September

September has been a super busy month with navigating new schedules for everyone, but also a fun one watching the kids learn and grow each day.

- Grace discovered that she can now wash real dishes in the big sink (and she's good at it)!

- Matthew surprised me one day in the middle of a church sermon when we were sitting on the front row with a big kiss!  I hope he stays affectionate into his teenage years!

- Matthew likes to say "Bless you" after he sneezes.
 

- When I asked Grace who she was most excited to see on the first day of school, she told me it was Susan, our neighbor across the street who is one of her new Spanish teachers.  I'm sure Susan was thrilled too since this is her first year teaching at the school.
 

- After Jeff got Matthew out of his crib around 6 one morning, he raced into our room to give me hug and while I was cuddling him, he held my chin in his hand and started singing, "Good morning to you!  Good morning to you!" (to the tune of Happy Birthday).  Despite the hour, it was a great way to be awaken.  I later learned that Jeff taught him this song, but luckily he had not memorized the verse that goes "You look like a monkey and you smell like one too!"

- On more than one occasion when I have warned Grace not to do something because it could kill her, she has responded by saying, "So I'll get to see Memaw in heaven!"  It's amazing witnessing a child's faith in God, yet scary when your child isn't afraid of dying.

- Grace has actually become good at translating on occasion for Matthew. "May I be excused?"  (see video)

- When playing at friend's house, the baby girl twin (about 8 months old) started crying because her mommy wasn't in the room.  Matthew tried to console her by patting her on the back and then kissed her forehead.  It was too cute!

- One afternoon when catching up with my sister, Maggie, she informed me that she and her daughter Helen had spent the day pretending to talk like Matthew!  Matthew has a distinct way of talking...by putting the emphasis on the second syllable and drawing words out to way more than the one or two syllables they really are.  Apparently they giggled a lot while playing this game.

- One morning I asked Matthew what he wanted for breakfast and he said, "chocolate!"  (We do keep a stock of chocolate chip bagels in the house.)
 

- While checking out at the grocery store, this old man came up to Grace with a dollar bill and told her to buy some candy, but instead she said she wanted to give it to Daddy "for college".  (Jeff always tells her that he goes to work to pay for her college.)

- Looking at a card with a lizard on front, Grace asked me, "What's the last name of this lizard?" I said, "I don't know."  Grace then responded, "Look it up on the internet!"

- Matthew has earned the new nick name "Mr. Pop-Up" because he likes to grab his foot stool and pop up to look at different things around the house that are normally out of his reach!  Guess we're on to the next level of child-proofing!

- Grace corrected Jeff one day and told him that most daddies crumple the toilet paper (instead of folding it).

- After going on a little Mommy vacation for 3 days, Grace was quite a challenge (very strong willed and engaging in power struggles at every turn) for the following 3 days.  At bed time on the 4th day following my return, Grace finally told me that she missed me when I was on vacation.

- Matthew's favorite phrase these days is "I got it!"  Meaning, "I can do it" or "I did it!"  He's learning quickly from his sister how to become independent.

- Matthew used the potty for the first time (9/25/13) and went #2!!!  This was a BIG change from the prior several days of changing diarrhea diapers after a 24 hour stomach bug the previous weekend!

- Matthew has a few words he says in his own unique way:

moo-kiss = music

sam-ich = sandwich