Grinning from ear to ear

Someone just cant help smiling today! His first tooth lost!



I even caught him checking himself out in the mirror!

Buddy you make the awkward stage look good!

Playin'

It only takes Moms back turned for 1 minute for things like this to happen.

Flipping out

Grandpa went to Argentina and brought the boys back Soccer jerseys and they were a big hit!


Mom wanted to take a picture of them and it turned into quite the event as each boy wanted me to take a picture of them jumping for joy!


And flipping out.



Especially this guy :)


A couple of weeks ago we were all excited to find a watermelon growing! We had given up hope but here it is!

Cool Caroline Trick

I learned this trick from my Mama just this year when I was living with her.

I lay most of my jeans out to air dry but I have one pair that is kind of stretchy and so I have to dry it otherwise it gets a little to big. The only problem is that when I dry it in the dryer the bottom cuff always rolls.


My boys cargo shorts do this too and we have a few pockets that like to dry puckered up. My Mom simply put clothespins on them before she put them in the dryer.


The cuff comes out laying perfectly down.


Pretty clever and I love not busting out the iron!

Trouble chapter 4 - Crushin'

Mom: What did you do at recess today?

Caleb: Went down some slides and then I chased girls.

Mom: Really! Who were you chasing?

Caleb: Well you can bet I was chasing ________!!!!

Mom: Ooooh, do you have a crush on her?

Caleb: I just like her Mom, not love her!

Mom: What do you do if you catch them?

Caleb: Put them in jail.

Mom: Did you catch ________?

Caleb: Well I almost did one time....

What a day!

4 jars diced tomatoes &
63 pints of applesauce

The most yummy applesauce in the world!


3 batches dehydrated with 3 more to go.


I was talking to Grandma Henderson last night while cleaning my kitchen and she said its like I have my own little house on the prairie. That's my goal!

68 jars and I went to bed with a spotless kitchen...life doesn't get much better. Okay, the charlie horses in my legs were pretty bad from standing 12 straight hours but a little serenity oil and they were feeling like new in 10 minutes.

I slept goooood last night!

20+ pounds....

I slightly underestimated the amount of apples we would pick. 20 pounds really isn't that much. 118 pounds later...


The orchard in Springdale was AMAZING! It is seriously the cutest little place ever and the apples are so yummy! Apple picking is a lot more fun than peach picking because the kids don't end up itchy and cranky. Bonus the apples were on SALE today! We went with our friends the Dana's and the boys had a blast!







And then gelato was spotted. Who doesn't love gelato at 9:30 in the morning :)






And who doesn't love snails :) They were so intrigued by them.


Love the Dana family!


Now the play is over and its time to bottle, bottle, bottle!
My poor feet....

Satisfaction

36 quarts of peaches
4 pints of peaches
19 jars of pepper jelly
2 quarts diced tomatoes
2 pints diced tomatoes
8 batches of peach fruit leather
3 gallon bags of frozen peaches

All in 2 days and for the steep cost of $5 for the peaches.
(Peppers and tomatoes provided by our garden).

Excuse me please while we go pick 20+ pounds of apples.

Preschool

Davis started preschool on Tuesday and he is SO excited! I am really happy with the little preschool we found!



Hes was an experienced pro and was ready to dive right in!


Maybe more like enough already Mom!

9 years later

Today marks 9 years that John and I have been married.


What a year it has been! It has been one of those years that either makes or breaks you and we have been determined to make it!

When I got back from living in CA we decided to do some marriage counseling not only to deal with the grief we were facing but also because of all the little things that build up over 9 years. We were determined to break negative cycles and clean out our marriage closet so to speak.

It has taken a lot of humility to face our faults and strength to be willing to make changes. It has taken a lot of forgiveness to move past old offenses and patterns.
It has taken courage and sacrifice, but it has been so worth it!

The longer I have been married the more I have realized that marriage is not easy. Its constant hard work and sacrifice. But when both partners are willing to be loving and selfless there is nothing in this world sweeter than having someone who is your safe place to land at the end of the day. Literally, snuggled up next to John with my head nestled in the crook of his shoulder is one of my favorite places to be.

I am so grateful that we took the time this year to give our marriage a tune up. It has not been easy but I can already see how valuable it has been! This morning John gave me the most beautiful analogy about growth and purpose and expressed that while this has been one of the toughest years how we have never been at such a good place together. And its true.


There is strength in humility.

I use to wish that we could recapture the sparks of first kisses and the anticipation of newly dating, but I wouldn't trade that for what we have now. We have found security, peace, and unconditional love in one another and that is its own kind of wonderful thrill.

Thank you John for being the man you are and helping me become the woman I want to be!

Second Grade

Second grade....seems so much older than 1st grade for some reason. It feels that way too. I'm not as nervous or worried. I feel so much more confident about everything, especially Caleb.




He was so excited to start! He loves his independence and was ready to be off doing his own thing again. He is so smart and is going to have a great year, I just know it!

(love Becks in the background :) he hasn't had to ride in the stroller for a long time but I was not going to chase him this morning! He was not happy about it!)

Goodbye summer...

We will miss your hot summer days that bronzed our skin. You were the perfect recipe for grief. We could hide away without routines and expectations. We could be lazy, sleep in, and watch movies in the hot afternoon. We could do whatever we felt like doing! Overall you were just what we needed.

Goodbye summer, until next year!

Washington County Fair

Did we have fun...yes!
Was it a complete rip off...yes!




We anticipated the fair prices by buying 25 cent ice cream sandwiches on the way and preparing the boys for 1 ride only, but still all of those fun things to do and to only pick one was torture for the boys.

Caleb chose the cars.



Davis chose the Ferris Wheel.



Becks chose the train.



Their favorite part of the night was hands down the free bubble tower!






Worth every indulgent penny :)