Joy Complete: A Look at September

September started off with a bang! Andy's Mom and I used a little peer pressure to convince Andy that we should all go to the beach - the week before he had some big meetings at work. We promised that he could use their empty condo during the day and he would be able to get full work days in. We had a wonderful time with Andy's parents, his Aunt and Uncle. My parents and Andy's brother and sister-in-law joined us for a long weekend.

Trains on the beach

The kids are too scared to go in the ocean, so we made a baby pool inside our tent

The shower area is always a huge draw for Philip

Unfortunately, on our trip to the beach Julia must have licked something at one of the children's play areas where we stopped. Towards the end of the trip she came down with a fever and then started drooling like crazy. Philip and Andy got fevers the following week. After Andy started getting some other symptoms we figured out that they all had a case of the lovely sounding Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Andy got the worst of it - we probably wouldn't have even realized that the kids had it if Andy did not come down with it. Luckily my immune system held out so I could take care of the others.

Sickos

Since the kids were quarantined for two weeks, it was a good time to start potty training Philip. I had been trying to wait through the summer when we would have a long stretch of time without travel or visitors. Philip is using the potty daily, but still has a ways to go before he is fully trained. I was hoping that the "Boys train later, but faster" adage would hold true, but it doesn't seem that way.

My little girl loves all toilets and garbage cans - sigh

With all the excitement of our summer birthdays, Philip has gotten used to having regular parties in our house. He has been itching for another one and keeps planning for Andy's birthday which isn't for a few months. One day he decided that it was Herbie's birthday and since Herbie was adopted in September, we decided to have a birthday party for him. While running errands, we let Philip pick out a couple presents (a new toy and treats) for the cat and later in the day we stopped at a cupcake shop to get dessert. Philip could hardly wait for the party!

Presenting Herbie with his gifts

The kids had their annual doctors' appointment and all is great. The doctor said that Julia is following the Julia growth curve (30% for height and weight) and Philip is following his. It is so sweet to watch Philip at the doctor's office now. He used to scream anytime a doctor or nurse touched him, but over the past year he has learned to sit quietly and follow their directions. He is really growing up! Julia on the other hand, is a screamer.

Another big event this month is that Philip started his first day of "school." We aren't doing preschool this year, but we did enroll him in a Montessori based religious education program called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. I think this will be a great way to transition my shy little boy into being in a class without Mommy and I am excited about all the things he will be learning. We are hoping he will become more engaged in Mass once he understands what is going on. A parent can dream!

First day of school

Andy and I had a big night out this month. We went to see some of his favorite performers, The Steve Morse Band and Professor Satchafunkilus himself, Joe Satriani. What, you haven't heard of them? Neither had I until I met Andy. They are both masters of electric guitar, so it was a "cultural" experience for me.

Our little rock star

Julia is always on the move! She loves shoes and is constantly bringing me a pair to put on her feet. Sometimes as soon as I put one pair on she goes and finds another pair that she wants instead. She learned to say hi, bye, and no. When she sees an image of Jesus she will say "sus." She loves the Last Supper picture that sits above her high chair and will often turn to look at the image. One day as I was pulling her out of her chair she turned, waved to the image and said, "Bye-bye." Anytime Julia sees an animal in a book, she leans over to give them a kiss. She has learned that in addition to walking behind her school bus push toy, she can sit on it. She hasn't learned how to make it move on her own yet, so you often find her sitting on it and squawking for someone to give her a push. One bad habit she has is doing raspberries with her lips if she is unhappy about something. Of course Philip likes to imitate all the things that she does, so now we have two kids spitting their disapproval at us. I'm afraid we also have a biter on our hands! Philip is usually the victim when he is refusing to share or is taking toys away from his sister. Hoping this is a short-lived phase!

Philip's phrases that he kept repeating this month were:
"Oh, that not feel real good." and "That will be amazing!"
One night I was leaving the house and he came into the hallway to tell me, "Be careful out there, Mommy. There are a lot of people out on the road. Be real careful." And in melting my heart news, for the first time ever when I told Philip I loved him, he told me, "I love you too, Mommy" unprompted. Music to my ears!

A couple other photos of our fun: