Indian Summer

Summer is not over.

It's only getting a little bit less hot and the days a little bit less long...

And maybe the leaves on the trees a little less green.

And pumpkins and candy corn are appearing in the stores.

Labor Day:

We woke up to an enormous thunderstorm, which canceled the family baseball game we had been invited to, but it was kind of cozy so we made pancakes.

By evening, we had no solid plans, and neither did our neighbors, whom we found in our kitchen and scattered throughout the cul-de-sac where all our kids were riding bikes. We decided we should all go outside and put together a little neighborhood BBQ. Travis went out in the backyard and put together a makeshift fire pit while the rest of us raided our kitchens. It was a quiet, relaxing, and still too-hot-for-a-fire evening with s'mores and watermelon. And I don't think the kids ever got off their bikes.

The neighbor boys both play football, so when Travis happened to be outside this afternoon, they were happy to oblige his fatherly need to throw a football around the neighborhood with small people.

More videos of playing outside - including a poor unsuspecting cricket that Nolan was chasing

And of course BYU football season is upon us! The kids were pretty excited. No new handmade shirts so far this season, but they are coming! This will be the first time the kids get to actually ATTEND a BYU football game! (BYU is coming to play Mizzou in November! We're kind of just a little bit excited. Like... bought our tickets in January. With 80 other people. And made my brother change his wedding date to accommodate the game. It's kind of a big deal.)

Troy: "Dad, did you know I'm a fan of BYU?"

Travis: "I did know!"

Troy: "And my cougar is a fan of BYU.

To be a fan, you have to love BYU.

I love BYU."

About halfway through the week, the weather cooled and started to be completely perfect. And just because Labor Day is over doesn't mean we can't keep eating outside! Our neighbors invited the kids and I to grill and eat last night (Travis was at a wedding in St. Louis.) We even broke out the portable fire pit because it got so cold in the later evening. The kids rode bikes all night long, and Kate had attached the bike trailer to her bike, so she was giving rides. This is pretty much the only picture I took, and the highlight of the night. As I was buckling these two in for their ride, they looked at each other with gigantic smiles on their faces and then pressed their foreheads together. HA! They were so excited.

And the Tooth Fairy will be visiting us again tonight! Travis pulled out one of Brooklyn's front teeth! I like to steer clear of those events, but when she brought her tooth to show me, she was so excited! I was like, "Awesome! That's your second tooth!" and she was like, "No... It's my fourth."

Nice. I'm such a good mom. She looked a little crestfallen.

Good luck to the Tooth Fairy tonight, sifting through this little treasure trove of goodies Brooklyn left for her!

I don't know, when I was little, pretty sure I just left the tooth under the pillow. That's all. No pomp and circumstance. But this is their thing!