Pumpkins & Apples

We have made a family tradition out of going to Green Bluff. It is an area of farms to the north of us. You can get lots of different things up there. In the past we have picked Pumpkins, Strawberries, and Christmas trees up there. We have gone to the same farm for Pumpkins I think for 3 years in a row. This year we also visited another farm up there to pick Apples. It was a new and exciting experience for the kids. And we are all about new experiences, especially ones as cool as picking a real apple from the tree, taking the apple home, peeling, coring and then making applesauce to eat. Or an Apple pie. But more on that later.

First the pumpkin patch!

Now at the farm we visit they usually have lots of activities like a corn maze, train ride, and big inflatable slide (yeah nothing says "Harvest" like a big huge inflatable slide. LOL). But we went during the week since Tim's work schedule is a bit crazy these days. So none of the regular activities were available. But it turned out just fine since it pushed us to explore another farm and pick apples instead.

So we arrived at the pumpkin patch and selected a wheel barrow to carry our kids...er I mean Pumpkins!

Then we began our hunt for the perfect pumpkins.

Mason mostly just wondered around and played in the dirt.

Jasmyn & Mason tried to make "sandcastles". No moats, but they sure did get DIRTY!

We called Mason "Pig Pen" for awhile there...

Then we propped the Camera up on a bin of Pumpkins and got a family picture.

I love the self timer on my camera!

Then we headed back to pay for our pumpkins and stopped along the way for a photos.

Kaleb is getting so Big!

Next we drove down the road a bit and found an orchard full of Apples. At the main entrance to the apples they had these cute red wagons and a pumpkin patch set up.

So we took this cute picture of the kids.

Then it was off to pick apples. Some of the apples were high up in the tree. With no ladders in sight we decided to improvise. Tim put Jasmyn on his shoulders first. But she like her Mom is afraid of heights. So she wanted DOWN right away, hence the no pictures of her. LOL! But the boys were more daring!

Kaleb

Mason

Once our apples were picked we loaded the apples and the kids up and headed back to pay for them.

Kaleb wanted to walk. Good thing since there was no more room in the wagon.

When we got home I realized I had a big box of apples and no clue on how to put them up. The kids wanted to just eat them, but I feared that they would go bad before we could consume them. So I called my Mom. She recently made applesauce with a group of ladies from her church. She happily agreed to come help me. I foolishly thought we could just peel and core the apples by hand. Mom agreed and started working straight away. She had half a big bowl peeled cored and sliced when I joined her. I peeled about 4 apples and thought.... there has to be a better way! LOL! So after spending some time looking around we found an apple peeler, corer, slicer at the local hardware store. That thing works so slick! And thankfully the kids LOVED doing it. Tim and the kids peeled the rest of the apples. Here is Mason and Tim working diligently!

Applying the apple to the contraption

Peeling, coring and slicing all in one!

If you ever decide to pick apples and want to borrow our peeler, let me know! It works awesome with minimal waste. Mom and I made 1 batch of applesauce and a batch of apple butter. I am nervous that I over spiced the apple butter, but only time will tell. The applesauce is wonderful. I also made a pie! It was the most beautiful pie I have ever created. I went to go get my camera and while I was doing that Mason decided to "taste" the pie. Yeah. Finger holes in my perfect golden brown crust. He did say "yummy mommy", so I did have to forgive him! LOL! But I did not take a picture! *sigh* at least I know it was perfect!

Update on the kids!

Kaleb has been really into Transformers lately. Tim finally talked me into watching the new Transformers Movie and it was to my delight a VERY good movie. So now Kaleb watches the movie all the time. Tim is especially thrilled with this new passion of Kaleb's because Transformers have been around since Tim was a kid. So he gets to relive his childhood through Kaleb. There for a while Tim was coming home with a new Transformer action figure every couple days. I finally had to tell Tim to quit buying himself new toys, because clearly he was enjoying them as much or more than Kaleb was! So my world is now a hodge bodge of transformer parts. Autobot (good guys) and Decepticon (bad guys) pieces and parts for me to find and try not to suck up into the vacuum! Kaleb also has recently become a fan of my Zucinni bread. My recipe isn't anything special, just straight outta the Betty crocker cook book, but Kaleb loves it! I love that he will eat a green veggie, however it is prepared. LOL!

