Strawberry Pickin' and Farm Community Entertainment! Gotta Love!

This past weekend was really fun! On Saturday we decided to go to the Biringer's Strawberry Farm and pick berries. The strawberry growing season has been really slow this year due to the weather but  the berries are finally ripening. We loaded everyone up and went. I wore Emma on my back in the hiking pack where she dosed off within the first two minutes of walking. I love this tradition we've started of going berry picking! The berries may not have been their best but it still is fun. And of course the kid's favorite part is eating while you pick. Once we told them they could taste the berries our help in filling up the flat boxes stopped.

This year they had a little trolly (a seated trailer pulled behind a giant tractor) that would pick you up and drop you off at the barn so you didn't have to walk all the way back with your full berry flats. It was really neat and the kids loved it.

The kids also enjoyed climbing up into their Berry-Go-Round. We didn't get to see it in motion but I am sure one of these trips we will.

We bought a little over 9 lbs of strawberries for $16.00. They're yummy, fresh off the vines and well worth the memories!

We also stopped by a little plant nursery that is just across the street from the berry farm and had a mini field trip there. They had a few animals to look at that you could feed carrots to and a little hay maze. It was great fun.

My favorite part of this trip though would probably have to be their goat. Check this out!

An Evening at the Park

Dan promised the kids that when he got home from work they could go to the park and make airplanes. We went and had a picnic and then played. I love my family!

I love my family!!!

Start of Summer Interviews

I thought it would be fun to do a beginning of the summer interview with each of the kids. I want to remember the funny things they say and their little personalities before they are influenced by school. I think my favorite part of Kiera's interview was when she was reading the scriptures. So cute! Ethan was second to do his interview and I think he said some of the things he did just because his big sister did. He looks up to her so much. I love it! Oh and all of it was candid. I didn't give any instruction or bribe them in any way. Enjoy.

The Good Life!

I was cleaning the other day and glanced outside to check on the kids. This is what I found. Isn't he so cute? I just had to grab the camera and sneek a picture through the glass so as not to disturb him. Just precious.

Landscaping Projects Update

I finally have a minute where I can use both hands to type. Yes, it is midnight, but it is the first time Emma has permitted me to set her down today. All day she'd fall asleep in my arms but as soon as I set her down she'd wake up and want to be picked up and rocked again. My back and arms are so sore. I think if this keeps going I am going to have some major guns here pretty soon.

I have been meaning to do this post for some time now. We've made some more improvements on our backyard recently. And can I just say I have THE BEST husband EVER!

Two weekends ago Dan decided he'd like to make drip areas around the hose bibs. We didn't want to deal with muddy, soggy ground over there and Dan wanted to make it easier for when we edge the lawn. He went to Lowes and bought some cheap black edging, and went and got a load of pea gravel.

We then (or I should say he then) pulled up the sod in a half circle, put the edging in, lined it with black weed barrier, and filled the spot with gravel. It looks pretty nice if I do say so myself. I only took a picture of one of the hose areas but he did it on both sides of the house.

When that was all said and done we still had a TON of gravel left over in the back of the truck. So being the ambitious man my husband is, we decided to go ahead and build the fire-pit we've been talking about (mind you we planned on that being a project far in the future). What we imagined would only take an hour or two turned into the rest of the day and evening! Next time we plan a excavating job I think we should rent a sod cutter. Hindsight is 20/20 right?

Anyway, we cut the sod and moved that to the other side of the yard where it used to be bare. We practically have an entire lawn over there now just from where we tore up sod for the garden boxes, and now the fire-pit. Although I think if that was all we had intended to do, seeding would have been far less effort! But that's beside the point.

We used the left over black edging for our pit circle and laid more weed barrier down. Then it was wheelbarrow time. I had the easy job of pushing and raking the pea gravel. That doesn't even compare to the hard job of shoveling, and pushing a wheelbarrow of heavy rock around! My man is amazing.

For the fire ring we just used rocks from around the yard. They are everywhere! Supposedly our subdivision used to be a rock quarry. You can tell too. No wonder planting our apple and peach trees was such a chore! And hence the garden boxes rather than just tilling a plot. This is what we ended up with...

The following Monday we decided that for Family Night we'd make hobo dinners/foil dinner and have smore's. It was so fun and the kids loved it!

But there was still something missing. . .

From the house the fire pit looked pretty lonely and boring. It needed something 3-D. We went around and played with the idea of building benches or stools or something out there but decided that we preferred the low upkeep route.

So tonight Dan called me on his way home from work telling me he was at the gravel yard and wanted to know if I trusted him to pick out the rocks or if I wanted to be there (what a guy!). I told him to go for it.

So tonight we spent the evening hauling in the boulders. . .

Dan and I managed to get the two smallest ones in ourselves but we needed the bigger guns for the other 3. Dan called up his brother Steven and he came over and helped. Thanks Steve!

The kids had fun playing with the cousins and we sat around the fire on our new seats and roasted smore's again. I love nights like this!

