New Brunswick Trip

Ashlyn and I had the great opportunity to go to New Brunswick to visit the Graham family. We had a wonderful week with them! We had a 16 hour journey to get to our destination. We flew into Atlanta, then to Boston, then to Bangor, Maine. Natalie and the kids picked us up and we drove 4.5 hours to their home in Moncton. Ashlyn was a little trooper! She knew that she was on her way to see Abby and that made it all worth it!

The first day we were in Canada we toured the town and visited the Bulk Barn. That is a great little store. I wish we had one of these here at home. They sold anything you can think of by the gram (not pound) in bulk barrels. We purchased some hot chocolate, gum balls, bloody bones (candy), candied nuts, dried veggies, and soup base. Very cool store.



The next day we drove out to an apple orchard and picked apples with the girls. There were acres of apple trees and we could pick as many apples as we wanted. We saw the coolest old farmhouse and discovered that Aubrey is extremely frightened of pumpkins! The countryside was absolutely gorgeous. The area is blessed with plenty of rainfall to keep everything nice and green. And the fall leaves were in peak season and full of color - red, orange, yellow. That was the highlight of the trip for me! Everyone needs to travel out east in the autumn at least once in their lifetime for some serious eye candy!



The next day we had planned to visit the Bay of Fundy, but the weather was so rainy that we changed our plans. We ended up driving out to Prince Edward Island. We stopped and took a few photos. I just have to say that the area is a photographer's heaven. We saw some of the most interesting old churches, buildings, and lighthouses. We had a picnic indoors at the tourist information center. It was raining outside most of the day. Then the kids picked out candy and Nat and I had ice cream on our drive home.


The next day we dressed the kids up for some fun fall photos. We found an amazing walking park where we explored and took some great photos of the kids. Again, I was thrilled with the amazing autumn colors. Breathtaking! On the way home we visited the beach and took photos by a giant lobster. Then we actually bought two live lobsters to take home for dinner. Boy, was that an experience. I don't think the kids (or I) will forget that one. That was Nat's favorite part (she hates seafood).

Then, on the last day, Abby, Nat, Ashlyn and I drove to Bangor, Maine to do a little shopping and stay the night at the Marriott. The little girls got to make a Build-A-Bear at the mall. The girls picked out matching bunnies. They they kissed and loved little stuffed hearts and put them in each other's bears and we put little giggle sound boxes in each of them. Now they can think of each other when they play with their bunnies.

While I was at Nat's house I prepared the photos for their photo wall - just like ours. We printed the photos in Maine at Sam's club. Let's just say that we got them for less than half price in the States and 2 weeks faster. That pretty much sums up the cost of living up in Canada - just plan on paying double for everything.

We had a great trip. I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity to go see where our friends are living and see a new part of the world.

Cute photos from today

Ashlyn was super cute this morning and I just had to post this photo for the benefit of grandma. She's going to pre-school this year and loves it. I miss having her around all day, but I am glad she has something fun to go do. She gets bored at home with her brother and sister gone all day.

I love doing Ashlyn's hair. I love that she lets me and that she likes it fixed cute. I just had to post a photo of today's hairdo so I can remember.

Unfortunately, Katelyn woke up sick today. I hope she gets well soon and that we don't all end up throwing up, too. Not fun.

Davis County Fair

Yesterday we took the kids to the County Fair. We had a fun day riding ponies, watching a man wrestle an alligator, and feeding the animals at the petting zoo. Oh, and the kids were able to milk a cow. Fun times.

Harvest Time

I guess you just can't take the farm out of the girl! I grew up on a wheat farm in central South Dakota. I am so thankful for the way I was raised. My parents taught us to work hard. We made our living by the fruits of our labors. We had to plow, plant, cultivate and harvest. We had to keep machinery maintained, grain bins cleaned, the shop organized, and tractors fueled. There was always something to do from sun up to sun down every single day. I wonder how I will instill this drive to work hard in my children. Raising them away from the farm presents it's challenges. There just are not the same opportunities for teaching this work ethic. Doug was raised similarly to me. He grew up on a ranch in Sanpete County, Utah. It's comical, at our house we almost fight over who gets to mow the lawn. We all love to work outside. It's much better than folding laundry for the millionth time, if you ask me. If you want to mow at our house, you have to sneak out at 6:00 am to get your turn.

So, when we purchased our lot 7 years ago, we were so excited to have a 1/2 acre lot. We figured we'd have a place to have our little farm (garden) out back. We grow tomatoes, peppers, onions, green beans, summer squash, zucchini, beets, corn, peas, lettuce, spinich, etc. We also planted 8 fruit trees. We have peaches, pears, apples, and nectarines. My husband works very hard taking care of the garden. He gets most of the credit in this department.

Well, it's harvest time, now. This is the best time of the year. On the farm, it meant that the grain was gathered in and safely put in a bin or sold in town. It was a real sense of accomplishment knowing that the harvest was complete. It made my family feel satisfied. In our little garden we try to preserve as much of the food as we can for the winter. I love knowing that what I am feeding my children is organic and I know what goes in the bottle. We've frozen corn, pickled beets, canned beans, and tomatoes. This year I tried spaghetti sauce and pickled green beans, too. I also freeze squash and peppers. I love the feeling this process gives me. And, I hope in some way it helps my children learn to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labors. I guess it's just a little part of the farm girl in me shining through.

24th of July

We spent the 24th of July in Mayfield. It was a super fun day with the kids at the parade and the park. It's the best small town celebration around. Shhh, don't tell anyone. The kids caught plenty of candy, won plenty of stuffed animals, climbed a pole and won a $1, ate snow cones, played games and even won an old glass ash tray the coin toss. Later that day we went up the mountain in "old brown" to see Dale and Sue Ann at their camping site. We returned home on Saturday just in time to greet my family that started gathering for our family reunion. What a fun weekend.

Me and my girls

The other day we were planning to swap taking family photos with the Grahams before they left for Canada. However, it turned out that Brayden decided to stay at Grandma Susan's house for the week. So, our whole family wasn't together. Since I am typically the one behind the camera, I rarely have photos of me with the kids. So, we took the opportunity to take a few photos of me and the girls. 

I just have to tell you how much I love these little girls. They are so much fun and a mother couldn't ask for sweeter daughters. I am certainly thankful for the blessing of being their mother. Girls, always remember that your mother loves you!

Photo Project

Last fall I was determined to put something new on the large wall above my stairway. For past 5 years it has been covered by a beautiful double wedding ring quilt that my mother and I made back in high school. But, I started worry that it would ruin the colors to leave it exposed light for so many years. So, one Sunday afternoon I took my family to the park for some new photos. Then, I went to Ikea and bought 20x20 frames (I love Ikea). Then, I used the computer to arrange and crop all the photos the way I wanted them appear on the wall. Here is the compilation I came up with. It’s been one of most rewarding home decor projects I’ve ever done. I just thought I’d share...