Birth month celebration

 September is my birth month!  I make Jason celebrate all month long because I am such a humble and giving wife.  :)

9/3 - we bought some hay from our neighbor.  And hay is good for playing on!

9/5 - since my birthday fell on a Saturday, my amazing husband was able to make me homemade waffles and serve them to me in bed.  The kids ate breakfast with me in my bed which means that we got to put clean sheets on the bed!  Bonus.  Then we went to Springfield where I had a 10:30 race.  It was at least 90 degrees when the race started.  It was brutal.  I promise it's not because I'm now 38.  Most of the race was in direct sun.  I started out strong but after the first mile I was done.  This was probably my slowest 5K race ever, and the only one where I've stopped to walk.  I really thought I might pass out.  So thankful to the gentleman who sprayed me with his power washer, and for the mid-race water stop (which I circled back to after realizing that one tiny cup of water was not going to be sufficient).  I finished strong, but only because my kids were watching :) I asked another racer if this was her hottest 5K ever, and she said "no, I ran in Iraq".  So maybe a cue for me to stop my complaining.

 This is me trying to get my core body temp below 600 degrees.  They made me this amazing sign!  They had bouncy houses at the race, so the kids got to have some fun too.

 I won first place in my age group, and 2nd female overall - but only because it was a really small race.  It's still fun to win a medal on your birthday, even if you do get an embarrassingly slow time!

 Then we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch, and then on to Andy's for dessert!  A great birthday.

 9/6 - Jason's parents met us at Freedom Fest - a local car show and fireworks display that's hosted at the church where their school is located.  They got some amazing balloon people to bring home - thanks Mi Mi!

 9/7 - we took the kids kayaking.  It was really fun - even though we got drenched in the rain for a few minutes!

 9/11 - grandparents day at school!  Thanks for coming Paw Paw!  After lunch, the kids went home with their Paw Paw to spend the weekend.  They had a great time.

 9/12 - while the kids were away, we went to a personality class at our church.  It was interesting!  You can take the free test here:  http://www.motivematters.com/

Then we took advantage of a kid-free night and went to a Greek festival where we got some delicious gyros and got to dress up in togas.

 Thanks again for watching these crazy kids!

 9/19 - my parents came to visit, and my dad assisted Jason in putting in an exhaust fan in our bathroom!  It's amazing the things you get excited about as a homeowner.  While they were working, I took Josiah to a birthday party while my mom took Levi to the zoo.  Then my mom and I took the kids to the City Utilities annual picnic.  Bummed that my hard working City Utilities employee husband didn't get to go!  We went through part of the corn maze, and then a hayride, but the boys loved the mechanical stuffed racing pigs the best.  Probably because they got candy prizes.

My dad reading to my Levi.  So thankful that my kids love to read!

For some reason, the kids have forgotten how to smile for a picture and think they should scowl and/or strike ninja poses.

Also this month - Josiah started cub scouts!  He's only been to a few meetings so far, but he loves it.  They are building a rocket which he thinks is amazing, and he loves reading in his handbook.  Jason has agreed to be the den leader, so I'm sure at some point I'll be able to post a picture of them together in uniform!