Daddy does China!

We survived!!! Mitch just made it home from 16...yes, SIXTEEN days in China. It wasn't easy, many times my patience was tested, but he's home. And we couldn't be happier!!! He didn't send many pics from his trip but these are the few that I have. He really only had 2 days off to be a tourist. The rest of his time was spent working and visiting different plants. The Forbidden City and the Great Wall were both fascinating to him. He asked if I was going to be upset if he visited these places without me. I told him he'd be crazy not to.

He brought back lots of gifts. He said everyone there was very big on gift giving. There were boxes of moon cakes, ginger candy, other candy, lots of tea, some interesting artwork. He brought the girls each a statue of a temple and a paper fan. They liked the gifts but the best gift of all was having daddy back home with us!

Hike for the Hive!

Today we participated in the 2nd annual Hike for the Hive! McGaughey Elementary decided last year that they were done selling wrapping paper cookie dough to raise money for the school. They decided to do things differently...and I'm so glad they did. This is such a fun even for the kids. They get sponsors and they run laps at the High School track. We fill the stands, Kids Bop is blaring, the Drum line performs and then the kids get their run on! It's so fun! Bug did great and raised over $150 for the cause! The School set a goal of $10,000 and raised over $13,000. Amazing job, little bees!

#ScharfyStrong

Sometimes, even in the nicest of communities, terrible things happen. September 2nd, a boy in Leah's class suffered an aneurysm and was rushed to the hospital. Jackson Scharf had bleeding on the brain. He underwent surgery, they removed a part of his skull and were able to repair the brain bleed. He was born with a condition called AVM that no one knew about. Our community has rallied. Leah has had many questions that I have tried to answer. We pray for her friend, for his family...we even attended the community prayer vigil.

Thankfully, Jackson has begun to show improvements. He is speaking some, he is responding to his mother and the cues when they ask him to squeeze with a hand or wiggle a foot. Today he has been transferred to Ranken Jordan Rehabilitative Hospital in St. Louis. We pray that he continues to get amazing care while there, and that his family will continue to feel the love of God as well as from our community. This has been an eye opening experience for my young girl. She wants to give, she wants to help...and more importantly its shown her what a community can do when it comes together. Over $10,000 has been raised to help the Scharf family...we are #mtzproud and #scharfystrong

Okaw Valley Apple Orchard

It's the second week of school for this girl, and she's already off on her first field trip! Hattie's preschool class went to Okaw Valley Apple Orchard, down near Sullivan. The day started out rainy, but ended up pretty nice. And we met a new neighbor...Hattie's friend Alec will be moving on to our street in a few weeks, Fun!

We started out in the orchard, and our guide talked about the different kinds of apples. The kids were excited that they got to pick 2 Macintosh and 2 Golden Delicious. Mom's got to pick some too! Then we went over to watch how they sort the apples. We got to see the cider press and she explained how the machine works, and even got to go into the gigantic cooler. We saw the queen bee and all the worker bees and followed it up with Hattie's favorite part...SNACK! We had apple donuts, apple cider and apple cider slushy. Once we had wrapped up snack time, the kids got to enjoy some much needed time on the playground. What a fun morning!

Grandparents Day!

I love that Mt. Zion Schools does a Grandparents Day...and I love even more that we live close enough to have one attend. Cheers to Gigi for making it to Kiersten's school on Thursday night and Leah's school on Friday afternoon.

The girls had a great time showing Gigi around their schools and classrooms. Kiersten thought the photo booth was the best part for sure. And Mrs. Weirman also had them to do a math/counting game with M&M's. Leah's teacher Mrs. Swartz did a question answer session with the visitors. She compared what they paid for a gallon of  milk or a gallon of gas then verses now. Leah also got to interview her Gigi and ask questions about when Gigi was in 3rd grade. A great time was had by all! And now Hattie can't wait to have Grandparents day too!

Hattie starts school!

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, it's time for Hattie to start school! She's attending the Co-op this year. Mostly because my friend Emily is the teacher, and so I know she's having a great time, and in great hands! Also it will be a great chance for us to meet some more Mt. Zion families.

She got up in the  morning ready to go. She wasted no time getting ready and even sat nicely so I could do her hair. That's a first. She was a little disappointed that she doesn't get to ride the bus like her sisters, but playing with our "bus" seemed to cure that. I hope she has a great year and makes great friends!

Back in the swing of things.

Schools been in for two weeks now. Hattie and I are adjusting to our new normal. Sometimes we make it to the pool during the day, but it's only open for another week. She always enjoys a snack or two. And now all three girls are getting busy with their activities. Leah opted out of dance this year. She really wants to swim. I said yes, assuming that she would do lessons for at least a semester before she made the team. Nope...she made the team. And she's over the moon excited!

Kiersten and Hattie are both dancing on Tuesday nights. We also have piano on Tuesdays and on Thursdays, Leah and Kiersten both do tumbling. I'm starting to feel like a chauffeur. But busy is good. And busy, we are indeed!