Canning with Friends

Who would have thought that canning at home could be so much fun? A good friend started canning at home and has now started the trend of renting the canner for an easier and more flexible solution to getting that much needed food storage. We've been collecting food storage for about 4 years now and have a pretty good supply. With a new baby on the horizon I really wanted to stock up once again to get our "little store" prepared for the next long stretch. We rented the canner with our friends the Clarks and had a blast getting it done together. I have to admit that I actually did quite little in this part of the process. I did manage to get all the food, make the boxes, get all the cans and lids and such ahead of time from the cannery with my friend April. Mike set everything up just before Andrew got out of school. During the time I was gone getting Andrew from school and taking him to piano lessons, Mike and Peter had pretty much finished most of our canning. Apparently Peter was quite the little helper. He was the button pusher, can remover, and can organizer. I think he helped more than I would have been able to.



It was definitely fun to have friends to share in the joy of being prepared. Elise was so cute as she helped Tyler pour the food in the cans. April and I were happy to watch and order pizza for our hungry helpers. It was a great experience and I'm sure next time we run low on our storage we will do it this way again!

Nearing the End

anxious . excited . uncomfortable . nervous . contractions . bathroom calls . no room left . anticipation . overjoyed . nesting . cleaning . organizing . last minute projects . love to feel the baby moving . napping . eating without feeling guilty . decorating the room . feeling happy



These are just some of the things I have been feeling as I approach the last month of pregnancy. Overall I have been doing rather well--except for those really bad days. I never know if I am going to wake up feeling great or just plain horrible. My belly is already quite large but I know it will only continue to get bigger as the weeks go on. I am not really sure how she fits in there. It really is amazing if you think about it. The thing that I enjoy the most is feeling her move. Like my other kids in the womb, little Abigail moves around quite a bit. It is the most relieving feeling to know that she is still alive in there. She is sitting quite low so there are definitely some uncomfortability issues. On the flip side, I don't have the nasty heartburn I normally get because of how low she is sitting. It's always interesting when people ask me how much longer I have. When I tell them another month they usually say, "Really?" No...I'm lying...I'm due tomorrow. Yeah I know my belly is big, but hey, I'm a short gal! I've also been told that I look like I am going to pop. Thanks a lot! It's a good thing this isn't my first or I would probably be in tears. So if you are wondering how much farther I have to go...5 weeks to be exact. Everyone I talk to thinks I won't make it that long...but I probably will! So here's to the next 5 weeks...may they be quick and painless!

The Perfect Saturday

So how did we get so lucky to have such great weather for the weekend? I couldn't believe that it was actually warm enough to go outside and play in the sprinklers. The boys found their super soakers in the garage awhile ago and have been asking me quite frequently if they can go outside and play with them. Of course the answer has been no because it has been way too cold to play with water outside. Well, today we pulled out the super soakers and turned on the sprinklers for some "summer" fun. It was so cute to hear Peter say, "Andrew, summer is finally here." Summer may not be here yet, but it sure was nice to get a taste of the warmer weather. We had a lazy, relaxing morning and didn't even make it outside until lunch time. We made lunch and ate outside on our front porch. Peter and Emma were happy to be outside enjoying their sandwiches and lemonade. It took quite a bit of encouraging to get Andrew to come outside. He is beyond afraid of bees...it is more like petrified. We were finally able to convince him to join us outside for some sprinkler fun. Here are some pictures of the kids just having fun. They did convince me to get on my bathing suit...which I did (sorry no pictures). I have to say that it sure felt good to run through the sprinklers...pregnant and all. We stayed outside for a couple of hours just playing and having fun. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday. I can't wait for more of these days as we approach the warmer weather.

Van Lierop's Tulip Garden

We have been meaning to visit this small but quaint little garden for a couple of weeks. With the weather being so cold we waited until today because it was finally warm enough to not wear sweatshirts. I couldn't believe it was in the 60's and sunny! Finally a break from the rain and the cold. We were probably a bit late in the season to see all of the tulips in full bloom, but oh well. As we were walking around the gardens, there was actually a lady out picking off some of the tulips that had come to the end...so sad. There were still a bunch of neat looking tulips left for us to enjoy. There was this really neat gazebo that overlooked a little pond with a tiny waterfall running down to the pond. The kids enjoyed hanging out there for awhile until little miss Emma had reached a breaking point. The poor girl was hungry...so we stopped and ate our sandwiches in the shade overlooking all the wonderful tulips. This is Emma before stopping to eat. She was trying so hard to get me to pick her up. Obviously she was not very happy.

After eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we ventured to the other section of the garden that was a little more interesting and well shaded. The bright sun does not bode well for our sensitive eyed Peter. Peter quickly found some really neat green and white striped tulips and the both of them found these cool purple tulips with what looked like a prickly edge. The edges were not prickly but soft and they called these flowers the tickle flowers. They had loads of fun touching and admiring those flowers.





We had a blast playing I Spy and just enjoying being somewhere beautiful without any time constraints. It is now my mission to find more gardens in our area to explore and enjoy. To see some more fun pictures from our little outing, click HERE.

Oh The Joys

What would life be like without bathtime? Playing in the bath is one of Emma's favorite things to do. She is quick to remind me after our family scripture study that she just has to have a bath. Although she has always liked playing in the water, getting her hair washed was a whole different story. It has taken many months of training to get her to tilt her head back so that the water didn't run into her eyes and in her ears. Now she is a pro and will even duck her head willingly under the faucet just for fun while the tub is filling with water. I just love to see how happy she is while she is playing in the tub. She doesn't even need that much to play with - a running faucet, cups, and tiny boats pretty much keep this girl entertained!