I've "Fall"en in Love

When I was a teacher I used to dread September... school was back in session which meant lesson plans, trying to memorize kids' names, and lots of stress. Now that I get to stay at home with our cuties, I've totally "fall"en in love with Fall... see what I did there? Here's why: 

We went up to the Land for Labor Day. We decided to go on a 4 wheeler ride to a different lake and go for a hike. It was so much fun... until we got lost for a little bit, then I started to panic because our kids were getting tired, the sun was setting, and we didn't have phone service. Once we found our way again, we were fine and continued with our fun. Just a few selfies for your enjoyment...

 On our hike we got to this one spot that was completely flat with these random rocks. It looked like we were on a different planet.

We told the kids to give us their, "oh no, we're on a different planet and scared look." Here's what we got: 

 We made it to this tiny little lake. The kids threw rocks and Jeremy and the boys tried to fish with no luck.

 Tracy and I made sure we brought the essentials... Coke and toilet paper.

 The toilet paper came in handy...

Of course we did our usual at Hanna Land: played games, sang by the campfire, went on 4 wheeler rides, ate a lot... it was a great way to end the "unofficial end to summer".

Back at home, this little cutie has been my little helper. Brynn struggles a little bit because Makayla and Caden are in school all day and she doesn't have anyone who will play with her all day like she demands. Brynn gets so excited to help me when we make banana bread.

 Makayla and Brynn started dance this month at Synergy.  Makayla is in a hip hop/jazz class and tumbling and Brynn is in a tumble/ jazz class. I forgot to take pictures of Makayla, but here's Brynnli. She had to give me her sad, mad, and surprised face before she would agree to smile an pose.

 And Caden started fall baseball. We decided to switch things up a little bit this year and give baseball a try instead of soccer. Caden loves it and is really good! He's officially a leftie!

 We did sparklers one night just to feel like we were back in the summer time.

 I have no words... I'm just glad we have a play room or else these toys would be all over our house. Oh, wait, they usually are.

 I blame this cutie for the messy playroom. But how can you stay mad for long when you see this rollerskating troll?

 We went to a fun run/walk for the American Heart Association to remember Anna's little baby Desi. It's been 2 years since he was born. We just love the Chitty family and think of them all the time.

 The Bald Mountain/ Pole Creek fire burned over 100,000 acres. It was a horrible fire that made the entire state smell like smoke. I saw this picture on FB. The fires have been so bad this year and we have had no rain. It's pretty scary.

 Terry and Craig sent us this picture of the sunset up at Hanna. The fires make for pretty pictures, but I would rather we didn't have fires!

 Check out our little Lite-Brite artist!

 Do you know what Fridays are for? Costco pizza. Brynnli asks me every single week if we can go to Costco to get pizza. In fact she asks me almost every day if we can go out to lunch.

 Gettin' ready for date night! It was a good hair/makeup day, so that warranted a selfie.

 We enjoyed our last summer concert with Luke Bryan. And yes, Tyler has a beard.

 Sometimes he looks a little creepy, but I'll keep him.

 Luke Bryan was fun.. not as good as Kenny or Keith, but it was a much needed night away with my hubby!

A canker... she has a canker sore....

 I really do love this age where they try to sound out the words they don't know.

This cutie got to celebrate her birthday at preschool! Speaking of preschool, Brynnli loves it! She is making friends and asks me every day if it's a preschool day. She really loves Thursdays because she gets to go to preschool and dance!

 Like I mentioned, Brynnli asks me every day if we can go to lunch. On Thursdays I usually agree because we don't have a lot of time between preschool and dance and it's easier to just stop and grab something. Plus, Brynn loves to play in the play area and usually makes a friend by the time we leave.

To end September we went to Lagoon with Tyler's family. We had a blast!

 Look at this handsome guy... lookin' like a snack! A Cheeto to be exact.

 And we'll just leave that right here...

A Poppy Party!

Our baby girl is 4 years old today! What would we do without our little Brynnie in our life? Everyday is a party for Brynnli and she's just living in it. She's hilarious and says the most random things that make us laugh. She is incredibility spoiled and has all of us wrapped around her finger. She is also the sweetest little girl and is always looking out for others. Brynnli started preschool and dance this year and she is loving both of them and doing so well. We just love our little girl so much.

So for the last year anytime we would go to the store Brynnli would point at every single thing she wanted and say to me, "Can I get that for my birday?" She asked it so many times that eventually I just told her, "yes, you can get that for your birthday." When it actually came time for her birthday I asked Brynnli what she wanted and she said, "Everything." Well, we didn't get her everything, but she was certainly spoiled for her "Poppy Party".

In case you didn't know, Poppy is from the movie, "Trolls". We had a Poppy pinata for the game.

