Why I Love September

October has been absolutely stunning this past week in Salt Lake.  Nearly all of the trees in the Avenues are changing colors, lighting up like gold in the autumn light. This morning I went for a long run up through the tree-lined streets of the Harvard-Yale neighborhood, just so I could feel the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet.  To head home, I ran along the backside of the zoo and then caught the Bonneville Shoreline Trail where I ran past This is the Place Heritage Park, the Natural History Museum, and Red Butte Gardens.  Life is good.

As much as I love October, September holds a special place in my heart.  Fall is in the air, yet daylight lingers.  Holiday worries are far off.  Fresh produce reigns instead of hoards of candy.

We didn't manage to plant a garden this year, but the few tomato plants we grew out front produced splendidly.

Plus, the flower bed that Jason planted flourished.  I may have been skeptical when the plants first went in, but these colorful beauties brought so much joy every time I saw them.

September is a splendid month for birthdays.  Jason's friend Sammy turned eight and invited us to his baptism.  Can't find many chapels like this one on 500 East nowadays.

Isn't the stained glass marvelous?

After Sammy's baptism, we headed to Liberty Park for a birthday luncheon and celebration.  I love this picture of Sam surrounded by family and friends who care about him.  (Photo credit for all these party pictures goes to Sam's uncle.)

Eli had a fantastic time playing corn hole.

Jason and I with Sam's dad, Andres.

Here's his mom, Stacee.  I don't know what's going on, but Stacee and I both seem perplexed.

Getting set for the pinata.

Hannah's turn.

Eli takes a whack.

Considering she came directly from her half marathon, I'm impressed that Talia had enough energy to play.

Watching carefully for signs of candy.


Way to keep your eye on the prize, Sammy.  Happy birthday!

Sammy's younger sister Hannah also celebrated her birthday in September with an adorable backyard tea party.

Sure love these gals!

It's not just the young who should celebrate their special days.  Our neighbor Dave Alderman hosted a backyard bash to celebrate his mother's turning eighty eight.

We made some Brazilian brigadeiro for the special occasion.


The kids' favorite part was slipping over to the other neighbor's backyard to play.  Isn't it amazing?

Other fun and random September sights.  We spied a family of ten quail all lined up on top of our fence.

Even more unusual was this pet cockatoo that someone brought to the baseball fields.

It decided to perch right on Talia's head.

A couple photos of Eli actually playing baseball.  His team, the Tigers, is really improving.

Run hard, Eli, run hard!

More random.  A play habitat for our pet caterpillar.


Heavily laden children walking home from school.  (Talia has learned that Annika does better when bribed with chips.)


The unfortunate spot where Jason crashed his new bike.

Yup, definitely a trip hazard.  Fortunately, both bike and rider survived with only minor injuries.

Last but not least, a pirate guarding the church doors.

The pirate costume was hand-delivered via Papa Kay mail when he drove out from Omaha for a visit.

  

It was so fun and helpful to have my Dad around, especially since Jason was in Chicago for most of the time.  This picture is my favorite.

Of course, this one takes a close second.

Papa Kay hopped right into our family's busy schedule and accompanied us a bazillion places, like Talia's post-race potluck.

He even made us all gazpacho for dinner.  How I love tomato season!

Thanks for always being a net giver, Dad.  (Wink, wink.)  Keep smiling!