life lately! SEPTEMBER shenanigans with the GRANDS!
Friday, October 2, 2026
As we welcome a new month,
it’s hard not to fall in love with this time of year!
From the brilliant reds, golden yellows, and fiery oranges
to the crisp mornings, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin-flavored everything,
nature is putting on one spectacular show after another!
October has a way of making even the ordinary feel a little magical,
and we’re here for every colorful, cozy minute of it!
But before we get too carried away with all things autumn,
it’s time to rewind and take a little trip back through September.
From personal adventures and family happenings
to the everyday moments that make life interesting (and occasionally entertaining!), we’re sharing a peek at what’s been keeping we GRANDS busy during the past weeks.
And of course, these two retired kindergarten teachers have an update
on how the first month of school has gone
for our oldest grandchildren — two of our favorite Littles!
So settle in, enjoy a few shenanigans, and join us for
Life Lately with the GRANDS!
September always marks a sweet season of transition…
Check out what we’ve been up to!
September started out with a whole lot of shenanigans!
We were so excited to see our Little D head off to kindergarten!
She looks so grown up, doesn’t she?
The night before school began,
my husband and I snuck over to Little D’s house after she had gone to bed.
We got to work decorating!
We decorated her yard with crayon cut outs, pinwheels,
“First Day of School” signs and
encouraging chalk messages written on the driveway.
The video we got the next morning was so fun to see!
Our shenanigans were a big hit with our newest kindergartner!
Our Little D thought her TEACHER had set it all up for her!
Can you believe it? We can!
After all, kindergarten teachers can do anything!
That night we were invited over for the First Day of School dinner, stories of the day, and a new tradition for LIttle D and Little P…
The bus cake!!
This was a tradition I first started the year our daughter went to kindergarten. I would bake the cake the day before school started (since I had a busy first day of school, as well) and we would eat it for dessert for several nights during the first week of school.
I should note that this tradition continued through my kids’ high school years, but sometime around their junior high phase, they started requesting a Dairy Queen ice cream cake instead….
I gotta admit - that hurt a little!
Getting back to Little D…
We heard through the grapevine that the bus rides were a little rough
during those first few mornings,
but, thankfully, Little D reported that her days at school were THE BEST!
I am so thrilled for my Little D to experience
the Wonderful World of Kindergarten firsthand!
After all, it’s the place where I spent my career!
Soon after, Labor Day was upon us!
Ever since I retired, I have had such a different perspective of this holiday!
When I was working,
the Saturday of Labor Day weekend each year was spent at school,
putting finishing touches on everything.
Then Sunday was spent at the State Fair or laying around doing nothing.
(I mean that literally - I would be exhausted!)
Monday was spent getting ready for the days ahead…
and then we were all off and running!
These days, our Labor Day holiday is a relaxing weekend spent celebrating summer!
This year our family spent Saturday out at my brother’s place
with cousins who were in from out-of-town.
We hung out in the water or on the lake and enjoyed a wonderful
Cajun Low Country Boil - also called a Dump Dinner.
(We could probably devote an entire post to this yummy meal!)
We also had a visit from a dinosaur!
After all, those that know us, know…
we are a dinosaur family!
On Sunday, we drove to a quaint nearby town with friends and family
for an afternoon in the sunshine and good eats and drinks.
The evening ended with a show…
a performance by my daughter-in-law and her band,
Maria and the Coins!
Then, on Monday, to close out the holiday weekend,
my husband and I took our Littles to a new playground,
an activity we love to do with them!
Earlier this month, our church kicked off the fall season
with Bingo Under the Tent.
I didn’t win, but I was so close on 2 cards for Blackout!!
And before I knew it, I was back to teaching
another year of Sunday School!
Some of you may recall that I’ve been teaching Sunday School to
the same group of children since they were in preschool!
This year, “my kids” are third graders and are moving to “real Bibles”.
They have outgrown the picture ones.
I think this might mean more studying for me, too!
This certainly warmed my heart!
September was a BIG month for our youngest Little, too!
After almost three years of waiting and watching on the sidelines,
Little P finally gets to enjoy some of her own activities this fall!
She has started swimming and soccer and has approached each activity
with a huge smile on her face.
I love hearing “Grammy, will you be there to watch me?”
Oh I will!
And of course it’s just been Little P and I on Thursdays this month
as her big sister is now busy in kindergarten.
This year, Little P and I will create our own shenanigans together!
While it’s a bittersweet change for all of us,
it is also really fun getting to know Little P as her own person
and not just as the little sister.
She is funny, joyful, willing to do anything and,
bonus…
She still takes a two hour nap every afternoon!
Wishing you all a delightful fall season!
While our August was rather quiet
- dare we say a welcome respite -
it wasn’t long before we were gearing up for lots of our own
September shenanigans and fun!
The month began with our oldest grandchild, Little L,
heading off to 4K (a year before kindergarten class).
Her class meets four days a week
and she rides the bus to the big school every day!
There she goes!
Little L was one excited four-year-old on her first day of 4K!
While we couldn’t be with this sweet girl on her big day,
we were so grateful to get these photos…
Proof that everything was off to a wonderful start!
