September

 Here we are, already at the end of September! It's hard to believe how quickly this month has gone by. We've settled nicely into the school routine and are very grateful that everyone loves their teachers and that school is off to a wonderful start. 

Last week we had the Jog-a-thon. It was a lovely morning, and I was able to be there for almost all of it. Annaliese ran 3.5 miles, Haleigh ran 3.75 miles, and Lydia ran 2.25 miles! After running one lap with Lydia, she informed me that she knew where she was going and no longer needed my company. I ran almost the whole time with Haleigh, and about 1 mile with Annaliese! Kyle was able to pop over to the track for a little while and see the girls too. 

Lydia's class doing a few pre-run stretches

Owen

I tried to run with Owen, but he sprinted ahead every time I got close!

These three stuck together for the whole time!

Haleigh

Haleigh and Mallory- they actually ran for almost the whole time. They're only walking here so my picture wouldn't be blurry!

Lynden has a corn maze that we've driven by numerous times over the years but have never gone to. Usually, it's one of those things that I think would be fun to do, but by the time I'm ready to start doing fall activities, it's already over. This year some friends from church were planning on going and invited us to come along. Thanks Snyders for inviting us!

That's Elizabeth up there in front of me!

Dead end

Trying to decide where to go next (Rose is hiding behind Annaliese and Aleyah is in the pink sweatshirt- she's another friend from church!)

And here's the random other pictures I've come across on my phone from the past few weeks.

This was hanging up at school went I went for parent night!

Gorgeous flowers at Cedar Springs Retreat Center

Kyle's new book is launching this month- he opened up the box on camera for a Facebook Live event

Lydia's class outside, doing a Bible lesson.

Lydia at Tae-kwan-do

Cleaning the oven!

Malachi and Elias spent the night last weekend. They built this fort so everyone would have a place to sleep!

Paper wasp nest in the backyard- thankfully there weren't any wasps in it!

And that wraps up the month! So many fun activities packed into a short amount of time. Not pictured is any soccer which started this month! Kyle is coaching and I've been helping with subbing the girls in and out of the game so I haven't had the chance to take any pictures yet. 

Seven!

It's hard to believe that Lydia is SEVEN! She seems to have grown up a lot over the summer. I even had a friend from church tell me that same thing! She is full of hugs, has an incredible smile, and loves playing dolls, reading books, and riding her bike. 

Lydia is in Tae-kwan-do and loves her class. She goes twice/week and looks forward to it every week! It's been fun watching her learn how to do it, but they also focus on listening, being respectful, following directions, and other skills that are helpful outside of class!

She is starting to read and is able to sound out most words in Spanish. She's participating in Quizzing at church and has to memorize Bible verses each week. She has risen to the challenge of 1st grade and is doing really well at school. 

Favorite Food: Pizza or Hamburgers

Favorite Activity: Play Dolls and Ride Bike

Favorite Subject: Recess and Math and Art

Favorite Color: The whole rainbow except for gray

Favorite Books: Owl Diaries; The Welliewishers; The Fabled Stables series

A New School Year

 School started the week before Labor Day, with a 3 1/2 day week, followed by a 4 day week, which was a nice way to ease into the school year. 

Lydia is in 1st Grade with Maestra Rizo this year. Both Annaliese and Haleigh had her when they were in 1st grade and she is just the best! Lydia is excited for the year, loves her classmates, and has already done an excellent job participating in class and learning her memory verses. We walk to the bus stop each morning, so here are a few pictures from the first week!

We brought chocolate chip cookies for a birthday treat!

Haleigh is in 4th Grade and has Maestra Liewen. She is a brand new teacher and has all the enthusiasm of someone brand new! She has lots of great ideas, loves the Spanish language, and I think she will be a good fit for Haleigh. 

Annaliese is in 6th Grade and has Mrs. VanZonneveld for her homeroom teacher, Mr. Terpstra for math, Bible, and keyboarding, and Senorita Rawls for language arts. All of her teachers seem like the right fit for Annaliese and I think she is going to learn a lot this year. Mrs. Van has been teaching sixth grade for 38 years and it is so obvious how much she loves teaching. Her passion for her job and for teaching the kids to love God, to be filled with grace, and to understand truth was very evident just in the few short conversations I've had with her. 

Busy working on homework!

We are excited to watch the girls continue to grow, to learn, and to make new friends. I went to Parent Night last week and I always come home reminded of why we pursue Christian education. There is nothing better than knowing that our teachers are praying over our kids and truly want them to be the best students and children of God that they can be.