September stuff.

Just random photos not yet documented from the month of September:

We had some excitement on our street a couple weeks ago with some paving going on. Good thing the kids have hard hats.

Everett was often outside watching what was going on.

Rick took the boys camping during his vacation week last month. This is how Everett came home.

I bought my very first power tool! A jigsaw. I had been looking a bit on Craigslist and saw this one advertised; turns out it was at a pawn shop. I might become a regular pawn shop customer.

I have plans to make headboards for actually every bed in the house, so we got right to work on Faye's for her new big girl bed.

The cut-out headboard with the foam. (We made our ottoman and upholstered it the same way a while ago; after doing it once it's easy!) If anyone does an upholstery project like this, I have a few short cuts. You don't need expensive spray adhesive to attach the foam to the MDF or whatever wood you're using. I ran out, and I thought, why not use a glue gun? Worked just fine. Also, I've read that the best way to cut foam is with an electric carving knife. Maybe my neighbor's was the wrong kind, but it did not work at all. I cut it with scissors, which I know does not give an even cut at all, but once the batting and fabric are on pulling the edges down, you can't tell. Cutting with scissors works best if another person holds the foam and sort of pulls it apart for you. Also, to backtrack to the first step where I drew the shape on the MDF, I just free-handed one side of it on a big piece of paper, then flipped it over to cut out the other side. Stapling the fabric over the curved parts of the headboard was hard... I didn't get it perfect, but if you don't' look too closely it's all right!

And here's an unfortunately poor-quality picture of her bed! We used Ana White's plans for the bed and made up our own headboard. We did add a couple of inches to the legs to make the bed a bit higher. The dark stain is very pretty in real life!

Not set on the pillows, but it's what we have for now. Faye is officially a big girl out of her crib! Funny thing is, she will not leave the bed, ever, unless I come get her. After her nap she just lays there stroking her "lovey" for like an hour. I thought she would be the hardest kid to convince to stay in bed, but she must feel some sort of invisible force holding her in!

Rick went back to work after his week off. He has been around sooo much more this second year than his general surgery intern year! My children have a father! (If Isla sees his car pull into the driveway, she starts right up with her, "DADADADA." And then when he comes in, she flops on the floor and prepares for the wrestles and tickles. It is adorable.)

Another fun project, painting the fridge! (Can you tell Rick had time off in September??)

Aaand we started the kitchen cabinet transformation, but it is currently sitting sanded, cleaned, and primed waiting for me to make some decisions on colors, hardware, and whether or not to put beadboard on the cabinet fronts. I cannot make up my mind!

Keeping the plants alive... I think. I am an awful gardener. Everett is sitting down because this was the week when suddenly his right knee quit functioning. For five or six days, he could not straighten it at all. He would hobble around hunched over holding onto the walls, and then he just started crawling/scooting instead. (And somehow he could still scare, chase, and cause Faye to scream equally well without the use of his leg.) So, on day five, I took him to the doctor, thinking what if he had bone cancer or something?? The silly doctor thought he had nerve damage and suggested I take him to the Emergency Room immediately. What? I didn't, but the next morning got all ready to take him in. As we went out to the car to go, he was walking with his leg a little straighter! I told Everett let's forget the hospital and just take you to school. He agreed, remembering that Carson got a free Spurs ticket last year for perfect attendance. Over the next couple of days, he could straighten it more and more until it was all better. So strange!

Caught a little toad one day! Everett cried hard for an hour when we let him go.

Isla never knows who or what is going to come greet her when she wakes up from her naps!

Why do good pictures always turn out blurry??

Her hair is all messy since it's post-church, but I love doing this upside-down ponytail thing, culminating in a cute bun on the top of her head!

Faye y Julia con sus dinosaurios.

My baby drinks milk from a cow now instead of just me! So sad! (She still nurses three times a day though.)

Babysitting seven girls under the age of four. It was actually really fun to just plant myself on the floor and play with everyone!

And now it's October! We put up the tiny bit of Halloween stuff we have, ate apples and dip for a snack, and had chili for dinner. And the kids talk incessantly about what to be for Halloween already. Not sure Faye understands that she has to wait 30 more days before she gets to do that whole trick-or-treat thing!