September 2018

It's the Connor show. Connor has become quite the busy boy. And when he is quiet you know he is up to "something". All of September it has rained and rained here in San Antonio. I'm pretty sure new records have been set for rainfall. And with rain comes MUD. Lots and lots of mud. Connor has discovered how much fun it is to put your fingers and toes and shoes in the mud. It's a safe bet if you can't find him in the house he is in the backyard playing in the mud with the dogs.

One night before bed while avoiding bed Connor found the tball stand and bat and ball. And he went to town and had a blast so I had to take his picture. He's a lefty for sure.

Elara has become quite the author in kindergarten following her sisters footsteps. She loves making books with pictures and writing amazing stories. I'm so glad she has Eden to be such a good example for her and to teach her so many good things. Elara started kindergarten reading, writing, and doing math all because of the influence of her older siblings.

THE BIKE RODEO

Every September the school holds a bike rodeo. When Eden was in 1st grade she just HAD to learn to ride her bike. Derek was gone. I decided to take her to the church building and take off her pedals so she could learn to balance and glide. It worked. Within a day she had it down.

So we did the exact same thing with Elara, but we had less time. We all got in the car and drove to the church (this time Derek was with us) and in just a day Elara was gliding down the church parking lot.

We were going to practice again, but then she got sick and we all kind of got sick and didn't have time. The morning of the bike rodeo she wanted to participate so desperately that I told her if she could ride her bike to school then she could do the bike rodeo.

And you know what?! The girl hopped on her bike, I gave her a push and she rode her bike to school without any training wheels on. 

It is so amazing to me what we can accomplish on this earth if we are determined and put in the work. We are so proud of Elara!

We had a lot of running around to do that day, but Derek was officially on leave and no longer had to "work" until his deployment. We were able to see both girls at the bike rodeo and say hi to Kael.

It was so hard because we new we were giving Elara a new bike for her birthday the very next week. We decided patience is a virtue and waited for her birthday to give it to her. She definitely earned that new bike!

A few days later we were able to eat lunch with all 3 kids at school. They each felt special and it was so much fun having Derek there and spending time with them all.

That same day on the 21st our good friend took some family photos for us before Derek had to leave. She was so kind and it was so nice to have those photos before he left. The kids were not in the mood for photos after school and it was such a painful experience. We didn't get all the photos we were hoping for, but we got some that would work.

Shortly after we took a family trip to the great wolf lodge. It was so much fun and much needed for our little family to get out and have some time with just us!

 Kael got purple and orange on his braces for Halloween coming up.

Elara's teacher Mrs. Antoinetti is the sweetest teacher. She has a treasure box for the kids when they meet their points goal. For Elara's birthday she got a special present. Their class are the super learners and their class theme goes with everything. We feel really lucky Elara has such a fun teacher.

Elara's birthday celebrations:

We had a lot of fun at the Great Wolf Lodge on the day of Elara's birthday and had some cupcakes to celebrate, but her actual big celebrations happened when we got back. She got a porg from Star Wars. She had asked for one forever ago. It is so cool! haha Letters and money from the Grandparents.

And A NEW BIKE from Mom and Dad. Derek worked to put that thing together and we hid it in the storage shed for about a week. It was so fun seeing her happy face.

 Dear Elara Jane Bradley,

You are the sweetest, silliest, most fun, intelligent, happy little girl. We are so lucky you chose to be a part of our family. You make so many good decisions and make your Mom and Dad and whole family so proud and happy. You are a light in our world. You love learning and growing. I love that you want to be a singer and a Mom when you grow up. I know you can do it. You are a little shy when you sing in public, but you have a beautiful little voice and I love to hear you sing. You are a Mommy to your little brother Connor. You help him whenever you can. I can't believe you are already 6 years old. You are getting big too quickly. Feel free to slow down a little. You are loving kindergarten. You are probably one of the most advanced kids in the class. You love reading and somehow just pick it up so naturally like you were always reading. You love doing math problems and counting. You love learning new things. You are amazing at writing stories and drawing pictures. You sound things out and you just learn so quickly. You impress me every single day. 

Thank you for being the sweet little girl you are. You have a very loving spirit and people want to be around you. Remember who you are and where you come from. Not only do Mom and Dad love you so very much, but your Heavenly Father and Mother love you too. 

We love you Elara!

Love you always,

Mom and Dad

 So exciting that she did not need those training wheels. The very next day they came off and she was riding her fun new bike all over.

So the Pinkston's got goats and I have always wanted a pygmy goat, so Derek found one on amazon and bought me my own special Patrick the Pygmy Goat. I don't know who was more excited me or Eden. hahaha We all fight who gets to sleep with Patrick.

Kael's soccer team got pictures! This has been such a fun experience for Kael. It has been rained out (almost 50%), but he has learned so much in this short time about soccer and being on a team. We are so proud of how hard he is working and it is so fun to watch even in the pouring rain.

After Kael's soccer game we headed up to the Pinkston's for a fun visit of which I have zero pictures for some reason. We celebrated birthdays and sang Happy Birthday to Elara with an ice cream sandwich cake. I can't believe I didn't get a single picture.

One Sunday a primary leader texted me this picture. Where's Waldo type where's Kael?! The leader had her family dress up for sharing time and Kael had the prayer that day and she said seeing him poke his head out being silly just made her day. She had no idea he was in the picture until later. Kael is such a good and fun kid. He makes me smile every day and I'm glad he can make others smile too.

To end the month when we got home from church on the 30th it was yet another rainy day, so the girls got to work on making a blanket fort. Entertainment for hours.

Derek and I went and had lunch with the kids at school one day. I love seeing their happy faces at school and getting to have that special time with them.