Fall Has Arrived!

Once again my blog has ended up last on a long list of things I enjoy doing, but just don't have the time for most weeks! So, here is my abbreviated version of the last month and a half!

We have been busy as always. Benjamin loves 4-H and even had a chance to get up in front of our whole group and talk about the crafts he made at his first class. He is still waiting for those front teeth to pop through- no sign of any one of them yet! He is still the funny man of the house- ALWAYS talking and always making us laugh. 

It's official- we have a toddler in the house! Emma talks in complete sentences now. She has the cutest voice and we love to teach her new words or have her deliver messages to others in the house just to hear her repeat things! This is one of her favorite past times- reading books. She will sit and look at books for hours. And she never gets tired of people reading to her. It's so awesome to have 4 other people in the house to read to her. She is going to be another book worm, for sure!

Yep, she is still picking out her own outfits!

I take her and Ben to the park twice a week while Brad has his "socca pactice." They are becoming the best of friends. Man, I love these two!

Hide n' Seek is one of her favorite games. Her favorite (and only) hiding place is behind the curtains in the learning closet in case you ever can't find her. 

Bradley is as darling as ever. He is now reading the Eragon series. He is doing great with soccer, and is just a few achievements away from earning his Wolf Badge for cub scouts. He is always pretending he is a hero of some sort out on quest to save the world. He will play for hours in the front yard with his swords or makeshift bows. He has even made up his own "ancient" language which can only be interpreted by Ben. James thinks it's totally weird, but I think it is hilarious. You can't buy this kind of entertainment!

This is another one of the boys' favorite games. They take everything, and I do mean everything, out of their closet and play store. I'd like to say I'm the hip home school Mom who turns this into a super cool math and marketing lesson making price tags and advertisements, teaching them bartering, and how to use money. Yeah, no. My usual response is something along the lines of, "You better put all this back when you're done! We didn't clean our house for a week for nothing!!" Oh well. Always room to improve, I guess. 

Our Savanna turned 15 yesterday! We spent the day shopping for a new wardrobe with her birthday money, watched movies, and ate pizza and ice cream. She is quite the fashionista these days. I have to say the clothes that are out there for youth are pretty darn weird. When you can't figure out if the manikin is dressed as a boy or a girl, you know there is a problem! So we had to dig a lot, but she ended up with a ton of cute stuff! She is also going to have a little party with some of her best girlfriend's next weekend. Happy Birthday, Savanna! We love you and are so excited to watch you grow into an amazing woman!!

I finished my Les Mills Pump program. It is an awesome program- really fun, upbeat, and challenging. I wish I could say I had some super results but I needed to up the cardio and for some reason have been really struggling with my diet. Fortunately I still gained some muscle and maintained my weight loss. I am starting my new program, Rev Abs, next Monday. This program is designed to melt away the lbs around the mid-section with a combination of interval training, strength training, and Capoeira (a Brazilian martial art). I'm excited to get started and hope to get my diet in check and give myself the gift of a six pack for Christmas!

Now if I could only squat this deep and hold it as long as Emma, I would be in AMAZING shape! :)

 September 9 - October 16, 2012