September started off with an outdoor lunch with my former co-workers that I hadn't seen in months.
On picture day, Maggie wore this adorable dress Nana made for her, complete with a matching mask.
You can tell that the pictures only capture the upper half!
We found this guy in our backyard one afternoon. At one point he walked into our open garage and we had to lead him out.
I sent Jim this picture of us while he was hiking in CA.
Jim sent me back a picture of him with his hands raised at a waterfall in an absolutely gorgeous place. So, I sent him this picture of me with my hands up swimming in a pile of laundry.
The kids had a half day of school so when they got out we met friends to hike the Lime Kiln Trail at Rockwood Reservation.
We encountered this turtle on the path.
One Saturday morning Maggie came into our bedroom dressed and ready for the day!
Charlie's friends gave him a surprise birthday drive-by parade on his special day. Then we celebrated as a family.
That evening, Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle Paul and Aunt Margaret came over to celebrate on the patio.
Charlie got a cool balloon kit for his birthday. Balloon swords for everyone!
Jim and his band were able to jam outside!
Jim had some time off from work. We grabbed lunch outside after picking up a desk at IKEA.
On another day we rode bikes on the Katy Trail.
We hung out with friends on the patio one night.
One morning Patrick woke up with a sore throat and another kid had a runny nose. We just decided to get everyone tested. We were all negative.
Jim and I went to dinner outside using a gift certificate my parents gave us for Christmas, 9 months prior.
One weekend we went camping in Shawnee National Forest. On Friday night. our friends from Champaign came by and hung out with us at our campfire before driving to Kentucky.
The kids had a lot of fun with this limb they wedged in a tree.
All's fun until someone gets hit in the eye. Needless to say, they didn't play with that limb anymore.
We took the kids hiking at Pounds Hollow.
If it can be climbed, at least one of our kids will climb it.
Snack break!
That afternoon our friends joined us at a nearby campsite.
We went for a hike at Garden of the Gods.
Don't fall, Jack!
We found a fun place to jump.
There were some amazing views!
Jim conquered the rock!
The next morning we hiked the Rim Rocks Trail before going home.
There were several "caves" to explore on the trail.
The kids were very tired on the way home!
My aunt made Maggie this beautiful quilt for her bed!
To celebrate a birthday, my running group ran at Forest Park and enjoyed breakfast on a nearby coffee shop's sidewalk afterward.
Soccer season started. One spectator was allowed per athlete. I got to see Maggie play goalie.
We went to a friends house and the kids played in the yard while Jim and Jeff jammed in the open garage.
We went to a concert! We were in a "pod" with Jim's brother and his wife. Our temperatures were taken before we got out of our car, we wore masks the whole time except when we were in our designated pod. It was fun to see live music again!
Charlie's Cub Scout den had their rank advancement ceremony one night.
