The Good Life

We are loving the beautiful fall weather! The boys really like Halloween and have decorated the house quite a bit for that so we're feeling very festive.

Matt is teaching seminary every morning from 6:40-7:30. I think he enjoys it but doesn't really say (in typical Matt fashion). I have been following along with the lessons so that I can brush up on the Old Testament, too, and I've really been liking it!
He seems to be having an easier time this second year of teaching. He is still modifying things quite a bit from last year so there is still a LOT of out of school time planning but not quite as much as last year. 
He has also been coaching Brennen's soccer team. They have practices after school twice a week and a few games. I think Matt's glad that this is the last week, though!

I am staying busy taking kids to school, maintaining the house, studying the Old Testament, learning new piano pieces, teaching piano lessons to 9 students, and being a wife and mother! I love taking care of all of these boys. 
I have also started practicing every week with the local hand bell choir and it's a lot of fun! I don't have a permanent spot yet but I get to float around and play different bells each week so it's fun. Matt and I are also singing in a community Christmas cantata and just started rehearsals. 
My much loved hobby of running has been put on hold because my treadmill is broken. I'm actually SO bummed about that!! It's just too hard to find time to run outside when I have the kids at home and Matt is so busy! I try to do other things to work out at home but it's not the same and I keep praying I don't get too fat!!

Brennen is doing well at school and just loves it! He brings books home to read that are harder than what most of the other kids read. He really can read very well, can figure out really almost any word on his own and is starting to get faster and have better flow. Matt has him working on multiplication, just 0,1 and 2 (as well as his usual addition and subtraction). He's really pretty good at it! His handwriting is getting better, too, and he's a great speller. I have him in piano and he picks up on things SO quickly and he seems to enjoy it! He has really liked soccer, too, and is very competitive.

Reading to his little brother

Reading scriptures

Dean is really loving preschool! His teachers love him, they think he is so sweet and cute and smart. At first they thought he couldn't talk or count or anything but that's because he just chose not to! He's breaking out of his shell and they're figuring out that he knows most letters and some of their sounds as well as a whole lot of other academic stuff. I also do preschool with him at home on the 3 days he doesn't go and we have a lot of fun with that. I think he kind of likes it that Brennen is gone during the day because that means he rules the roost. But he loves playing with him when he gets home. He's learning piano, too, and is a master of "Hot Cross Buns" and "Joy to the World." He is also really great at note values and loves clapping and counting.

Fun on a hike

Letter N!

Letter W and fall theme

Seth is almost 1 and is walking! He still prefers to crawl but he'll walk places a lot, especially if we don't try to "make" him. He just experiments on his own and usually cracks up at himself while doing it. We call him our little mountain goat because he climbs everywhere! He has 6 teeth and is just happy and funny. He dances to music and still hates stories and books. He has crazy hair but I'm waiting until he turns 1 to cut it. He LOVES Matt more than anyone else. He says "Dad" all the time and loves to look at Matt's picture. He'll gravitate to him and always lays nice and still on him whenever he lays down. It's adorable.

Climbing out of his favorite spot, the windowsill.

Crazy hair standing on his favorite spot, the end table

Well, that's us! Until next time.