SEPTEMBER 2019

 Other than birthdays, Kennedy's first date, volleyball, and BMX, September was a pretty uneventful month.  I had to meet with Talen's teacher at the beginning of the month to renew his IEP, but nothing really ever changes in it, so there really isn't much to report there.  

The only other thing to note this month was the absolutely adorable way that Carter talks.  I don't recall what got us talking about nipples, but I noticed that Carter wasn't quite saying it correctly.  I was so glad he let me record his pointing out his "nibbles" to us.  hehehe - I love this kid!!

Kennedy gets her license

 Because she was on a date on her birthday and then it was the weekend, we had to wait until the 30th to let her go get her license.  I'm not sure how I feel about her driving alone, but it will be nice to not have to pick her up from college and take her to the high school anymore.  She was funny because we walk out of the building with license in hand and guess which side of the car she walks to . . . yep, passanger side - the little turd didn't even want to drive home!!  Congrats KiKi - now be safe!!!

Celebrating Talen and Kennedy's Birthdays

Because of the State BMX Finals and Homecoming, we had to postpone celebrating the birthdays of Kennedy and Talen until the 29th.  We had family come over for the traditional ice cream cake and presents.  Cathy and Dacy came a little early to deliver their gifts because they are on a diet and didn't want to be temped by the ice cream cake.  Talen got a new organizer for his bed (which I was thrilled about) and Kennedy got pickles, salt & vinegar chips, and money for gas.  Cathy is seriously the best gift giver - she always knows exactly what to get!!  At the party, Kennedy got lot of $$$, some canvases to paint on, new paint stuff, 3 new volleyballs, and tickets to get see Amber Run in concert in November with Jay, Mike, and Hailey.  Talen got a super soft blanket, wet wipes, and $$$.  Overall, I think my kids are super spoiled and loved!!  Happy Birthday to my two teenagers!!!

Homecoming for Kennedy

It was super weird to not be with Kennedy for most of her birthday, but at least she was out doing something fun!  Her cute little date picked her up around 9:30 and they went on a little scavenger hunt all over town.  After the hunt and lunch, they dropped her back at home to get ready for the dance.  Luckily Kennedy's friend, Whitney, was willing to come over and help her do her hair.  She was so pretty!  It was so weird to see her all dressed up and going out on a date!!  Rushton came back and picked her up around 6:30 and they went over to his house for dinner with a larger group.  Kennedy said that the dinner was really fancy and yummy!  They even had his little sisters be the servers.  Then it was off to the dance, then back to Rushton's for dessert and a movie.  I didn't realize that going on a date nowadays was a full day event, but apparently that's how they do things now.  She got home a little later than her curfew (but I was in contact with Rushton's mom to make sure things were properly chaperoned).  After she got home we sat and chatted about the day.  She said that she had such a fun time - and thankfully her hands were full when he dropped her off so he didn't have a chance to kiss her (she's not quite ready for her first kiss yet - neither am I!!).  All in all, it was a good first date, good first Homecoming, good birthday, and a good night.  Thanks so much to Rushton for being such a gentleman and to all the planning of the boys mothers from behind the scenes.  This is a sweet 16 that I don't think she will ever forget!!

Kennedy turns 16

Since Kennedy would be gone most of the day for her Homecoming date, I decided that I needed to get a little embarrassing in before she left.  I had called a local company that does lawn signs and had them put a "Happy 16th Kennedy" sign out in front of our house.  She hadn't seen it until her date arrived and they walked out the door to leave.  She was a pretty good sport and didn't seem to mind that I had published to the neighborhood that it was her birthday.  Still can't believe that this sweet daughter of mine is 16!  So happy and sad, all at the same time!!  I Love You KiKi!!

Celebrating Kennedy's birthday with her volleyball girls

 I figured that since Kennedy spends more of her time with her volleyball family that she does with us, she should be able to celebrate her birthday with them as well.  So I got picked up some cupcakes and took them over to the High School for the girls to eat after practice.  They sufficiently embarrased her by singing her "Happy Birthday."  I love this group of girls and how much they all love each other.  Happy Birthday KiK!!

Birthday Girls!!

Halle's B-day is the day before Kennedy's

Talen's Field Trip to the All Abilities Park

This is the one field trip that I will allow Talen to go on.  I was originally planning on staying with him, but Pat told me that Stuart (her husband) would be coming along as well, so I figured I would let Talen enjoy the day with Pat & Stuart instead (plus I could get some errand done - so win for everyone!)  I got to the park a little before the bus with the other kids, so we unloaded Talen and waited for the bus to show up.  Once it did, I handed Talen over to Pat and off I went.  I never really thought the day would come when I would be willing to just leave Talen with someone that wasn't family, but we trust Pat so much that she is basically family now anyway.  They stayed at the park for about 4 hours then I picked Talen up for the day.  Here are the pictures that Pat sent me later.  Apparently the train was closed down, but he had a good time playing in the water and watching his friends.  So thankful for this little Special Ed class, for Pat, and especially for my sweet Talen!!!

BMX State Championship

Because Kennedy had volleyball practice, we left both her and Talen with Cathy while we went up north for the BMX State Championship. We drove up the day before so we could get some extra points at the Rad Canyon Double on Friday.  The boys did ok.  Dax had to race against two 9 year olds, but that also meant that even though he came in last, he still ended up with a 3rd place plaque.  Carter didn't do so hot on his two qualifiers, but he got lucky and managed to beat one kid to make it into the main.  His start was awesome and he was doing really good until wrecked in the first corner.  He did manage to get up faster than the other kid though so he ended up taking 5th.  Once I saw him after the race I asked him if he was ok.  He relied, "Ya, my butt hurts a little . . . but did you see me trying to make a move!"  It was awesome, so proud of him trying to fight hard.

The next day was the State Championship.  Dax did awesome!! He came in 2nd place in his first qualifier, so he didn't have to race the second qualifier.  However, for some reason, he didn't do so well in the main.  He was riding good, but they managed to pass him right at the end.  I think he thought they were a little farther back than then really were.  He was super sad, but you can't win all the time.  I was proud of his desire to win, but hopefully this will remind him to not quit before the race is all the way over.  He ended up with a 4th place trophy.  Carter had to race both qualifiers but made it into the main on the second one.  In the main, he was doing really good and was trying to make some moves, but his start just wasn't good enough for him to catch up.  He ended up with a 5th place trophy.  Not quite what either of them were hoping for, but that will just push them to try harder next time, right?!?!  

After they received their trophies for the Championship, they were awarded their State plates.  Going into the Championship this weekend, Dax was sitting in 6th and Carter in 8th.  After the races, Dax went stayed the same and took the 6th place plate, while Carter moved up and took the 7th place plate.  What this means is that of all the kids in their age group in both the novice and the intermediate categories, they are ranked 6th and 7th in the entire state.  Super proud of my boys!!