Fall

School has gotten the best of all of us - we are still struggling to adjust to being on a schedule and having two kids in school full time. Every day Madeleine complains about getting up to early for school because she just did it the day before and James is starting to complain about homework and how hard school is getting and Matthias is always complaining that he is being left behind by the other two when they leave him... oh the joys of being back to school!

James and his toothless smile! 

This kid is growing up way too fast 

Our handsome Dash

Introducing Mr. Banks! He was one of our fosters and I immediately fell in love - thankfully my mom also fell in love with him and has adopted him. He is a 15lb schnoodle mix and the sweetest boy youll ever meet!

He is at such a busy age that the only time he might sit still is when he is eating something 

John got an award from his company and we got a very nice night out at the Ritz for the awards ceremony! When I came downstairs with makeup on for the first time in forever, James asked what was wrong with my face... I think that means it has been too long since we got a night out ;) 

John doesn't let dogs on the furniture... except when he thinks no one is looking 

Madeleine had her friend Addie sleep over and the two were in princess heaven

James and 4 of his friends went to Carowinds with his friends very brave parents. James loves rollercoasters and basically everything that is at an amusement park - it is his favorite place in the world right now, as he tells me all the time when hes trying to drop hints that he wants to go back. 

Matthias is officially at the stage of climbing anything and everything. Especially if there is food at the top. 

My mom and brother came down to visit and like the other two, Matthias loved Ross' wheelchair and claimed it for his own whenever Ross wasn't in it 

James is in a competitive soccer league thus fall and its exhausting but he has learned so much and grown so much that it was worth it. Soccer is his sport and he loves being on the field. 

All decked out for an OSU football game!

Madeleine is also playing soccer (again with her friend Addie) and is really enjoying it. I think its great for her to be on a team and learn sportsmanship. 

End of summer and begining of school!

When dinner is messy, the best way to help get clean is to play on the front porch with the water table!

The last week of summer we packed full of parks and museums and lots of friends. 

James is starting to lose all of his teeth - faster than they are coming in! 

Eclipse 2017!

First day of school for these two!

Soccer season has started and this year Madeleine is playing too. She loves it and it is so fun to see her on the field. She is all about the pink and skirts and headbands - and she rocks it. 

Matthias had his 18m check up last week and the doctor was very behind. Thankfully I had Madeleine's ipad and a snack for him to kill the time. He did awesome and is in the 80th percentile. 

Over Labor Day Weekend we had Addison fly down by himself and stay with us - the boys had the best time. Lots of games and running and nerf gun fights. Madeleine was a little left out but they tried really hard to include her - but its hard when all she wants to do is play with Barbies or pretend shes the queen in whatever activity they are doing. 

All the boys watching football. 

His favorite part of the day is waiting on the porch for the other two to get home from school. 

Waterloo

The last week in July we traveled to Waterloo to visit Uncle Dwight, Aunt Liz, Cousin Mitch, Cousin Emma and Grandma! It was a long drive but totally worth it. The night we got there, Uncle Dwight got everyone tickets to see the Cardinals play! It was the perfect way to end a long day stuck in the car. 

The kids loved swimming in their pool and it was the first time James and Madeleine got to use a diving board! 

St. Louis has the coolest indoor kids playground (called the City Museum) made out of old recycled material from old buildings and structures. It is so much fun! 

And it serves beer ;)

The week that we were there was the Monroe County fair. We only went one night and it ended up raining - but it was still a lot of fun before the rain hit! 

John has been wanted to go to the Transportation museum there since I met him... and this trip we were finally able to go! 

Aunt Lizzie had a baby raccoon that someone had found and she was hand feeding it until it got big enough to release back out - and Matthias was completely intrigued with it. 

Madeleine and Frank the cat.

On our last day, we spent the majority of it fishing on their lake. We caught sunfish, catfish and even a bass. Definitely a good way to end an awesome week!