September Has Come and Gone

Time to do some major catch-up on the blog! September has already come and gone, and it's officially October. Leah started her 2nd year of preschool on September 5th, T/Th from 12-2:30. It's not nearly enough for this smart-as-a-whip-almost-5-year-old, but it'll have to do! She doesn't start kindergarten for whole other year. We will have to find lots of other things to keep her busy!

She goes to Miss Julie's house, who is a former kindergarten teacher, as well as a really nice grandma. So far, Leah just loves her. She loves packing her backpack and picking out her outfit for school.

The older kids have also settled into their school years really well, and recently had their annual Fun Run Boosterthon. Here's Lucy coming around the corner at record speed!

Zach slowed down enough for us to get his picture, and we figured both kids ran about 4 miles, so that's pretty darn good.

As soon as we got his picture he sped off though, and each time he passed us on his lap he'd put on a real burst of speed to impress us. He had Jon and I cracking up!

We recently renewed our zoo pass to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo down in Colorado Springs, as it's one of my favorite place to go. We bought some lettuce for the giraffes, and man, as soon as you hold out a piece they come running!

And then eat it right out of your hand. How fun that these kids get to grow up petting and feeding giraffes, of all things.

We love the elephants, too. There are five of them and they're one of Lizzie's favorites to watch.

Lucy and Zach found a wallaby who was napping in the sun to pet in the Wallaby Walkabout.

Of course Lizzie had to feed and brush the goats. She still gets right up in their faces and says, "Hi! Hi!" and waves to all of them. She loves taking care of those little goats.

That same night we headed downtown to Coors Field to watch the Rockies baseball game. It was Douglas County Schools night, so we got $10 tickets in the "Rock Pile," and we took those kids out to the ballgame to see America's favorite pastime.

Beautiful night at Coors Field, in a game that was ((almost)) a shut-out until the Padres finally got a base in the 7th inning. 

We'd been there for about an hour when Leah started sighing and saying, "MOM!! Golfing is SO boring!!" I think she meant baseball, but potato, potAto. We bought the girl some nachos and she was content until we left at the beginning of the 9th inning. Rockies win!

Lizzie finally had her 18 month check-up, about 2 months late, but better late than never. She got 2 shots, and was growing perfectly according to her own growth scale, although she's still tiny and only in the 20th%. When Leah left for preschool that afternoon, she made a beeline for these toys she is NOT supposed to touch (Leah's rule, not mine), and played with them happily until nap time. That little grin tells me she knew EXACTLY what she was doing!

We all visited Jon for teeth cleanings one Saturday when he was working, and even Lizzie got a full mouth examination. She made a model patient, especially compared to some of the stories I hear about his adult patients, ha ha.

As I was mucking out the garden and pulling out some of the dead plants, I discovered two HUGE zucchinis that had somehow hidden from view for weeks, on the backside of the planter box. Even Lizzie, who is my little gardener, realized these guys were enormous and extremely unique! Unfortunately they were all mushy and seedy inside (like a pumpkin) so I couldn't even use them to cook or bake with. Oh well, we are all SO sick of zucchini anyway!

We finally pulled out the Halloween decorations and sprinkled the house and front porch with them, so that it's all very festive. I decided this was Lizzie's HP Delores Umbridge costume dress, ha, ha. Maybe she can be her for Halloween? All she's needs is a toady black bow on top.

Last but not least, last week Leah's preschool had their first field trip to the Parker Adventist Hospital, to learn all about x-rays and what doctors and nurses do. Even Lizzie got to dress up in scrubs, preparing Curious George (who swallowed a puzzle piece) for surgery.

Dr. Leah examining her patient George to determine what he accidentally ate.

Leah with her cute preschool class (in matching tie-dye, I might add) and Miss Julie all done on their hospital field trip. Farewell to an excellent September, and here's hoping for an even better October!