September 2022

September 30, 2022

September 2022

SEPTEMBER!!!

The girls were in full school mode. Gwen hasn't had homework and so we have a lot of time to read and play games. Gwen is really loving piano. Sometimes she practices early in the morning waking us all up. What a struggle and delight. We started reading a book each night together called "Wonder." I think we'll finish in October and Gwen is really loving listening to it before bedtime.

Emily has been reading up a storm, too. She gets frustrated when she struggles with a word and we have to remind her that she's looking at a hard word! She has no problem with CVC words, and knows all of her sight words. She is always reading a Clifford book and fumbling with legos. She's going to be an engineer, and I've been telling her to work for Disney so she can be an imagineer with them. Subliminal messaging from me at its finest!

We experimented with a new cookie recipe that uses sourdough, browned butter, and flake salt on top. It was yummy but not worth the extra work that my tried and true recipe doesn't need. When I made my own chocolate chip cookies a few weeks later, we added flake salt to the top and they were better than the sourdough ones, 100%!

Jake and I did a Hypnobirthing class together online, and it was not well done. Several of the couples in the class reached out to the person who hired the instructor, and they let us start another session with Esther teaching in person! Last night was our first night with her, but it was great! Esther is a born and natural educator and we loved learning from her. Esther is also going to be our doula when I am in labor with Wade.

Emily and Gwen had their primary program for church. They both got to speak this time and I'm so glad. They prepared their parts a lot, and said them nice and loud in the microphone.

We went to Disneyland! Woof. We are going to take a big Disney break, but the trip was great. We went a few weeks before our fall break to ensure that the crowds would be light. We walked on to most rides, and it was just great. We would go back to our hotel each day around 12-4pm and rest before going back to the cool weather. One day we walked back into Disneyland and a little boy asked his mom "Are those people just getting here?!" I loved it because I could tell they were hot and needing a rest, and it just reaffirmed that our method is best! Ha! Jake pretends he doesn't like Disneyland, but when he sees the Star Wars characters he can't help himself! We went with my parents, and my oldest sister Sarah and her family. We ate at the Blue Bayou and several other favorites, and Gwen went on the Incredicoaster by herself two times! That was a fun reality! Gone are the days of her needing us to ride the rides that make us sick! Huzzah! Being 8 really is great! Emily got a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. It was a gift we gave to Gwen when she turned 4 and wanted to do with Emily at the same age, but Covid made us wait until now. She loved it. Every second was sweeter than the last and she was obsessed. After our days as Disneyland, we ended the trip with the afternoon-night of Oogie Boogie Bash. I was expecting the candy to be overrated, but people aren't kidding when they say they give you a lot. We each had a bag and each candy place had several different boxes with cast members putting handfuls into the bags. After two stops our bags were full. Full full. We went on the Grizzly Rapids while Jake saved our spot for the Villain parade and the ride broke down for 20 minutes, and then another 20 minutes after we went down the first drop. Emily was scared because it was dark and the bear sounds were scaring her. She kept saying she wanted to get out and I kept saying that that was impossible. When we finally got off we ran to the parade. We didn't miss a thing. It was amazing. I've always loved the villains and seeing them all together was fun! Dr. Facilier is the best dancer ever and he's been there since our 2017 trip! I love him. We also loved Sid from Toy Story. He was perfectly rude to everyone who walked by him, sticking his tongue out and mocking people saying hi to him like a preteen Sid would.

Jake and I took a lot of turns taking breaks on this trip. He stayed late one night for fireworks, I stayed late for the parades. It was great. I am amazed I didn't have my baby on the trip after all the walking. hahaha! I was also amazed at the amount of pregnant women at Disneyland. We are tough cookies!

We also got to get dinner with Hannah and Rachy at Catal in downtown Disney the night we arrived in California. They gifted baby Wade some adorable and soft outfits. It's just so crazy that he'll be here so soon. Not that we ever will, but if we ever got moved to California for Jake's work, it's so nice to know we've got an immediate family with the Montgomery's.