It’s been quite the transition and, as you can imagine,
our Little is tired by the time Friday rolls around each week!
Little L was wiped out one day and it was only 7:30 a.m.!
Labor Day weekend at the lake was a bit quieter than normal,
but we still had a full house!
My brother and a few of his buddies spent some time at the lake
making more progress on our shed project!
Hubby and I enjoyed time with our niece and her family
as well as neighbors and friends
as we all bid adieu to another glorious summer on Little Wood Lake!
This guy celebrated a BIG birthday on September 8!
I did what I could to make this milestone feel a bit more special,
and I may have had a few shenanigans planned along the way!
We started our SURPRISE birthday adventure by heading to one of his favorite spots
where he could spend time doing something he loves!
Amnicon Falls State Park in northern Wisconsin!
The day was a beauty as were the sights all around us!
I enjoyed my hike while the photographer did his thing!
Later that afternoon we headed to Canal Park in Duluth, Minnesota,
and enjoyed an afternoon cocktail at Vikre Distillery!
Then we headed to Pier B Resort Hotel.
We've never stayed there before but we'll be back!
A celebratory dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, The Silos!
Please note, Hubby enjoys the "gruff" look at times now that he's retired!
This was a BIG moment, too!
The first time Hubby’s enjoyed pasta in almost 3 years!
He's slowly (and successfully) reintroducing gluten back into his diet!
We got lucky!
We saw two ships arrive in the harbor during our stay!
In fact, we couldn't get over the amazing views…
that night or the following morning, both from our very own deck!
Gorgeous, right?
We said "good-bye" to Duluth
and headed to Jay Cooke, a Minnesota State Park, on our way home.
Another favorite - and photogenic - spot!
Two days later, our Madison crew arrived
to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday!
With a bit more birthday shenanigans up my sleeve,
we held a semi-surprise party for Hubby!
He knew two of his siblings would be coming with their spouses,
but the other family members - his and mine - were a fun surprise!
We always manage to eat well!
And everyone appreciated the birthday cake selections,
especially the Littles!
Our sister-in-law also turns 70 this fall,
so we celebrated her, too, of course!
The best gift by far?
Having our whole family there to celebrate Hubby…
Although Little L was pretty tired after her first full week of 4K!
I was so happy to be able to pull off this whirlwind of fun for Hubby…
All these years of life, love, laughter and memory-making
are certainly worth celebrating!
❤️ Happy 70th to my favorite guy! ❤️
Can you believe all that took place in the first 13 days of September?
PHEW!
The rest of the month was a bit of a blur…
Hubby and I attended a beautiful wedding,
a new season of bible study kicked off,
coffee dates and breakfast dates were had
as well as dinner out with a few friends,
and a delightful week visiting my Littles wrapped up a month of fun!
Oops! I almost forgot!
Hubby and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary in September, too!
Look at those youngins!
With a busy month behind us and another one already on the horizon,
we decided to keep our anniversary celebration simple and low-key this year.
And you know what?
Some years call for a little extra fanfare,
while others are perfectly lovely just as they are!
To us, it’s rarely about how big the celebration is,
but about taking a moment to appreciate the life we’ve built,
the memories we’ve made and
the countless blessings God has given us!
Here's to all the love, laughter, and shenanigans still to come!
Our September review wouldn't be complete
without revisiting the posts we shared during the past month at Our Grand Lives!
We only shared 4 new posts during the past two weeks
since we took our annual break from mid August through mid September,
We returned September 18 with our recap of the last month of summer!
Thanks for the memories, August!
Our next post was one that offered a meaningful message,
one we think all ages can learn from!
It’s amazing how powerful one little word can be!
Last week we shared a post that highlighted some of our favorite apple recipes!
If you are looking for an easy and delicious fall recipe or two,
be sure to check out this post!
And then, finally, we highlighted a popular viral trend with the post,
Check out this post for great tips and sweet stories!
In addition, we’ve continued to share LOTS of content on our social media sites,
with thoughts and ideas that you won’t always read about on our blog!
Here are a few photos from recent posts you’ll only find
If you’d like to learn more - or see what else has been happening at OGL,
please stop by either site - or both!
Even better? We invite you to follow us on one (or both) of our sites!
Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Your visits mean the world to us as do your comments at the end of each post.
We always look forward to reading your thoughts and ideas
and we always find ourselves learning new things from you!
Please feel free to share your comments at the end of this post!
And, finally, one more thing!
If you know someone who might enjoy Our Grand Lives,
we’d love for you to share our little corner of the world with them!
Maybe it’s the teacher in us,
but we’ve always loved connecting with others by
sharing ideas, inspiration, a little laughter
and maybe even a bit of shenanigans, too!
We’re so grateful to have so many of you alongside us
who share our belief in the importance of
And whether you’ve been following us for years or just recently joined in,
we’re so glad you’re part of our GRAND community!
After all, the more, the merrier!
💗 We are delighted to join the following link up parties and blog hops! 💗
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It sounds like you both had a really wonderful month! So glad the grands had a great intro to Kindergarten.