September Recap

September was a unique month this year.  We visited Grandpa in Myrtle Beach over Labor Day weekend, and this was an awesome last hurrah to say good-bye to summer!  The kids had just finished their first full week of school, and little did we know that this would be their only 5-day school week until the end of the month.   We enjoyed the long weekend and came back from Myrtle Beach ready to begin our full fall schedule of school and activities.  Leah began taking piano lessons at the end of the summer, and this is an adorable addition to our weekly routine.  (When L&L's piano teacher mentioned that they could perform a duet for the spring recital, I immediately began planning coordinating attire).  With soccer, GoFar running club for both kids, Girl Scouts for Leah, ORES Jumpers for Luke, and Chess Club for everyone, our September looked like it was going to be packed with our favorite things.  Then the news of Hurricane Florence's impending arrival changed several weeks of our month.  

There was a week of build-up and drama as people prepared for the potential impact and devastation that the hurricane may cause to the Carolinas.  We stocked up on bottled water, non-perishable food, and prepared for power outages. We filled up our bathtubs with water and prepared coolers filled with ice.  (Since we have a well, if we lose power, we also don't have running water...).  Grandpa had a mandatory evacuation from Myrtle Beach, and stayed with us until the hurricane passed and he was able to return safely home.  School was dismissed early mid-week, cancelled on Friday, and little did we know, it wouldn't resume until the middle of the next week.  We had previously signed up to have Leah's class guinea pig at our house for the weekend (before the news of the hurricane).  Being a Kiwi Keeper means that Kiwi stays with you until school is back in session, so we ended up picking up Kiwi early and keeping our furry house guest for a week!  

Kiwi came with her own Victoria Secret tote bag, and when Leah's teacher told me that Kiwi's favorite thing is to be wrapped in a blanket and swaddled, I was certain that the joke was on me.  But no, this was for real, and both kids absolutely adored having Kiwi here: 

 Kiwi seemed to recognize Leah, and had a special high-pitched joyful squeak when Peanut held her.  It was very cute, and I wouldn't have said that I'm a rodent person, but Kiwi provided great entertainment for us during the many days of rainy weather.  

Another day, more guinea pig swaddling: 

  

(Of course, now Leah wants a guinea pig for a pet, but I am hopeful that I deterred her by signing up to bring Kiwi home for another weekend in a couple of months...)

The hurricane was extremely slow moving and meant days of dreary weather/being housebound.  We were very fortunate that we didn't lose power (half of our town did, but we were spared), and the road flooding was minimal.  By Saturday, we were stir crazy, and went to SpareTime for a morning of family bowling and arcade games:

We read books, baked cakes, took new Lego sets out from my secret stash, and played in the garage to burn some energy after days of rain.  The kids slept in our room, which is on the first floor and away from any trees that may fall during a storm.  They thought that this was all a wonderful adventure, and I am thankful for their innocence.  After days of being glued to weather reports, Hurricane Florence was over, and we were fine.  Thank you, God! 

The kids finally went back to school on Tuesday, and there was a beautiful rainbow as they waited for the bus that morning.  In fact, many people in our community posted pictures of this rainbow on social media and claimed that it was the biggest and brightest that they had ever seen.  Our Sunday School lesson that week happened to be the story of Noah's ark, and the beautiful rainbow was a poignant reminder of God's promise to us after the storm.

L&L were back to school for exactly one day before they were home again for a scheduled Teacher Work Day on Wednesday.  By this point, we were desperate any activity to get us out of the house, and I remembered that the Guilford County PAGE (Parents and Advocates for Gifted Education) was sponsoring a field trip for members on this day off from school.  The Refuse Road Rally was a behind the scenes, three stop tour where we experienced the path of garbage, yard waste, and recyclables.  As crazy as it may sound, this event was incredible, and we had an amazing time.  

Our first stop was the Guilford County Solid Waste Transfer Station, which is the garbage hub for all of the residential and commercial waste in Greensboro.  We watched garbage trucks arrive at the massive warehouse and tip their loads.  We also learned the process of how that waste is compacted by heavy machinery, weighed, and placed into giant 18-wheelers for transport to the landfill:

Still fascinated by 'struction vehicles!

Our fellow tour participants got a kick out of this sweet, pink little girl, who happily posed for so many picture with garbage:

She was excited to be included in this tour with her big brother!

The kids' comment at the Transfer Station was: "It doesn't smell as bad as we were expecting!"

The second stop on our Road Rally was the White Street landfill, which consists of 184-acres and the highest point in the city of Greensboro.  The landfill was not at all what we pictured, and was actually quite beautiful.  We were able to drive up to the top of the landfill and overlook the city, and all around us was scenic vegetation and mounds of dirt.  The landfill was more like a nature preserve in appearance than a garbage facility, and accepts construction debris and yard waste.  There were workers actively mulching yard waste into fresh mulch and compost material, lots of wildlife, and a peaceful, serene atmosphere.  The only clue that some sections of the landfill hid decades of the city's garbage below the rolling hills were the large methane flares and signage indicating the site's purpose:

The third and final stop of our Refuse Road Rally was the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), where all paper, plastic, metal and glass in Greensboro is recycled.  Over 57 million pounds of recyclable materials were kept out of landfills and able to be repurposed at the MRF last year, and we were able to watch the steps of the sorting and recycling process here.  

This field trip turned out to be a huge highlight of our month, and we are so thankful that we had the opportunity to get this up close look at an important part of our community as a part of our Refuse Road Rally!

By the last week in September, our regular school routine resumed.  The sun came out, soccer games started, and our schedule was once again back to normal:

This is a GREAT season so far for Leah, and we LOVE watching her play!

Go Aqua Dogs!

She amazes us on the field with her fierce determination!

We also had the opportunity to see Dav Pilkey give a special Kids' Keynote in Winston-Salem.  Both kids love this author and have read his Captain Underpants and DogMan series.  The evening was full of games, giveaways, and photos with the characters, and everyone who attended received an autographed copy of Dav Pilkey's newest book.  The kids were starstruck, and this was a great, inspirational, and positive event:

Leah and her friend, Joshua.

Captain Underpants!

Dog Man.

 I'm not sure there will be another month like September.  Lions and tigers and bears have nothing on our hurricane, guinea pig roommate, Refuse Road Rally, and Captain Underpants: Oh My!