September 2021

September brought us super close to our big fall break trip! It was also full of more soccer games, birthday celebrations, and fun activities at school. Here are the highlights:

Off to school on September 2nd!

Abigail had her 4 year old checkup later that morning. I think this was her first time to get her blood pressure taken, other than maybe when she was living in the NICU for a month ;) As a side note, I am so glad to now be done with 4 year old checkups. They are my least favorite because of all the shots!!

Abigail and I then headed over to Alisha’s to hang out and eat lunch together. Abigail enjoys the times she gets to spend time with Luke and Barrett while the big siblings are at school.

Savannah had soccer practice on September 3rd…

…and a game on September 4th! (Brooklyn’s team had the day off because of the holiday weekend, I guess?). The weather was so nice…not nearly as hot and humid as it was a week ago. The Mighty Mermaids played great!

The team they played today was one that we recognized from previous seasons as being a pretty good team. It was back and forth the whole game and very exciting. The Mermaids were losing 5-2 and came all the way back to win 6-5 at the end! Savannah didn’t score a goal today but hustled hard and played great defense.

She takes it very seriously!

Paw and Rae Rae came up to watch the game (and celebrate Abigail’s and Paw’s birthdays afterward…very belatedly). Savannah was excited to have Paw and Rae Rae there, as were the other girls :)

After the game, we ate lunch at our house and had chocolate cake for dessert. Paw and Abigail share a birthday (August 16th), but we had to delay their celebration when Savannah had the covid exposure at school in mid-August.

Abigail got too close to the candle when she was trying to blow it out and then decided she would rather have Brooklyn blow it out instead…haha.

Abigail was really excited about all her gifts this year. Four is such a fun age!

This was not on her list, but Rae Rae found her a really cute doll and had “Abigail’ monogrammed on the dress. It reminded me of a Raggedy Ann doll.

Super thrilled about the Toothless and Light Fury stuffed animals :)

But, oh, how the emotions swing ;) In typical Abigail fashion, she started crying when she ran out of things to open and Paw was still opening his gifts, saying it was a “stinky day”. The highs are high and the lows are low :)

Paw had some help with opening his big gift…

Brooklyn is still an Auburn fan, but thankfully she still tolerates the rest of us Bammers :)

After the gift opening, the girls wanted Paw and Rae Rae to come to a carnival they’d created upstairs in the playroom with lots of games and activities. It included a Beanie Baby toss, dance party, math problems, back rubs, and hoops. Very unique games, and lots of fun! As always, the girls were sad to see Paw and Rae Rae go. It was a fun day!

On September 6th, I took Savannah down to our neighborhood clubhouse for Hannah’s birthday party. It was an art party, and Savannah really enjoyed it.

They painted wooden picture frames and decorated bracelets before eating cake and watching Hannah open her gifts. I was glad we were able to go!

Abigail got a box of paper plate crafts for her birthday, and she spent many mornings that week gluing and putting them together.

She also took her new doll to the grocery store with us.

My couch buddy in the evenings…

I had an appointment at the Apple Store on September 9th to get a new battery in my phone, and Abigail enjoyed getting her hands wet in the pop-up fountains on our way back to the car.

We have several new walker families this year, and it’s been nice to meet new faces.

Brooklyn had soccer practice that evening. It was still hot outside even at 5 pm!

September 11th was on a Saturday this year, so all the kids were encouraged to wear red, white, and blue to school on Friday the 10th instead. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the 9/11 attacks. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what that day was like.

Abigail wanted to hop in a picture too :) It’s crazy how she looks so much like Brooklyn in certain pictures like this one, but then in other pictures they don’t look that similar.

Abigail loves to put the books in the book return at the library and then watch them through the window as they move up the conveyer belt.

Mrs. Pride had a vase of flowers and a card to give to Mrs. Curry that day, and she let Mrs. Curry’s former students (Lilliana, Savannah, and Caroline) deliver it to her classroom. I thought that was so sweet! It has been really great for Savannah that she already knew several friends in Mrs. Pride’s class before the school year started. It has helped her feel more comfortable right off the bat.

