October

Halloween and football wrap ups- this pretty much summed up October for us!

In Hudson's last game of the season, his coach finally put him in for more than 10 plays and he totally rocked it! Held his own out there and was pretty pumped! He ended up loving football and is already excited to play again next year.

We wrapped up Chase's amazing football season! This year was such a win for him. To get to play on the Sophomore team was already amazing, but he got in for at least a handful of plays in every single game of the season! Half way through he got put on the PAT and punt teams, and then got to go in with second string in the 4th quarter when they were winning by a lot. He made some really fun friends and loved his coaches. It was such a great program and he felt so honored to be part of it. And now he really can't wait to actually start high school next year!

Fairfield did a cute trunk or treat, and Hudson helped out at the band table. Hudson started doing percussion this year and has loved it! Because he had so much piano experience his teacher let him skip right to concert band and after his first semester he added jazz band as well. He had a cute Halloween band concert (where I took no pictures) and it was so fun to watch him grow and learn a new thing!

Lila's little kindergarten besties- Evelyn and Briar. They are both in our neighborhood and we really scored that they are also in her class. She loves these cute girls and has really thrived in the social environment of kindergarten.

This was Chase's last game of the season- they closed it out with a win- a perfect season! It was fun to have his friend Fred on the team too!

Davis's class went on a field trip to the aquarium and I got to chaperone! This place is so fun and it was darling to see these little third graders so excited about everything. We had quite a lively group and I was completely exhausted when it was over!

I have a whole collection of photos of Davis' practicing the piano (or not practicing the piano) and crazy positions. Piano is....going okay I guess.

School shirts came in! Love my two little elementary kids!

Davis's book report in first term was to read an animal book and make a diorama. He read a book about salmon and then pretty much the day before it was due got the diorama done. I was so overwhelmed during this time with several big things going on, and realized that we had basically no art supplies in the house. We didn't even have much paper! Let alone anything else. He had to use the backs of some of Lila's art projects (shhhhh, don't tell her) and he sat there at the table and chatted away with me so sweetly. At one point he said "I'm so thankful I have the opportunity to make a diorama!" It was very darling and very Davis!

We got pumpkins carved! And Nana had us up the night before Halloween for trick or treating and treats at her house. Love this darling group of cousins!

We attended Davis's end of season banquet and it was...a LOT. Like a crazy amount of pomp and circumstance for 8 year old football, never ending speeches, so many gifts for players and coaches and the team mom...definitely not our scene. Davis's favorite part of this long elaborate banquet- running around with his teammates outside before it even started. Go figure. We got out of there as fast as we could after it was over (almost 3 hours later!)

Then we had Halloween! Lila had wanted to be a witch since last Halloween so we found this cute costume on amazon and she loved it. Davis wanted to be a sports kid and opted for a baseball player. Hudson and Chase put their costumes together the day of Halloween with stuff they already had and went out trick or treating with a group of Hudson's cute friends. They all had a great night and came home with so much candy!

September

Labor Day fell on September 1st, and also the night after Patrick and Adars wedding. Since so many cousins were still in town, my mom threw together an impromptu swim day at her house. We had a bunch of cousins join us and had the best time all hanging out at the pool for like 6 hours! After a big party weekend, it was so fun to relax and hang together in a calmer environment. I loved seeing my kids connect with my cousins kids! Davis loved playing with the Sam twins and Lila and Maya had the best time together! It was such a fun and very busy weekend and this was the perfect ending to it.

During that third week of school I got a call from the school health aide letting me know that Davis stuck a PEA in his EAR at lunch! And she couldn't get it out. I came to see if I could and it was WAY WAY in there. So we headed to urgent care and the doctor pulled it out in about 5 different pieces using two different instruments. (The doctor also did not see any humor in this ridiculous situation!) In Davis's defense, in his own words 

"Well, Grant dared me to so I had to!" 

"Henry said it was way too big, it would never get stuck!" 

"It came out the first two times I did it!" 

and my personal favorite "I'm only two weeks into third grade, how was I supposed to know it would get stuck!"

Our confident Kindergartner! This was such a big transition for her and she totally rocked it! We had some teary drop offs where I had to hand her directly to Megan, and then she would hold Megan's hand while they welcomed the whole class into school and then walked in together. Thank goodness for Megan! But once she was inside, Megan said she was happy and participated fully every day!

Lila's whole vibe here is awesome. Also, we went to get ice cream and somehow Davis had no shoes so the sweetest Hudson carried him.

Our Elementary kids! I love seeing these two form a tighter bond. Something about being in school together has been so uniting for them!

This was Chase's game day "fit". Apparently this is what the Sophs decided to wear this day. Best dressed tops and jorts. 

Heidi bought Lila this "Fashion Girl" skirt and it was styled many different ways! It was a favorite.

This is how Lila felt about watching football games. The hilarious part of this is she literally has an iPad with shows she likes downloaded, and she's still being pretty ridiculous about having to come. 

Hudson looked so handsome walking to church, but pulled a "no photos" thing and forced me into this paparazzi style shot.

