Spaghetti Sauce

 

 

We had quite a lot of tomatoes this year.  I have made bruschetta a couple times and yesterday I decided to make spaghetti sauce.  My sister, Wendy, told me to forgo a recipe and just go for it.  That is what I did and I think it tasted great.  My children will say otherwise, but I loved it.  I used tomatoes, zucchini, squash, thyme, rosemary, basil and parsley all from our garden.  How cool is that?!

Central Logic Company Party

 We thought we had missed Greg's office summer party when we went camping but due to weather it had been cancelled and moved to this week.  The kids were excited for the face painting, dunk tank and balloons animals we had had last year.  Luckily Central Logic didn't disappoint.   The younger three got LOTS of balloon animals (that is an alien that they have on their heads), and the girls and I got our face painted.  Nathan was the first of a very few who went into the dunk tank.  It was pretty cold and shady so I am glad that I brought towels.  It was a fun night! Make sure to scroll and see all the cute faces and balloon creations.

Rockets

A couple weeks ago Nathan (my big 6th grader) brought home a paper with at least 100 different rocket types on it.  The directions said that we could buy any of them, make them at home, and then bring them to launch in a week or so.  It was an optional assignment, but since it had to do with rockets we  of course did it.  I handed the whole thing over to Greg.  I have no idea about rockets and engines and all that stuff.  They had fun building it together and getting it all ready for the day of the launch.

Monday morning Callie and I headed over to the school ready to watch rockets.  It was a LONG morning.  Nathan went about 1 hour after we got there.  It was exciting to watch it fly, but it swerved West and headed off school property.  That was a bummer, especially since we had bought two engines and Nathan had been looking forward to catching it. 

Later that day we got a phone call from someone Nathan knew and the kid had found Nate's rocket in his backyard.  I'm so glad we put our name and number on it.  Nathan got it back the next day at school and now looks forward to launching it again. 

A Bike Eulogy

Oh what a wonderful bike this has been for our family.  Nathan got it on his first Christmas in 2002.  I remember Gregory, my Dad and my little brother (who is not so little anymore) putting it together in the garage on Christmas Eve night in California.  I remember riding it around Provo's shady sidewalks and then at our current address for many years.  First Nathan, then Ryan, Annabelle and finally Callie had it for a few years.  And now it is gone.  That front tire has been "flat" for some time now and it was time.  Callie rode it took the park the other day and it was just too slow.  The kids were all pretty sad about it.  I love that there is a little bit more space in the garage.  We are moving to the next phase, all two-wheelers!

 

 

 Annie

 Ryan & Callie

 Nathan (there were lots of him taken before digital cameras were the thing:(

 Ryan & Annie

 Nathan & Ryan

 Ryan

Time Out For Women

A few months ago my sister-on-law Becca threw out the idea of us all meeting in Logan for Time Out For Women.  Since Greg is amazing he was happy to watch the kids and so it was all settled and on the calendar. 

Time Out for Women is just what it sounds like.  A bunch of women, away from children and responsibility, learning about life and about how we can do, think, and believe on a higher plane than where we are now.  Eight of us ended up going together.  My mother-in-law, her friend, and 5 of my sister-in-laws.  Believe it or not there were 3 sister-in-laws that weren't there and hopefully next time more of us can go.  I loved hanging out with these amazing and beautiful women.  Usually when we are together we are surrounded by 14 or more children.  It was nice to talk to them and have real conversations that weren't interrupted.

Friday evening and most of Saturday we sat and listened to speakers and musicians share their testimony about how we need to ask the Lord for help.  We need to ask Him how we can become better.  We need to let Him help us in our lives.  I felt the spirit.  I felt rejuvenated and I didn't want it to end.  They gave us many challenges over the weekend.  One was to write a phrase that would encourage us to believe in ourselves more, especially on hard days.  Here is what I came up with: "I am a good wife, mother and friend.  I am smart, beautiful and I can accomplish anything because I am a child of God."  Another challenge was to discover one thing in which we can go "higher" in and then work on it.  I have been thinking about that a lot.  It was a long drive home and I am still thinking, praying and pondering how I can change for the better.

I have been to TOFW before and I will go again.  I walk away feeling more positive about who I am and what I can become.  Here is a link to the theme song from the weekend:  Amazing!

Sunflower Seeds

 We had quite a few of these sunflower heads.  Greg chopped them all off, you can see some of them in the wheel barrow.  While I was gone this weekend he enlisted the kids in helping de-seed the flowers.  I bought one packet of sunflower seeds and I don't remember there being different color seeds in the packet.  But we definitely got different color seeds from the flowers.  So far there are at least 3 different colors.  The dark one may look black but it is a deep purple.  I haven't tried the final product yet, but I was impressed with Greg for working so hard while I was gone.

 

 

An Awesome Park

 Some of Nathan's soccer games were played by this park.  Every time we would come to his games the kids would ask to play there and every time I would say no.  We either had to go straight over to Ryan's game or homework or something.  But this last week we had nothing and so we headed over.  The kids had a blast.  I loved watching them play and while the kids disappear into the wood structures of this park, I love how happy they were the whole time we were there.

 I had lunch with the kids on Wednesday and Callie was SO happy to play with her "best big sissy".

Callie's First Birthday Party Invitation

 Having lots of older siblings, Callie has been exposed to them going to LOTS of birthday parties.  She has also seen them have LOTS of birthday parties.  The past few months she has been voicing her sadness at not going to any.  And then she got an invitation in the mail.  She was SOO happy!  That is probably not describing her feelings.  She was ecstatic!  She couldn't wait to show her siblings and go to the party.  Unfortunately it was a couple weeks away, but we talked about it probably every day.  The party ended up to be a family party and then me and the girls.  They didn't care.  A lady came and showed the kids a bunch of animals.  The girls loved it.  I was impressed with them petting all of them ( almost all).  The lady did a fabulous job talking to the kids and helping them feel comfortable petting some crazy animals.  Great day!