Perserving the Harvest

This summer we had it easy.. we canned  things Daddy bartered or bought at farmers market. Dan took Xander every week to farmer's market to squeeze and sell Lemonade. Xander made change and took money. There was lots for Xander to learn and he came out of this season with a good deal of experience. Dan would catch his mistakes and they both had a good time on Thurs... well all except the getting up at 5:30 in the morning. :)  Josie wanted to go badly but was allowed to go only twice.  

We canned peaches and tomatoes, froze some apple sauce, sour cherries, and peaches too. We made some meat relish and the applesauce is still yet to come (Lord willing)! In the picture Xander is holding 2 quarts of peaches and Josie and Aliza are peeling tomatoes after I blanched them. If you look closely you can see not only the tomatoes (2 T of lemon juice with them) in the jars ready for the canner but also the coffee filters with the heirloom tomato seeds.. that is a huge experiment this year and I am not sure at all I have done it successfully. But we tried and will see!  Booboo can walk and keep up with his little, walk-behind toy... he is such a big boy and has learned not only to come up the stairs with ease but to turn around and come backwards down the stairs! I am scared to let him come down on the big run of wooden steps but he handles the 6 stairs into the apartment fine now! :) He has already taken his first steps too! What a boy! He stands frequently now and will even pick up a toy on the floor and stand back up without sitting down. Soon nothing will be stopping him.

Josie's First Big Ride ----Briggs, Joliet- New Lenox -Mokena -Frankfort, IL

Well we decided to do it! The bike ride we have hoped to do all summer. The cooler weather was here and the wind was not to bad. Dan brought us in the Box Truck to "Somewhere around Briggs St" in Joliet. This was exciting because we were sitting in the box truck "BOX" on the floor with babies on our laps and the bikes in front of us. We could see the shadows of all the leaves and branches above us on the wooded drive. We were quiet because we could picture Dan having to come along side a police car with his windows rolled down and him hearing various kids talking and laughing knowing that there were no children in the cab of the truck. :) I  nursed Cooper quick and changed a diaper on the short ride and took off maybe around 9am. We peddled hard and mommy ended up with the backpack full of water and the bike cart which seems to get heavier every year. (or is that with the addition of every baby?) Anyway- we made it all the way to Frankfort for ice cream.  I seriously considered calling Grandma Betty to come and get the little ones but I dropped my phone and it needed to be re booted before I could make a call. We arrived back into her yard a little after lunch and if you can see in the pictures I ended up giving the two babies suckers to pacify them. I could smell grape sucker all the way home as I kept reassuring the crankiness I heard behind me: "We are almost home" . We cut through the high school parking lot where we had to unload the bike cart and take it off the bike to get it through the narrow man gate. When I got off the bike I saw where Aliza's sucker ended up... and some of the reason for the crankiness.  It was in Booboos hair! and poor cooper was slipped as far off his seat as he could go but rewarded my efforts with a hug grin.  I pulled the purple, sticky offender out and though I got a hairy sucker back he didn't cry. They were happy to be home. So were we all I but I am glad we went. We hope to go further this year yet. We will see. :)

Kendall County Fair

A good Sunday at the fair. The girls got their face painted, Xander earned a stuffed animal with a dart game and we all opted for skillets (at our favorite pancake restraunt near our old house) and McD's Icecream instead of fair food this year. As our numbers in the family go up so do the  prices on funnel cakes ($5 ea)!

Planning a new place to call Home...

This summer has been full of trying to figure out where exactly in Dwight, Il  we will live. We are watching craigs list for everything from sheep to windows and firewood. Its fun to dream even if the dream is limited with space and funds to raise a new place. I think we have settled on a 30X32 foot flat in the back of a workshop that Dan will be putting up. Its funny but I am excited about the concrete floors and being close as a family as there will not be much room for being unsocial. :) The plan is on paper and I am excited about the next (living a bit simplier) chapter in life with my husband and kids! Dan will get a Permit to start building next week hopefully!

Josie turns 6

Josie can swim in the deep end now without fear. I am amazed how calm she is in the water even when she gets swamped with a wave and she is on her back. Cooper and Aliza are both able to dunk under with mommy without crying. we try to do this about 6 times as we swim. we all go to go to the Dwight pool to wrap up Josie's Birthday party and grandma and grandpa decided to come which was a special treat. here she is with sidekick Becka.
Birthday parties at auntie gingers are always full of little treasures passed on .. Johnnie giving a favorite bug and Becka a favorite pencil and Tori a few buttons from her collection... and its always full of much laughter and noise. :D
The day of her birthday she had cupcakes daddy bought her.

Potty Training/ Inventors Camp/ Grandma's Birthday/ Pool Party

What a busy summer we have had. Xander got to go to a day camp for one week. Inventing things, learning about electricity and trying to save and rescue Sludge City from pollution. It was a lot to bring him there by 9 and pick him up at 3 but we survived. There is a lot of crack showing around here lately! Cooper seems so need a bath every meal and in the sink or pool he goes.  Aliza is running to the potty, and between accidents she tends to streak around.  There is a lot of "little people butt" showing around here. The stainless bowl works in lue of fig leaves though. hee hee.

The potty picture is a wrap around shirt made from Cooper's nursing blanket because she had an accident in McD's... the underwear ended up in the garbage and the soiled dress needed to be substituted for the make due shirt and shorts I carried in my diaper bag. :) she stayed dry all the way home though and went again when we came in the door.

 A little surprise birthday party for Grandma Betty!

Xanders First BWCA adventure

7 day trip... One morning of rain... no bugs... Crooked Lake. Lac la Croix. Moose Camp. Oyster...5 boys... 2 canoe tips(and one wet camera) ... and way more fish than they needed to eat up there! they had lots of fun.