Happy Birthday, Emma!

Our niece Emma had her 1st Birthday on September 26th and we were all invited to the Green's house to help celebrate her big day!  Amy made a delicious dinner and ice cream cone cupcakes for dessert. (:

The Green Family~Jon, Ethan & Macey (almost 3), Emma (1), & Amy 

the outfit and Ikea toy from us

Great Grandpa reading to Macey & Griffin

Emma was laying her head on my shoulder, and then just as the picture was taken she popped her head up.  She was worn out after her big 1st birthday party!  

 Happy Birthday, sweet girl!  We love you very much!

Soccer

This fall Ronan had his first team sport experience playing Kidsports soccer!  His team consisted of ten kindergarten boys from his school and they played a total of seven games.  The kids got to pick their team name by putting ideas in a hat, and the name that was chosen was Dragon Warriors.  (: It was so much fun to watch Ronan play--he really loved it and developed some great friendships along the way.  Josh helped out at most of the practices and ended up coaching at the games, which he really enjoyed.  He is so patient with the kids and really knows how to encourage & teach them.

Lucas, Jack, and Ronan

Ronan's cheering section--such a blessed little boy!

Canoe Trip

On Saturday, September 12th, we had the day totally open (which doesn't happen very often), so Josh had the idea to take the boys canoeing.  We borrowed my parent's canoe and went to the Alton Baker canoe canal.  The water is very calm there and not very deep, so we felt safe having the kids in the boat.  They were SO excited about it!  Ronan was eager to help out and ended up rowing with Josh almost the whole time.    

the four of us

We found a spot where the kids could play in the water and I could pick blackberries.  Josh let Ronan row them around in circles. (:

It was such a beautiful day--and so nice to spend time with my favorite guys!

I love the looks on their faces in this picture.  I have a feeling that our sons will grow up to be just like their thrill-seeking daddy. (:  They went down this "waterfall" over & over again.

Our 1st Pet!

Meet Joey, the sweet little parakeet we found in our backyard!  We saw him flying around our windows one morning back in September, so Ronan and I went outside to see if it would let us get near it.  I was able to pick him up and put him in a box, and then we called Josh at work to see if we could keep it.  He said yes! (:  We found a cage on craigslist that afternoon and he's been happy in it ever since.  Ronan and Griffin love having a pet!  Sometimes we take him up to our attic/bonus room so that he can fly around in a big open space.

I had birds when I was little, so it's been fun for me to see how much our boys enjoy having a bird. (:   When he starts to chatter and make noises, Griffin says, "Good talking, Joey". (:

Kindergarten!

It is so hard to believe that our boy is already in kindergarten! It seems like such a big step...and it happened so fast! So far it has been a great experience for him! He really likes his teacher and has made lots of new friends. He had a little bit of anxiety during the first few weeks of school, but his teacher and I helped him work through it and now he goes to class everyday with a big smile on his face. Josh and I are very proud of him!!
Sept. 8th~ On our way to Ronan's kindergarten open house at Bertha Holt Elementary School! He loves getting to ride his bike to school!

Sept. 9th~First Day of School!

So excited about his new school!

Lining up to walk to class with his teacher, Mrs. Sugar. (:

Final Inspection

As Labor Day weekend came to an end we made a final push to finish some remaining loose ends on our house. We painted all of the window, door, and base trim and painted all the interior doors in our house! Josh also finished the wood trim on the stair rails. My parents spent hours & hours helping us caulk the trim and mask for painting. We appreciated their help so much--it would have taken us so much longer without them! It was a crazy couple of days, but afterward we were so relieved to have it all done!
We had to get it all done because the bank needed to do one final inspection before they released the last of our construction loan to us. I guess they needed to make sure that we used our money for what we said we would. (: The final things on the inspection list were the landscaping, fireplace stonework, exterior & interior trim paint, and the stair rails. Everything passed and it was a huge relief! We were finally able to say that our house was "done"--of course there is still a lot of decorating to do, but that will all come in time!

prepping for paint

We were so pleased with how it all turned out!

Murphy-Hecht Cousins

Sept. 6th~The next day, after the wedding, we met my cousin Dan, his wife Brooke, and their twin girls for lunch. It was so nice to visit with them and hear all about the new house they just bought. Our boys had fun playing with Summer and Kara--Ronan showed them his new Bakugan toys. (: Pretty soon they'll all be able to run around together.
me, Summer, and Ronan

Papa, Dan, & Summer

Kara

Summer

Me with my boys and their second cousins