Peaches!

I just finished canning my last jar of peaches! The past 2 days have been spent trying to tackle the 4 boxes of peaches I bought before they overrippened. I am so happy to say I am done! Grand total of 50 quart jars! Can you believe that? 50!

Now I get to work on 2 boxes of apples to make applesauce and I have 1 box of pears to do. My feet hurt just thinking about it. But boy do I love seeing those jars all lined up when they are filled. Makes all the hard labor worth it! Wish me luck.

Summer coming to an end...So much to catch up on!

 This summer has been so full of things that I haven't had much time to sit down and write about our adventures! I am looking forward to when school starts and I will have a couple hours to myself with just one baby at home. I imagine myself getting so much more cleaning done without any distractions and maybe even get in a nap or two, but then reality hits me and I know that I'll be much too busy making bigger messes with some project I decide needs to be done "now" or I'll be busy chatting on the phone with friends who are also home with just one little one. I guess I should be grateful. The summer may have been jam packed full of vacation after vacation, and my laundry pile finally hit its hightest peak ever, but the memories we made were worth every spill, crash, tantrum, or sleepless night.

We went camping at the beach, went to Dan's company BBQ at Safeco Field in Seattle, took the kids out on a day trip to another beach, went to Portland for a friends wedding, then went camping again all in consecutive weekends. Throw in Kiera's birthday party, a couple out-of-town trips for Dad where mom was left with 3 kids and a head cold, and our every day runs to a fro, that all makes for a very busy last month of summer. Needless to say, I am looking forward to school starting and a having a slightly calmer routine.

Be prepared for a picture overload! I want to share some pictures from our busy month. I don't have time to edit them all and I really need to get caught up so I can start fresh when I take the kids back to school pics this next week. So here they are:

 Double Bluff Beach on Whidbey Island. Lovin' those arm floaties and new kickboard that sprays water too.

This didn't last long. As soon as a wave came she was out of that water. I was proud of her for trying though

Kiera and her kickboard at Double Bluff Beach

 Kiera woke up on the morning of her birthday to find that the birthday fairy had come to decorate and fill her room with balloons

 long car trip...what more can I say.

The best part of long car trips is when this happens.

Me and my hubby. Waiting for our friends at the Portland Temple

Ben's happy bride Kara

Ben looks pretty happy himself. Don't blame him...Congrats "uncle" Ben!

Kara's Family is so lucky to have gotten Ben as their son-in-law!

Dan reminiscing with old friends.

The Groom with is his Best Man. Love these guys!

Note to self: look at the lens and not the display screen. I see some fun times with this happy couple in the future.

Attempting a mini photoshoot in the backyard. Emma you are sooo cute!

Look who decided to show up at Dan's Company BBQ! The Mariner's Moose!

Emma with her first animal balloon from" Rigby" the Clown

 Another photo shoot shot. Ethan you're such a handsome boy!

 

Family Shot from the green at Safeco Field. "Keep off the Grass"

Family Shot from our camping trip at Deception Pass

Kiera and her puppy balloon from "Rigby" the clown

"Mom do we really have to do this? The sun is so bright! And I'd much rather slide"

At Safeco Field they had a special playground just for the kids! So much fun!

Mommy got to meet the Mariner Moose too. And Kiera took this shot. Great Job Kiera! Momma's gonna make a photographer out of you yet.

Pitching Practice....and no I did not throw it at 63mph. That was the guy in front of me. Could have been though

Emma's first time getting her face painted

I like to call this one "Photoshoot Reality" You can just hear Kiera's whining that her brother is touching her

View from the press box. We got a VIP tour and even got to sit up front in the Main Interview Room where the team gets interviewed by the press. We also got to see the visiting team's locker room. Was a very fun trip. We even got to swing at some pitches in the team's practice batting cage that runs underneath the baseball field. So cool!

 

 

ummm what do they do with the bars of soap? Sell them on Ebay?

awh that is much better. Sisterly love! 

 

 

Goodbye Summer. You were wonderful. See you next year. Like I always say, 

"On to a new adventure"

Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Anna R who said "Oooh! You're right about all of them being cute!
Besides the ones you're wearing, my favorite are the "loop natural stone earrings in ivory".

I will email you with Creek Side Gems information so you can claim your prize! You'll have to post a picture once you get your earrings.

Giveaway!!!

Only one more day before we choose the winner of the Creek Side Gems giveaway! Follow the link and leave a comment telling me which product is your favorite for your chance to win a free pair of adorable earrings. Oh and if you mention this giveaway on your FB page or blog you get a second entry. Just leave another comment telling me what you did and the link to your page. Goodluck!

Product Review from Creek Side Gems and GIVEAWAY!

I just have to share these awesome earrings I received from Karen at Creek Side Gems. I got them in the mail last week and couldn't wait to wear them. The first time I wore them was to one of my Zumba classes. Don't ask... Zumba and Bling just go together. They could go with ANYTHING though. Perfect for everyday wear or dressing up for a special night out. They are absolutely gorgeous! Just look at some of these others from her shop...

They are so fun and come in so many colors and designs. But what I like best is how lightweight they are. They look like they'd be pretty heavy but I could hardly tell I had them on. Creek Side Gems also sells earrings made from metal and more with natural stones and beads. Another thing I love about her earrings are that many of her earrings are nickel free!

Every set of earrings is amazing, you'll have a hard time picking your favorite. If I could, I would get them all. You have got to check out her shop on Etsy! But wait...you wanna hear the best part?! Creek Side Gems is giving away a free pair of earrings with a value up to $10 plus free shipping. And all you have to do is go to her shop online and come back and leave a comment telling me what set is your favorite (their names from the shop site). And include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. I'll announce the winner next week. Good luck and happy shopping!

Fort Steven's Camping Trip

I figure I better put something up about our trip to Fort Stevens before it escapes my mind all together. We had so much fun while we were there. It is a place we cherish too. Dan grew up going there every summer with his grandparents and we now continue that tradition by going with our kids. It also holds a special place in my heart because it is where Dan proposed to me almost 7 yrs ago. The 20th of this month it will be our anniversary. On this trip  we did a lot of bike riding. The trails are awesome and we would ride back and forth from our campsite, to the beach, to battery Russell and Fort Stevens. It was really great. Dan and I even tried to find "the tree" that I sat in when Dan proposed. It is a special place. It holds a lot of memories and we love making new ones with our kids.

I took lots and lots of pictures and there is noooo way I could write down everything we did but a picture is worth a thousand words, (or so they say) So here it goes...