The Past Month

Come on people let's get blogging back! I really think the reason it's fallen is because everyone is using the convenience of smartphones and so aren't on their computers much and so blogging is an inconvenience. I'm determined to get with it. 

Well in the month since we have been home life has been filled with end of summer beginning of school activities.  To start....farming and the garden. We got back and grain harvest was about half way through.  It was a speedy year for it this year, and they're getting ready to start beet harvest this weekend!  If anyone wants a tractor ride, now is the time.Our garden has been so great this year.  I am officially hooked to having one.  We did 1 zucchini and crook neck squash and got enough to feed 3 families or more with.  We ate corn on the cob for 2 weeks each meal and froze a ton as well. Our carrots, potatoes, and spinach did great also. Broccoli and red beets weren't so great, but what we did get we enjoyed. I have been putting red beets in our smoothies and fed them to my brother in law who is not a fan of veggies and he had no idea and commented how much he liked the smoothie before we told him :-)

I enrolled Thomas and Grace in swim lessons in Burley, and they loved it so much.  It was 1/2 hour 5 times a week for 2 weeks.  I did it during fair and so their class was really small since everyone is busy with fair here.  There were 2 other kids with them and I was very happy with their progress. It was a lot of driving since Burley is 30 minutes there and 30 back, but I got stocked up on grocery trips for a while!






Here is Grace with her swim teacher Natalie.  She and I would always laugh at Grace because she spent more time under water than above and always missed the next thing the class was doing.

Emma was great during swimming. She usually just ate and watched them swim and then slept through errands and on our 1/2 hour drive home.  Isn't she the cutest?


After swim we had the beginning of Kindergarten to look forward to.  Thomas made all these letters in preschool last year and now felt like it was time to put away his preschool stuff and get ready for Kindergarten.  It was sad taking him down and realizing what a big boy he is becoming.  So we got out his school clothes, cleaned up his room and got his shots.

 The weekend before school started we decided to start a little tradition of camping out on the lawn.  The kids had a blast setting up the tent.  We hadn't put it up all summer. One thing about farming is that they hardly take Saturdays off from March to October so when time off does comes we're usually traveling. Nolan loves camping so this will be one way he can go once a year for sure. I liked it because I could make all the food easily and stay warm and inside with Emma at night, and NO PACKING!

They ended up sleeping in this for 3 nights, twice outside, and one night in our house. Silly kiddos.

Then school started.  Thomas is definitely enjoying Kindergarten but adjusting to being around 33 other kids all day long. I know emotionally it's been long, but each day I ask if he wants to go or stay home with me and he chooses to go so we'll keep it up.

Labor Day wasn't going to be too exciting, just another day. Then my sister in-law and neighbor Tayna called us up to go to Steadmans slide with them.  I was a little worried about taking 3 kids who weren't super brave without Nolan but they ended up loving it!  We did it for 3 hours, and they could have gone longer but we needed to be going. It was a lot of fun and something we'll be doing each summer. Thanks for the invite Tayna!

Afterwards we picked raspberries and Jonathan & Alli came over that night to watch Sixth Sense.  They'd never seen it, so it was definitely time!

Emma is 5 months.  She's about 1/2 formula 1/2 breastfeeding these days. She is a stinker about sleeping in the night.  She'll wake up about 11:30, eat and go to sleep then an hour later she'll wake up and be pretty fussy for an hour. Then she likes getting up at 2:30, eating and fussing it til' 5:00.  Then she'll sleep til' 6:30, and be up til' 8 and take a 2 hour nap.  Were you keeping track?  That means from when we go to bed at 10:30 unitl 6:30, we usually I am getting 4 hours of sleep.  It's been a few weeks and I don't have the heart to let her cry. I tried twice and she screamed for an hour. Maybe in a couple more months. I'm feeling pretty reminiscent of Thomas as a baby, however, if I turn on the lights and let her play she is good so that's what we do.  Thomas would fuss no matter what, so I try and sleep next to her play mat on the floor. Last night she did AMAZING, so fingers crossed that's a sign and she's out growing this phase??? If not, pray for me haha!

She is dang cute, and really good in the day. I still wouldn't consider her a "hard" baby by any means.

On the 11th we celebrated Gracie's fourth birthday. She and Thomas have told me for months now what they want their birthday cakes to be and she wanted a butterfly so that's what we did.  Easiest cake yet. A lot of my ideas in years past for cakes and this one come from parenting.com.

She was shocked to wake up and see 2 butterflies. Nolan made the one on the right, we were having a competition and I will accept defeat.  What can I say? The boy is good at whatever he tries.

Happy Birthday Grace. You add so much to our family and are such an entertaining little girl with a great imagination and tender little heart. We love you!

Here she is with her spoils...Dr. Kit, 2 jammies, princess dress, and Dora mermaid from us Emma and Thomas.  Piano from Harper Grandparents, $1 from Great Grandma Harper, and Littlest Pet Shop Blythe Treat Shop from Poppa Blodgett.