August

August began with a Bridal Shower for Aunt Nichole. Tim took the toddlers to the "train park" in Waterloo. Almost 9 months later (yes, that's how backlogged the blog is), Simon still talks about the train park. Unfortunately, with coronavirus in the air, it doesn't look like it will be open for play again too soon.

What could be better than watching trains pass as you play?

The pretty girls cousins were all together at the shower.

Our summer days were winding down - school was starting back up again soon. It was crunch time for fun. First, off to the lake to catch baby fish and bob around in the water.

A trip to our favorite splash pad with Aunt Bridget and the kids.

Walks, picnics, popsicles...keep the summer days coming.  (See those underwear? No, potty training wasn't/isn't going well.)

Aunt B and Uncle E invited us to spend an afternoon at the lake with them. We don't have a boat, jet ski, or kid kayaks at our lake place so it was a real treat to play with all these toys! Felicity took a bit to get used to maneuvering through the water with a paddle but once she figured it out it was hard to get her back on land.

We celebrated a 50th anniversary at the "pool park" in Coldwater, Ohio and got to swim again. 

The last night of summer break was family date night. We took the kids to the restaurant where we had our first date and told them the story of how we met. We even ordered the famous bread pudding we ate on that date! Still so delicious.

Then it was back to school...and the rush of the mornings, busy-ness of the afternoons, and earlier bedtimes. 

First Day of School 2019-20

Simon misses his sisters so much when they're gone all day. Mommy, in her third trimester, became his playmate. "Push me in the laundry basket!" "Play trains with me." "Push me on the swings!" "Let me spray you."

Mommy missed those girls more than ever! Playing at the zoo with Aunt Bridget, Elijah, and Veronica helped Simon pass the hours.

And when Mommy tried to rest, he often found her and stayed close.

Daddy found a fun app to entertain the girls...

Check out that bump!

Miriam's 4-H club worked the cruise-in and parade for the ACD Festival. Tim was pretty thrilled to work the event with her and check out all the classic cars up close.

We closed out August by adding a bit of beauty to the home. We brought in a few a Felicity's beautiful sunflowers.

Mommy finished Simon's quilt for his big boy bed...the night he decided he was done with the crib!

One step closer to being ready for baby #5 to arrive.

When it rains, it pours

And when we're on a roll blogging, we just can't stop!

Ok...mini-update on each girl for SCHOOL: DAY 2. DUHN DUHN DUHHHHHNNNNN.

MIRIAM
Yesterday, Miriam's principal sent this email to Mommy.

Miriam is doing so well!

I've spent the first hour of the day in the Kdg classroom observing and I am excited to share what a joy that was!

The group is so attentive and Miriam was one of the first to help when the teacher asked for assistance with

crayon pick up!  She has been an amazing listener, kind, and was following directions well.

Her smile is so bright!

This is going to be a wonderful year!

Three things can be surmised from this email: the principal is very kind, Miriam is a great kid, and it's super obvious to the entire world that sending a child to school was on the top of Mommy's "DREADFUL THINGS I MUST DO" list.

VIVIAN

Has asked about seventy times, "How many days until I start school?" and "Why doesn't sister have a rest time at school?" and "What do you think Miriam is doing right now?" Clearly she does NOT miss Miriam. If she does, she will deny it with her dying breath.

Also, she read Mommy this book today:

Topic is very appropriate for her right now and ALL Mo Willems books are beyond fantastic. Lots of it she had memorized, but some of it she actually had to read and did a pretty stinkin' good job! Not having Miriam around will be good for Vivian to get more undivided attention from her Mommy and show off her own skills.

FELICITY

Ya know, there's not enough change in our house right now...let's potty train. Perfect. So she had her first no-diaper outing this morning. No accidents in public = success.

Since we've returned home, she's had three accidents. Patience is the word of the day on this one.

Blondies

Last night we made peanut butter blondies for a treat. They were super easy to make and yummy - meets all the criteria for a good dessert in this house. Vivian took her first bite and announced, "These don't taste like blonde people!"

Well, no, we would hope not.

Felicity is in the beginnings of potty training. We ran out of her size diapers and Mommy put her in some underpants to see what would happen. She's had a couple of accidents, but for the most part stays dry during her waking hours. And she loves feeling like a big girl!

Miriam has her Kindergarten screening in the morning. She's excited to see her future teacher again and Mommy's excited to hear how it goes. Hopefully Mommy did something right during our activities and reading lessons and number workbooks.