Hello Fall?

It is now Fall, but of course that does not mean as much in Florida as it does elsewhere.  We are finally experiencing highs below 90 most days.  Today's high was a mere 88.  There is a country song about wanted weather Sunny and 75, I hear that in a totally different way.  I am a bit tired of roasting and exercising outside even at 8 am is painfully hot.

But we have had a super busy September, heat and all.  Nick and I both have birthdays in September.

For Nick's we spent the day kid free in Tampa.  We ate at Season's 52 and did some shopping at Ikea and Whole Foods.

I made him Irish carbomb cupcakes, which has a cake made with guiness, a ganache made with whisky, and icing made with baileys.  They were really good.

 For my birthday, some friends organized a surprise get together.  One made me this huge and delicious cake.  Nick took me to a kid free lunch and we all (Kellings and Swilleys) went to dinner at Bonefish grill.  Nick also made me a mousse cake.  Lots of chocolate in my life, so no complaints here.

This month has been full of playdates.  Zoey went to a soccer one.

This was on the playground portion of the play time.  I used this one for my photo challenge picture for motion.  She is my perpetual motion machine.

Her try at soccer.

She was so proud of climbing this herself.

She is saying "Up high!"

There was a bubble playdate.

And I hosted a couple, including one that was a photography scavenger hunt one.  Sam loved using her camera to find the things on the list.

Sam also took this picture of Zoey.

I took this one.  She loves the bumpy slide.

After Labor Day, Sam has had homework each day.  Here she is on her first day of Kindergarten homework.  Sam is also taking piano.  She is a very busy girl.  She is pretty worn out from school most days.  She wants to add gymnastics, but I do not think that will happen too soon until she adjusts more.

They have a hula hoop at school, so I got Sam a new one since Zoey stomped on her old one and I threw it out. Sam is pretty good.

Zoey is pretty funny.

 Sam is so creative.  I used this for my photo challenge for creativity/creation.  It is supposed to say, "I love you but I might eat you" and "I am fierce."  Such imagination.

She has math quizzes every Friday and has to get 100% to pass to the next level.  The first week her palm or something erased an answer, so it was not visible enough to count.  Since then, she has passed every week and I think has completed Kindergarten math levels, which was addition and subtraction for numbers up to 10.  I let her get a small prize each week, and one week she chose window markers.

She drew the family.

 It is supposed to say, "The Family Together."

And she drew this one.

Zoey is also creative with her stories.  My mom was watching her last week and asked where I put the diapers (she did not see them in the closet) and Zoey said, "On my bottom."  Then another time lately Nick, Zoey and I were riding in the car and Nick made a statement that ended in the word government.  

Zoey: Government?
Me: yes, government.
Zoey: i don't like government.
Nick: we may have a future tea party member. 
Predictably, zoey then piped up with: Tea party?!? I love tea parties.

We have also had some playtime around the house.

Zoey called this her helicopter because Nick had made one out of legos.  

This was from the photo challenge for favorite things.  Zoey loves her race car bed, her lovey, and dolls.  The current favorite is the one in blue who is called Lion Baby.

 And that brings us to this weekend. Yesterday Nick had to get up super early to leave for his conference in San Diego.  Sam went to a cheer clinic.  I had thought some of her friends from school were going and I relented and let her go.  My parents, Zoey, and I picked her up and we grabbed some lunch.

 We then went to free museum day at the Tampa History Center.  It was okay, but not super great for young kids.

They enjoyed dressing up.

And Sam like the pretend horse riding.

Outside was more fun.  Sam made up a game and Papa and Zoey played with her.

There was a beautiful view.

We even saw the sky filled with a rainbow in the car on the way home.  It is hard to tell, but you can kind of see the colors below the flag.

Then today was the birthday party of the daughter of one of the USF polytechnic colleagues.  Since we were heading to Lithia, I took the girls to mass at a church that direction.  Zoey is still not ready for mass :)  But the party was fun.  The girls got to paint.

I hope everyone has a great fall.  Wish me luck getting by until Nick gets back.  So lucky to have my parents close by, otherwise I might go insane.  I do not know how single parents do it :)  I am lucky to have a very supportive partner in this parenting endeavor.