Forrest and I spent some time at the farm with the family at the annual Labor Day party. This year marked the return of beautiful weather. It was so nice to see everyone, including Kati and Ryan.
While we were relaxing at the party, Joshua was hard at work in Champaign. He and Mark opened a gaming store, franchised with The Gaming Goat. Opening day was September 6, and they haven't rested since. They've been busy! Mark is running daily operations, and Joshua works a couple of nights each week to help with some of their bigger events.
Besides getting the store going, Joshua spent a week in San Diego at the end September attending a conference. He was able to meet a couple of friends out there and had a great time (as well as learned a lot!). While he was gone, Forrest and I "vacationed" with my parents. Mom was here for three days, so I was able to get lots accomplished. My flowers are going to be beautiful in the spring. Forrest and I then spent another four days at Mom and Dad's. Always fun to go visiting.
I had to include the picture above. Rachel and I spent a Saturday morning shopping for treasures at Decatur's junk and antique stores. We both found a couple things and had a lot of fun. Olga's house of stuff was a place we both had been curious about for a long time. And my goodness, there was a lot of stuff!
Of course I can't resist adding a few pictures of Forrest. He's 13 months old now and learning and doing so much! Exciting news for the month was finding shoes to fit his wide feet. He doesn't wear them a lot but does a good job with them. They make him look like such a big boy! He's still loving all things with cords and enjoys being outside. Wrestling with Daddy is also a favorite pastime. We're slowly finding new foods that pass the "poke test" as we like to call it. This little boy is quite picky and often pokes questionable food items. Very funny for those watching.
He is understanding so much of what we say to him and follows many directions. We're still waiting for some new words, trying to be patient. We seem to be stuck at "done" and "help." We've started working on some signs, and he picks them up easily. He signs "more," "up" and "open." So, while we wait for speech, we'll keep working on signs.
Plans for October include enjoying as much good weather as we can and spending a couple days in Peoria while Joshua works at the prompt care. Happy October!