Savannah and her teammates wanted to roll down the grassy hill after practice that night.

What fun it is to be a kid!

We had 3 soccer games on September 11th…whew! Savannah played at 8:15 AM at Palmer, so I took her to that game by myself. The Mighty Mermaids played great! Cici came to watch, and Gena came for the last few minutes too.

Savannah played really hard and scored at least 2 goals (maybe 3). She was most proud of herself today for doing a “give and go” pass with Gabriella. She said she didn’t even know she’d done it until Coach MJ told her she was proud of her ;)

Savannah’s team scored lots of goals (too many to count), and I think the other team only scored 1. So far this season, it looks like we have a very strong team compared to many of the others.

After Savannah’s game finished, she and I hurried over to Dublin to see Brooklyn’s 1^st game of the day. It started at 9 AM, so we missed the first quarter by the time we got there.

The Galactic Sirens did a great job today! Brooklyn tried her best and ran hard. She made some great passes! She even got to play goalie for a quarter, which she was excited about. She’s not afraid to get in there and get knocked down. She made a couple of saves and never let the other team score. The score ended up being 2-2. It was a great game by both teams!

Cici, Gena, AND Phil all came to this game, and Mr. Phil enjoyed the opportunity to tease Abigail while he was there ;)

It meant a lot that they took time out of their Saturday to come watch Brooklyn play!

Cici is always so sweet to come to so many of the girls’ games!!

Brooklyn’s second game that day was at 2:45 PM in New Market. We went home to eat lunch and rest before heading to that game. Somehow we never had to travel out of Madison for her spring season, but this season we have several “away” games. This game was 40 minutes away!

It was much hotter this afternoon, and we could tell the girls were tired not long after they started playing. The other team was pretty good and had a goalie that made some great saves. Brooklyn came close to scoring a goal, but it didn’t go in.

Brooklyn played so hard even though she was tired. She is getting so much better at dribbling and passing this season. Her team lost 1-4 this afternoon, but I think if they’d been fresh, they could’ve won the game. They were just tired from playing in the morning too. Very proud of the girls for their effort today!

Savannah and Abigail played with Andi (Madi’s youngest sister) during this afternoon’s game and were sweet to share markers and paper with her :)

That evening, Brooklyn tried to help Savannah learn to tie her new shoes with laces. She didn’t get it down that night, but it wasn’t too much longer.

Lillian was baptized at church the next day, and a bunch of the younger kids came up to her afterwards to give her a big group hug. I thought that was so sweet!

Mrs. Pride asked her class to wear camo on September 13th for the first day of “Handwriting Boot Camp”. She snapped this picture of Savannah and Annie on the playground that day.

Walking home from school with the girls is something I treasure so much!

Brooklyn drew some really fun folded pictures…this one was a “monster backpack”.

When you open it up, you can see school supplies in its mouth :)

She also made a puppy dog…

…and a lion!

I love to see the creative things she comes up with!

That evening, Travis practiced putting the girls’ hair into ponytails for school the next morning. I had to be at the hospital for some tests early in the morning, which meant he would have to get them ready for school. Since they always want to wear ponytails, he needed a practice session the night before! :)

Superhero Abigail to the rescue!

We took care of the Johnsons’ cat, Pixie, for a few days starting on September 15th. The girls loved going by after school to feed her and pet her.

For the most part, Savannah sticks right beside me on our walks home from school. I thought it was sweet to see her walking with Kate and Olive one day instead.

Brooklyn had soccer practice on September 16th.

Abigail and her Abigail doll cuddling on the couch :)

We mailed some cards to Mikayla down in Auburn this month. Here was Savannah’s…

…and here was Brooklyn’s!

Pixie loves to be brushed, and the girls loved brushing her too.

Savannah’s class practiced blending sounds together to make words at the “Blenderia Cafe” on September 17th :)

Savannah had soccer practice that evening…

…and then she had a game the next morning at 9 AM. The forecast was looking pretty rainy, but surprisingly both girls got their games in without them closing the fields. It actually didn’t rain at all during either of their games.

