September Recap

September was a busy month for us, so watch out...this might be a long post! 
Usually for Labor Day we go to my aunt and uncle's home in Kentucky.  This year it didn't work out, so we moved the gathering to my parent's house.  Although it wasn't quite the same as KY, it was still fun to get together and "play".  The boys golfed, the girls snacked and drank wine, then we had a big cookout and a Boccie ball tournament.  My ultra competitive great-aunt Beth even joined in the tournament at age 93!  Here are a few pictures from that weekend.

 

 

Then, the following weekend, we had a going away party.  Matt and Ally are moving to Jacksonville, FL.  I am so excited for them, but it is still sad to let them go.  It has always been Matt's dream to live in Florida.  Luckily, Ally shares this dream.  The good news is they both promise this is not a forever move and we will get a beach wedding next September!  It was also a good-bye of sorts before Mom, Jenn, G'ma, and I left for our cruise and Dad before he left for Europe.  We attempted to do a family self-portrait.  It will be awhile before we are all back together again.

On the 17th, Luke turned 7 months old.  He reminds me so much of my grandpa LeSage when I look at him.  I guess it is only right that he looks like his namesake!  He is a happy little boy and ALWAYS on the move.  He crawls and and pulls up on everything in sight.  The other day he crawled over to a laundry basket of folded clothes, tipped it over, pulled all the clothes out, then got in the basket.  It was hard to be upset about all the unfolded clothes when he was obviously so pleased with himself!  Just a couple of days ago his two top teeth broke through.  My baby is growing so quickly.

On the 18th Mom, Jenn, Grandma, and I left for our cruise.  We visited Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau.  We had such a great time.  It was the first time my Grandma had been on a cruise.  It was fun to appreciate all the experiences for the first time through her eyes.  As always, we laughed til we cried on several occasions.  I'm sure those around us thought we were pretty much crazy!  My grandma and I went parasailing.  It was the first time for both of us.  What a great memory for me to share with my 85 year old grandma!  (Too bad ALL of our vacation pictures from her camera somehow got deleted, so I have no picture to share!)  We snorkeled...lots more laughs there as Grandma couldn't seem to stand in the ocean.  She would immediately go head down, feet up.   And we cheered as Grandma danced on stage at Senor Frogs in Nassau, Bahamas.  The four of us always have a good time when we are together and this trip was no different. 

 

 

 

 

The Sunday after my trip, Drew and I took the kids to the circus.  What an experience!  It is so fun for me to watch my kids soaking it all in and their enthusiasm for everything they see.  It kept their attention (all 3 of them!) the entire time.  Ben was especially fun.  He clapped and shouted and pointed.  Luke even enjoyed himself.  He stood on my lap and I swear he danced every time the music came on.  The kids had the cutest clown noses, but no matter how hard we tried we could never get a picture of everyone looking at the camera at once.  There was just too much going on!

 

 

The next morning the kids and I drove to Bloomington to send off Uncle Matt and Aunt Ally.  They were tearful, but excited to begin this journey.  And, I'm already tracking airfare to Jacksonville.  I see a trip or 2 to Florida in our future!

Kate met her goal on her chore chart and finally got the Jesse doll she has been dreaming of.  I'm so proud of how Kate really stuck with it to earn her reward.  Jesse and Kate are inseparable, constantly recreating Toy Story scenes together.  And, when she is playing with Jesse we are supposed to call her Emily (Jesse's owner in the movie).  The name Emily is better than Clementine, which was Kate's pseudo-name before she got Jesse!

Another movie Kate really enjoys is Tangled.  In fact, she wishes she were Rapunzel!  She is growing her hair out just like Rapunzel's.  She wants it so long she has to hang it on a hook at night!  In the movie, Rapunzel paints on the walls of her tower.  Kate is recreating this "gallery" in her bedroom.  Currently she has 57 pieces of artwork in her room.  I couldn't get far enough back with my camera to capture them all, but I'm sure you can use your imagination. 

Ben is still my happy-go-lucky little boy.  The weather is getting cooler which means less time outside for him.  Winter is going to be hard on him! 

That about sums up our month of September!  Basketball, volleyball, and wrestling have started at Drew's school.  That means more nights away at supervision.  We are praying this house gets sold soon so we can be a part of the activities he has to attend.