Two months and twenty things...

I'm not certain how two whole month got away from me but that is exactly what happened. About a week ago I realized I have not blogged since August 20th. I decided it was about time to get back at it and thought I would wait a wee bit longer for October 20th. To personally celebrate my return to blogging I want to share 20 things on October 20th that have been going on around here for the past two months. 

1. Outdoors

I can't say we are get down and dirty every single day but we come pretty darn close. If it's not sand in the hair, then it's crushed leaves in our shorts, dirty water in our shoes... You get the idea. But it's fun and we are building immunities to Ebola and stuff. 

2. School

Previously I blogged about Kate starting the school year but I never got around to blogging about CJ who started a week or so after Kate. CJ is well into her year in butterfly preschool class and while I believe she is excited for Kindergarten next year we have a few minor things to work on. Such as, not spending 60 minutes to eat half a sandwich. She may starve next year but she is more than academically ready.

3. Stealing Dad's spot

The instant Matt's backside leaves his chair one of the three small girls in this house jump at the chance to take it over. Here Natalie wins the chair and Matt's newspaper. It is a giggle filled game that never gets old...for them.

4. CJ's Birthday

I should have made this item 5 because back in August CJ celebrated her FIFTH birthday! The party involved many family members, loads of pink and a super-sized helping of My Little Pony. She chose a My Little Pony theme party and received many, many, many ponies as gifts and she has since lost interest in ponies. Of course. Sigh...

5. Indoctrination

The girls and I watched an inspirational video on why they should become competitive swimmers and they paid attention! Is it a sign? Or perhaps I threatened them? Bribed them with mounds of candy? A parent can never give up on her their child's dream.

6. Natalie's birthday

Natalie is officially two! She is completely obsessed with mom. She also wants to do whatever her big sisters are doing, watching, eating, playing, etc... But I cannot leave out Matt because Natalie is an avid baseball card fan like her dad. Or at least she is an avid fan of opening baseball cards with her dad. She is a sweetie and we all love her.

7. Crunching leaves into our underwear

I will forever prefer summer. Always. But I must say fall has some decent perks and jumping into leaves is one of them. I also truly enjoy apples and pumpkins. That's right. I like pumpkin flavored things. Don't roll your eyes at me! Pumpkin stuff rocks. So anyway, we have had a lot of fun with leaves around here. I'm telling you there was so much giggling coming beneath these piles you'd think the leaves were cookies and they were Cookie Monster's estranged sisters. Like all fun things, leaves too will come to an end and we will be forced to rake them away but for now the laughter continues.

8. This swing

If I have had only one good idea in my entire life it was definitely the idea to hang this swing. It receives non-stop use and sometimes non-stop fighting over it's use. You can stand on it, you can pile multiple children on it, you can twist and spin, swing to the sky on it, and bounce off the tree on it. I want to plant a forest of trees in our yard just so I can hang more of these swings. Huge hit.

9. Big news

This bit probably should have been higher on the list but you know, this is the order in which my photos loaded and I'm gonna go with it. Oh, so yes, we are having another baby! We are blessed to have the space for another wild child, we are blessed to have more room in our hearts for another child, and we are hopefully blessed enough to have the patience for another child. Baby #4 is expected around April 9th right around Easter, our annual CY's House of Trivia contest, and the start of the soccer season. Why not throw the excitement of a baby in the mix! Kids are fun, why not have some more!!

Hmm...so it seems that is the extent of the photos I snapped over these past two months. And what's a blog post without pictures. So while I promised 20 things I do not have 20 pictures. Let me throw a few other quick snippets our there for you...without photos.

10. My friend, Lisa, and I coached Kate's U8 soccer team this fall and had a great time. The girls were fun, they had a decent season, we saw a lot of them grow and change in those six short weeks. I would love to coach again this spring but I don't think I can make that happen with new baby Craft in my arms.

11. New car...well, a new, used car. After finishing graduate school I purchased my first new vehicle and she has been with me/us for 13 years until last week when she blew up while driving down Highway 20. She smoked, she choked, we said goodbye and then we bought a new car. Matt and I have been married 10 years this November and we have purchased only one vehicle together...at an Iowa D.O.T. auction. Needless to say we have zero experience in car shopping but I'd say we won with the new car. It is really fun to drive. And it has Sirius XM so I can jam out to 90's rock whenever I want.

12.  Look at that. I'm out of snippets. I know I promised 20 things but I am going to break my promise to you and end here. But I do have one big promise that I WILL keep and that's is the promise I will NOT wait another two months to blog again. Until then...