Savannah played great and tried her best! She is so fast and can chase down just about anyone from the other team with the ball. I love how she hustles and is so focused. She came close to scoring a goal and made a great assist. The Mighty Mermaids scored a lot of goals today and definitely won the game.

I took Brooklyn to get new soccer cleats before her game that afternoon because her old ones had gotten too small. The new cleats are hot pink, and we decided they must be lucky :) Brooklyn played great!

Brooklyn’s team played her friend Sydney’s team today, and they are really good. The Galactic Sirens lost 9-2, but Brooklyn scored one of the two goals! She has gotten so much better at dribbling and passing. When she scored, she dribbled it a long way down the field, and took a shot that went right in the corner of the goal. I think it’s her first goal since she played in 7U a few years ago! She was so excited and started jumping up and down :)

Here she is with Sydney chasing her down…

Brooklyn apparently told Coach Joe she wanted to play the whole game, and he let her. She was tired by the end, but I was proud of her for doing her best.

She has really improved this season and is loving it so far. She looks forward to practices and games.

We celebrated Luke and Barrett turning FIVE on September 19th at Cici’s house for Sunday lunch.

The other kids always like to gather around when it’s gift opening time!

Abigail’s expression sums up her feelings about dogs…haha. Sometimes she likes them, but most of the time she doesn’t want them to get too close.

Abigail loves to sing, and it reminds me of how Brooklyn was at this age. Here, she was singing the “Fuzzy Little Caterpillar” song she learned in bible class.

She drew this picture of Brooklyn and me. What big eyes and a big head I have!

Abigail loves to Facetime with Paw and Rae Rae during lunch while Brooklyn and Savannah are at school. She enjoys having their undivided attention all to herself.

In the fall, the girls like to crunch as many leaves under their feet as they can on the walk home from school.

Abigail and I went to the neighborhood playground for a few minutes on September 23rd.

Here are some of the books that Brooklyn and Savannah made for Abigail for her birthday…it took me a few weeks to gather them up and snap a picture. They made her coloring books and books about letters and numbers :)

Now that Travis is working from home most days, I usually try to leave Savannah and Abigail at home when I take Brooklyn to soccer practice, but this particular night I couldn’t do that…

…because Travis went to a Collective Soul concert that night with Matt at the VBC. They were right up close to the stage! He said they had a great time, and they even got to talk to the band outside afterward with some of the other fans who stuck around.

We got together with Emily and her girls after school on September 24th. It was so sunny and hot that the girls got out their umbrellas for some shade :)

Savannah is in the Red House at Mill Creek, and their character trait is “Caring”. So Mrs. Pride had her Red House kids (Hayden, Isaac, and Savannah) go on a “caring mission” to deliver some cards and flowers to the school principal to thank her for her hard work. One of the support teachers, Ms. Gibson, helped them with the delivery.

On September 25th, Savannah had a game at 9 AM at Palmer and Brooklyn had a game at 11 AM in Arab. Definitely our farthest away game this season. Travis took Brooklyn to a visitation first, and then they headed to her game. I took Savannah and Abigail to Savannah’s game by myself.

The Mighty Mermaids played great defense today! Savannah was excited to see Annie, her friend from Mrs. Pride’s class, out there on the other team. The Mermaids ended up winning 1-0! It was probably the lowest-scoring game we’ve ever had in 7U ;) We had a few other shots on goal that just didn’t go in. Felicity scored our only goal on a corner kick from Savannah. Savannah played great defense today and was flying all over the field. She kicked the ball away from the other team at the very last second before they scored…it seemed like she came out of nowhere to block it. Coach K said it was the play of the game ;)

Savannah and Annie were excited to see Caroline, another friend from Mrs. Pride’s class who was playing in a game right after theirs finished. We snapped a quick picture of all three girls before we hurried to get to Brooklyn’s game.

