The Adventures of Two Girls and Their Mama: All Settled in September

In September we finally settled into a school routine. There were less tears shed by all of us, we had a bit of fun, and the month slid quickly by.

Part of our routine includes getting homework done as soon as we get home from school so the rest of the evening can be spent having fun.

Wednesdays are early out days and we take advantage of that extra hour by going to Papa's house. One day we stopped on the way to look at the Santa Cruz River. The girls just couldn't believe that what is usually a dry wash could fill up so quickly and rush so speedily along! It is pretty miraculous to behold.

The girls love to spend time with Papa and all our pets and they enjoy eating all the junk food Papa buys for them.

As if the animals and the snacks weren't enough, Papa decided to add another fun thing to the mix so now the girls never want to leave. He bought them their very own horse trough swimming pool. Everyone is invited in for a swim except Daisy. You never know when she is going to poop and there is no poop allowed in the pool. Leaves, dog hair, horse slobber, all OK but no poop.

Daisy is the naughtiest creature I think I have ever met. She is on everything and in everything and she is always in the middle of eating whatever it is you are looking for.

But just when you are ready to turn her into tacos she looks at you with her cute little face and leans up against you as if she is hugging you and you just have to hug her back. It is trickery, I swear!

Lillian had a Fall Craft Day at school and Freya and I went to help and participate. It is always nice to spend a little more time with her and see her in a different setting than I am used to.

Picture day came and went and I was shocked at how old Lillian looks in her photos. Where has my little girl gone? I hate how fast she is growing and how quickly the time is passing. I find myself longing for the days when I could carry both girls in my arms.

Lillian's smile was mostly whole for picture day but just after these photos were taken she lost two more teeth! Her BFF Sophie tried to help her pull one out at dinner one night but couldn't get a good grip so I ended up yanking it out.

A few days later she got whacked in the mouth while playing at the Pack Rat Playhouse and another tooth went flying out!

School and early bedtime prevent us from doing much during the week so we like to make the most of our weekends. One Saturday we went to The Desert Museum with friends and ended up staying for 6 hours! It is just so hard to leave when you are having tons of fun!

Another Saturday we went out in the CanAm in search of some magic mountain spring Josh told us existed. It was a beautiful ride in an area I had never visited but after 3 hours of driving in the hot sun with no magical spring in sight, the kids were done. I made Josh turn around and take us to McDonald's for ice cream cones. Freya started freaking out because a caterpillar landed on her leg and wouldn't get off no matter how hard she pried on it. All the starring at the caterpillar must have made her car sick because she said, " Dad, this caterpillar is making me so sick!" Lillian hung on until we finally made it into the McDonald's parking lot where she threw up. I was the worst navigator ever because starring at the map on Josh's phone made me nauseous and I kept looking up and missing turns. It was definitely an adventure!

Later that night Josh and I went to a U of A game with some friends. One couple moved a year ago and was back visiting. It was nice to catch up with them.

If you ever stop by our house chances are you will hear songs from one musical or another as you walk up to the front door. We pretty much have musicals on repeat around here. This past month Les Miserables has been blaring from every speaker in our home. Papa and Grandma Jean took us to see the show while it was in town and I wanted to make sure the girls were ready. We not only listened to the soundtrack, but we also read the kid version of the book. It ended up being a great production and both girls did very well. They asked good questions and paid attention. Freya made it until the last song and then my dad had to take her out. She just couldn't sit any longer. We made it a special day by not only seeing the show but going out for dinner and ice cream afterward. Experiences like this one make me excited to have more mother/daughter dates with them as they get older.

Our last Saturday in September we spent with cousins and friends at the Marana Farm Festival. The kids rode the carnival rides, visited the petting zoo, and watched rodeo demonstrations.

The main event for us though was the Mutton Busting. This was Lillian's last year participating and Freya's first so it was a special night for both girls. Lillian was confident and smiled the best smile when she was through.

Freya has always been on the more cautious side and there were a few people who thought she would back out. Weren't they surprised when she drew a fast sheep, hung on longer than Lillian ever has, and then stood up and waved to the crowd after she finally tumbled off! I was so proud of her I almost cried! It was such a fun experience.

In between all the exciting activities we packed into September we took some time to enjoy the simple things in life. Lillian and Freya caught a caterpillar and we were able to watch it change into a butterfly.