Birthday Boy!

September 29th Jacob celebrated his 3rd birthday. He was our first child to do the two year old thing, so we are hoping that three brings peace and harmony to our home!

Jacob asked for a dinosaur cake so I found this cake on the internet and copied it. It was a lot of fun...and work! It was a little hard to watch it be devoured moments after I finished it (ever the procrastinator.)

Fun was had by all!

Jacob opening his gift from Sophie.

Happy three you sweet boy!

Here We Go Again

So much for being caught up again. I have over 71 photos to blog about. I think I will do two to three posts a day until I am caught up again. Or maybe I will just get it over with...anyway here come a bunch of posts!

Between the dates of September 22nd and 24th we have...

Ben's new shirt that he got at a clothing swap...I think he likes it!

Ben's kindergarten class. I helped chaperone a trip to the local apple orchard. The teacher asked me to take pictures for the school, so I didn't end up taking very many of my own pictures.

The orchard had a pile of gravel that was a huge hit. Also, no photo, but Jacob got stung by a bee on his forehead and now has a mortal fear of bees and the apple orchard. We went back to the orchard as a family and Jacob screamed, and I mean SCREAMED the whole time that there was a bee that was going to get him.

I have a secret admirer at the peanut butter plant, see the secret heart that he sent me? Really i just found a heart when I opened the peanut butter, but I like to think that I am cool enough to have a secret admirer.

And finally...Sophie has some personal goals she is trying to accomplish. When she does so successfully she is allowed to have a sleepover. Just a note...we are not a sleepover family. Sophie has one friend that she is allowed to have sleep overs with and only under very specific circumstances.




Mariana and Sophie had a grand time doing who knows what!

Dance

Yesterday (yes I am finally caught up!) Sophie had her first ballet class. This is the real deal. She has to wear a leotard, pink tights and pink leather ballet slippers. They work on positions and work at the barre and everything. This ballet school is very good about not turning anyone away, and they are even willing to accept barter for payment.

Anyway, it's the mommy in me for sure, but Sophie was so pretty out there on the floor. She and I can't wait for more. The only unfortunate thing is that Sophie wants me to leave while she has class. I think she needs a place where she can just be without me hovering. I will oblige, but I really want to keep watching her dance. She is so sweet and feminine.

Far Too Young

I had some music on for Jacob and Mabel to dance to. Mabel asked me to show Jacob how to dance, "like a boy and a girl." I did so and then Jacob put on the moves! At some point we will have to curb this behavior.

Garden Shots

Please be respectful of my property and do not reproduce theses images!

Corn

Here is part of our corn haul this year. I think there are 58 ears in the wagon. Plus we had about 30 ears for dinner over the season. Sophie originally counted 105 ears before they were ripe. There are a few more out there still. I think we could double our corn patch and still not have enough.

Helper

September 9th I left the vacuum for a minute and Jacob decided he wanted to help.

When we're helping we're happy!

I added this one so you could see the action involved.

Peeper

I love peepers. They signify home to me. When I was on my mission and homesick I would listen to a tape I had with peepers on it and be comforted. Despite my love for peepers I had never seen one. On September 8th I startled one out of the garden while I was weeding. He was a great little frog. I think he a good personality...for a frog anyway!

He could climb right up the glass

Birthday

As previously mentioned, I celebrated my 32nd birthday Sunday the 6th of September. I thought I would add a photo tribute to myself since my face rarely makes it on here!


This is what a 32 (+2 days) year old looks like!

Annual Trek to Worcester

Labor Day Weekend we made our annual trek to Worcester to visit Aaron's grandmother and grandfather. We did a number of exciting things...but I failed to photograph any of them.

We went shopping...the kids went to the park with Grandma...we ate AMAZING food, lovingly prepared by Grandma and Grampa...Aaron and I went on a date to dinner and a movie for my birthday...and we visited with my missionary companion and her family. This happened on my birthday and she made a delicious dinner (I need the recipe,) and she made me a cake that had the best frosting I have ever had.

I did get a picture of the kids and their babysitter for the weekend. I always knew where to find them, all weekend



This is my missionary companion Caitlin and her family (I hope she is ok with me having put this on here!) We had an awesome time and are so happy someone from my mission within 4 hours!

Beautiful Morning

The Cake That Nearly Killed Me

The Young Women and I began the summer by starting to read the entire the Book of Mormon by August 30th. We had to read three pages a day and mark references to the Savior in one color, and references to virtue in another. This was part of the new Young Women's value they added, Virtue. Anyway...we had a cake to celebrate our finishing the Book of Mormon, or at least attempting to.

This cake was such a pain. It took forever, didn't come out the way I expected it to and made me question my cake making abilities. However it did taste excellent, making it feel like it wasn't a total loss.

First Day of School

I have a mountain of pictures of the first day of school which was August 31st. Here goes...

Aaron is the first one up and ready to go.

All three of the school bound folks

Sweet Sophie waiting for a ride to school. I take them on the first day so she isn't actually waiting for the bus.

Ben, raring to go on his first day of kindergarten!

I had to get the two of them together. Ben is SO excited to be going to Sophie's school.

Now it is just Jacob and I. I think he might be excited about that! (Oh and for those familiar with car seat laws...that isn't his seat, he just paused on the way to his seat for a photo.)

Ben and Mrs. Mesa. Ben wanted to hold up the eyeball but...

I did take one without the eyeball.

Sophie and Mrs. Williams pretending to talk seriously about attendance

Here is the real deal.

They always have the seniors introduce the kindergarten class in an assembly. It makes me cry every time...oh the places they will go!

Sophie and one of her favorite teachers, Mrs. Church. She is the reading recovery specialist, but hopefully she will be working with Sophie this year as a gifted reader.