How Does Your Garden Grow?

Our First Garden!

I was ready to call it a huge success - that was before our intense lightning and hailstorm early this morning. Thankfully we snapped this pic last night...before the decimation! The storm ruined my east flowerbed, (which I was mostly growing as a "test kitchen" anyway to see what I like and what grows well in my soil.) And sadly, it destroyed our garden. We won't have any grape tomatoes and I'll be really surprised if we turn out any regular tomatoes. (Thanks Kathi for sharing yours this year - I LOVE garden tomatoes!) We picked our corn too late anyway, so I wasn't too worried about those guys, we did end up with enough for one dinner. But the carrots, oh the carrots, we harvested those tonight for FHE...the kids had so much fun and they were our one success...a HUGE-ORANGE success, check it out:

Mosey, right before she ate some dirt ... Babies!
Always eating things they're not supposed to!
Drives me crazzzzy!

In this picture she's chewing on a corn husk...see what I mean?

Our huge, ORANGE success!

Just look at that pile of carrots! I'm proud of you guys. You and Dad planted an awesome garden and Mom faithfully watered every day.

Aaron is holding the winner for fattest carrot, Bekah is holding the weirdest shape - we decided hers looked a lot like a nice pair of legs, and Emma is holding the winner for the longest carrot!

I found this poem in my book, The LDS Mother's Almanac

by Janene W. Baadsgaard (but I don't know if she wrote the poem).

I found it rather fitting for this post.

Gardens

I'm thinking of planting a garden.

I don't know what size or what shape.

I've never planted a garden before,

I don't know what depth or what space.

Have you seen the seeds of a carrot,

Like flecks of dust in my hand?

Can this tiny, crying baby

Really someday become a man?

I'm thinking of planting a garden.

I don't know the best time to sow.

Who will be the water and sunshine

So my tiny seedlings will grow?

Have you seen the size of a woman

Like flecks of love in his hand?

Can you see the circle of families

As numerous as grains of sand?

I'm thinking of planting a garden

With stars, moon, and sun in my hand.

I will harvest the sons and daughters

Of the master gardener of man.

The Tree House Museum

Another highlight of our time with cousins was visiting the Treehouse Museum in Ogden.
This place is incredible! The kids really enjoyed it because there was so much to do!
Besides these cool ground maps, there was a music and art area, a castle, a hospital, a farm, a school house, a mock oval office, a story book area, a little children's theater and much more! And if you go on Friday night (like we did) between 6-8pm it's their discounted night and adults are only $1!

Utah Rocks!

Giant game of chess anyone?

Calligraphy for Emma and

big drums for Bekah!

What a blast! Thanks for the fun memories

Aunt Marian and Uncle Randal!

Gone Fishin'

The kids went fishing with Grandpa and their cousins who were visiting from out of town.

They went to a hatchery - where I'm told you're guaranteed a catch!

This was the kids first time fishing, so I think it was a

good idea they had a successful experience.

Here's their catch of the day:

The Dancing Queens

Rebekah's Summer Dance Performance.

"Now what was I supposed to do with this thing again."

"Oh Ya!"

This...
Too Cute!

So Sweet.

Before the start of the second dance Rebekah ran up to me in the audience,

all the time I'm shrieking, "No, no go back to your mark."

Then she said, "I just want to give you a hug."

The entire audience "AWWWed"

It really was precious.

Bekah, you did a great job! And we're so proud of you!

After the performance Emma turned to me and said,

"Mom, can you take me out of art and put me back in dance?"

A Favorite Family Tradition

Our annual summer vacation to

Beautiful Bear Lake.

We LOVE this place!!!

This year we discovered a new fun place to play...

The Garden City Park!
We also made time to stop at
Rick's Springs in gorgeous Logan Canyon.
We explored this fun cave before going home.

Don't forget all the Beach fun...

And the wave runners!

(Maybe next year Mo can take a real ride with us.)

Watch Your Tounge!