Jasmyn is in Preschool this year. Last year she was in the same class but Future was in their with her. I really thought that she would be the queen of the classroom as a returning student. And for the most part her teacher says she is. But she is sometimes having a difficult time when we drop her off. SO we have been working hard on trying to make her comfortable in the mornings. We read a book called "The Kissing Hand" about a Raccoon that is afraid to go to school. His mother kisses the palm of his hand and he carries the kissing hand with him all day long. When he is feeling sad he presses his kissing hand to his cheek and it is like his Momma is there kissing him and telling him he is loved. So our tradition in the mornings when I drop her off is to give each other a kissing hand. It usually works, although sometimes she still is a bit clingy. It will get better as she gets more confident in her place in her classroom.

Mason is just talking up a storm. When Mason was born Jasmyn was 2, the same age Mason is now. After Mason was born it just seemed like overnight that Jasmyn's vocabulary boomed and she was speaking so much more clearly. I always assumed she did that out of survival since Mason had essentially taken her place. But now that Mason is the same age, his speech is so much better and gets more advanced everyday. I have to admit that it really does ease my mind about Jasmyn when Mason was born. She was just ready to speak, kinda like Mason is now. The coolest thing is now Mason is saying our names. He has always said Momma and Daddy, but it is so cool to hear him say Taybub (Kaleb) and Ja man (Jasmyn)and Utchur (Future) and Davit (David) and Gamma (grandma). I also love to hear Peez (please) Tank ou (thank you) Er Elcome (your Welcome). And when he is upset at you he also has been know to say "awp awuking" (stop talking). LOL! It took him saying "Awp Awuking" a few times before I finally understood what he was saying. I had to laugh, but then realized he was basically telling me to "shut up"! LOL!

Now I have 2 little stories to tell......

Kaleb & I were sitting next to each other at dinner. I held up a piece of zucinni on his fork and tried to feed it to him. "See Kaleb, this zuccinni is just like the stuff I put in the zucinni bread yo love so much." He looked at me and shook his head. "No Mom that is Decepticon Zuccini" LOL!!! He didn't eat it.

Jasmyn and I were on our way to her school. Parking around the school is a nightmare, so I was circling the block trying to find a place to park. Jasmyn asked me if we were going to the school. I said, " Yes Honey, we are just trying to find a parking spot and then I will drop you off. Are you ready for school?" "yes Mom, and I won't even cry or Nuthin' " I say " Oh good Jasmyn. You will have a good day and you will be with your teachers. They are very nice teachers, right?" Jasmyn says, " Yes Mom they are very nice teachers, and they WON'T even KILL me" LOL! Yes Jasmyn they won't even kill you!

Kids say the darnedest things!

Visit with Future

A few weeks ago David invited our family to join him at his visit with Future. We met with Jessica and Dave at a park in CDA to see Future. Future's Siblings Clarity and Raife were also there. It was good to spend time with Future as a family. Jessica is doing very well. She recently graduated from a rehab center. We all have high hopes that she will be successful in her sobriety. It was awesome to see Future hanging out with my kids and his parents his grandma and us. It was very cool to be part of such a healthy interaction between all of us.

Future and Grandma

Future & Jasmyn on the tire swing

Kaleb Future and Jasmyn

Dave & Future get the nerf guns out

Dave helping Mason with the nerf gun

Tim & Mason shooting me with the Nerf gun

Future & Dave

Jessica & Future

Jessica with Raife, Future and Clarity
Before we left, Grandma wanted to show the kids the bear statue in the park.

I look forward to the next visit we have with Future, Dave, Jess and the rest of the family!

First Day of School!

It is Fall again. And with Fall comes the start of school. This year Kaleb is in the AM session of Kindergarten. He loves his school and his teacher. He enjoys being independent and figuring things out on his own. This school is much more strict about parents being in the classroom. Kaleb has essentially found his own way in the school and classroom. I am very proud of him!

Here is Kaleb on the first day of school! He is wearing his "kindergarten smile"!

Jasmyn is in ECEAP. ECEAP is what "HeadStart" was for me when I was her age. Early Childhood Education and Assessment Program. It is run by the school district. Kaleb and Future were in this program last year. Jasmyn is a bit slower in transition to be in the school alone. Last year she went to preschool from Feb to June, but Future was in her class. This year she is alone. Well I say alone, but really there are about 4 or 5 returning preschoolers from her class last year in her class this year. So really she isn't "alone", but she is alone in that no one from her family attends with her. Her teachers are the same as well. We feel very blessed to have her back in Ms Casey's class with Ms. Melissa and Ms Carole. These ladies are just wonderful and really love Jasmyn! We are thrilled that Jasmyn is back in the same program.

