August ended in a flurry of toddler walking and talking, and September rang in with a fabulous wedding: my brother Jeff and his fiancé Deedee were married in Othello on September 9. I absolutely love when the whole family gets together, and what an occasion for it. The wedding was so lovely and Henry had a great time with his new cousins and Aunt (oh, and Uncle Jeff too). In fact, here’s a picture of the new family.
What a fantastic day… Henry performed his ring bearer duties like a champ, but kept up a steady chant of “Doggie, doggie, doggie” during the ceremony - which prompted Dave to actually take him over to see Uncle Jeff’s doggies (before the vows were even spoken). Henry sure knows how to get what he wants – even during the official joining of two souls. 
I went to Dallas for work that next week and, upon my return, Henry and I headed back over the mountains to go to the Adam’s County Fair and Rodeo. I hadn’t been to my hometown fair in 17 years and several of my friends and I thought it would be a good idea to head on back…turns out, it was a fabulous idea. Lots of fun with a truly sensational group of friends, and Henry got to go see all the fair animals with Grandma and Grandpa Graves. A definite win-win. 
Here's a small pic with Henry and the cows...
And last weekend, we went to a music class that Dave signed us up for. It’s called Kindermusic and the class consists of about 6 to 7, 18-month to three-year olds. I was taken aback by how great Henry was in a group setting (isn’t it weird when parents talk about how great their kids are? But, really, he was great). :) I think it made me realize how much time he spends away from us at daycare, learning to do all these things that make him into a fantastic little person. It was wonderful and odd at the same time. He wasn’t shy at all and, while the other kids were hanging on to their parents during circle time, Henry was dancing in the middle of the circle with bells (we may be in trouble). He knew what to do during blanket time (I didn’t even know – apparently blanket time is code for story time these days) and, by the end of the class, he was sitting in other mother’s laps, giving them kisses. He’s a lover, that one. 
To finish this frenzied month, we’re off to Lake Wenatchee with Matt, Michele and Axel this weekend. It’ll be great to be outdoors for a while and perhaps take a nap or two!
P.S.: Here's Henry and friends at breakfast. They all still really like to eat together...