We managed to get there only a couple of minutes after Brooklyn’s game started. Her team only had 6 girls there starting out (they play with 7 at a time), but one girl got there at halftime. They were all exhausted from playing the whole game.

Brooklyn did her best! She made some good passes and even got to play goalie for a little over a quarter. She made some good saves!

Abigail enjoyed playing with Andi during the game. After it was over, we ate at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Midas Burger that got good reviews online. It was delicious! We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was a busy but good morning/afternoon!

Abigail was excited to get her own allowance jar (from Cici) just like the other girls have. Daddy explained to her what the different sections are for, and she couldn’t wait to start earning some money doing chores :)

Brooklyn couldn’t wait for our Disney trip coming up at the beginning of October. (This was the postponed trip that was supposed to be in March 2020.) She made a chart with the top things she wanted to do at each park after reading through her Disney guidebook :)

Brooklyn and Savannah made up a song about the months of the year and performed it for us :)

During the last week of September, Savannah’s class learned all about apples at school. Mrs. Pride shared some pictures of their apple experiments on September 27th. I loved how they got to spend some time outside for it.

I thought their apple trees turned out so cute!

The girls were all excited to receive a card from Mikayla in the mail that afternoon. So sweet of her to take the time to write and send those.

On September 28th, Brooklyn’s soccer team scrimmaged a boys’ team that practices on the other end of the same field. I think this was the first of many scrimmages against the boys over the course of the season.

More phonics fun in Mrs. Pride’s class working on S blends

This cute baker learned all of her sight words from the green column and earned a green pencil!

Brooklyn sure does love Gabby :)

Notes and Quotes from September:

• 9/4/21 – Abigail: “When we go to heaven, will we see God?” Me: “Yes, I think so.” Abigail: “I wonder if he has eyebrows!”
• 9/12/21 – I was going over Abigail’s bible lesson with her tonight before bed, and we were talking about the story of Joseph being thrown in the pit and then sold as a slave by his brothers. I asked her, “What did Jacob think had happened to Joseph when he saw the blood on his special coat?” She threw her arms up in the arm and exclaimed, “He thought he’d been eaten by a GREAT BIG FISH!” Haha!
• 9/12/21 – I subbed for Leslie in the preschool bible class today. I was going to lead a prayer for the class and asked the kids if they had anything we should pray for. Harper mentioned that her brother had “arm, leg, and head disease” (haha!), and then Clayton said we needed to pray for Gabby. “Who’s Gabby?” I asked. “Abigail’s cat!!” he replied. I asked Leslie later, and she said they have been praying for our cat for weeks. Apparently Abigail informed the class that “she just keeps throwing up and throwing up!” Haha! Glad she’s being covered in prayer ;)
• 9/20/21 – We’ve been talking a lot about the rides at Disney World today since our trip is coming up soon, and tonight Abigail said, “I can’t wait to go rollercoasting!” Then a little while later she told me, “I can’t wait to pull my teeth out!” Haha. So much to look forward to ;)
• 9/24/21 – So far this school year, I’ve been amazed at how Savannah has really come out of her shell. She talks about playing with other girls at recess, including some friends from last year. She tells me about some of the conversations they have and the things they like to play together. It makes me so happy to hear that she is making friends. Last year, it seemed like she did more observing than interacting with others, but this year it sounds like she has really gotten brave enough to play with others like I know she wants to. She is also really coming out of her shell on the soccer team and is talking and having fun with the others girls on the team. It’s been exciting to watch her grow!
• 9/24/21 – I asked Abigail what song she wanted to sing at bedtime, and she said, “The song about the Judges and Rude.” After a minute, I figured out she was talking about the Books of the Old Testament song. Sure enough, when we got to “Joshua, Judges…”, she sang “Ruuuuude” for Ruth.” Haha.
• 9/29/21 – Abigail and I were walking home from dropping the big girls off at school, and a school bus was coming around the corner in our neighborhood. I said, “Oh, look what it is!” and Abigail replied as serious as could be, “Mommy, that’s not even cool.” Haha :) She’s so grown up.

Thanks for reading!