Here is Jasmyn on her 1st day of school! She looks so big!

And of course we had to get a group shot so Mason wouldn't feel left out! He is still a few years away from preschool!

On the first day of school Kaleb's class made these puzzles! They are so cute!
And they came home with this poem attached! Such a cute idea!
Here is Jasmyn playing at school in the doll house with Ms. Casey
Kaleb and his teacher Mrs. Sine

This year is going to be about me letting go I think! LOL! Last year in the ECEAP program that Kaleb, Future and Jasmyn were in, parental involvement is a crucial part of the program. They level of my involvement will continue with Jasmyn in her ECEAP program. Kaleb on the other hand will not get the benefit of my involvement in his daily schooling. His school principal told the parents at orientation that for the first 6 weeks of school we are not allowed to volunteer in the class or school. They feel that we parents will disrupt the progress of the children learning to follow rules, procedures and also learning to see the teachers and principals as authority figures. Well they didn't actually come out and say those exact words, but the message was the same! LOL! Not only that but we have to pick up our kindergartners out side of the school. So no chatting with the teacher or seeing the classroom. We pick up and drop off in a valet line outside. The first day of school I tried to go inside to pick him up and the principal would not let me past the double doors! LOL! I kinda feel sad because I really got to know the preschool teachers last year just from pick up and drop off. It is amazing that the 5 minutes a day of small talk can really ease your mind about leaving your kids with them. I really believe that the kindergarten rules are more for getting the parents to let go of the reins or "cut the cord" so to speak than it is for the kids! LOL! Or at least that is the case for this Mom!

Kaleb, Jasmyn & Mason have never been left with any other adult that wasn't a parent, grandma or close friend for any amount of time. I mean we have babysitters like Katie, Roselyn, Katie and Shay, but they watch the kids for a few hours at a time a few times a week. Kaleb has never been away from me for any length of time ever in his little life. Neither have Jasmyn or Mason. So it was as difficult for ME to leave them the first day of school as it was for them. So being able to volunteer in the classroom last year eased my mind as much as theirs.

This year with Kaleb in Kindergarten will be lesson in letting go. I am not sure I like it so far. But he seems to be thriving in it and adjusting quite well. I am happy for him and proud of him. But at the same time.... a bit sad for me! My babies are growing up!

Rainbow & Sara's 33rd b-day

On August 21st I was at my Mom's in Post Falls. It was rainy and cold, but after the rain passed we got to see the most beautiful rainbow. We could see both ends of the rainbow but it was so massive I couldn't get the whole thing in the picture on my camera. When I saw the rainbow I immediately thought of my best friend Sara. She has a special connection to rainbows. So I took a few pictures of the rainbow just in case Sara did not get a chance to view it herself.



The next day was my friend Sara's birthday. She was coming over to my house to spend the day with us. I wanted to bake and decorate a cake for her but I had no ideas or creative thoughts. Well, that is until I saw the rainbow pictures on my camera! So I decided to make Sara a Rainbow Cake for her 33rd birthday!

I need to work on my writing with icing skills! LOL!

My kids, Her kids and I sang Happy birthday to her.

Sara Blows out her candles!

Sara and her kids.

L to R: Sierra, Keagan, Sara and Rowan

Here is a group shot. Thank Goodness for my self timer on the camera!

L to R: Sierra, Jasmyn, Kaleb, Keagan, Sara, Rowan, Mason, & Jen

Happy Birthday Sara! We really enjoyed spending your day with you! We love you and wish you many happy birthdays for years and years to come!!!!

At the Pool!

My Mom has a pool at her Apartment complex. It is an outside pool so it is only open from May through September. The kids just love it. We try to go a few days a week. It is my form of exercise at least while the weather is warm.

The boys in the floaty tubes.

The kids have learned how to jump from the side of the pool into our arms.

Here are a few action shots. Kaleb & I in the front and Mason & Katie in the back.
And a shot of Jasmyn Jumping.
The 4 of us! Tim was taking the picture!
Jasmyn & I.

What a great way to spend the summer. Swimming and playing in the water with my kids!