Asher Attack

I realized that some of you have no idea what our little guy is looking like these days.  I figured I'd better snap some shots while he was still freshly bathed and spit-up-free, so here you go...

Yes, he's a thumb sucker.  We give him a pacifier, which he takes.  Until he decides to pull it out and play with it as if it were a baby rattle.  Eventually, he drops it.  At which point he realizes he'd really like something to suck on.  And that thumb is pretty handy.  So in it goes.  We find it completely adorable.  For now.  :)

Tomato Yumminess

Autumn trying to stop the tears while we were peeling & cutting the onions (didn't work, but did make us laugh)

Yes, that's what I'm calling it.  The garden has been thriving this year; I guess SOMEONE liked the cold, wet spring/early summer.  Last night, I tried a new recipe with our garden tomatoes (thanks, Amber; I stole it from you via FB) .  Here's what you do:

Preheat your oven to 375.  Core and quarter your tomatoes (halve the smaller ones).  Spread them over 2 cookie sheets.  Slice a white onion, and lay the slices over your tomato pieces.  Next, take 5-6 garlic cloves.  Mince (or at least cut them fairly well), and place over your vegetables.  Now, you drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar across the cookie sheets. And pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes.  When it's finished, blend it to the consistency you'd like (of course, you could put it in the food processor if you've got one; I don't).  Then I put one cup measurements into ziploc baggies and stuck them in the freezer.  We ate this sauce on whole wheat English muffins, topped with Mozzarella and halved garden cherry tomatoes, and called it pizza.  The sauce was seriously amazing.  You could, of course, use it for anything that calls for tomato sauce.  But I wouldn't dream of wasting it on a soup or anything that would cover up its flavor.

That's all.

County Fair

This was our first year entering things into the county fair.  We weren't sure quite what to expect, but the kids walked away with ribbons and more confidence than they had to begin.

Jonah's 1st & 3rd place photos of our chickens

Autumn's 3rd place crab drawing

...and 3rd place duck family painting

Micah's 1st place bottle cap collection (the nonalcoholic version) & 1st place Lego creation

They all entered chickens, which took ribbons as well.  This was a new experience for us, but we're going 4-H and hope to work on projects throughout the year (as part of our schooling and just for fun).  It's just such a positive environment, and I saw that the kids were all inspired by the recognition they received.  Jonah & Autumn were even invited to an artists' reception (including cookies).  Now, Micah's determined to enter art next year!  :)

Gearing Up

We're back from a relaxing vacation.  We spent 5 lakeside days near Manti, Utah.  I felt calmed, refreshed and strengthened in my soul.  Bringing my parents along was a stroke of genius; we all enjoyed our days spent together.  I hope the memory of holding my baby while talking to my husband and parents, enjoying good food and watching my children play in the lake lasts all year long! 

We were stuffed to the gills on the drive down.  The rooftop carrier was full; you can see our small trunk space was too.  The kids were sitting on top of clean beach towels, resting their feet on toiletry bags and bait boxes.  Stuffed between them were our pillows and blankets.  Gabe looks worried in this picture, but no one murmured a word of complaint.  We were all just happy to finally be going on our summer vacation!!

Lake Palisade at sunrise (it's nice to take a photog along!)  :)

The lake approaching sunset

Proof that I have little pride.  Nana & the rest of us on an easy hike around the lake.

Gabe spent hours playing in the sand and wading in the water.  (Or, "swimming in the baby water," as he said.)  I took this picture moments before he asked me to get him down from the bench.  I told him he could get down by himself.  He reluctantly did, face planting on the rocky sand.  It was not a tall bench, but he definitely taught me a lesson!

Autumn and Ptallan.  We inadvertently scheduled our trip at the same time as our good friends, who recommended the Palisades.  Our kids loved having friends at the lake, and our inflatable kayak was a hit with them all.  A few months back, Clint taught a FHE lesson on conserving energy.  To drive the point home, he told them the money they saved by turning off lights and taking shorter showers would go in a vacation fund.  As we saw our power and gas bills reducing, I tucked the money away and we jointly decided to buy life jackets and this kayak with it.

Stopping by the Manti Temple on our way home

We came home to a full garden, so now I'm spending our last days of summer canning beans, peaches, tomatoes, pickles and jalapenos, freezing corn and gearing up for the new school year.  I know we all say it, but summer is just too short!  (Even when it lasts 3 full months!)