Jellystone- September 27 to 28.

We're always look for fun things to do with our NC friends.

As it turns out, there's a Jellystone Campground almost halfway between us.  We booked our sites for a perfect September weekend in the mountains.  Our site was actually a hike-up spot on a hill in the woods.  Away from the chaos, but it still offered good views of the festivities.

Number one being the kayaks and canoes.  Henry and Grace could have spent the entire weekend out here.

Bea was perfect camping.  She sat in her bumbo and loved everything Georgie did.  She also provided warm hugs on the chilly mornings.

Seriously, Georgie is SO funny!

June and Audrey regaled us with some songwriting.  

These two have a great grip on pop music and their songs involved a lot of "oh yeahs" and "oh baby's."

There was even a dance party on Saturday night! 

The kids were all so much fun on this trip.  We joke that the past 5 years of friendship with the Paytons has been dutiful obligation waiting for the time when our kids weren't all so crazy and could entertain themselves.  We've finally entered that time.  But then we had another baby.  Way to go.

On Sunday morning, Yogi came to visit.

Look at how excited these kids are.  At least Christopher looks pleased.  

That's more like it!

I loved all of it because I fondly remember going to a Jellystone Park as a kid and Yogi stole my Uncle Larry's beer out of the cooler.  (I also remember waiting by the gate of the water slide for the weather to hit 70 degrees so they could open it.  We were tough!)

Georgie finally worked up the nerve to go out on a boat, so Grace took her out.

Then she finished off the rest of the groceries.  What a bunch of ragamuffins.

June showed off some new jungle gym skills.

The weekend was extra fun because John, Christopher and Miss Juliet came along too.  

One last shot of all the kids.

And the whole crew.  We can't wait to go back!

After the Paytons left, we decided to do one last hike to tire the kids out.  I think it worked because most everyone was crying by the time we got back.

And in one more flash back to my youth, the camp store carried push pops.  It was almost like I'd ridden my bike the two miles to the camp store at Harrison Lake!

September 29 to October 5.

June brought this home from school.  "My friend is Andy.  We like to play Pokemon."  How lucky is she that she gets to be in the same class as our neighbor?

4 has really been great for Jo.  Isn't she getting so big?  And by the way, she doesn't sign JoJo anymore.  She used Georgie for a while, but has now moved on to signing everything "Georgiana."

Bea's favorite 4-year-old.

This sweet little girl is also getting woken up.  I swore I'd never do it, but we just have too many places to be.  This poor kid never gets to finish a morning nap on her own anymore.

But she still sometimes falls asleep cuddled with papa.  I miss these days already.

When I realized Bea could reach up and grab the mobile over her bassinet, I reluctantly admitted that maybe it was time to move her into a crib.  Maybe that's why it took her so long to roll over. at 5 and a half months old, there's not a lot of wiggle room in a bassinet.

We have some new grad students that we're hosting through the International Friendship program this year.  And Hui and Shanshan took a liking to the kids.  And Georgie really took a liking to them too!

Daisy Dedication and rolling over!- September 22 to 25.

To start of the new year of Daisies, there was a bridging ceremony to graduate two girls to Brownie status and a dedication ceremony for the rest of the girls to rededicate themselves to the Daisy cause.

Look at these little cuties.

June led the troop in singing "Make New Friends." And didn't ham it up at all.

I might have said it before, but it's worth saying again: Miss Debbie is a saint.  Did you see how hard it is to keep these kids still, let alone attempt to teach them to be good friends and productive citizens?  Bless her.

During the ceremony, Georgie eschewed the citizenship lessons and decided to throw rocks in the creek instead.

Beatrice is really getting close to rolling.  Just lift that head, girl!

Did you know Georgie is so funny?  At least she is to Bea.  She can hardly stand how funny it is to watch Georgie swing.

So funny that she spit up.  Several times.  She was fully clothed when we went outside.  By the end of it, there were several puddles on the ground and we both needed changed.

