Wake me up when September Ends...

(If you don't want to read this boring update on our life, please scroll to the end for STUNNING pictures taken by the talented Kayli Bell.)
It is already September. For some reason I started a couple blog posts about August and never finished. Lets just say, I hope we have a fabulously long fall because I feel a little gypped about the end of summer. We had colds, then Will got croup, then I got their cold, which led to nursing issues, which led to lots of pain and lots of crying.  It was the horrible sinus/congestion don't-even-want-to-move-your-head sort of a cold. So, we sat on the couch all day long and watched the Magic School Bus (Ruth calls it skoo-bus). Oh, I also got a tooth pulled during that time-I have to get an implant. Long story, but I agree with my employer when he said that those of us who work in the field should be immune to things like that! Then I thought we were ALL over it, when Ruth decided to randomly have a fever over Labor Day weekend (and then the rain killed our trail ride plans...although the rain was beautiful and we did still have a wonderfully relaxing weekend at my parents) and then they both decided to get teeth. Will was awake on Saturday night from 1am-5am. We were all a little bushed on Sunday, to say the least. Luckily, it broke through today, and hopefully the second one that is making its way isn't as bad?!?! There's always hope. Ruth is also getting teeth, three molars are through and one more hasn't even started. Can I blame their recurrent runny noses on the teeth or do they have colds again? No idea. Anyway, that was the last two weeks of August in a nutshell. So much for hitting up the splash pads one last time!

Luckily, Utah is so good to us, and on Saturday morning Sterling and I took the kids on an early morning hike-just a little trail that I used to run on-but it was just what the doctor ordered. I got out of the house, the mountains smelled incredible after all that rain, the air was cool and to top it all off I got some time with my beautiful little family! Maybe this means we won't get any more sicknesses this winter? Ha. Ha. Ha.

Sterling had his first in-person interview today (he had a phone interview with Western Michigan last Thursday) at the U! For several reasons that would be ideal (although I would love to live out of state for awhile) namely because it would cut our expense in half and then some. In preparation, I cut his hair on Saturday, I cleaned his teeth on Wednesday, and we ironed his suit and cleaned his shoes. I also read interview questions to him, but that proved a little controversial. Haha. We have three more interviews this month, and he starts working 7-on, 7-off tomorrow...welcome to September, where Lindsay truly discovers what singly parenting is all about. Sigh.

In other news, we put a baby gate! Why is this of note? Will is crawling! He does this hilarious shuffle where he barely uses his arms and gets most of his gusto from pushing the ground with one leg. It doesn't sound like much but he can MOVE. He also likes to roll against the baby gate...good thing its there. Ruth likes the gate because it has a swinging door and she thinks that's pretty shnazzy.

On all my nights without a husband I plan on making my very first quilt--I've already bought everything I need and borrowed a sewing machine from my sister and a cutting mat and rotary cutter from my mother-in-law---and finishing a couple of Christmas projects. I am all about finishing Christmas early, and this year Sterling and I thought that would be especially important so that when he actually IS around, we can do a lot of family time and not worry about presents. Focus on the reason for the season, right? We've had a lot of fun with presents so far, and I'm excited to try and do some handmade items because they are always the best, right?

Oh, at the end of August we also purchased a mini-van! I keep waiting to post about it until I post pictures, but I'm kind of lazy and haven't even taken a picture of it yet. Basically, I am way too young to be driving a mini-van, but this van is the bomb. Leather seats, beautifully upkept, and so much space I feel like I'm in heaven. We had to get a second vehicle since Sterling is now working in Salt Lake, and it has been so nice. We had one vehicle our entire marriage (and almost our entire engagement) and it is just a wondrous feeling to be able to go where I need to go without hours of juggling our schedules. 

And now, after all that boring update, I will post some pictures of when my sister Kayli took family pictures for us at the beginning of August. She needs to come back. (Also, I didn't want to cut my hair beforehand because I was worried about if I happened to get a cut a didn't like. But since then I've cut my hair and it is SO MUCH healthier and so much nicer. And so much easier to do. Why don't I ever remember those things when it is time for another cut? Anyway.) Also my sister Kami needs to come back to help me with my quilt. Basically, we need another summer, thanks! But back to the point of this paragraph, my sister Kayli is so incredibly talented and since I have recently received some of these prints for my walls I am SO IN LOVE and I look at them all. the. time. Thank you so much Kayli, it was a really rough day for Ruth, but you still were amazing!

I blew this one up REALLY big and its framed on our wall in our living room. I can't believe I have two kids. And I drive a mini-van. Wowza.

Eventually I'll post the pictures from the last couple weeks from my camera, but these are MUCH better anyway, and I just realized that I'd never posted even some of them before. I thought I had. Silly me. Enjoy!