Month End

Here we have a good old fashioned photo overload from the last half of September (but mostly the last week).

We had an impressive collection of wasp nests around our house. Some of them were high up in the eaves and unreachable (no high ladder). We were at a ward luau and a bunch of us were talking about the pesky wasps in our area. One friend even proclaimed herself to be an avid 'wasp slayer' and we all laughed because she was dead serious. I knew the nests here could win a contest they were so big. The next day after we got home from soccer, all the nests were knocked down. It wasn't the wasp slayer's work but another friend came and knocked down all the nests. She's a horrible lier so when I looked her way the next day at church, I knew it was her (and her husband). I need to make some treats.

 One Saturday at soccer before the game started, Reed and I sprawled on the grass and played the cloud game. I couldn't get enough of the clouds and sun rays.

 Owen can hear the dishwasher open a couple rooms away. And so the busy, busy phase starts....

 

 He also really likes the drawer under the oven. He's pulled it over my toes a few times and it hurts (please ignore the dirty drawer, just keeping it real). I keep telling him 'hot' but it isn't really hot so he must surely think I'm crazy.

 Last Saturday we ventured an hour away with some friends to the famous burger joint, Miner's and to the Yakima fair. Actually they are some very generous, kindhearted friends (the day was their treat). The kids had never been to Miner's before and they were so excited to eat a big, huge burger. Mom couldn't even tell them they had to share, they loved that part of the deal.

 The pictures do not do these burgers justice. They are huge. Dane at the whole thing. Thewholething. I have no idea how he did it.

 Of course, Nathan ate the whole burger too. He knew 'it would be no big deal' for him to finish it off. They didn't eat many fries and neither boy could finish their milkshake so that's a little sign on how full they were when we left.

Oh Nate!

Another sign on how full they were, they didn't eat or even ask for food the entire time they were riding rides at the fair. Over 5 hours without mentioning the word snack. Unheard of.

Now, a few fair photos.

This is not the best photo but I love it. If you know Kat at all, you know how much she loved this merry-go-round cat. With a fish in it's mouth even. It made her day.

 The fearless boys looked a little scared on the big slide. That slide always gave my heart a scare and my stomach a turn, I could relate.

 I hung out with Reed and the kiddie rides. He proclaimed this plane ride boring because he couldn't make it go up and down.

 Nathan and Kathryn waited in line for this crazy ride that spun around upside down. NO thank you. Once they got up to the front they told Kat she was too short and let Nate on. She talked about the injustice all afternoon because that was one ride she wanted to be on.

 We have late church and it's killer with this baby boy. He crawls under pews during sacrament (or screams), crawls up the stairs to the stand in Sunday School and gets into women's purses/bags in Relief Society. He is dead tired when we get home after 4pm. He goes right to bed and takes a glorious nap. This is a nap before church this week but can you believe how he frequently falls asleep? It's hard to tell but he was sitting up and then folded over to sleep. How could that be comfortable? His other funny trick right now is when he's walking along furniture (or whatever) and wants to get back down and crawl. He's a little nervous to just let go and drop to the floor so he slides his little legs into the splits until he's low enough that it isn't scary to drop down. I've got to get a photo of it, it's pretty funny.

 We took a Sunday walk around the temple yesterday. The trees and plants are starting to turn colors and it's a beautiful, peaceful place to be on any given Sunday evening. I also watched the Relief Society General Broadcast after the kids went to bed. I loved it and needed the messages that were shared. Overwhelmingly I felt my Savior's love for me as an individual, faults and all. He knows me and sees who I can become. He's cheering me on to become more. He is there to help and heal me. What a great meeting.

Owen has been teething. Well, that's my best guess as to what is happening with his sleeping habits. His sleep has been interrupted every night for at least week (with the exception of the night home from the fair). He sometimes starts crying as early as 9pm and it's off and on for a few hours. Last night I held him for nearly an hour before he was back into a deep sleep. I laid him back down into bed at 12:45am (just after I took this with my phone). We have both been tired today. He woke up from a nap just as I hit a wall. No nap for me today. Good thing he's darling, adorable and happy the majority of the time. Even with little sleep.

 Bring on October.