More September

I knew as I was writing those entries that something was missing. After Amy left, my Aunt Penny and Uncle Jack came to visit for a few days. They live in Florida and were up north for their class reunions and some other visits and came to Richmond to see us for a few days. They have 10 grandkids and my kids were thrilled to have someone to play with again! I haven't seen them in a couple years and it was great to have them here. My aunt sews and smocks the most beautiful dresses and there is a fabric store here that she likes. So, we went there one day while Tate was at preschool. It was kind of a rainy week so we were limited in what we could do, but it really was great to have them visit. We are hoping to get down to Florida to visit them sometime soon!

September ~ gone in a flash! (2)

Tate started preschool the week after Labor Day and is thrilled to be in Four Year Old School this year. He goes Monday through Thursday for a couple hours and loves his teachers Ms. Tina, Ms. Brooke and Mr. Anthony. Avarie had a tough time adjusting to waking up before 8 AM everyday and spending time without "my tot" as she calls Tate. Of course, Tate is up at 6:30 every morning and barely even turns around to say Goodbye when we drop him off.
Amy was still visiting so I was lucky to be able to be in the picture with Tate. And below is Tate M. and Tate C. Many of you have heard my story about choosing an original name and then meeting another Tate in our neighborhood who goes to the same preschool. They are both great kids and we couldn't have chosen a better name for either of them! I am so AMAZED at how much Tate is learning and can't believe the things he shows me, tells me and wants to try. (More on that in another post.)
Another big event in September was Derek and Tate's triumph over Bowser in Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. This has been part of their weekend time together since we got the Wii last Christmas and they have battled their way through countless galaxies together. It is a blast to listen to them and watch Tate jump around with excitement. Well, they finally beat Bowser which is the Battle Royale if you will. I didn't have video games growing up (maybe that went with Barbies) and I have yet to beat any game; I just try to play long enough to compete. But the Wii has been fun for all of us and I love watching Tate learn about winning and losing when we play. He hates to lose on the Wii just as much as he hates to lose at Chutes and Ladders, Uno, or Memory. But, he has to learn; don't we all?
Congratulations, boys, and I'm sure there will be many more games to come!

September ~ gone in a flash!

September was a very busy month here and it's hard to believe it's already over! We started the month with a visit from Derek's sister Amy, who made her way down after a summer working at camp in Maine. She needed to wind down before returning home so she came to stay with us for a couple weeks. We had a BLAST! We visited Maymont, a historical society landmark downtown, and fed the animals and walked around. We made trips to the zoo, to get the kids pictures taken, and other mom errands that I'm sure Amy was thrilled with. She was a trooper though and I loved having the company, and the kids were SPOILED with attention.

Amy was lucky enough to be here for the CU/CSU game; the CU fans were happier than she was - GO BUFFS! Tate insisted on wearing the hat Amy made him a few years ago even though it was hot and humid that day. He kept jumping and cheering and then complaining that he was hot. Hello?!


I couldn't fit any more pictures in this entry so the rest of September is in the next entry.

The Last Hurrah . . . for this summer

Here's just a few pics of our last few days at the pool. Our days were cut short by the rains of Hurricane Faye who dumped 6 inches of rain in two days during our last week. But we were still able to spend MANY days at the pool, swimming, lunching, and playing with friends. It is always unfortunate here because the pool closes WAY before it cools down, so we have been wishing it was still open this week. It has been a summer of firsts for us - Avarie was not walking when the pool opened and now struts all over the place, Tate learned to swim (like Michael Phelps according to him) and go off the diving board, Avarie also learned to swim (go under and float without coughing and screaming) and jump off the side, and we met lots of new friends that had moved into our neighborhood over the winter months. I am always so thankful for this luxury in our neighborhood and am thrilled that my kids love to be there as much as I do! Hope summer was happy where you are too!