Waffle House. :) On the way home we stopped at Stump so you could play for a little bit on that playground!
I think you’re really getting into the groove of school Rylan, even though you still cry when you get dropped off some days. You talk about friends at school sometimes and you’ll sometimes tell me about things you’re learning. You went through a phase this month where I tried to go over your verse with you, and you would say, “That’s not my verse!!” even though I knew it was. You would still get 100 on it, even though you refused to study it at home. You also got your first experience in the principal’s office this month. You got one of your classmates in trouble when you said that she did something that she really didn’t do. They believed you, and they even called her parents! Mrs. Kinder later saw on the video monitor that you had lied. You seemed to feel bad when Mrs. McConnell talked to you about it, and the next day you wrote an apology to the girl.
Our popcorn jar was full enough for us to have a movie night this month. We had homemade pizza (I’m getting better as I practice every Friday), I made homemade popcorn for the first time, and we watched the Lion King! The two of you decided you like Aladdin a little bit more, but you still liked this one.
We went to Pennsylvania for Marion Days again this year. We got there incredibly late Friday night (and went straight to bed). On Saturday we had Root Beer floats (or just ice cream for some of you) at the bank in the morning; went to the elementary school to see the school and play on the playground; and ended the night at the fire station where there was a pie contest/auction (Grandma got 2nd on both of her pies!) and a meal. One boy even took us around the fire station at the end of the night to give us a little tour.
Mason, you had your first cavity filled last month. Rylan and I stayed in the room with you during it. You looked very brave, but you said that it did hurt- and your lip got a little pricked somehow during it. I think you’re still liking school more this year, although you still say you don’t; you seem a lot happier. Really great news — at the beginning of September, during the Night of Worship at church, you decided to give your life to Jesus!! You got a cool new Bible to read after that, which has been fun to read together. We’re still making our way through the Laura Ingalls Wilder books at bedtime, and you like them a little more than Rylan. He usually falls asleep while we’re reading.
Elli, you’ve been talking so much more this month. You have speech once a week for 30 minutes (except when it gets canceled, which seemed like it happened a lot for a little stretch), and you’re liking that as long as I stay in the room with you. You’ve gotten used to the boys not being here during the day, but you still will ask “Ah Bubby? …. Ah ‘cool?” in the morning occasionally. (“Where’s Bubby? …At school?”) Just this month you started to cry when I leave you at night time. You want to hear songs and then you say “Ah you MY roon.” (“I want you in MY room.”)
I think I have been getting lazy in writing down quotes, because I only have one this month!
“Daddy, why do you have whiskers? Did you used to be a cat?”
I love you, sweet kids.
Love, Mommy
(These bottom pictures are some that you took, Mason, during music practice one Sunday morning).