The Blanch Herd: Photos from Phones - September 2016 Round Up

September really is one of my very favorite months. It's fall, but it's still warm enough to do lots of things outside. And that's precisely what we did. We hiked, we disc golfed, we played at the park, we played at the beach, we played in the snow. We watched the leaves on the mountain change from green to red and then we watched the leaves on our street turn bright yellow and gold. Fall is amazing and I must argue that September is the best month of the best season. (That argument is valid until October hits, of course.)

1 Sept 2016
(I just had to snap this for Auntie Ky to show that
the shirt she bought for Cal now fits Sammers)

3 Sept 2016
(he's getting pretty good at balancing up there)

4 Sept 2016
(my "reading log" for summer, i.e. the books I
finished between Memorial Day and Labor Day,
many of these were read aloud with Cal, which
was fun)

7 Sept 2016
(more biking blanchards on our way to the first
day of music makers)

7 Sept 2016

7 Sept 2016
(I have a hard time picking just one pic to post.
Obviously)

7 Sept 2016
(playing in a box with her pal Quincy. Naturally.)

7 Sept 2016
(they're pretty cute little friends most of the time)

7 Sept 2016
(and of course Min was in on the action)

8 Sept 2016
(I just can't give these naptime snuggles up.
I mean, those pouty lips - can you blame me?)

14 Sept 2016
(the work of a couple of naughty three-year-olds
pictured above)

14 Sept 2016
(swinging and smiling sammy)

14 Sept 2016
(get ready for a bunch of these because, as I said
above, I have a hard time paring them down)

14 Sept 2016
(he really is a joy to have around)

14 Sept 2016
(and doesn't he look so old and grown up in his
jeans?!)

14 Sept 2016

14 Sept 2016
(notice the long hair, pre-haircut)

14 Sept 2016
(his little grin kills me!)

14 Sept 2016
(I can't even)

15 Sept 2016
(fall is hitting the backyard)

16 Sept 2016
(snug as two little bugs)

17 Sept 2016
(driving down Big Cottonwood Canyon was super lovely)

17 Sept 2016
(more Big Cottonwood on our way to SoJo)

17 Sept 2016
(I was lucky enough to tag along with this fine crew to see Beauty
and the Beast at the Hale Center Theatre. And as a bonus, our
friend, Woody, who we knew in our ward in CO, was in the cast
for our show! So fun to see him.)

17 Sept 2016
(lovely clouds on the drive over Trappers Loop coming home)

17 Sept 2016
(she was pretty cheery back there - sometimes
I need the reminder that this picture is for me that
she really is a delightful human even when she
defines the term threenager some days)

17 Sept 2016
(the sky was marvelous this evening in the valley)

17 Sept 2016

18 Sept 2016
(Sunday baking, apple edition: on the left, apple lemon oat muffins
and on the right, apple streusel bars (my second batch in as many
weeks!))

19 Sept 2016
(I really liked this book from this week's library
bag - someday I hope to be like the grandma in this
story)

19 Sept 2016
(this was a fun find, too - I love sciencey women
stories)

19 Sept 2016
(more #blanchardbooklove . . . and some rare
naptime winning, where I had nothing else on my
plate and both kids were sleeping at the same time
so I could sit outside in the lovely September
afternoon and read - bliss!)

19 Sept 2016
(and then this happened - he woke up crying from his nap and then
fell promptly back to sleep when I picked him up. so, I guess
we'll snuggle for a while)

20 Sept 2016
(I really love this view and I really love that
they love to ride together in our "double
stroller")

bonus videos!

she does the big slide! (1)

she does the big slide! (2)

20 Sept 2016

(this was big!)

20 Sept 2016
(those hills are alive and rosy!)

20 Sept 2016
(laundry day in a big way)

20 Sept 2016
(working on her leaf picture after gathering leaves
on our hike/disc golf outing this evening)

20 Sept 2016

20 Sept 2016
(insert crying laughing emoji here - sometimes
her forced smile just cracks me up!)

20 Sept 2016
(she told me she drew "my shoes, and us
jumping in the leaves, and my name" and she's
finally figuring out how to say the "l" sound so she
holds it out and extra bit and I llllove to hear it.)

21 Sept 2016
(wowza cloud day at the park!)

21 Sept 2016

21 Sept 2016
(she can't be stopped! big slides are the bomb now)

21 Sept 2016
(my favorite is when they look at each other and smile or giggle)

21 Sept 2016
(up in the air I go flying again. up in the air and down!)

21 Sept 2016
(helping)

21 Sept 2016
(also note the long back hair that curls under
at the neck)

22 Sept 2016
(we cleaned out the library of all their autumn/
harvest/leaves book to celebrate the first day
of fall)

22 Sept 2016
(bread to go with the soup for dinner)

22 Sept 2016
(and then the power went out because of a tornado in Ogden
- I know! - so we had to get out of our quiet, dark, house for a little
walk around the loop)

22 Sept 2016
(moody sky was extra lovely)

22 Sept 2016
(we watched those low white clouds roll over the divide - so
cool!)

23 Sept 2016
(accidental shot, but quite accurate - he's
always on the move!)

23 Sept 2016
(my favorite cookies:
apple oatmeal chocolatechip cookie bars
(and lately I add raisins and coconut and
walnuts or pecans, too, because yum!)
but this time I made them into regular
cookies because I just got a cookie scoop and it
has changed my life)

23 Sept 2016
(searching through my scrapbooks to show Cal some of my old
Halloween costumes and came across this gem of vintage
Autumn sister love - taken in 1989 in the back of my dad's old
"Blue Moose" truck)

23 Sept 2016
(and while I was in the scrapbook rabbit hole,
I found this one since lots of people think Sam
looks like me and I think this is the closest
resemblance)

24 Sept 2016
("An iPod, a phone, an Internet communicator,
and a chew toy . . . these are not four separate
devices . . . this is one device!" - Sam Jobs