September Catch-All

We remember September in part as the last month the legos owned the dining room. Believe us, they had a good run. I think it was more than three months. Alas, Ga recognized our dilemma and bought a table for the playroom, and we moved them up. The legos have gone largely untouched since.

We got this new game, the name of which escapes me while I'm typing this up. But the idea is that you stick this lip expander in your mouth, draw cards with tricky phrases on them, and see how long it takes your teammate to guess what your'e saying. To the girls' eternal delight, it involves much slobber.

Clara had acolyte duties for the first time during chapel.

Back to the old pancake face game...

Some time in the tree house....

STS Fall Festival....

Hattie and Daddy take a long skateboard ride up to North Hills and back.

While Clara opts for a scooter ride after our area gets deluged with Bird and Lime scooters.

And then Hattie and Margo getting crazy on the STS playground...

Raccoons!

Shortly after the yard project was complete, the raccoons came. 

We had noticed them before. Last year they did some damage to our grill and some plants on the back deck. In the summer, Paul saw one standing over our neighbors compost bin, brazen in broad daylight twisting open its lid.

But when they started tearing up our backyard night after night, Kate had enough. We called the critter control.

Over the course of two weeks with traps, we nabbed four of the suckers plus a bonus possum.

Yard saved!

Donuts with Daddy

Hattie's note to Paul:

Dear Dad, Thank you for coming today! I'm so glad you could make it. I hope you like he coffee and donuts. From Hattie. P.S. I love you!

Happy Birthday Paul!

41 Glorious Years!

NC Courage Win 2018 NWSL Championship

The NC Courage win it all! They dominated the league this year, going 17-6-1 and then beating the Portland Thorns 2-0 in the finals.

Clara went to the Championship welcome home party with friends Avery and Riley.

Sam Mewis gave Clara one of her practice shirts. And several of them signed the girls' foreheads (at the girls' request).

It's been a magical season for women's soccer in the Raleigh area with much more to come!

Hattie and Dragon Soccer

Hattie has her own NCFC team now....the Dragons! She's been watching on the sidelines for a few years, supporting big sis Clara in her soccer ambitions, but now Hattie is ready to suit up and take to the pitch.

The Dragons are coached by Hattie's friend Margo's dad, Adam, and Kate as the assistant. The team is mostly St. Timothy's School girls with lots of overlap with the Singing Cicada's, too. This group is going to be tight.

Hattie spent the first few games getting a feel for how the ball flows in real competition. She was eager (bouncing up and down in excitement every time the ball came nearby) and a little tentative. But she quickly got the hang of it, keying in on the idea that being a little bit aggressive buys you lots of opportunities in this league.

By the last game of the season, she was getting lots of touches and even scored her first goal.  Here she is celebrating that shot with Coach Adam.

There is lots of excitement going into Spring season!

Singing Cicadas - Hattie's Y Guide Tribe Commences

Hattie's Y Guide tribe started up this month. We're calling ourselves the Singing Cicadas, and Paul is taking tribe chief duties this first year.

First up on the meeting list....putting together our vests and picking names. Hattie is Bouncing Bunny and Paul has been named Awesome Possum.

Spirit v YMCA + Watching NC Courage

The Spirit faced off against the YMCA Challenge Team. It turned into a St. Timothy's School 4th grade face-off.

Later the Spirit girls went to cheer on the NC Courage.