Connor Loves to Groove

This isn't his best dancing performance. But I sure thought he was pretty cute this morning 

September

It's astonishing to think that it's nearly September. The weather is cooling (a bit), and the hustle and bustle of summer is coming to a close. Summer bbq's, pool time and scheduled trips have come and gone. Back to school clothing ads have reared their ugly heads (perhaps too soon), and parents are scrambling to keep their children occupied for a few more weeks.

September has always been an exciting time for me. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I looked forward to school more than summer break itself. I LOVED (read: still love) to shop for new pens, pencils, paper, books and markers...Oh, the thrill of it all!..organized and intentionally packed in my backpack weeks before school even started.

Not much has changed.

So, here we are, a few weeks from September, and it's happening all over again. As a school teacher, I have stocked my classroom with supplies: new colored pencils, pens, binders. As of this afternoon, everything is neatly placed, ready for Monday's big start. I was so excited this afternoon that it's almost impossible for me to wait the next couple days to start.

September is coming. The leaves will change color. The mornings will be cold. I will pray my pumpkins don't frost before they're ready. I'll have to wear pants and bring a sweater to work. It's the same every year.

But with this realization that a new year is beginning (teachers think very differently than the rest of society), I have also become so very aware of how much everything has changed.

Connor will be a year old in September. It's hard to imagine we have a child that is nearing the one year mark. What a difference a year makes!  This fall, my weekends will no longer be filled with lazy mornings of coffee and football. We will have an active one-year-old tornado who wakes at 6 a.m. no matter what day it is, and we'll be lucky to catch a few minutes of a game.


So, here's to September. The month that will always hold a special place in my heart.

Sharing

Connor's teacher at school says they have to spread all the little ones out when they're eating because all they do is try to give each other bites. 

genius

now if only I was a genius and didn't video sideways!

good eats

Connor has always been a good eater. As an infant, he was an efficient nurser. Once solids came around, he would eat anything from applesauce to broccoli with cheese. But something has happened.

Brian was surprised how well he ate whole green beans, steamed broccoli, and every fruit under the sun."He's more you than me," he'd say, on a regular basis. You see, Connor refuses to eat cheese, tortillas, or noodles...pretty much everything Brian loves. I would sit in my smug glory every mealtime, silently gloating our child's likeness to me. At least there is a part of me in him, even if it is just my ears and my love of broccoli, I thought.


Well, as you can imagine, my sense of connection soon faded (not that we have no 'emotional' connection...I mean my...'haha, he's more like me' connection). Doomsday was upon me. It all started with a weird look. Then my worst nightmare: HE SPIT OUT HIS BELOVED BROCCOLI. Um, WHAT?!?

My rationalization: He's just showing off for daddy (insert my husband's huge grin right about now); he'll eat the next floret. 

yeah, right, keep dreaming, mama...

and daddy just kept on smiling...

It snowballed from there: he refused applesauce, threw chicken off this tray, turned up his nose at graham crackers. Graham Crackers?! This kid was really pushing limits.

 Now, he won't touch anything but toaster waffles (with syrup!) and saltines. Um..excuse me kid, but I'm pretty sure that's unacceptable!

While I may be exaggerating a bit..those are the only two 'go-to' foods I have up my sleeve. And I'm thinking I'm pretty much screwed from here on out.

taking the camper out for a spin (2nd anniversary trip)

This past spring, our family purchased a new camper. I'm pretty sure the idea stemmed from the fact that Brian and I are going to see Dave Matthews at the Gorge Labor Day weekend, but it is useful for other trips, such as Connor's first trip to the Oregon Coast!

We decided to take this opportunity to stop in Eugene to visit Uncle Andy, Aunt Katherine, and Cousin Rylee. It was so wonderful to see Connor and Rylee play! Connor loves to play "chase" and Rylee was the perfect "chaser."

We spent the night in our camper at the Rice's and then headed down the road to Beverly Beach. Thankfully, Connor slept most of the way and when he woke, I was able to get in the back seat next to him to play.

As typical Oregon Coast weather goes, it was cool (61) and misty. But we bundled up and headed to the beach. Connor had his first experience with seeing the ocean and playing in the sand. We drove to Lincoln City to do some shopping and ate at Mo's.

By far, this was the best "family vacation" we have ever taken. Connor is such a laid back, wonderful little kid. He's able to adapt easily which made traveling more wonderful. We can't wait to get back out there and do some more camping. Here are some photos and a video or two from our trip.