Doesn't it look so much better? We have decided the circle is a tad too small so we plan on bumping the black edging about 8 inches all the way around and then back behind towards the fence is where we will plant some grapes and small shrubs to finish off that corner of the lot. I just love it!

Well I'd better head to bed. The house is soooo quiet.That may be due to the fact that it is after 12:00, or maybe it is because Dan and the kids are camping out in the backyard tonight. That too was Dan's idea! The kids were so excited today knowing they got to camp with daddy tonight. Like I said...Best Husband EVER!

39:23!

I DID IT!

I SURVIVED MY 5K THIS MORNING!

I RAN THE WHOLE WAY. DIDN'T WALK A SINGLE STEP!

MY LEGS ARE SORE

ACTUALLY MY LEGS ARE KILLING ME

BUT I FEEL SO GOOD!

MAKES ME SO PROUD THAT I PROVED MYSELF WRONG AND TOOK ON SOMETHING BIG JUST 3 MONTHS AFTER HAVING A BABY.

I am even more motivated to keep going with running knowing I can train only 2 days and still pull a 3K (I don't recommend that strategy by any means). My next one I plan on signing up for well in advance though.

What was my time? Well... I did it in under 40 mins! 39:23 to be exact. Sooo proud!
Here are a few shots we took before the race. The ones from after aren't exactly flattering. I was sooo red faced.  My friend Marie ran the race with me. It was so fun to have her there rooting me on and keeping me going.

In these ones you can tell we were getting bored while waiting for our race to start.

Now I need to go and take a hot bath and pop a few Tylenol for these poor legs of mine.

Oh and did you see my sweet new Zumba pants? Wait til you see the rest of my get up for my Zumba class.

I'm Dead Meat

This weekend I am running a 5K. Am I crazy or what? I officially registered for the race this week. I needed something to motivate me to get in shape. . .well as far as that goes...I think I am dead meat! I went running last night and only made it 1.5 miles. I am sooo not in the same shape as I was this time last year. I have to keep telling myself that its ok and to give myself a break. I just had a baby 3 months ago.

Last year I trained just 3 days (mind you I was already working out 3-4 times a week before that). This time around 3 days just aren't going to cut it. But I am still going to do it. Even if I have to walk half the time, I am still going to finish. Wish me luck.

Oh and I am still looking forward to it because my hubby bought me my very own i-pod shuffle! And look! It is the orange one! And it is sooo tiny! It makes me smile.

image courtesy of coveringweb.com

Summer is here whether it feels like it or not!

It is JUNE! Already!? Wasn't it 3 months ago I was in the hospital with Emma? It has gone by pretty fast! But something around her in the NW that doesn't seem to be moving fast are the seasons. The weather can't make up its mind whether it is Summer, Spring or Winter around here. These past 4 or 5 weeks we've had everything from blue skies, rain, sun and hail. The temperature seems to be on a roller-coaster as well. I just hope it doesn't freeze again or my garden is a goner.

Regardless, we've decided we are going to make the most of the time of year and pretend it is summer now. So today the kids got in their swimsuits and I turned on the sprinkler in the back yard. It wasn't quite sprinkler weather, but who knows if it ever will be. At least the sun was out. You got to take what you can get.

Summer is here whether it feels like it or not! And we're gonna play!

Kiera's Preschool Graduation!

Can this really be happening?

Yesterday my baby officially graduated from preschool. She's turning 5 this summer and will be in Kindergarten this Fall! Where did the time go?

I think I mentioned before that we've been participating in a preschool Co-Op. It has been great! All the moms have been awesome and Kiera has loved every minute of it! I am looking forward to next year when Ethan gets to participate.

So Yesterday we held our end of the year graduation party. We had a potluck lunch and the kids ran around and played. We also had a mini ceremony with diplomas and graduation caps. The caps were ADORABLE! One of the moms made them out of Styrofoam bowls and Black card-stock, a brad, and some yarn for the tassel. Too Cute!

Kiera's Classmates

Right to Left: Emma, Esther, McKenna, Evie, Kiera, and Mason 

(Not pictured: Joseph. He had recently moved)

The Graduates!

Way to Go Kiera! I am so proud of you!

After the ceremony we had refreshments. Chocolate dipped rice crispy treats on a stick!

Then before everyone left the kids got to open a present from their teacher Ms. Melissa. Kiera was SOOO excited! Just look at that face...

This is what she got...

A mini white board, markers, and an eraser!

Now we can practice writing her ABC's all summer. 

It will be a good quiet activity to have at church too. Or even the car trip we're taking at the beginning of July. What a great gift! Thanks Melissa!

I am so proud of you Kiera! You are growing up so fast! On to a new adventure!

I'm gonna teach!

I am way excited! I got an unexpected phone call this morning from our Stake Primary President asking if I'd be willing to help out with the Activity Days for the 8-11 yr old girls in a few weeks. I'm going to be teaching five 30 min Zumba classes in a row. That is 2 1/2 hours of hard work and sweat. But it'll be oh so worth it!

I am also looking forward to the new Zumba gear I ordered the other day. It should be here by next Thursday. I can't wait!

Better go work on my choreography.