September/October

I got sick the day after Labor Day and didn't start feeling back to normal until mid-October.  It felt really long to be sick  It came on suddenly and took me out of commission they entire month of September and most of October.   I went to the doctor a few times and ruled out Covid and strep, but had a lot of weird symptoms and fatigue.  I spent so much time trying to sleep that I feel like I lost seven weeks.  The house is a disaster, I have gotten zero things done.  Well, not the things I wanted to get done so far this fall.  But we are where we are now.  And, the good news is I finally got better.

The kids have had many activities - sports went on for everyone

Matthew started driver's training.  He worked hard to save up money for it.

He also finished up his tennis season

And he did stage crew for the school play.  Very busy!

Anna finished up her soccer season

It was a lot of work - she did great and I think improved some of her soccer skills this year

She already has her off season training planned out

Good job Anna!  Last year on her 8th grade team there were several Anna's so the coaches started calling our Anna "Guppy" and the nickname stuck.  This year on the high school team a lot of the players who were on her team in 8th grade kept calling her Guppy so she went by that this year too - even though there were no other Anna's on the teaml.  Go Guppy!!  

And Anna is in the school choir as well - here they are at a performance.  Anna is a busy freshman this year.  She has choir, just finished soccer and early morning seminary plus a science AP class (as a freshman!) which was giving her some grief, but it seems like she has it under control now.

Grant finished up his Cross Country season.  He did great and had a great attitude about it all year.

Way to go Grant!

John took a break from activities in October - mostly because everything was full when I got around to signing up.  Emma finished up her soccer season just in time for the cold to come.

Anna braided her hair

Emma has been playing goalie sometimes for her team and doing pretty well.  I hated playing goalie as a kid.  It's stressful!!  But all my kids like playing goalie for some reason.

A super windy day out at the soccer game - I think this was the day the fire started near us.  Warm and windy!

And Emma wearing her basketball shirt at soccer practice.  Emma was really looking forward to playing rec basketball this winter but when I went to sign her up it was already full for her age.  We were both very disappointed. 

And here are a lot of random things...

Making everybody's favorite treat - s'mores bars

Emma has been wanting to learn to cook more and writing down a lot of "recipes" in her recipe book.  Some of them are very easy like these ghost bananas.

Emma opened a pretend cafe and got all the kids to participate

Emma's cafe

Crafts!!

And building snap circuits with the kids one day

Me finally ironing on some brownie badges Emma earned

Playing the sushi go game one night.  

Grant kept hoarding all the pudding.

I have some different books for Halloween and some different magnet board pieces to go with them.  I like making the little story pieces out of paper 'cause I am weird.

Making pumpkin cookies

A cute Halloween craft Anna made at church

Taking a walk by the river - the water level was pretty low in Sept/Oct

I hardly used my desk while I was sick and it got really messy - the kids do crafts in there and pile stuff on my desk and don't clean up after themselves.  We're working in that.