Summer: The Final Month

August seems like it came and went super fast.  It was another busy month, but we were able to squeeze in some fun times before school and everything else started. 

The first weekend in August we made a drive over to Boise to spend Saturday boating with the Barnes clan at Black Canyon Reservoir.  It was so fun to be able to play in the water, go tubbing behind the boat, eat, and enjoy good company!  Jordan brought his jet skis and those added another element of fun, Chase even got the chance to drive one.  Zander and McKay had fun riding the jet ski with uncle Jordan.  Declan wasn't too happy about having to spend most of the day in Baby Jail (ie--the porta crib).  He had fun playing in the water and sitting in the floaty car. 

Dad and mom had to race home after boating in order to be back at church the next morning to do sharing time and conduct sacrament, it was a late night for us.  The older 3 boys got to stay in Boise with Mama and Papa.  They had a fun week doing lots of swimming, visiting cousins and great grandpa Blackhurst, going to stores, working at Papa's garden, etc. 

August was also filled with canning more food (beans and peaches), lots of carp hunting and fishing--Layton caught his very first bass,  the beginning of football practices and jamboree, Declan found the dryer, and LOTS of popcicles were consumed . . .

August also brought the start of school (August 27th).  We now have two kids at West Minico Middle School and two at Paul Elementary.  It is crazy to think that Chase is in 8th grade now.  Trey is in 6th grade and in middle school.  After the first couple days of school Trey came home and said that middle school is "way better than elementary school."  Layton is in 4th grade and our Zander Man is in  morning kindergarten.  Zander was SO excited to start school and to ride the bus.

We finished off the month celebrating dad's 37th birthday.  We had Pizza Hut's meat lover's pizza for dinner along with salad, soda, and fruit.  Then dad opened his presents which were a carp hunting arrow, a gun target, and money.  Then we finished off the night with his cake--Oreo Cheesecake Cake.  It was yummy, but super rich.  It was fun to celebrate the wonderful man in our lives and all that he does for us.  He is the best dad and husband that we could ask for.  We are truly blessed!

 

  We had a great Summer and look forward to what this fall has in store for us!

Summer: Month TWO!!

July was a busy month at our house . . . it seemed like we were running almost the entire month.  We were still able to squeeze some fun in though.  The first week Chase and Trey spent at the Burley pool working on the requirements for the swimming merit badge.  Chase was able to finish it and Trey has one requirement left.   

We had a pretty low-key 4th of July which was great!  We went to the Rupert 4th of July parade that morning, and it was HOT!!  I was really good to make sure that everyone got sunblock on . . . everyone that is except for me.  I put it on my face and arms, but completely forgot my legs and they go fried (enough that I could hardly walk the following day).  The little boys loved seeing all the tractors, fire trucks, police cars, and horses. 

We went to lunch at Burger King and then picked up our fireworks on the way home.  The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and swimming in the pool.  That night we let off our fireworks.  The older three boys were more interested in lighting the fireworks than actually watching them.  It is going to be interesting when we have ALL six boys each wanting to light the fireworks. 

Chase went to Scout Camp at Camp Bradley during the second week. He was able to earn 8 more merit badges as well as do some fishing with his Scout Master. He had a great time!

The third and fourth weeks were full of dentist appointments for cleanings and fillings, doctor appointments, and swimming lessons.  We told Chase that because he had completed the swimming merit badge that he didn't need to take swimming lessons, which he was more than excited about. So he got to stay home and take care of Declan, which was much appreciated because there was no way that Declan would have sat for an hour.   The boys did great in swimming lessons and all passed their classes and will move up to the next class next summer. 

We spent an evening bucking hay bales.  Can I just say how nice it is to have boys that are strong enough to do a good chunk of the work now . . . especially since I was unable to help out this year other than drive.  After the work was all done we finished off the night with homemade chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches and italian sodas.

July was also filled with fun in the pool, canning beets, a bike wreck (Chase), fixing a car, and lots of fishing!  It was a great month!

 

 

"Really good job"

Thanks to Doug and Kathryn for getting us a great deal on some sweet corn, about 11 bakers dozen worth! One problem though....it meant lots of time and work getting it freezer ready. I had put it off for a couple of days, but finally decided that it probably couldn't wait any longer. And since Matt and Chase were going to be out of town and unable to help anyway I decided to tackle the job myself, with Zander's help of course. We went outside and spent a little less than an hour shucking the corn. Zander did one for everyone of my 10, but he was a trooper and stuck it out. He did such a good job getting all of the husks and silk off. He kept saying "I am doing a really good job huh mom?" And he was! The pigs and chickens enjoyed the fruits of our shucking labors. The next 4 hours were spent blanching, cutting, and bagging the corn (by myself, no Zander this time). I was able to get 27 quart bags filled with 4 cups of corn each. It will be so nice to be able to enjoy the yummy corn into the winter months. Oh and thanks Mom for the clever bundt pan trick. It worked great!!!

Canning

It is hard to believe that it is already garden harvesting time! Last year a couple people (thanks mom and Jeanette) told me that they can on propane camp stoves outside. So when I saw one on sale around Christmas I decided to get one for Matt (he had been wanting one anyway); although I had a very selfish motivation as well. This past week when Matt told me that the beans were on I thought it was the perfect opportunity to break open the Christmas gift and give it a try. I am CONVERTED!! It is truly the best way to can. The pots of water heat up so much faster, no more waiting an hour for the cooker to pressure up. And best of all, the house doesn't get HOT! I was able to quickly do 13 pints of beans, 9 pints of pickled beets, and 13 quarts of potatoes before leaving for Boise last weekend. And there will be much more to come!