Food Preserving 2012

It was that time of year again - time to can and stock up on fruit and get our food storage taken care of for the winter.  This year I really wanted to work on getting a large amount of applesauce preserved.  We did several batches.  Thankfully we had friends give us LOTS of apples which we were so grateful for.  It ended up being a family affair and everyone helped which made the work go faster.

Here is what my storage room looks like downstairs - peaches, pear sauce, applesauce, jams, butters and relish.  I'm so thankful that we have been blessed with abundance and it will be wonderful to have fresh fruit for the coming year.

Temple Open House

Today we had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Boise, ID to participate in the temple open house there.  The temple was closed for renovations over a year ago so now the church is making it available for tours before it is rededicated.  We were especially looking forward to taking Emma and Samantha through it so they could understand more about the importance and beauty of the temple.  It was wonderful to watch their faces as we went through each room.  It really DOES feel like heaven.  The estimation was that 13,000 people were going to be passing through it today so there wasn't time to talk and ask questions - but the feeling was there and that was what was important.

It was so beautiful inside and except for the six hours of Clara screaming on the drive there and back, we had a lovely day. (Clara just doesn't travel well, no matter what we try.)  We are very grateful for the temple and for the blessings that it brings to our family!

Battle of the Books!

Last week Emma was invited to participate in the Oregon Battle of the Books!  She was very excited to be one of five kids in her class who were asked to participate.  It's a great program to encourage kids to read and learn so we are thrilled for her.  She has already finished her first book and the battles begin in January.  If their school does well enough they could go to the state competition next April.  We are keeping our fingers crossed!  It's one more reason for us to be SO proud of miss Emma!

Tucson Trip!

This past weekend I was able to take a trip down to Tucson, Arizona!  My brother, Todd, and his family live there and my nephew was being baptized.  Todd moved there a couple of years ago and I had yet to see him there.  So..... me, along with my other sisters decided to make the trek.  However, I went by myself and left Mark and the girls at home!  I was a little nervous about this but I figured it would be good to have a few days away from home. :)  I flew with Hollie and her girls out of the Tri-Cities airport.  My niece, Karlie, and I sat by each other and had a wonderful time!

She kept me very busy with lots of activities which I loved!  At one point, Karlie said "We need to spend more time with each other!"  (Love that)

Lillie was having such a happy time on the airplane!  She was so excited to be there and to have an adventure!  She kept everyone around her giggling while she sangs songs for all to hear!

We flew to Phoenix and met Shellie and Tracie.  Shellie brought her baby, Jackson and we all hunkered down at a hotel for the night before heading to Tucson the next morning.  Here is Jackson playing in the hotel room.  What a cutie!

We made it to Tucson on Saturday morning.  Todd had yet to even meet Jackson so they had an introduction and then were inseperable the rest of the weekend!

Todd has a cat and Jackson was fascinated with her!

Luke is a monkey!  He has lots of energy and was literally climbing the walls with excitement at having all the family there!

Aunt Hollie and Aunt Tracie kept the kids occupied with puzzles and games.

Todd and Jackson really developed a special bond that was so precious to see.

Hollie and Karlie having a quiet moment together....

We all went to the Stake Center on Saturday afternoon to watch Luke be baptized!  What a special occasion.  Watching Todd pick up his son after coming out of the water was so touching and at that moment I was so happy to be there to witness it!  Everyone was teasing me that I was taking Mom's place by being the one to shed all the tears. 

Mom and Sissy were very proud!  Katie was so adorable - she told me she couldn't wait to turn eight so she could be baptized, too.

Cute family!

Uncle Todd with his nieces....

All the cousins....

All of us together - sure wish that the rest of the family could have been there, too.

On Sunday after Church we took a drive to the Saguaro State Park.  The desert was gorgeous!  The visitors center had lots of information and we drove to the "Old Tucson" studios.  Since it was Sunday we didn't go in, but we wanted to take a picture to remember that we were still there!

The desert sunset was breathtaking, along with the thousands of Saguaros we saw.  I had no idea that the desert had such beauty.  The sun went down way too fast - we wanted to stay and see so much more.  We were missing Stephanie and Jon with their families, and Mom and Dad.  They were with us in spirit, though. 

We had to leave Monday morning to come home so it was a short visit.  We said our goodbyes to everyone and then Hollie and I and the girls decided to hit "Red Robin" for lunch before our return flight.  It was loads of fun and the little ones had lots of energy.  Man - I love this girl!!!  I love being an aunty!

Mommy and Lills - so sweet!

We really had an amazing time - I wish the visit could have been longer.  It makes me miss my siblings and my nieces and nephews.  We just don't get to see each other enough unfortunately and I can't wait to go back!

Childrens Choir Fall Concert

This school year both Emma and Samantha are part of the Union County Children's Choir.  They have practices every Monday afternoon and on October 11th they had their fall concert.  They were very excited to share the songs they had been practicing!

Emma is on the top row and Samantha is on the bottom row....

Their choir sang two songs that were very fun.  They sang beautifully - little children always sound like angels!  The childrens' choir was joined by several other choirs from the high school and University.  It was a wonderful night and we are proud of our girls for sharing their talents with others!

General Conference

Ahh, General Conference Weekend!  Our family so looks forward to this each April and October!  It's so nice to be at home as as family and listen to the wonderful talks from our Church leaders.  We try to make quite the event out of it in our house - we keep our schedules cleared, we have fun food, and fun activities.  This morning we sat down together and had yummy cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, and fruit for breakfast. 

I always make some sort of conference snack mix for the kids - This is a poem that I found on the internet that I just loved and so I copied it for the girls and made the mix with these suggestions.  It was quite delicious!

I always look for some quiet activities that the girls can work on while still being engaged in what we are seeing on TV.  Yesterday they made an Articles of Faith booklet.  I had each article of faith put into puzzle pieces and they had to figure them out and past the puzzles together.  Then we just used a hole punch and tied up the pages together to make a book.  Now it is something that they can bring to Church with them to help with memorizing.  It would have been better if I was able to laminate the pages - maybe down the road I will do that.

Today Emma and Sam spent their time during both sessions making a Gospel Picture Collage!  I just used old copies of the Ensign that I let them flip through and cut out pictures.  They really enjoyed themselves and were very creative.  Plus, it's something that they can hang up in their bedroom and have a good reminder of important principles.

Most importantly, Clara's nap times just happened to coincide with the times of conference so we didn't have a screaming baby while we tried to listen and it was extra incentive for Emma and Sam to stay quiet. :)  We are already looking forward to our next General Conference!

Game On!

Last month Emma started playing volleyball!  The elementary schools in the area offer volleyball teams for the 4th and 5th graders.  There are three elementary schools in our district so the schools get to play each other and learn the concepts of a team sport.  Volleyball is new to Emma so she is trying hard to learn the game and she does her best.

Three afternoons a week we have games so there is lots of running around after school.  But Emma is enjoying herself and since volleyball is MY favorite sport, I have so much fun watching her.  We have been working at home on developing her skills.  Here she is serving.  She is getting better and better at it each day.

Down and ready!

Working the net!!!

Hopefully she will have a great experience with volleyball and have a desire to continue playing as she gets older!  Way to go Emma!