Do you remember? Dancing in September

There was probably some dancing...maybe...it was a while ago.

On labor day, we helped a friend move out of her house, and N offered to watch Alex by carrying him in the ergo. For some reason, it completely cracked me up to watch her carry him around. Our efforts to help were more than rewarded, and we spent the rest of the day swimming and eating with our good friends. That week, Adaline and Matthew started music class and soccer. On the weekend, we ran a 5K as a family and went to a friend's wedding reception. The reception was so much fun! It was decorated beautifully and there was a playground that kept all the kids happy. Our whole family had a blast dancing until way past bedtime. 

The big kids call him "mud monster"

This was our fancy hairdo for the first day of soccer practice. 

I believe this is was tooth number 3, and she was so excited to pull it out herself.

Bike rides with the kids are so much fun right now.

It was a chilly morning for the 5K. We grabbed both double strollers, and bundled everyone up. We figured that Adaline and Michael would run lots of it, while we pushed Alex and Matthew. Adaline and Matthew ended up hopping in and out of the stroller, while Alex and Michael spent the whole time there. It was a super tough coarse for strollers and Andrew's stroller got a flat, but we made it and it was fun.

The snacks are definitely the best part.

Post run stretch

She requested fancy hair for the reception, so I gave it my best.

3 sweet friends ready to party

 The next week was a bit less busy. We still had dance, soccer, and music classes, but not too much else in between.

We got a surprise during storytime this week and were treated to a Mexican story/song/dance. 

This man was so sweet and good with the kids. Alex wanted to stomp on the dance floor when they were cleaning up, and he stopped and played the bass to give him something to dance to.

Clearly there is nothing more fun than pushing pom poms into an oatmeal container.

My kids love to play with the shelves of food in the garage. After grocery shopping and organizing, I felt the need to document how unusually nice it looked.

Experimenting with soap, vinegar, and baking soda

The kids missed their first soccer games due to the 5K the previous week, so this week they got to bust out their skills for the first time. Matthew took a few minutes to get into it, but then loved running after the ball with his team. Andrew was on the other end of the field with Adaline, and it sounded like she enjoyed her game as well.

Someone's excited for Christmas, and has a long wish list. 

On Saturday night, Andrew and I went on a semi last minute date to the Cheesecake Factory with a gift card I'd recently gotten. It was so nice to chat and brainstorm about things we want to do with our family. Plus, I left the next day for a whole week, and it was great to have some time together before being apart for a while.

Without a doubt, the highlight of September was being able to visit my sister, her husband, and their brand new baby in Texas for an entire week. I LOVED it so much, and I still miss them like crazy. Their little girl was almost a month old by the time I got there, and they had things so under control that I wondered what I could possibly do to help. However, poor Lydia got sick the day before I arrived, and was much fussier and harder to get to sleep than usual. I spent so many sweet minutes holding her, rocking her, and helping her sleep. My sister had some meetings she needed to attend for work and some workouts to squeeze in, so I got in some baby-sitting. Dave had a busy work week with lots of late nights, so I was grateful to be there to keep my sister company and trade off tending Lydia. Toward the end of my visit, my sister and I were noticing how many milestones I got to be there to witness. All in all, the timing ended up being perfect. In addition to all of those times, my sister treated me to alll of the Texas food I love. We had Tex-Mex, Blue Bell ice cream (4 flavors), kolaches, BBQ, chicken fried steak with all the fixins, and a monte cristo sandwich at The Biscuit Bar that I will never forget and makes me drool when I think about it. Anna and I got so much time together to chat and catch up on each others' lives and connect over the joys and trials of motherhood. I didn't get to see as much of Dave, but we still had plenty of time to chat and talk about books we've read recently. I got to eat ice cream every night and sleep in every morning. I read almost 5 books between the flights, holding a sleeping baby, and reading before bed. I got in multiple exercise sessions, and a trip to the mall without my kids. So basically it was the perfect trip! 

I just love this little family so much, and I can't thank Andrew enough for taking vacation time and stepping in with the kids, so that I could be there. Anna and Dave, thank you for letting me come and meet your sweet girl. You are amazing hosts even when I'm trying to be the one to serve you. Love y'all! 

About to burst with excitement as soon as I started seeing all the TX things

Throughout the week, Andrew sent me pictures of what they were up to. They tried to stay pretty busy and it was fun to see their adventures during the week.

Riding the train at the zoo for the first time. 

Babysitting in the car during Orange Theory

She's just so sweet!

I couldn't pick just one. And then we got another a couple days later. 

Back home, Alex was introduced to "the jump place"

Making funny faces while mama reads her books

I'm not normally one to take pictures of my food, but when they brought out my plate, I felt like crying tears of joy. I love Tex-Mex so very much. And a fried avocado stuffed with cheesy chicken....I mean yum. 

This first time mama looks like an pro to me

Tooth number 4 fell out while wrestling with her brothers. She didn't notice right away, and then they had to search the carpet for it.

Here I go again taking food pics, but going to this bbq place suddenly brought back lots of Texas memories for me, and I wanted to show Andrew the delicious spread of meat. I was trying not to look like a tourist, so the picture is terrible, but I think you get the idea.

All the heart eyes for this family

Most of the way through the week, and we finally got a sister picture. Btw, I'm not pregnant, I just spent a week eating out in Texas and I have bad posture. haha

I just can't

Back home, Andrew took the kids to Costco, so now his phone is filled with pictures of everything the kids want for Christmas (spoiler alert, it's the entire toy section).

Adaline grew a crystal garden

Andrew's mom learned that I was away, so she sweetly sent a basket of the kids' favorite treats. 

Dave is such a natural dad. He is completely obsessed with his little girl and soaks up every minute he gets to spend with her. It was the sweetest thing to get to witness.

Another day, another mud bath

Venturing out to their ward picnic

Behind the scenes of her 1 month picture session.

Adaline drew this and insisted I take it with me to remember her while I was gone. I am a very practical person and didn't want to add an extra thing to my luggage, but I brought it with me and even put it out on the night stand just like she requested. If that isn't a sign of real love, then I don't know what is.

We should maybe work on our sister pictures, but man I love this new mama so much. Thanks for an incredible week!

Andrew and the two big kids came to pick me up from the airport, but I got in fairly late and the kids had both fallen asleep well before I got in the car. I appreciated that they wanted to come; it made me feel loved and missed. I spent the rest of the week catching up on the house and the errands and the kids' lives. It was nice and mellow while we all settled back into our regular routines. I think the kids really missed Andrew those first couple of days, though.

Now that's a man I admire right there. Fixing a broken screen while two kids "help" and one wrestles with him. He's the real deal, folks.

P.S. I have to throw something in here about Matthew's reading. He taught himself to read a couple months before he turned 4 last year, and now it has exploded. He reads everything he can get his hands on and there isn't anything he's afraid to try reading. In fact, he shared my chair with me and read along as I typed this blog. When he read the word "reception" without even slowing down, I just had to stop and appreciate his new skill and his ambition to keep improving it. Way to go Matthew, I admire your ability persist in learning something new.