Strawberry Fields Forever

My favorite way to mark the beginning of Summer is with Strawberries.  The Oregon strawberry season starts a week or two before the kids get out of school.  I like to wait for them to go with me. This year, with their help, we picked 22 pounds in 30 minutes.

We did a lot with he strawberries we got this year, but first, here are some pictures of the kids after picking.

Yes, Harrison did wear cowboy boots and cowboy hat to pick in.  I'm sure he was hot, but protected.

Bennett did great sitting in the stroller the whole time.  Towards the end he got a little fussy so I gave him two berries to hold - one for each hand.  He never ate them, just held them and squeezed them and got himself all jucified.  It was adorable!  He was so happy about it.

Balancing the berries.

Harrison had to copy the older kids.  I was TERRIFIED that he would drop the bowl full of berries.  He would NOT put the bowl down till I took a picture.  I took it as fast as I could so that the berries could return to safety.

Harrison's berries, safe and sound.  This is his bowl after I threw out all the little, baby, green berries that he loves to find.

The first thing we did, after cleaning them all, was make jam.  We got 10 pints and 10 1/2 pints.

Then, we made our favorite strawberry dessert to take to grandma's house.

With the leftover berries we made LOTS of homemade strawberry ice cream.  We used it to go with homemade berry cobbler (made with blackberry's, raspberry's and blueberry's we picked last year) for Glenn's family birthday dinner.

The next day, after Glenn's family birthday dinner, was the 4th of July.  Our friends made this DELICIOUS salad for the potluck barbecue.  It wasn't made with our strawberries, but it definitely fit in with our strawberry theme for the last week.

Autumn Festivus and Harrison Starts Preschool!!!

My sister Brooke met an Aussie online, and became engaged this Summer.  So, that means she and her two daughters were moving to Australia.  We were all VERY happy for Brooke, but she had some sad things to deal with, and so did we.  One sad thing is that she will be gone for all the Holiday's.  Christmas isn't as big a deal because Aussie's celebrate Christmas.  But Thanksgiving was another story. So, to help her out, we decided to have a mini Thanksgiving and it took on the name Autumn Festivus.  Grandma and Grandpa Mott (my mom's parents) came up from Utah, and Paige flew up as well. 

Me, Lily, Kylie, Esther, Paige, Lucy and Brooke

                             

Long Festivus table filled with food.

Another reason for Autumn Festivus was to treat Mick, Brooke's fiance, to a real American Thanksgiving.  It was all new to him and super fun!

DESSERT!!!! The most important part of Thanksgiving dinner.

We invited Paige's in-laws over for festivus as well, since they are pretty much family, and we've known them forever, and they live around the corner.

Bennett being stuffed.  He really liked the squash.

Bennett ate too much!!!  (So did some other people.)

Harrison's first day of Pre-School.  He is super excited and happy.

Paige and the dog running errands with me.  I had SO much fun with her in town.  I miss her too much!

Harrison made this cute spider hat at school.  



Fall is in the AIR!!!

Six more days till school starts!! Three more days till BYU plays their first football game of the season!!!  The past two days have been over cast with off and on rain.  It is lovely!!  This is absolutely my most favorite time of the year. 

I want to share a few things that have happened here over the last few weeks.  First, we got a dog!!!  I know... why?  I can't believe that I have given in to the other people who live in my house.  (Other wise known as my family)  I will be blogging more about that later.

Another thing that tends to happen every August is... LOTS of arguing and fighting amongst the children.  I dread August.  I wish school would start sooner than after Labor Day!  Jason's brother in Atlanta has kids that get to start school the beginning of August, and every year I seriously think about moving to Atlanta. 

About a week ago Glenn and Max were in the room, that they now share, having an argument.  Before Bennett was born Glenn had his own room.  I've told him many times that he will probably never have his own room ever again.  He'll share with Max, then college room mates, mission companion, and then a wife.  Glenn came downstairs after the argument.  Jason and I were getting dinner on the table.  Glenn said to us, "I just think it would be easier if I had my own room again."  I said back, "Well, I just think it would be easier if I lived alone."  Then Jason shot out with, "I think it would be easier if we had never had kids."  Then, Jason and I started laughing.  Glenn rolled his eyes and mumbled as he walked out of the kitchen, "Sometimes I really hate you guys."  Which made us laugh even harder. 

Lily has been feeling the Autumn in the air the same way her mother does.  She has been wanting to cook and bake.  Yesterday while I was in the shower she cooked herself an egg, all by herself.  She has NEVER done anything like that!  Her three brothers were so impressed that they all placed orders with her.  By the end of it she had made toast and cooked eggs sunnyside up, over easy and scrambled.  I came down and Max was sitting on the counter next to the toaster because Lily had put him on toaster duty.  He was SO happy to have this job assignment.  I asked her how she knew how to do that.  She said, "I've watched you do it a million times Mom!"  Today she got up and made cupcakes!  Again, something that I did not know she could do. 

And now for the third  year in a row, Jason's mom is coming to visit in August.  This time she is coming with his sister Alisa and her daughter Jaidyn.  We are very excited!!  We will spend time going to quilt shops, drinking Italian Sodas and watching fun movies.  I don't know why, but this visit from them totally makes me feel even more Autumn in the air. 

I am so glad that August is almost over so we can move onto falling leaves, baking cookies and crisp air!