September was a BUSY month for us! On September 4 (my birthday) we were able to bless Kellston. Jeremy gave a beautiful blessing, mentioning my sweet niece several times who he is named after, and the spirit was so strong. During his blessing, there was a point while Jeremy was speaking about my niece and how Kellston would carry her name on in this life, when I was completely consumed by the Spirit. The tears flowed freely from my eyes and I know without a doubt that at that moment the veil was very thin and that Kelsey was with us. It was such a sweet experience, one that I will never forget. I am so grateful for a wonderful, worthy husband who is able to bless our home with the priesthood. It was an even better experience to be able to have my Dad fly out for the weekend and participate in Kellston's blessing as well. We wish all of our family could have been able to make it, but know they were with us in spirit!
While my parents were here for Kellston's blessing, we had an early birthday party for Braylei since they were leaving before her birthday. We enjoyed having a family movie night, opening a few presents, and eating an ice cream cake!
We also went to Callaway Gardens for their Balloon Festival during Labor Day Weekend! It was so much fun and everyone had a great time! It was my parent's first time going there and I think they enjoyed playing at the beach as much as the kids! When we first got there, they had a bunch of hot air balloons set up for you to look at and go up in. The kids all decided they wanted to go up in one, and I of course quickly volunteered to stay on the ground with Kellston:) It was only about a 5 minute "ride" but the kids enjoyed it and it was a great experience for them. After the balloon ride, we went and saw the butterflies and walked around the arboretum. The kids had a wonderful time swinging on the swings and running throughout the maze. We then headed to the beach where the kids got to tie dye a t-shirt with my parents, have a picnic, and play in the water. We ended our trip by driving to President Roosevelt's Little White House in Warm Springs, only to find out it was just about to close. The kids were sad we didn't get to tour it but hopefully we will get to go back sometime.
Brix also started preschool this year, since Meghan is teaching again, and is loving having new friends to play with. She has already learned all her shapes and colors!
Braylei had her first Girl Scout Activity in September, which was a campfire sing-a-long to commemorate the 100 year birthday of the Girl Scout program. She had a great time sining songs and roasting marshmallows, as did Tayscen! Later in the month, Bray also participated in the Cougar Trot at her school during homecoming week, where the girls run around the track and each gets a ribbon and t-shirt. After the cougar trot, Bray got to invite two of her best friends from school, Nancy and Catherine, over for the day to celebrate her birthday. They played, ate pizza, went to Monkey Joe's, watched The Lion King in 3D at the theatre, and then had frozen yogurt for dessert!
Tayscen also started T-Ball in September, which was a huge time commitment, but was a lot of fun! He had practice 3-4 times a week and 2-3 games a week! He was the youngest and smallest on his team, but he had the biggest heart. He could often be seen blowing kisses from the outfield and waving as he ran the bases. He had a great coach and learned a lot. By the end of the season he was able to hit the ball without the tee and developed a pretty good throwing arm. We can't wait for him to start t-ball again this Spring and neither can we.
And last but certainly not least, our other big event this month was celebrating Braylei's sixth birthday! Her request for breakfast was our new found treasure "cake" pancakes, which everyone loves. She ate, got ready, and we sent her off to school. As a special surprise, we picked her up from school and went straight to Atlanta. The kids had no idea where we were going but enjoyed watching Bray's new birthday movie as we traveled "Barbie Charm School". About two hours later we pulled up to the mall, right outside of the American Girl Store! Bray was so excited! She got to have a special dinner with Jeremy in the American Girl Cafe and then wandered the store trying to decided which doll she was going to pick out for her birthday. After a long process she finally decided on Kanani, the doll of the year for 2011. She also chose some accessories and a matching dress for herself and her doll. Afterwards, the kids all played at the indoor playground and had ice cream. 
We ended up staying the weekend in Atlanta because it was military appreciation day at Six Flags Over Georgia. The kids loved staying in a hotel, swimming, and of course going to the theme park. Bray and Taysce really liked going on all the rides and Brix had a great time until she fell out of the stroller and got the biggest goose egg ever. Although it was a LONG weekend, it was a great celebration of Bray's birthday and our wonderful family!
September was a great month for us with lots of activities and time spent as a family! We are so grateful for our wonderful children and the happiness that each of them bring into our lives! 