 I say this to myself every time, and I think I mean it this time, we should not do pinatas at parties... they are way too stressful. The kids never stay behind the line they are supposed to, and this year I got wacked in the chest by Makayla who was blindfolded and thought she was taking a swing at the pinata. The good news is that the kids had a blast... the bad news is that I almost had a heart attack by the end.

 After the game we opened presents. Brynnli is so spoiled and got a lot of toys, clothes and money.

 Then we had Brynnli close her eyes for her present from us... a NEW BIKE!!!

 Poor Brynnli gets a lot of hand-me-downs, and she has been riding Makayla's old princess bike and Caden's even older Spiderman bike, but now she has a big girl bike just like she wanted!

We can't forget to mention Grandpa Craig. He and Brynn share a birthday, just 60 short years apart.

 Tyler's cousin McCall was in town so she stopped by with her boyfriend. We took some pictures of the original cousins.

 And the out-laws.

 Brynn's party went extra long this year so we busted out the sparklers for the kids.

 Then the kids ended the night by watching Trolls while the grown ups played cards.

 Sunday was Brynnli's actual birthday so after church she got to open the rest of her presents from us.

 Then at pre-school on Tuesday she got to wear a special birthday crown and bring a special treat to her class and they sang happy birthday to her.

I would say it was a birthday to remember this year!

There are quite a few things I love about Brynnli at this age. She NEVER. STOPS. TALKING. She literally starts talking from the moment she wakes up until she goes to sleep. Brynn talks to me, her toys, her imaginary friends. Anyone who will listen. Brynnli makes friends where ever she goes. She likes to talk to people and is really outgoing. I took her to the school with me one day and she was talking to the secretary and making them laugh. I said to her, "Brynn, what are we going to do with you?" and she responded, "I don't know... I'm just so cute!" which made the secretaries laugh even harder. She likes to talk to all the cashiers at stores or restaurants and tell them really random information about our family. Brynn has the best imagination. She's always talking about her "kids," Senna and Donny are the most consistent kids she has. Donny might even be her imaginary friends because he seems to be around a lot. She also talks about her "papas" a lot, but I haven't quite figured out who/what that is. Brynnli asks a lot of thoughtful questions like, "How come we don't wear jackets on our legs?" When she refers to her downstairs, she calls it her, "fenis" or her "jagina". As much as I say I hate it, I really do love that Brynn ends up sleeping in our bed almost every night. I love when she snuggles close to me. She asks for "big pancakes" every morning and asks for a treat all through the day. Brynnli is a hoarder. She loves to get some type of container and walk around the house collecting things. Her drawers are full of the most random things and if anything ever goes missing, you better check with Brynn first because she probably took it. One time she had a drawer full of newspaper and junk mail. I thew it away without thinking she would notice, but she remembered and yelled at me for throwing her "maps" away. I told her they were out in the garbage if she really wanted them thinking she would say no, but she went out to the garbage to retrieve them and put them right back in the drawer. Brynnli is so carefree and absolutely hilarious. We just love our 4 year old!

As per tradition, here's Brynnli's birthday interview questions:

1. What is your favorite color? "Uh, hmmm... White, and blue, and pink, and I've got a good one! Brown. Is that a lot of colors. Guess what, I also like rainbow."

2. What is your favorite toy? "hmmm...I'll go get it. My friend unibunny, she's a girl, right?"

3. What is your favorite food? "Mac and cheese"

4. What is your favorite show? "Poppy!" (Trolls)

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? "My dance outfit."

7. What is your favorite game? "Uno" 

8. What is your favorite song? "Moana"

9. What is your favorite book? "Let me think... I got a good one... Elsa and Anna"

10. Who is your best friend? "Hmmm...Devri?"

11. Where is your favorite place to go? "To... let me think... Costco! And Click Club"

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? "Ariel"

13. What is your favorite thing about Makayla? "Well I bite her and then she was rude and then I said sorry, and then I liked her."

14. What is your favorite thing about Caden?  "Playing princesses with him"

15. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? "Play princesses with him"

16. What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? "I like to go to Arctic Circle with you."

Oh Brynnie Bear, we just love you so much and are so proud of the cute little girl you are becoming. You really make lives so much brighter because you just have the best time. Life truly is a party for you. We are so excited to see how you grow even more this year, especially in dance and pre-school. I especially love how I get to spend so much one-on-one time with you while the big kids are in school. I love that you love to eat out and ask me almost everyday if we can go to Arctic Circle or to "Costco Pizza" and I love when you ask me if you can have a drink of my "spicy sprite" (Dr. Pepper). You are for sure spoiled, but you are also caring and like to share your toys with your brother and sister. I love that you look up to both of them and can't wait for them to get home from school so you can play with them. We just love that you are the caboose to our crazy family and can't imagine our lives without you! Happy Birthday Brynnie!