September

September flew by. School started and I now have four kids doing school (Eliza insisted on preschool this year and she makes sure every day that we do it) I forgot how hard it is to do school with a toddler. Vivienne is a destruction/distraction machine and it's a miracle we get anything done when she is around. But we're surviving and my kids are very forgiving when I become overwhelmed and am not my best.  

We also started fall soccer and for the first time in three years it was in town. It was so nice not having to drive thirty-five minutes both ways. Eliza made great progress. She started out with me having to stand right next to her and by the end of the season she was running right in with no hesitation. She doesn't really care much about chasing the ball but she was out there and she did run around some, so we're calling it a win. She mainly was there for the snack at the end. She would not wear her soccer shorts until the last day of soccer and was so excited to find out that they had pockets...I should have included pockets in my pitch. Rookie mistake. 

Austin scored several goals this season and loved playing with kids his age. 

I was too cheap to buy the soccer photos and didn't get one of Mariah and Chet's group.

Mariah and Chet enjoyed the coaches they had. Chet especially loved it when he got to move up with the older kids and Mariah. They didn't play any formal games but I think they learned a lot because the coaches were out running around on the field with the players giving tips and feedback the whole time. They both scored goals and were really happy with their experiences. 

There was a shindig downtown that the kids begged to go to. Tanner stayed home with Vivi while the big kids and I waited in line for two days...just kidding, but man did we earn that free ferris wheel. 

Chet was not a fan, but he said he wanted to do it so Austin could have a buddy. Eliza made sure to get the handle nice and sticky for the next people getting on. We got to see an acrobat do some cool stuff and then we got rolled ice cream with the money Aunt Mandy sent for her Birthday. She wanted all her family to get ice cream on her birthday...she's a real gem. 

We ended the night taking a photo with a showgirl. Chet declined being in the picture. 

I got to go to Nauvoo with youth from church for a temple trip. 

After the temple we went on a wagon ride and learned all about pioneer life in the arrival center. I love Nauvoo! 

Tanner and the kids survived the rainy day without mom by watching three movies. Best day ever!

And this was the month that we figured out why Gertrude was so much bigger than the other hens...Gertrude is actually a rooster, and he's a punk. He has cornered me in the chicken coop and will not back down from a fight. He also loves to get on our deck and crow. After that he usually tries to sneak into the garage to eat the cat food but always gives himself away by crowing. The dude is way too cocky. We may just have to eat Henry. 

Our dear friends had us out to their pond for Chet's birthday. We had a blast playing in the water with all their fun toys. It wasn't as relaxing for me this year as it was when Eliza was Vivienne's age. Vivi spent the whole time trying to climb off the tube into the water and then would cry because it was cold. Bless her little heart. 

At least she's cute...brownie crumbs and all

Eliza was super brave jumping into the pond and swimming all around.

Just another photo to show how relaxed I was...

Perfect birthday activity for Chet

We love the VanderMartins and are grateful for all that they do for our family.

This year we had a pretty successful harvest from our garden. Tanner did amazing planting it all and after his injury the kids were great at watering every day. We made delicious salsa through August and September and also made a big batch of jalapeño jelly. Tanner pickled some jalapeños and banana peppers as well. We didn't think our cucumber plant was producing until Chet discovered that it was just really good at hiding the cucumbers. He was the master at finding them and they were so much better than store bought. 

We were especially excited about the pumpkins, which I thought were watermelons for a very long time...So there I said it, "Tanner was right". 

We did an Africa unit in school and Mariah and Chet each picked a country to learn about: Gabon and Botswana. Austin made a box and filled it with things that represented Africa. Chet especially loved learning about the food in Botswana and was most intrigued by the chicken feet. I said we could do a traditional meal but passed on the chicken feet. We had Sheba and Sap with Sausage. I don't think we got the Sap quite right but it still tasted really good. And then we represented Gabon with macaroons because our dear friend Serge said that French desserts are popular there. 

Mariah and Chet were great helpers with the meal

The week after Chet's birthday, Tanner's coworker took the boys out on Thunderhead Lake to fish. They had a breakfast of hot chocolate, donuts and root beer. And they even got to keep the leftover worms. They were in heaven. 

When Chet and Austin went fishing the girls felt like they needed to do something special too. So I put some makeup on them and they had a tea party with hot cocoa. Eliza was not a fan of the mascara and had to wash it off pretty fast. 

That same day we went to our friends the Snakenburgs to ride horses. We had originally planned on going on Chet's birthday but it had rained the day before so we had to postpone it. We rode horses and roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. The Snakenburgs even got Chet a rope for his birthday. "A real roping rope!" He was thrilled. 

Colton was a great coach! And Redwing was so patient with Chet. 

They got out their roping steer and towed it behind their 4x4. Chet roped it twice off a horse and he was ecstatic. 

Austin didn't want to give Eliza a turn on the horse so Colton gave him a "ride" around the arena. 

Even Vivi got on a horse and didn't want off. 

It was such a wonderful night. Redwing, Poco, and Frosty were just perfect for beginner riders and made the kids feel so confident. And the company was just as good. We are so grateful for good friends. 

We ended the month with our annual trip to Autumn Acres. 

It wouldn't be complete without getting covered in corn dust.

Vivi would not sit on the seat and then when the tractor started pulling the barrels she just fell apart. Eliza was yelling, "she's crying" over and over until I ran over and got her out. She was fine...just dramatic.

Pretty sure this was the same kind of tractor that I used to rake hay in and freeze to death while looking longingly at my dad in his closed cab tractor with heat. It's great for character development.  

At the end of the field trip Mariah got to ride home with her friend Stella and spend the evening at her house. When she got home that night she couldn't stop talking about everything they had done. 

September was a wonderful month. And a big reason why it was so good is because of wonderful friends who know how to make us feel so special. It's always sad to see summer go but we're excited for fall!