Chase really leaned into the homemade hot breakfasts this year- meaning he asks for one every single day. 

Lila's whole vibe here. Being in kindergarten is exhausting. 

They highlighted alumni of the football team for homecoming week. This was Chase's shared on the school instagram.

Chase's football season was such a delight! He played on Thursday nights and it was a highlight of our week. He was on second string, and since his team was so dominant they were always winning by a lot and in the 4th quarter 2nd string got to go in. The downside, is that they were usually up by so much at that point that they went to a running clock, so time went fast. Chase always got at least 4-5 snaps- sometimes many more.

In one home game a player got hurt, so they quickly sent Chase in to play with the 1st string. The thrill of that moment when we saw him run out, so energetically! On his second down he got an amazing block and we could hear the coach yelling out "Good Job HUGO!" After that, Chase got put on the punt/PAT teams so he got a few extra plays in every game. 

They rarely punted (because they rarely needed to) but on one of the few punts, Chase got the tackle on the runner!

Megan had elbow surgery so I did her hair sometimes and then Lila would match her! Fun to show up with twinner hair with your teacher!

Hudson had an awesome football season too! His team was really big, meaning that it was harder to get playing time. And it was his first season. He practiced so hard and got so much stronger and more aggressive. It was fun to see him progress game after game. 

The boys dressed up for school the day after Pres Nelson passed away. Apparently it was a big thing that went around on text through the teenagers. They looked just darling. 

Davis had his first season of tackle football- and he loved it! He worked so hard and was also so silly. He was always happy to go out there and play and as far as he is concerned, he was the best one on the team. 

Football really took over our lives in September. Between the three boys we were doing football six days a week, they each had one day off, but none of them had the same day. Some days all three had practice/games at the same time. But it was seriously so fun to watch them and see them bond with each other over football. They spent a lot of time practicing in the backyard together and cheering each other on. (Lila, on the other hand, hated football season and has declared she never wants to watch another game again.)
 

August and Back to School!

 August wrapped up our summer and also was the beginning of a new school year! This year was pretty monumental for our family as our baby Lila went to full day Kindergarten! All four kids in school all day! 

We had our traditional Back to School Feast before school started and I love this night so much. The kids always choose pretty much the same menu and its such a fun way to calm nerves and celebrate all the big things happening. We did Fathers blessings and read "You Are Special" and tried to send them all to bed with happy, peaceful thoughts!

Davis started 3rd grade with Mrs. Thorpe. I was thrilled because I knew she'd be the perfect teacher for him. He was mostly just excited to get back into the swing of things and to spend time at recess. He had a bunch of friends in his class, which was also exciting!

Hudson started Jr. High! 7th grade is such a big step, but with Chase already there Hudson cruised right through the transition. He started band, and since he has so much piano experience he was able to skip beginning band and go right to concert band in the percussion section!

Chase started 9th grade! He is taking AP geography and accelerated math. He got to start seminary and is his class pianist- so he's been practicing the hymns (it's pretty easy for him). Every day I'd pick him up from school right when the bell rang and hurry him over to the high school for football practice. He'd make it with a few minutes to spare. 

Kindergarten started a few days later. Lila is our first to do all day Kindergarten. She's also pretty attached to mama and struggles with separation anxiety. Because of this, I played every card I had to get her into Megan Joseph's class (our neighbor and one of our very best friends that Lila has loved since she was a baby). It worked and Lila got to start her school experience with the very best Kindergarten teacher in the world that she happened to already love! She also has a few little friends from the neighborhood in her class too! 

She went right in with no tears at first! That didn't last long, and we had a bunch of teary mornings where I had to peel her off me into Megan's arms. But after a few months, she was back to happily walking right in with the other kids. 

August also meant the football was in full swing for all three boys! Davis and Hudson also started playing tackle football this year. Which is a LOT of practices! It was also so so hot during this time, and they were practicing for hours in full pads. These boys are tough. They all seemed to just love it though! 

When school started, we also had to take Speedy back. It was fun having a pet for the summer! Davis and Lila were both so sad to say goodbye to him!

Right before school started, we had the best day at Cherry Hill! Hickmans met us there and these kids had a blast on waterslides and the lazy river all day! We had to leave after six hours for football practices, but it was seriously such a fun day! 

Hudson and Davis didn't get to choose their numbers- and somehow we ended up with 57, 58 and 58!

Lila resumed ballet classes! She was so excited to be back! 

Aunt Heidi came to town and got to take Lila to ballet one day! These two are besties.

All the boys football games started. Even though his eyes are closed, I love this picture of Chase. It was after one of his first games. As a freshman on the Soph team, he didn't expect to play much. He ended up getting in at the end of every single game of the season. This is after one of the first, I think he got in for 6 plays and he totally rocked it! 

Right at the end of the month, my cousin Patrick got married. We had wedding festivities for like four days in a row with lots of family in town. I only have pictures of the actual wedding, which was so beautiful and magically all my kids were well behaved. We stayed and enjoyed the party and dancing until 10 pm and no one melted down!