September

I love this time of year! With the cooler temperature comes the anticipation of all of the holidays stretched out before us. I loved all the lead-up to the holidays before I was a Mom, but with children it is a thousand times more magical. We have so many fun activities planned between now and New Year's and so much to look forward to.

The transition from being home for over a year to going back to work with two different drop-offs went much better than anticipated! I go to bed early and get up even earlier, about 5:15 a.m.

Little A is loving school and "really blossoming" according to her teacher. There has not been one day when she hasn't wanted to go, although she does usually want more snuggle time with me in the mornings. In one month, she has gone from only being able to write the first letter of her name, to being able to write her whole name, without tracing or copying!

This month was filled with walking to our neighborhood friend's houses, our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, birthday parties and lots of time spent loving on our pets. We added a bird to our brood unexpectedly, when A and I were hiking on the trails behind our house and noticed a parakeet that was clearly out of place. It's wings weren't clipped and birds that can fly are not easy to catch! Knowing that it wouldn't live very long if left there, I kept trying and trying. I spent close to 30 minutes with no luck. I would get really close to capturing her, and then she would fly off about 10-15 feet away, sometimes higher than I could reach. So I would get a stick and poke at the branches she was resting on and she would flutter down. A woman on a mountain bike stopped and tried to help. "You need a towel or something to throw over her" she said. Searching the bottom of the stroller didn't yield anything except an empty water bottle. My shirt was the only option I had, and it would work since I had on a sports bra. She helped me try for a good while and understandably gave up, wishing me luck. By this time, I think the little bird was tired, and with a few more tries, I finally got it over the top of her!

I knew A was already attached to the bird because I was attached to her and already pictured her as a part of our clan. But she bravely feigned understanding when I told her that we would have to post about her in case her owners were missing her, and give her back if someone claimed her. Instead of owners, we found a free cage and she now happily resides in A's room. The cats were quite interested at first, but now generally leave her alone.

Our big man is walking everywhere, but only while holding on to something such as the cupboards, walls, coffee table or walker. He can stand independently, but has yet to take those first steps. He loves trying to turn on the stove, and has been successful a few times. In the mornings, he loves going back and forth between his room and sissy's room while he munches on a waffle or tater-tots between sips of his bottle. He loves playing with her pretend kitchen and also taking all the clothes out of any drawer he can open. He loves climbing over things and if you lay down on the ground, he's sure to come over and bounce on your tummy.