So the other day Rebekah was asking me all about robbers. I don't know what spawned this curiousity in buglars, but there it is. So at dinner that night Emma licked Aaron's face, (I don't know why she did this either, sometimes I don't understand everything they do). And I strictly scolded Emma for licking her brother and told her to never do that again.

And then Rebekah chimed in with a good admonition for all of us,

"If you lick other people a robber will steal your tounge."

Good Advice, If you ask me.

Quotable Kids Part IV

If you read the previous post, then you'd know I've been feeling a little guilty for not writing down all the funny things our 3 yr. old has been saying lately. Here are two little treasures:

While reading a story together Bekah said to Mom, "His name is Mark cuz he likes to Mark stuff, huh Mom?"

While driving down the road Bekah saw an advertisement with a man that looked like Uncle Justin on a bus stop bench. (It was Ryan Pool, the relator), Bekah - "That man is Uncle Justin's brother and they put his picture on that chair because he died." Mom -"He died?" Bekah - "No. He just moved into a new house."

I love 3 yr. old logic. I may not like the obnoxious tantrums, the fierce streak of independence, or hearing the work NO a hundred times a day. But I love her cute little logic and the way she's starting to make sense of the world around her.

Quotable Kids Part III

When it comes to raising kids, my mother-in-law gave me some really good advice . . . she said write everything down! And I've tried to do just that. It's true there are many things that have now been forgotten because I thought, "Oh, I'll remember that - at least until I can right it down later tonight or tomorrow when I have time." And then guess what, it's gone, gone, gone ... and for the life of me I cannot remember what they said that was so cute, so hilarious, or so precious. I'd blame my mommy's brain (it's already crammed with my schedule, Mike's schedule, and 4 little monsters'), BUT Mike does it too.

So here's a little taste of what I've been writing down during the past few days:

While driving in the car, Emma to Mom, "MOM! Turn up the radio! I love this song ... I don't know it, but I like it!"

Aaron to Bekah while playing with toys, "Bekah, hurry the boat is about to leave, hurry Bekah it's going to toot in 5 seconds."

And probably one of the most profound things I've ever heard Aaron say (so far),
"I wouldn't be here (on Earth) without you Dad."

It's true.
If nothing else Mom and Dad did 5 things right. 1. We found eachother! 2. Emma
3. Aaron 4. Rebekah and 5. Moriah!

Rebekah's been saying the funniest things lately, and because I've neglected to write them down, they're gone . . . better start carrying a notebook around everywhere.
(It'd be a good idea.)

Aaron knows what I'm blogging about right now, so he's insisting I write down that he just said,
"Michael can I have a cookie? Mom, write it down."
Okay Aaron there it is. Now go to bed, it's 10 o'clock!





(It's Saturday)

Just Cuz

Sometimes the only reason you snap a picture of your kids

is because they are just that cute and you can't resist!

Back 2 School

Goodbye Preschool! Hello Kindergarten

Emma gives Aaron a hug goodbye before she heads over to her 2nd grade.

He LOVES kindergarten! And he's doing so well.

We're proud of you Aaron! I thought I might cry a few times,

but I held it together. I remember I was ready to turn cartwheels when Emma started.

I'm still excited for him, but this was a little bit harder, in some ways he seems too little to be going to school, but in other ways he's grown up so much - every time we have a conversation his topics and the way he communicates now reminds me he's definitely a little kindergartener!

Aaron you're growing up . . . stop it!

He's so excited!
He started school with one missing tooth.

During his first week he lost another one!
Now he can stick his tounge through this gap in his bottom teeth ...
it's pretty cute.

Aaron walking with Emma on her first day of 2nd Grade.
(They started on different days) ... at first I thought that would be a little annoying,
but it was actually really nice - they each got their own special first days!
I love watching them walk to school together!
This picture especially tugs at my heart.
I LOVE them SO much . . . but I must admit,
the house it a little quieter now that we've started school,
you won't hear any complaints here.

Dress Up?

So as I've already talked about in previous posts,

we like to play dress up in our house.

Sometimes it's princess dresses and tu-tus and

sometimes it's this: (Too cute either way)!