September 2014. Isla turns two!

Dental check-ups for the boys. It should be noted that, after 30 years of never having a cavity, suddenly I needed a ton of fillings and even a root canal! I feel like I have been to the dentist every other day lately, but as of today I am finally done. The boys' teeth were fine, thank goodness.

Lego club at the library. Everett's creation.

And Carson's.

Isla got her cast removed on September 5th! She only had to have it on for five weeks. She was pretty cute throughout the whole thing. She has sort of a deep little voice and still talks mostly in one or two-word phrases. So she kept saying things like, "LEG. CAST. ALL BETTER." Repeat a million times.

Of course we kept the cast! She's had her follow-up appointment, and the X-ray now doesn't show any signs of a fracture.

She limped around for a couple of weeks after getting the cast off, and now a month later she actually still walks with that leg turned out some.

I've picked up a couple more classes at the Y, so now I teach two functional training classes and two Insanity classes. It keeps me busy! I feel like I am always planning the next work out.

In the mornings, as long as I'm packing two lunches for the boys I just make it four, and we bring the girls' to the Y. After my class, we hang out at the park nearby and play and eat. It's a nice little routine!

We are VERY happy about the beautiful weather lately! Now, in October, we're having our first days without using AC.

I am totally embarrassed about this, but the day after Isla got her cast off, she fell out of a shopping cart onto her head. I was a few feet away, getting something off of a shelf, and turned around to see her dive out (playing with Carson). I totally screamed, and it was sort of a loud cracking sound when she hit the floor. So I think it looked and sounded a lot worse than it was. I was a little dramatic about it too, I think mostly just mad at myself and feeling like I can't even keep my kids safe much less raise them! So I was kind of fighting back tears. This kind lady offered to call an ambulance, and I declined her offer. Isla was crying, which was good, and she hadn't blacked out or anything. Well, the lady called the ambulance anyway. Sooo then we made more of a scene as we all filed into the ambulance to have her checked out.

Faye was scared to get in the ambulance, so then she was crying even harder than Isla. The boys had fun drawing pictures on the stretcher with the EMT guys. At that point Isla had stopped crying and was just tired for her nap. There was no bruise or anything on her head! She was obviously just fine. (I had to tell the EMTs that the scab on one side of her head and the bruise on the other were from two separate incidents. Awesome.)

Soo that was our excitement for the day. It should be noted that the super nice HEB manager told me not to pay for my cart of groceries and even gave Isla some free pacifiers!

The 18th of September is the Chilean Independence Day, and I get very excited/homesick for Chile leading up to that day! This year my friend Laura and I tried to make Chilean empanadas and alfajores. They were good... not the same, but really good!

I think Miss Faye has logged more bike time in her few months of riding a two-wheeler than her brothers have in their years. She loves to ride up and down the driveway with next-door neighbor Avianna.

They put things down to be speed bumps. Carson rides a pink and purple bike, since we got it for free! He doesn't care one bit about what people might think.

Kindergarten is hard work these days! Everett has a different teacher than Carson had last year. I can count on one hand the times Carson had a homework packet. Everett has a thick packet each week, and he is usually up late on Thursday night finishing it. Everett is very, very careful about his work and adds special little details that also take a lot of time!

Just out for a little walk after getting the mail. This was the first evening where it felt nice enough to want to be outside. Glorious!

Carson the climber during the walk. Always plotting out the next American Ninja Warrior obstacle.

It doesn't happen very often, but if Everett gets started telling a story or something, it is the cutest thing in the world. He chooses his words carefully and has the best facial expressions when he talks. On this particular night, he was confessing that one time he was playing in Faye's room and had to use the bathroom, so he peed in the cup on her nightstand. He acted like it was the most normal thing in the world. Carson was busting up laughing in the background. I'm hoping I dumped that cup and put it right in the dishwasher, but I guess we'll never know.

A Sunday morning before church being silly in a tiny stroller. This was Isla's second birthday!

The girls had been fighting over our one (broken) baby stroller that very morning, so I suggested Isla open her birthday present early.

Everyone was extra sweet to Isla on her special day.

Later that day we had a little party for our new two-year-old.

We only needed to invite the next-door-neighbors, since they are her favorite people. I spend half the day telling her she may not go over to "visit Granny Cheryl."

Snuggling with Grandpa Chuck.

Isla loves ducks, so the kids made some duck decorations.

And she had a little duck pond cookie cake.

Blowing out the candles like a pro!

Everyone else's dessert.

She opened a couple more presents.

Like this little kitty.

And then everyone went outside to play with new toys and bubbles. The perfect birthday party for a sweet two-year-old!

No pictures of Isla with her dad, but yes she played with neighbor Roger! Sadly she probably sees Roger more than her own dad!

Pretty much right on the day she turned two, Isla sort of turned into a monster. Cranky all day, waking up several times a night crying and demanding all sorts of things, etc. Thankfully, the stage was short-lived! This was one day where she had woken up at some ridiculous time like 4 a.m. and, as a result, was dozing after breakfast!

You know Christmas is coming when the toy aisles at Costco get really fun!

We decided to fill up a huge water storage container one day, and Everett spent over an hour going back and forth with a pitcher. He's amazing at sticking with a task when he puts his mind to it! And when there's a monetary reward. I think he got a penny per trip with the pitcher.

Since I never ever have paint on my nails, Faye probably knew I was not the one to ask to do hers!

Everett found these funny cacti on our walk!

Isla tries to ride a tiny bike.

I forget how much fun two-year-olds are! Always saying new and unexpected things. She kept repeating what sounded to me like "selfie" over and over again. Turns out she named her little kitten Sofie. No idea where she came up with that! I look forward to little moments with this girl every day. She gives great hugs and kisses. Her expressions when we do "going on a bear hunt" are just precious. She's terrified of the garbage truck, and I sort of love when she runs and clings to my neck when she hears it coming. (Although it ruins my day when it comes at 2 p.m. and wakes her up from her nap!!) The boys will play chase with her, and I love to see her little legs running super fast and to hear her squeals. I don't know what I would do without my Isla!