Canning!

My Mom and Dad came this weekend to get fruit to take home so that my Mom can do some canning so I planned it so that I had ripe fruit when they got here and my Mom could help me can all my fruit. So we spent the whole day Friday canning. This is what my table looked like at the end of the day on Friday.

We ended up doing 46 quarts of peaches and 12 pints of peaches, 12 pints of raspberry jam, 10 pints of blackberry jam, 9 pints of peach jam, and 24 pints of apricot jam. I was very grateful for my Moms help it actually went pretty fast. But now I feel bad because she has to go home and do all of hers by herself. It was a nice weekend having them come visit.

first day of school

Kyle and Hailey started school today. I cant believe it is already that time of year again and I really cant believe that Hailey is old enough to go to school. They were both very excited all morning when we dropped Hailey off I could tell that she got nervous for just a minute when we were leaving but then I peaked in her room on our way out and she was talking to some boy so the nerves didn't last very long. Kyle of course walked right in like a pro. We picked them up today and both of them had a great day they were full of all kinds of stories of all the fun things they get to do. Hailey cant wait to go back and Kyle cant wait for PE tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a great year for both of them.

summer vacation week #10

It was our last week of summer I cant believe that it is over it went by way to fast. we had a nice week we stuck to our usual routine until Thursday when we went to this water park in Moses Lake it was a lot of fun. They had a lot of things for little kids to do the twins loved all the little slides they would go down and then run around climb up and go again. They also had a lazy river which we all loved. Kyle loved the big slides, and he and Hailey and Marc tried this surfing ride and they loved it. I didn't think Hailey would try it but she did and she did great and went several times.

Thursday night Hailey had her Kindergarten night so we went to her school and she got to meet her teacher and some of the kids in her class. She said she already made two friends and her teacher seems nice. she is very excited. Saturday our old neighbors invited us up to their new house to swim in their pool it was great the twins finally tried swimming without their life jackets and just a floaty they figured it out and swam all over the pool with out help. It was a great way to end our summer. We had a wonderful summer it was so fun I cant wait to start planning fun stuff for next summer. I am also excited for school to start and get back to that routine I love watching my kids learn and try all kinds of new things.

summer vacation week #9

We had another good week. Here are some pictures. Monday we made these butterflies they were fun but by the end we had glue everywhere.


On Wednesday we had a huge rainstorm it poured so hard, I don't think that my kids have ever seen it rain that hard they were pretty excited they said it looked like there were waves on the road. Marc and Kyle went out and played in it, they were freezing when they came in so we made hot cocoa.

It warmed up the next day and Kyle and Hailey spent the afternoon making their own water park.

We went miniature golfing on Thursday everyone had fun doing that. Sunday we cut open our watermelon that we grew in our garden this is a picture of them eating it they thought it was the best watermelon.

Summer Vacation Week #8

We had another fun week, but for some reason I didn't take any pictures. Monday Marc was home so we spent the day running errands and doing stuff around the house we also had some friends over that night for ice cream and playing in the backyard. Tuesday we had another successful trip to the library we have definitely read a lot of books this summer. Wednesday we spent the morning at the park until the lawn mower started and we finally convinced Katie that she could come down from the top of the slides and then we came home. I am not sure why she is so scared of lawn mowers but she is. Thursday was Kyles turn to cook something all by himself he made blueberry muffins he did very well and they were extra good because they were blueberries that the kids picked earlier this summer. And and we ended our week with a movie on Friday. Marc was home Saturday so we got up early and took the kids to this park that has path all around it and let the kids ride their bikes I think Kyle went around 8 times and Hailey made it 6 and the twins did 3.

Summer vacation week #7

We spent this past week at my parents house participating in the first year of Grandpa Camp. We got there Tuesday night and were so excited to see everyone. Then Wednesday morning we started off Grandpa camp with special grandpa pancakes. Then he presented each kid with his own Grandpa camp shirt they were really cute the kids loved wearing them.
Nicole refused to be in the picture
Then Grandpa took the older kids to do some projects in his shop. The younger kids stayed in and played with Grandma, they did play dough and blew bubbles outside.

Nicole and Spencer

Nicole and Katie
The older kids made stick horses for the younger kids they had lots of fun and the horses turned out really cute.

Katie

They spent the afternoon down by the beach and playing on the slip and slide. My kids especially loved playing on the slip and slide with Grandpa and getting him all wet. That night was the part everyone was looking forward to, they got to sleep in the cabin with grandpa. The next morning the older kids went boating they took the boat out to Hope island. It sounds like they had tons of fun and they got to see all kinds off fun stuff like dead sharks and giant crabs. The younger kids were feeling kind of bad that they didn't get to go so my Mom ,Rachel and I took them out to the cabin and had a snack and played some games, they thought it was quite the party.

Grandma, Spencer and Nicole

That afternoon we had a big water fight we filled up water balloons and had buckets and the hose we all had a great time, the best part was waiting for Joe to get there and attacking him with the water.

Katie ,Nicole

Kyle

Garret, Hailey, Uncle Daniel, Katie and Grandpa

Nicole
After the water fight we dried off and went over to my Grandparents house were my Grandpa cooked us a dutch oven dinner it was so good. While we were there the kids decided to put on some plays they the three billy goats gruff and then they made one up about hiking. We ended the night and Grandpa camp with a talent show, Garret played the Harmonica, My girls played the piano and Kyle did dome tricks with a ball. It was so much fun, my Dad did a wonderful job I know the kids will be so excited to do it again next year.

Katie, Nicole,Kyle,Garret,Hailey,Spencer

The kids acting out Three Billy Goats Gruff