September

September. The other day I made the comment to Doug that September might be my least favorite month. In my head it's fall but the heat contradicts that. Gone are the exciting first day of school feels. The days are getting shorter, holidays seem far away, and I have already run out of supper ideas to feed my family on a busy night. Then I remember that our busy nights haven't even started.  

Really I should love September. This September means we have found our stride and adjusted super well to our new schedule. There is nothing on the calendar for the rest of the month except easy, laid back friend fun. And really I should just embrace the dry heat. I don't need pumpkins until October anyway. The first half of September found Doug and I meeting each other coming and going but this past week marked a sweet slowdown. Now September finds me calm, caught up and with nothing to complain about. 

September finds Emery loving the 1st grade. When I ask her who she plays with at recess she has stopped listing names; her friend group has gotten too big. It is full of old friends and a few new ones and I still pray that Em always displays her inclusive heart. 1st grade means homework which I am admittedly bad at remembering. I am a teacher for goodness sake but it just isn't on my radar yet. Her first tests will be happening this week and I am anxious to see how she does. I hope my daydreamer of a daughter feels confident and can concentrate. I feel like her reading is just going to take off soon and I secretly hope she is a book worm like me (but I would be equally excited if she loved math like her Daddy. Then she could help me!). Her book bag is already a disaster (so I can't imagine her desk) but we did a keep or throw away exercise and the girl actually threw things away. Never has she ever thrown anything away so progress!

Our biggest struggle with Em was her getting reading in the morning. She would get out of bed....and then do absolutely nothing. We were getting her up an hour before leave time and that should have been plenty; however, it was a fight everyday. And nobody likes to start the day with a fight. Insert iPad and a free routine app here. I'm just mad I didn't think of it sooner. Now she is ready in about 20 minutes and has time to eat, watch tv and play. It has completely changed our mornings therefore our whole day. 

We are back to cheerleading and that means we are back to us time. I love hearing about her day. I love hearing her shock yet excitement that they had to run laps in P.E.. I love hearing about the funny thing that happened at lunch. And I love to hear what she learned in church and answer any questions she has (or at least try). The other day from the back seat she said he had been thinking about something: "Why didn't God just do something about the devil when he was in the garden?" Thats a big question for a little girl, and I hope she always comes to Doug or I with life's big questions, and I hope that God always gives us the he words she needs to hear. 

I pray that the rest of the year is as good to Em as September has been. 

 September finds Auggie begging to go to school everyday; he loves it which we love. Being back on a schedule has done wonders for him. He still has his days where he goes 200% at all times, but we go in with patience and willingness to try new things with him. There is no other Auggie. Aunt Cheryl bought him a baseball helmet which he wears almost all of the time now and he has become quite the shot with his new nerf gun he got for rocking his ring bearer jobs. He is scrawny and sweet and smart and needy. I miss him during the day and can't wait to take full advantage of our calendar of free weekends. 

September schedule has also done wonders for Bennett Lee. Bedtime is easy now (minus him needing a sippy, babydoll, two or more pacifiers (ba-bas) and anything else he decides he needs that night. I don't even get to see him in the mornings; he is still fast asleep. B is back to being a Daddy's boy. Doug gets all the kisses, hugs and high fives when he takes him to the babysitters, but he is always glad to see his Mama when I pick him up. His speech has continued to improve so much. He is up to about 10 words he can either clearly say or approximate and has a few words he has created but clearly uses. We joke that he sounds like a minion most of the time but any verbalization is sooooo helpful and important. He is silly, sassy and the same size as Auggie. And he is almost two. Yikes. 

So really I need to apologize to the month of September. You have been good to us. 

I want the rest of the month to bring us good health, running weather, slow evenings and weekend fun. And maybe a pumpkin decoration of two.