September

 ^^ September is very much still "summer" here in Palo Alto, this September especially! And even though this pregnant momma is anxiously awaiting the end to this heat wave, I couldn't pass up a hot day at the beach for my kiddos. We were far from the only ones who had the same idea, but crowded beach and all, the kids enjoyed their afternoon in the sun and I felt a bit like supermom - pregnant on the beach with two kiddos, solo parenting with a crap ton of stuff... Go me! ^^

 ^^ Making lunch at Miss Nicki's our usual Wednesday, post bible study activity! Love these sweet boys! ^^

 ^^ A few days late on the classic "first day of school" picture but we snuck these in before our first week was over ;) Uriah at 4 1/2 starting his second year of home pre-school (maybe someday I'll get around to putting together a post on what we've tried and liked!) This year, Uriah's favorite color is (still) purple, his favorite animal is a snow leopard, his favorite thing to learn about is animals, his favorite thing to do is "fight on the bed with dad" and when he grows up he wants to be "a doctor or maybe a construction man" Love this kid! ^^

 ^^ Helping mom dinner prep while sister sleeps. Quality time is by far Uriah's main love language so even though the mess was driving me crazy and I was questioning the cleanliness of peeling potatoes on our floor... I loved getting to do this with him and loved his pride and excitement over the last he'd been given! ^^

 ^^ Our first three weeks of school were spent studying the importance of attentiveness and how that relates to frontiersmen (specifically Lewis and Clark), trackers and predators vs prey. To wrap up our first week we armed ourselves with cardboard knives and set out with friends to explore the woods, collecting different plant life to study at home (as Lewis and Clark collected along their journey to bring back to Thomas Jefferson). Thankful for weather that lets us get outside and friends who join us on our adventures! ^^

 ^^ Date night! In which I have no picture of my date... But a selfie in the bathroom mirror of the old Stanford theater in downtown Palo Alto. Stephen took me to get a Thai dinner (a pregnancy craving), watch an old Humphrey Bogart film and eat my favorite Scoop ice cream (a pregnancy must have) near the fountain. It was our first date since he got back from Africa (and his Texas interview) and the first time we'd had even a moment alone since getting off a two week block of nights. Necessary is an understatement! ^^

 ^^ Ezra's first trip to the dentist + all 40 teeth are cavity free! ^^

 ^^ Sometimes "school" looks like this... ^^

 ^^ Getting out and prepping the baby things! Can't believe she used to fit in one of those! ^^

 ^^ Finishing up our frontiersmen unit with a bear study! How appropriate that we have our very own bear rug...! ^^

 ^^ Two cuties celebrating Abe's second birthday at the splash pad with pizza and cupcakes! ^^

 ^^ BB the crocodile just casually eating pizza... Typical Friday night in the Wall house! ^^

 ^^ So grateful that our decision to homeschool lets us get outside in the mornings, running our wiggles out, and play together all afternoon on the porch. I can't imagine separating these two for mornings at school - I love that they're growing to be each other's best friends! ^^

 ^^ Hooligans after bible study! They keep my on my toes, make me cry just as much as they make me laugh and are without a doubt the greatest decisions we ever made. Gosh I love them! And I promise Uriah owns other shirts... Also, that is Ezra's "pretty smile" ^^

 ^^ Learning all about predators vs prey and animals tracks with a mountain lion study. His perfectionism is frustrating, for the both of us, but his determination is definitely admirable. Love watching this boy try, fail, try again, succeed and learn! ^^

 ^^ Always together. Always reading. ^^

 ^^ Friday at the zoo with friends! It was definitely worth getting a membership this summer, as it has already paid for itself. The kids never tire of seeing the animals (for Ezra is was the hippo and Uriah the tarantulas) and I never tire of the cooler San Fransisco weather and watching them explore and learn ^^

 ^^ Evening at the sand pit! We spent a lot of our 2016 summer evenings here as Stephen always seemed to be on call and I needed something to get us out of the house (and get those wiggles out before I attempted a solo bedtime!) It was fun to sneak out again just the three of us to dig in the sand, run the perimeter and catch bugs in the grass. ^^

 ^^ The kids got to wake up to Stephen home from another interview and they were certainly happy about it! It seems we only got Stephen for 24-48 hour stints the month of September and we are all feeling very grateful that only one more interview remains! ^^

 ^^ Morning at the soccer field with friends and random stick creations! This guy has really been in to creating things lately, his "projects" - drawing, coloring, cutting, taping, gluing, building... While I don't always care for the random assortment of projects laying around our house, I have loved watching him design and create and love seeing what he comes up with! He's truly inventive! ^^

^^ Ended the month tailgating with friends in the arboretum before the Stanford football game ^^