September randomness

honeycrisp weekend at nearby Lynd Fruit Farm is a big deal around here, so Owen and I went at opening to check it out

they were very good apples!

and they were even better covered in caramel and chocolate :)

lacrosse season started and Jack and Ellie are both giving it a try.

soccer was full this fall and this was our only option.

lacrosse is SO HARD.

have you ever seen a women's lacrosse stick? there is virtually no net to catch the ball with. it takes a lot of practice and finesse to learn how to catch it and throw it. Ellie has struggled a bit, but she's getting there. the first week or so of practice was tough, but now that they are scrimmaging a bit, and she has scored a few goals, she is having more fun.

men's sticks are a lot easier to play with. the net is much bigger and allows the ball to be cradled. this is because lacrosse is a full contact sport for men and they need the ball to stay in the net easier than women, who are not allowed to make contact with each other.

jack is in love. that stick is in his hand every minute once he gets off the bus. he eats sleeps and breathes lacrosse.

we lucked out and both kids have the same coach, coach bob. lacrosse is usually only played in the spring and this is the first fall lacrosse season that Granville has offered. we let bob know that we don't participate in sports on Sundays and he let us know that the games are always on Sundays. the kids were bummed but they were ok with it. well, after a week or so, bob let us know that he rearranged the game schedule so that all games (except the boys tournament game) would now be on Saturday afternoons!!! blessings! blessings! blessings! 

I realize its such a simple, small thing, but what a huge thing that was for our kids. we are grateful that they were able to see how keeping the commandments is always a good thing.

jack hangs out practicing on T & TH while Ellie's team has their practice. there are a couple other boys including the coach's son who come too. each night after the girls practice, he has the boys and girls scrimmage. its been fun to watch and the girls finally beat the boys last Thursday!

Owen and I have been walking alot, in our neighborhood to see the deer and bunnies, and around town too.

there is a relief society walking group that meets in Newark on Thursdays so we've done that a couple times too, which has been nice to get to know some of the ladies in the ward.

 oh Costco, how we have missed you!

I helped Chris pressure wash our front walkway. we totally should've taken a before shot because the difference is incredible. who knew pressure washing could be so fun!? seeing the progress right before your eyes is kind of addicting!

we've played a few rounds of bocce ball and the kids love it

batman.

we had a get together with Evie, Ellies neighbor friend, for treats and Harry Potter watching. it was fun!

and we've definitely enjoyed the Granville farmer's market on Saturday mornings. these dahlias were too pretty to pass up!

Aunt Rik

about half way through Chris' time in AR (ie when I started hiding under my covers in the fetal position without my sanity-saving partner by my side) aunt rick came to visit and pulled me back into the realm of sanity!

most of our time was spent hanging out at home, playing either Pokemon battles with Owen or codenames with the older kids. but we did venture out a few times.

we went to Lake Hudson before it closed for the season and the kids had a blast!

after a morning of helping my brother and sister in law move to their new house, we went to COSI to catch their dinosaur and Egyptian exhibits before they closed.

on Labor Day we went on a beautiful (and warm) hike at the nature preserve right down our road.

we are so glad that rik came to hang out, stay up late chatting, be silly, make a few treats, and explore our new town. she was a lifesaver for both me and the kids and we have been reminiscing about her trip ever since. we miss her so much already, but are thankful she made the trip!

adjusting to a new town + schools

our first week in Granville was spent driving back and forth to Columbus to buy needed furniture and other items to help us settle in to our new house. 

Chris helped so much that first week, but then he had to head back to AR to work for 3 more weeks. we were so sad to say goodbye to dad! his new job didn't start until September 10th, so rather than sitting at home for 4 weeks doing fun stuff, he worked and made some extra money to pay for our move. so glad he's willing to work hard for our little gang.

many, many facetime calls were made during those three weeks!

the kids and I explored the area before school started on august 22nd.

we went to student orientation and met teachers and explored the kid's new schools. 

Charlie was thrilled to find out he is almost as tall as his teacher this year, Mrs. Heider!

Charlie is the only one attending Granville Elementary. Jack and Ellie are both at Granville Intermediate this year. That means they rotate classes and have lockers this year.... big changes!!!

mandatory first day of school pics

6th, 5th, and 2nd grades

Owen struggled when the kids started school and he didn't. but we did some fun things to help him transition back to being with just mom again.

one morning we met up with cousin Mason at COSI for some fun! really thankful for our family membership to the museum... I'm sure we will spend a lot of time there this winter.

then Owen's first day of preschool arrived on September 5th!

he was so ready.

he is loving his class and especially his teacher, Ms Jackie.

once dad was home, we had our annual Back to School Feast

our family theme for 2018-2019 is 

Love is Spoken Here. 

our family has been struggling with speaking kindly to one another and a talk by Jeffrey R Holland from 2007 really hit home for Chris and I and we knew this was what our family needs right now. the talk is called The Tongue of Angels and its worth a read or two. we made copies of the it for everyone to study from. Jack and Ellie asked if they could have a copy of the theme to put up in their lockers as a daily reminder. so far, things have been going well as we have all worked together on this. I'm grateful for opportunities to learn and improve together as a family and look forward to our spiritual growth this school year.