When September Ends

It's the last day of September and I am a little sad. It's the best of months. The first part still feels like summer and then a slow and gradual slide into fall. The mornings are darker and cold and long. The kids can feel it too. They hauled out their sleeping bags onto the tramp early one morning when they didn't have school to rush them. If it had been a school day, they would have waken early to watch cartoons. But a whole empty day ahead of them, they take it outside.

This is a first. My car has never been in the garage before! We've owned the house for 5 months, lived in it for 3.5 but never parked inside. My brother-in-law came over to help us install a new garage motor. Now we have remotes and a keypad!

 He also adjusted the door to open fully so my car barely fits in with the roof rack. 

I was afraid we'd have to take the roof rack off. That's how I find my car in parking lots.

The girls did the high school's drill team clinic. They spent all week learning a dance and then performed at half time of the JV football game. They had fun. It was hot outside.

Henry's football season also came to an end. They had a so-so win record but his team was completely better than last year's so it was fun to watch his games. Last year was painful--you'd think they put all the kids that had never played before on one team. This year they seemed to be evenly matched most games. Henry usually had one or two big plays each game so that kept it fun for him too.

He played quarterback often last year but not this year. We aren't sure why he told his coach he didn't want a turn. He really liked playing receiver and kicker. 

His friend Conner threw the pass that Henry caught and ran for a touchdown. We used to live by Conner and he is one of Henry's best friends--if not best friend. He may not see him much until middle school. We'll see.

Isn't he so cute?!

Erica made this at school. She forgot to label James up high. We do like doughnuts.

On Saturday we went to Logan for the Ag Day bbq. I've been twice before but not the past 2 years (bad weather and then covid). It felt good to be back. There's nothing like all you can eat chocolate milk, corn on the cob, pork sandwiches and free bags of tulip bulbs.

And Creamies. We hit up the Creamies tent several times.

This is the group heading back to the car. Matt's and Rachel's families plus ours.

We played an epic game of nerts then went on a hike on the shoreline trail.

Back at Matt's they got out their snowcone machine one last time (they closed the shacks for the season a couple of weeks ago). The kids got to shave their own ice and pour their own syrup. We sat in the garage and chatted for a long time while the kids played pickleball and returned to top off their snowcones every so often.

Then we headed home. We stopped at Macey's for some new USU t-shirts for Sarah and I and some kinda sorta dinner food to eat on the ride home. Logan is always a good time.

Tomorrow is the day James has been counting down for weeks. October 1st, aka the day I let them get out the Halloween stuff. He misses his wolverine costume.

Mostly James

The day James has been waiting for finally came last week. He started preschool! He goes to the preschool at the high school which is the same one Sarah did 8 years ago. At first there was only a spot in the 3 year old class but they had someone drop last minute in the 4 year old class so he got to switch and goes 3 days a week instead of 2. He would have been the oldest, tallest and smartest in the younger class so I'm glad it worked out. Heck, he still may be the oldest, tallest, and smartest in the older class but he'll fit in better.

He is the first one to go to school but quick to remind you he's also the first one done. 

He was a little nervous when I left him the first day but I told him I was just leaving to get him a doughnut and I'd be outside waiting in the car when he was done. (The same tactic I used with Henry.) We went to my parent's house after and he ate his doughnut.

He didn't give me very many details of how the day went. It wasn't until we were the car driving to Henry's football game and Erica asked how preschool went that he spilled the beans to her. His favorite part is snack time.

This is the outline they did of him. I remember Sarah doing this on the first day too.

How he writes his name is my favorite thing.

The second day he went in without me just fine.

This happens every day at my house. Multiple times a day, probably. James picks a fight with Henry, usually by surprise dive-bombing him on the couch. If Henry is in a good mood he'll wrestle back and it goes on and on until Henry gets tired of it. James doesn't get tired of it. James won't stop. Henry gets mad and gets too rough in attempt to get James to stop. James doesn't stop. Henry sits on James or pushes him off the couch. James cries and runs to me, "Henry sat on my head [or pushed me off the couch or twisted my arm] for no reason!" 

James came on my walk with me the other day. We walked past the magical yard and the owner (Bro Finch we learned) was outside. He saw James stop in his tracks and stare at his yard and asked him if he'd like to play. Uh yes. It was a dream come true for both of us. 

Bro Finch invited us back anytime we'd like and we even have an open invitation to pick all the tomatoes we want in his garden. We have the best neighbors.

I turned 38 and we went to a football game to celebrate of course! 

Actually it was homecoming and since we are the 20 year reunion kids, we were invited (were we invited by the school? or did we just decide?) to the homecoming game which happened to be on my birthday. Before there was a get-together of our classmates and that was fun. I remember by birthday always falling on homecoming week.

I'm not gonna lie, I spent most of the time talking to friends I see all the time. 

After the game we went to Brookers because it's so good.

I got Samuel Adams, Father of the Cookies and Cream Revolution and Abraham Lincoln's New Birthday Cake of Freedom.

And then we went home and stayed up late, maybe even midnight, watching The Dig on Netflix.

Walk with Me

Every morning after Sarah leaves to catch the bus, I have a good 45 minutes before the middles need to get ready for school so that's when I go for a walk. I'm getting pretty obsessed with this new neighborhood of mine. My old neighborhood was closed in by a highway and train tracks and only 3 versions of houses. Now I live in a place where no two houses are the same and I can walk in any direction for blocks before I get to a highway and never a train track. 

Here's the view overlooking Springville and Provo beyond from 2000 North. There's a break in the houses and wa-la! This was right after I passed some goats in someone's yard.

Check out this field

And the view from this little hidden street.

And another little street

This is the backyard/sideyard of a neighbor just a street over. Gives me yard envy.

I usually take a second walk with James later in the morning. Most of the time he's in the street and it's okay.

He likes to go see the huge pumpkin.

I also take pictures of shrubs I like so that I can plant them too. Pretty sure the doorbell camera captured me up the walk to get a closer picture of this shrub which I now know to be laurel bush thanks to google.

I also find mature versions of something I just planted and take note of the size.

But mostly I look for ways other homeowners have covered their semi-circle windows. There are a lot of them around here.

But they are nearly all bare.

I guess my tacked-up curtain stays for now.