Zoo!

We took the family to the zoo on Saturday in honor of Eli's birthday. We wanted to go on his birthday, but the weather was too cold and rainy, so we waited for the weekend. We weren't disappointed! The weather was perfect. A little chilly in the morning, but sunny and beautiful while we walked around the zoo. The animals were active and fun to watch.

Eli has been a fan of bears for a long time, but he hasn't ever seen a real one. He tells stories of bears, he sleeps with a bear, he likes to makes sounds like a bear, he even wrestles like a bear! We thought he'd like the experience, so the first exhibit we went to was the grizzly bears! He was mesmerized. We spent more time there than any other part of the zoo, although I'm pretty sure they enjoyed it all.

The polar bear was also really active and fun to watch. The kids loved watching him swim up to the glass right in front of them. He was very playful!

 
Of course we had to take the iconic fountain photo at the zoo....

Calvin was such a sport. He and Zoey enjoyed the playground area. It was a nice break in between exhibits to let them explore and touch things. It runs as a splash pad during the summer, which is a great idea! We haven't been to the zoo since I was pregnant with Zoey. They've made many improvements. It was a great day trip for the family! We finished with lunch under the shade of a tree at "This is the Place" Heritage park.

Eli's Birthday!

Eli had been looking forward to his 3rd birthday since May when Jackson had his camp-themed birthday party. Nearly all conversations afterwords went like this: "For my birthday..."

We had a countdown chain put up when we finally made it to September, and it seemed SO long! Slowly the days went by and the chain was down to only 3 links, then 2, and finally the last day! He woke up as early on his birthday as he did on Christmas morning--6:45! He even asked later that day "Is it Christmas?"

He wanted a dump truck cake with candy. We made an applesauce cake with cinnamon frosting and lined whoppers around the bottom:

Jackson made this turkey hat last year in Kindergarten. I had saved it for him in may fall decorations, so when we pulled out the box this last Saturday to decorate, he was excited to see I still had it for him. Eli also fell in love with it. One night we were putting the kids to bed and couldn't find Jackson. We later found he had locked himself in the yoga room and was making the very same hat for his brother Eli for his birthday. He wrapped it and wrote "I love you Eli, Happy Birthday!" It was a well-loved gift! They've always made the best of brothers!

Mom and Dad gave him a wheelbarrow and Lego's. He was remembered by grandparents and Aunts and Uncles, and even our neighbor Betty. It was the best day he could have asked for! Just like he dreamed of over the last 6 months!

Some favorite things about Eli right now: 1) He's not too old for a nap, and still sleeps like he did when he was 9 months old 2) He is super forgiving- there are "hot" moments between siblings, but he's quick to forgive, say he's sorry and give hugs 3) He shares everything he has! He's very giving 4) He is thoughtful when someone else is sad.
 

The Boys' Trip

In our house, when the boys take a trip, it means mom and Zoey also get a bonding moment! Brian had promised Jackson and Eli a fishing/camping trip all summer. Can you believe summer came and went and it never happened? After several weekends of getting rained out, an evening finally opened up where they could go. Look at the leaves already changing! Yikes!

They had a blast... I could tell by the way they smelled when they walked through the door! After battling them to take showers, they told me of the fish they caught, where they camped, the adventures they had. It was great. I'm glad they have a dad who takes the time to do this kind of thing with them. It's a lot of work for one night- but the boys will have a great memory of it and that's the important thing.

Zoey and I (and Calvin- who is too little to camp yet) went to swiss days! We listened to a band play, had snow cones, shopped (It's Zoey who will ask "Can we just go buy something?"...is she a girl or what?).  We had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant called Don Pedros and Zoey begged for churros. I was amazed at how much she and Calvin could eat! After putting Calvin to bed, we stayed up and watched "Strawberry Shortcake" and had a good time together.

Brian and I both agree that taking time to be one-on-one with our kids is so important. And it's visibly seen how much they appreciate it too. It takes effort with having so many little ones close together to not make them feel just a "part of the crowd" but we hope they each know how much they are loved as an individual part of our family. Each one is so special!

Harvest Time

It's September! I'm excited for it for a couple of reasons. 1) We have 9am church, which is a huge improvement for our kids! 2) Right around the corner is our yearly ritual of stocking up our shelves with canned produce. We've put away corn from the garden in our freezer and are gearing up for applesauce, peaches, pears, grape juice and tomatoes. Canning is a lot of work, but its worth the effort. Our kids love what we make. We've been completely depleted for months now and are feeling the effects. I miss having the ability to go to the basement for a jar of something we need. We'll have hundreds of jars to fill this year!

Last week, I did small batches of fun things: raspberry jam, peach jam, pepper jelly, thick and chunky salsa, apple pie filling, peach pie filling, and raspberry pancake syrup! It's yummy stuff.

I noticed Jackson wasn't eating his sandwiches in his school lunch and he said it's because he doesn't like store bought bread or jam. SO I made a batch of bread and made the jam and he's eating his lunch! And he's right- it's sooo much better! I have yet to make a batch of strawberry jam too, but I'm waiting for the right price. Someday, we'll have to grow our own fruit too!

We really don't need much of the salsa and pepper jelly but it's nice to have on hand. It might even be an every-other-year type of canning, but they are super great recipes! I found a new salsa recipe I really like that's loaded with spices and garlic and is super thick and chunky! All the veggies came from the garden! I love preserving what we grow!

I like using the pie filling for breakfast crisps/cobblers, as a topping on hot cereal, or rolled up like crepes. I'm hoping it will be nice to have on hand for the mornings we are rushed getting out the door for school.

Other recipes I want to try but am not sure if I will have the energy to do it this year is apple butter, pumpkin butter, pickles, and vegetable soup base. We'll see how much zest I have left after the REAL canning is done!