Happy Labor Day

Yesterday was Labor Day - so glad to have the day off from work! 3-day weekends are always welcome, as they don't seem to come often enough.

The weather has been cooling off, but yesterday was one more randomly hot day as it hit 93 instead of the upper 70's that is has been lately. It made for an enjoyable day at the park for the ward picnic (until everyone was simply through with the sun) and for the kids to come home to sprinklers and popcicles. 

For the first time now too, I'm trying to batch out some cutting blocks to sell; I'm making more of the same type I made for Rachel. All that walnut was quite expensive, but with the price point I should be able to make something off of it. Rachel and I are wanting to finally get my feet wet to see how feasible it would be to invest some time and resources into a woodworking side gig. Who knows? We'll find out hopefully writhing the next couple of weeks.

Walter is finally cutting tooth number 5 and 6! He seems to be a late bloomer when it comes to teeth. He was also late crawling, but fast walking, so maybe his teeth will all come in at once!

A Flower Up the Nose

So Declan decided to make our weekend extremely interesting. When cleaning up the toys Thursday evening, he stuck a toy flower up his nose, which he never told us about - we just noticed it when brushing his teeth. 

We tried getting it out ourselves - no luck. Rachel took him to the pediatrician - no luck. We then tried with an otolaryngologist (ENT) - no luck. We had to take him to he hospital. 

After 3 days of appointments, we had an early morning appointment to put him under and they were able to quickly take it out. It would've been just as simple for us, but as a 3-year-old, it's impossible for Declan to hold still. No more Playmobil toys.

He came out a talkative little trooper. Hopefully he's learned his lesson and won't stick anything else up his nose.

Solar Eclipse

Today we got to see a  solar eclipse! They've referred to it as the Great American Eclipse as it spanned across the entirety of the continental US. At 1:18pm, we were in the path of totality in a park next to the temple and we got to see the sun completely blocked by the moon. We saw one bright star (which was presumably a planet) and felt the temperature drop about 10 degrees. As it approached the light all around turned to an other-worldly pinkish hue. Finally it happened. The light dispersed, a star came out, and the brilliance of the sun's corona stretched across the sky. The bluish, pinkish streaks of light eminating from behind the moon was truely astronomical and beautiful. It was as though the heavens came down to let us see them, almost within hand's reach. 

Annalyn was able to watch with her class at school, which she loved. Declan and Walter were with us. Luckily we were able to wait in the car as it was so hot out.

Earlier this week too, on Saturday, Rachel and I got the opportunity to visit the King Tut exhibit at the St Louis Science Center.

We had tried before a few weeks ago with the kids, but that turned out to bedisastrous, as the crowds and the dark was too much for them, Walter in particular.

But going back was well worth it. Everything that was discovered in his tomb had been recreated. I even found out the ancient Egyptians used dovetails in some of their woodwork! Full-sized shrines, all 3 coffins and the death mask, hoards of treasure and  artifacts were amazing to see. The scale of his burial was very surprising to see all at once.

He was even buried with thrones and chariots!

We feel lucky to live where such world-class exhibits come on such a regular basis.

In other news this week, Annalyn has just gotten over a cold, to which she has passed on to both her brothers. We're not looking forward to what we assume will be a night filled with crying, runny noses, and headaches. We will be praying hard tonight.

New School Year

Annalyn started school on Wednesday with her new teacher, Mrs. Bowman. Declan started today. They both have been getting more and more antsy for school to start. Luckily, the time is finally here. Annalyn already likes her teacher and has been acting better at home having school again.

On Monday, they both had appointments with the dentist and it was the usual...Annalyn had 2 cavities and Declan (our little candy lover) didn't have any. Sometimes life just isn't fair. It ended up being about twice the cost too from what we were expecting, so we'll be looking for a new pediatric dentist.

Rachel can now enjoy a little quiet time when the kids are at school and Walter goes down for a nap. We're both hoping that it will relieve some stress that the crazies have been building up all summer.