September Happenings

Before we get too far into the month of October, we have a LOT to update on for the busy, busy month of September!

The month started off with the annual Labor Day parade and Iron County Fair.  The boys knew they wanted to try their hand at entering some things for the fair exhibits.  Jack decided to enter a still life drawing he did for one of our art lessons.  Isn't it amazing???

Well...the judges thought so, too, because Jack WON THE SWEEPSTAKES - the top award for art done by kids twelve and under for the entire county!  That smile lasted for days!

Not only did he get a huge purple ribbon, he won a $25 prize!  Not to shabby for his first entry!

The boys also worked together to build an extraordinary Lego creation, which won the Judge's Choice award and a $15 prize!  It is hard to capture any of the amazing details they put into their work, but it was something to behold.  They titled it "Attack of the Air Pirates." 

We completed our first six weeks of school, and are enjoying our new routine of six weeks on, one week off.  The boys love our history lessons, and art and nature study in particular.  And our nature studies have not disappointed...

We found this amazing underwing moth in the grass one day.  I snapped some pictures with my phone camera, never actually seeing the image I was capturing. Only later did we see all the incredible detail and its extended proboscis...wow! 

We also captured a large Praying Mantis one day, watching it over the course of several days as it hung delicately from a branch and ate the flies and bugs we caught for it.  

The boys did a great job of capturing the details as they observed our "pet," creating beautiful drawings in their nature journals.  

We have spent a lot of time outdoors in this BEAUTIFUL fall weather!  Jack and Joe, in particular, love to spend extra time reading with Mom out on the quilt.  Sometimes it is so cozy, reading time leads into nap time!  :-)

We've tried to camp a few times, but weather or circumstances get in the way.  Toby is aching to take his first camping trip and the boys are eager to try out their new bunk bed cots!  But in the meantime, we've spent many hours enjoying the beautiful outdoors around us.  Campfires and s'mores can be fun even when we aren't camping!

Other news is that Toby broke his left thumb - our first broken bone, but surely not the last.  He was seated on a skateboard rolling down the hill in our local cemetery (where we like to go for walks) and he fell off, stopping himself with his thumb.  He not only broke it, the bone was shifted far enough to one side to make the hand surgeon decide to reset the bone - not a pleasant experience!  

While Toby was pretty excited to be in a cast at the beginning - five weeks in one has gotten PRETTY tiresome!

We had some fun visits from loved ones in September!  First up was our Tutu Teddi all the way from Kaua'i!  She was an adoptive mom/grandma while we lived in Hawaii and has always loved our family.  It was the first time we had seen her in almost six years and it was a sweet visit.  

Then, Papa and Gentry got to come spend time with the boys!  We spent a day at Navajo Lake and exploring the lava flows near by...so interesting! 

And we made another trip back up the mountain to see the breathtaking Cedar Breaks!  We never get tired of soaking in this beauty! 

It was pretty special to have Dad and Gen here to cheer on Jack during his first All-Star Baseball Tournament.  He has gotten very serious about baseball and has tremendous skill on the field.  It is a joy to watch him and cheer on the whole team representing our small town!

Jack was so nervous about being asked to pitch, but he did a great job!  In the first game, he struck out two opposing players!

He's a pretty strong batter, as well.

No home runs, yet...but it is only a matter of time!  :-)

Our week off from school corresponded with Josh's week of from work...so we took a trip to Wyoming!  On the way, we had one mega nature study - a dead porcupine on the side of the road.  It had been shot, but was in great condition and it was so interesting to see him up close.  We even pulled out a few quills to take home to our nature shelf! 

The next day, we saw a beaver dead on the road!  It was not in such great condition, but it was impressive to see America's largest rodent (at least 40 pounds!) up close and to touch its tail! 

While in Wyoming, we spent a day at Yellowstone, walked around Geyser Basin and saw Old Faithful.  The waiting wasn't so fun, but once it started to blow, the boys were impressed!

The next day we spent at Grand Teton National Park - absolutely one of the most BEAUTIFUL places I have ever been!  Josh had hoped to take a hike to Hidden Falls, and at first it looked like the rainy/snowy weather would prohibit us from doing so.  But the skies cleared and our little troop of boys was ready!  We all made the 4.4 mile round trip around Jenny Lake...and it was completely worth it!

Josh and the boys found a small snake to observe up close...

...there were lots of rocks to climb, walking sticks to find, changing leaves to spot...

...and the falls were spectacular!  Well worth the journey!

One of the best things was getting to see a moose family up close!  While we were warned many times to keep a safe distance from these animals who can be very dangerous, it was hard not to stop and watch them...just 75 feet from the trail we were on.

And our BIG news....we have a new member of the Meyer family!  Hattie Faith, a beautiful, sweet, seven-year-old English black lab.  After years of pining for a dog of their own, we have four very happy boys!  We adopted her from some friends of ours and she is just the perfect dog for us.  Calm, trained, loyal to the boys, and very little extra work.  She has brought a level of calm to our family, too.  When the boys are bored or need some time alone, they always gravitate toward Hattie.  

 Though we tried to keep her as an outside dog, she was used to being indoors and the boys were happy to oblige.  She sleeps right with the four of them up in their room and is never very far from them.

It is so fun to see George so comfortable with her.  He has been our kid who has been terrified of dogs for the past five years.  He was ready for a dog of his own! 

 And you can see she makes a good napping buddy!

 And a good audience...

 ...and a good school companion!

We love Hattie!  The boys gave her the middle name of Faith, because they said they never lost faith that one day they would have a dog of their own!  

Onto October - another busy, fun month!