On a shopping trip to Anderson, Juliet and I stopped in for barbecue at the Smokin' Pig.  And that deserved a picture to brag to everyone not also eating barbecue.

After a softball game, Brandon and our friend Jon came back to our house for a drink.  We dialed up Paloma on Skype and had a double date.  Sometimes, that's just what you have to do to hang out with your friends childless.

And finally, the moment we've all been waiting for!  Bea finally rolled over!  Granted, we were picnicking on a slight downhill grade.  But that slight grade gave her the boost she needed to finally make her first roll.  What to go, Beatrice! 

The gang's all here- September 12 to 21.

With school back in session, we have to make plans to see your favorite neighborhood kids.

One great thing is that one mom will usually step up and provide some kind of supper for the kids, giving the rest of us a break. This week it was our turn.

Bea took center stage.  Luckily everyone loves her.  And loves posing her with ketchup bottles.

And in case the pictures didn't transmit how chaotic feeding these kids can be, maybe this clip of a "quiet" moment will.

Fynn's mom is pregnant and we owe her some major babysitting from all the times she helped out when I was pregnant, so we spent a lot of time with him with month.  Here they are on everyone's favorite feature of the day school.

Henry spent the day at the lake with his friend James.  Now that's my kind of backyard.

Henry's still swimming. This year he moved up to Torpedoes from Pre-Torpedoes. And he's really getting good.  The coaches are great.  Here is his dive.

Bea still isn't rolling over, but she is tolerating tummy time.

So close!

If you can handle it, here's Bea talking to the camera.

And having a deep conversation with her lamby.

June and I took a morning off to go see Junie B. Jones- the Musical at the Brooks Center.  I'm not a big fan of the books, but this little show was adorable.  Especially with my little Junie B. beside me.

Georgie got a special treat of pizza after school.

My four favorite people.  (You better believe that Little Caesar is top of everyone's list in this house.)

We did our best to keep up with Solid Orange Fridays.  Good thing we received some Clemson hand-me-downs.

Fynn came to spend the weekend with us while his parents escaped to Atlanta for the weekend.  I can't remember what they were doing, but I know it warranted a bath in the afternoon.  They didn't seem to mind.

And they kept close watch over Beatrice.

Worried that the house was too full of little kids, Henry and June escaped to Maddie and Katie's to sleep in the tent.

Don't worry, everyone had a device.  That's roughing it.

We're still enjoying our quiet mornings during the week.  Brandon gets up with Henry and June and has everyone out the door for school before the second half of the family rolls out of bed at 8.  We've become quite accustomed to this perk.  

Piano lessons- September 7 to 11.

Papa and his girls.  Not crazy at all.

Georgie is so cute.  I want to eat her all the time.

I picked up Georgie and her friend Fynn for a playdate at the park.

Henry was home from school because he was dealing with his asthma (nonstop coughing).  So he came along to the park with us and got put on baby duty while he read Harry Potter.  This is his second time through the series.  

We don't usually come to the park, but I've decided Georgie is big enough for it now.  The slide is seriously high.  I brought June here once when she was 3 and almost had a heart attack trying to keep track of her with a 1 year old Georgie.  This time, Georgie and Fynn did just fine.

Bea isn't eating solid food, but she did get to suck on some naan at an Indian restaurant in Greenville.

Sweet Bea was almost asleep when I took this picture.  Then I realized my lips were the same color as my pale face.  Maybe I need to start wearing lipstick.  Or at least trying to eat more iron.

Since Bea will never let me put her down, we've had to resort to the hiking backpack.  Our friends gave us their old one and it is nice.  Especially since my back doesn't tolerate toting a baby on my hip all day.

I don't know why we have a picture of Bea sucking on a bag of breastmilk,  But I do know that it almost certainly all got poured down the drain eventually.  Because this girl will not take a bottle.  At all. 

Finally, June has started piano lessons.  Here's the product of the first 3 weeks of practicing.