5k

My sister, cousins and I did the Color Run last Sunday.  The whole experience was a blast.  We stayed up way too late the night before laughing about unicorns, rainbows, and general catching up.  Jeb was a trooper and took a million pictures of us during the race.  

 

 By the end, we were definitely covered in color!

 

 Our goal was to run the whole race....and we did!  Now I think I'm hooked on this 5k business.  I would totally do it again (hopefully all together!) 

 

camping

Last weekend we went camping with the fams.  We loved hanging out with Nana, Uncle Chris, Aunt Kates and of course, the cousins!  We camped near Beaver Reservoir.  It was the perfect spot for the kids to run around and play.  

 

Everybody wave with Nana.  Or not.

 



Mason was all about helping and using the tools.  He almost always had a shovel or bucket in his hand.  They had fun collecting rocks, pinecones, and firewood.  Then daddy helped him use the hatchet. 

 

 

 

 We went fishing at Brainard Lake.  The kids fished for a while, but mostly played in the water.  We didn't catch anything, which was a bummer.  But it was really fun. 

Until a certain someone fell in the lake.  Sorry about all the screaming, fellow fishing peeps. 

 Although our camp spot was pretty cool, it was a tight squeeze.  All hands on deck to help get the camper through.  Aunt Kates and Uncle Chris did all the hard work.  I snapped a few photos. 

 It was a great weekend.  Mason's favorite part was the s'mores.  He could hardly believe that we made them on a real fire in the ground! Emma's favorite part was taking care of baby Cody.  So glad we could get out and get camping!

eggs

 Our "baby chicks" (as we still call them) starting laying eggs.  Ryan found the first one.  Now we're getting several a day.

 

 Mason's new favorite thing is gathering the eggs.  Several times a day he puts his shoes on and announces that he's going to check for eggs. 

We're enjoying the variety of colors and lots of scrambled eggs!

preschool

Mason's first day of preschool.  

 

He had a blast.  I had morning recess duty, so he had to hang out with me for a couple minutes before the preschool opened.  He was super excited all morning.  When we got outside and he saw all the big kids he held my hand a little tighter, but didn't stop smiling.  I dropped him off and he joined right in.  I gave him a big hug and he was on his way.  

 

 Emma had to get in on the picture taking too.  She did awesome this morning.  I dropped her off at daycare all by herself.  She turned to Mason before getting out of the car and said "Have a good day at school Mason, see you at lunch."  Then she went right inside and after I left she waved from the door.  It was more than I could ask for really, since I leave her crying more often than not. 

 Sayings from the preschooler when he got home:
~I made lots of friends today...about like 12.
~I called you on the phone mommy.  But it was a fake one.
~Me: Do you want to go back tomorrow?  Mason: Yes!  They have to teach me every day!
~We didn't get to write our names.  Our teacher had to do it. (This came from his carpool buddy, Lucy.)
~Me: What do you want to learn at preschool?  Mason: How to jump rope.
~Mason: I really need a lunchbox to bring to school.  Me: But you don't eat lunch at school.  Mason: I'm just getting ready for kindergarten, mom.

You are so excited to learn and have fun.  We are proud of you!

mudpies, rivers, and castles, oh my!

Their new thing to do after it rains (and we've had some downpours) is to go out and play in the mud. 

 

They mostly move it around with their buckets and shovels and spoons.  Mason likes to make new rivers and castles.  Emma follows him around, making her own versions. They fill anything and everything up with mud and water until it finally dries up.

I made it through my first day of school on Thursday.  I have an awesome class.  We're in full force this week which means we're slowing finding our new school routine.  Meal planning, house cleaning, quiet times, laundry and the sorts all need to be re-figured out...plugged into a new schedule.

 

I'm gearing up for a 5k in a couple weeks.  Nothing like going from zero to three miles all at once. I was at a conference in Denver this weekend with a friend and I dragged her to the fitness center at our hotel at 6am to make sure I could do this thing.  I really surprised myself when I got to that third mile.  Needless to say, I'm a little sore today, but looking forward to that run with my sister and cousins.  I'm thinking I better get a few more runs in before the big event (it's big for me at least...I am not a runner!)

 

Have a great week!

 

canning



Here's a little peek at what we've been canning over the last week or so.  Lots of jam (strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, spring conserve) and bread and butter pickles.  We were down to our last three cans of jam and we have two cans of pickles left.  This was our first try at bread and butter. 

 



 

We also got two bushels of corn.  Mason was the "string puller-offer" and he did really clean them up.  I love his attention to detail! 

 

We ended up with 19 pints, 7 quarts and 6 freezer bags of leftovers.  While we were busy with the corn we watched the second hail storm of the summer wreck havoc on our garden.  We just watched, not really able to do anything.  We're hoping to can some beans and beets, but they were pretty tattered when the clouds cleared.  And that evening there was snow on our mountains (I know!) so we're not counting on a late frost.  Hopefully it holds off enough for things to bounce back.  It was just starting to really look good after a hail storm in late June.  Such is gardening! 

 It's our last weekend before I have to report to school!  My classroom is (mostly) ready and I'm reading up on all the new curriculum after the kids go to bed as long as I can keep my eyes open.  It's going to be a great year. 

We're tidying up the house, meal planning, making s'mores, getting ready to can pears, finger painting, and enjoying these last days before we have a whole new routine. 



wordless wednesday ~ sorting

August

I was a little hesitant to turn the calendar page this morning.  Is it really August already?  That means school is just around the corner...both for me and Mason.  He's getting excited about preschool.  Although the keeps reminding me that as soon as he turns 7, he will get to be in my class. 

 

 

We went camping a few weekends ago.  Lots of exploring, marshmallows, flowers, potty-training in the woods, rain, and laughs.  Not a lot of sleep.  Oh, and Daisy decided to find herself a porcupine.  Luckily it was little and we had pliers. 

 

 We're still hoping for another camping trip or two in the near future. 

On Tuesday we spent the evening fishing with Karly.  I'm really not sure what we're going to do when she leaves for college.  We're trying not to think about that yet.  I love these fishing pictures.  We didn't catch anything, but we sure had fun playing in the water.

 

Lovin' these last weeks of summer!