September Recap

It appears that's about where we're at already.  Ready to recap September.  How did that happen so fast?

I am particularly fond of the month of September.  It's a good one for many reasons:

- The 7th is our anniversary
- The 8th is my birthday
- The 21st is the first day of Fall
- Football season is in full swing
- It's the one month after summer that you don't feel totally pressured to start buying candy canes and garland - although have you seen Hobby Lobby?!

Here is a shot of us on my birthday - hiking as a family of four to the same place Chris proposed 7 years ago.  And even though it's a bit surreal, I love how much our lives have changed since then.  Life can be so good sometimes.  Make that most of the time...

I feel like we have done a lot of celebrating this month with dinners out, concerts, date nights, friend's birthdays and out of town visitors and this week is no exception as we leave for Secrets Maroma Beach - Ahh - Thursday morning for a dear friend's wedding (who was also the best man in our wedding and the talent behind this project of ours).

In other (very brief) news, the kids are doing great.  Minus the fact that Logan is slowly starting to protest her daily naps and has a new habit of waking up in the middle of the night insisting to join Chris and I in bed.  It's a smart tactic, really, because I am way too tired to deal with her at 2am and when she pleads to jump in the middle of us it doesn't seem like a horrible idea.  That is, until I am kicked every ten minutes until morning.  Weston is working on his upper right tooth and from the looks of it, he deserves to be as fussy as he has been the past few days.  This pearly white has been pushing against his gums for over a week now but refuses to break the skin.  I am assuming this is the same reason why his normal 8-hour nightly sleep routine has ended so abruptly.  I am optimistic (or maybe just hopeful) that it will return.  Soon.  Regardless, I love that little boy so freaking much that I hardly care about his fussiness or night time wakings.  It's the truth.

Logan starts her third full week of preschool tomorrow and she is loving it.  Make that two of us.  My only complaint is that it's not long enough, ha.  Tomorrow I am the "helping parent" in the classroom which makes Logan the "helping child".  She is so excited and is taking her job very seriously.  She is prepared to lead the line to recess, to help set the snack out, to bring in her pink soccer ball for show and tell and to help Mrs. Lisa and Mrs. Robin take out the trash at the end of the day.  She even took my bait this evening when I told her that she needed to go to bed early so that she could be a well rested helping child :)  All around cuteness.

As I look through the pictures on my phone (also known as my personal timeline, calendar, scrap book, to-do list, memory jogger ), I realize that there is so much more that I could share.  But alas, it's 10pm and I am tired.  There are dishes to be done, clothes to be folded and little tiny pieces of My Little Pony to be put away before brother gets a hold of them.  Also?  I want to finish my book: Carry on Warrior by Glennon Melton.  In an effort to explore and expand my faith, I have been reading several recommended books including this one.  So far, I love her "say it as it is" writing style and I laugh out loud nightly.  Here is one passage that pretty much sums her up:

My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty because I wasn't in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn't MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I'd wake up and the kids would be gone, and I'd be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here's what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

"It's helluva hard, isn't it? You're a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She's my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime."

And hopefully, every once in a while, I'll add -- "Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up -- I'll have them bring your groceries out." 

Anyhow, check it out if you are in the market for a quick (and good) read.

Goodnight!