What we have been up to

Summer is flying by and it has been wonderful!

Finishing our long hike in Natural Bridges,carrying both kids

We have been on lots of fun vacations and are spending a lot of time outside. We planted a pretty big garden and have been enjoying peas, potatoes, onions, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli.  This last week we picked the first of the zucchini. It was so delicious. Dinners lately have been bread (cook on the grill in a dutch oven), veggies, and eggs. This year I planted a few new things that I haven't tried before, artichokes and eggplant. I only planted 2 artichoke plants. One is doing really well and we will probably get 3-4 artichokes off of it. The other plant isn't growing at all. I'm not sure what happened that was different. They both have a lot of earwigs. This year was the first year that we have ever gotten cherries from our cherry trees. Most years the birds eat all of them before they are ripe enough but for some reason they didn't this year. It has been a strange year in the way of weather and growing timing. Ben pick and stoned so many cherries. Our freezer is very well stocked with cherries for months to come. What else? Raspberries! Oh delicious raspberries. If only they didn't take so long to pick every day.

We will have much more coming soon and lots canning to do. I am so very grateful for my mom and dad for teaching me to grow and preserve food. It is so satisfying to know that with a lot of work, we can have good food to eat. It is a busy time but I really do love it.

I successfully made a farmers cheese that was really tasty. I have tried to make cheese a few other times but it hasn't always turned out so good. I can't wait to go get more milk so I can make it again. We occasionally get milk from a dairy on our way down to visit Ben's family in Utah. The fresh milk is perfect for making cheese. The cheese turned out so much better then when I tried to make it with grocery store milk. I just wish the dairy was closer so we could get fresh milk regularly.

I am going to try and do so back blogging on our vacations soon I hope.

• In May we went on a trip through Central Utah to Mesa Verde. Most of our plans for the vacation didn't work out. It was cold and snowing but we still had a lot of fun. We went to Gobblin Valley State Park and did a really cool slot hike in a slot canyon there. We went to Natural Bridges National Monument and did a cool (really long) hike there. Then we went to Mesa Verde and did a few fun short hikes. More coming soon with lots of pictures.

• In June I left Ben at home to work and the kids and I traveled to the Oregon Coast. We got to ride with my parents otherwise I don't think I would have ever made that long of a trip. We spent a lot of time on the beach, staying out of the freezing cold water. Actually the kids got it, everyone else stayed out. We got to visit my sister and her husband who just moved there a few months ago and it was great to see them! The Oregon coast is so beautiful there and the weather was really nice. Lots of pictures coming soon.

• We are now getting ready for one last summer vacation, river rafting with Ben's family. It is sure to be a lot of fun with lots of cousins to play with. We are very much looking forward to it. 

(These pictures were taken in April or May and don't have anything to do with this post, I just don't like to blog without pictures and this is what is on my computer right now)

Back from vacation

We just got back from a wonderful and crazy adventure to Central/Southern Utah. We had a lot of fun and it was so nice to have a break from our daily routines... But now I am a bit behind in just about everything. Posts will be coming as soon as I get somewhat caught up. Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago, ridin' bikes and workin' bees.

Real chocolate filled eggs

The week before Easter, I came upon instructions for making chocolate filled eggs here.

I decided that it was exactly what I wanted to make for the Easter egg hunt. I got inspiration from the post linked above and made my own version of filled chocolate eggs.

They were so much fun (and very messy) to make and I think they were a big hit. I will probably make them (or some version of this) every year.

The eggs were from our chickens. Insides were carefully blown out (and used for scrambled eggs). Shells were washed, b


In other news...

*Ben is finished with school for the semester. I am so very excited for summer!!

*We are leaving on vacation next weekend and have yet to decide for sure what we are going to do. Our original road trip plans have been put on hold due to a little girl who refuses to be in her car seat for more than an hour without screaming.

But really, who can say no to this? She is awfully cute even when she is pouting, just not screaming.


* We are working on planting the garden. So far we have onions and potatoes in the ground. I am hoping to get lettuce, spinach, peas, and broccoli planted before we leave next week.  I also need to move some raspberries to a new row and get some blackberry starts from Ben's brother (Jim, can we get them in the next few weeks when we are down?). Oh there is always so much to do!

Wishing every one (all 4 readers here) a wonderful weekend.

Hill Airforce Museum & Hike

On our way down to Utah last weekend, we stopped at the Hill Airforce Museum to have a look around.

Before we left for home, we went on a walk up the canyon.

The sunset was lovely. The kids were both really tired and fell as soon as we left for the drive back home. We always have a difficult time with sleep while on vacation but it is so worth it. Thanks everyone for letting us come to visit month after month. We are so blessed with such wonderful family.

Happy Easter

We went to visit Ben's family in Utah for Easter. We had a wonderful time. We played with cousins.

  Heber absolutely loves playing with his cousins and has so much fun. He especially loves when they read to him, even if it is a made up story.

Eeva has a thing for hat right now. She will pick up anything that looks like it can go on her head and ask me to put it on.

Ah, cousins are so much fun!! Heber wouldn't take the basket off his face. Eeva wouldn't hold still and stand by the other kids.


We had an Easter egg hunt that the kids really enjoyed.

 Heber was very excited and would shout "I found an egg, I found an egg!" (Heber needs a hair cut but I kind of like it long. The rebel in me say's let it be.)

Eeva got distracted and decided to pick flower instead.

My friend Robyn does so really great things to celebrate Easter week. I would love to incorporate some of these ideas to help focus more on our Savior. This year the friend magazine had an article on the last week of the life of Jesus. We tried to read each part on the corresponding day but ended up reading it all in just a couple of day. Hopeful things will get easier as my kids get older but I'm not sure that will be the case.

I really need to work on spending time teaching my children about Christ, reading scriptures, and praying with them. I think it would do wonders to make us all feel more peace and less... crankiness and negativity.We all seem to be in such a rut right now - oh the whining and fussing! It's not just the kids either, I think I am the biggest contributor right now. I want to create a more peaceful happy home and it needs to start with me.

I like flowers and I like my new camera

Here are some lovely pictures I took. Don't know what else to say but wanted to share.

we can fly, we can fly

It is slowly slowly getting warmer and we have been enjoying the trampoline at my parents house. Now if only we would get real spring. I am so ready for warmer weather. I think it will be somewhat nice today but until we get real spring we can at least pretend.

Sorry about the less then great photos, I am still figuring out our camera. Someday I hope to take lots of good photos but I have a long long ways to go. They are fun anyway right?

I love this one!

While we are waiting for real spring and my ability to take pictures to improve, we can at least practice our flying.

Ben: The up and down, flap your wings style

 Heber: The around and around style

Eeva: Still needs some work getting off the ground.


Hope you have a happy spring day!

Eeva's Dress

I finished Eeva's birthday dress in time for her birthday but I never took any pictures and it didn't fit very well. It still doesn't fit that great (too wide and a little short) but I finally got some pictures taken. I think it will look cute as a shirt with leggings in a few more months.

dress front

and the back. I never finished the booties to go with the dress... maybe I should get to work on them.

I had to take quite a lot of pictures to get a few where she was looking at the camera. She is holding a banana and graham cracker. "Hi mom"

In trying to get her to look at the camera I would say, "Eeva, where's the camera?"

It doesn't get much cuter than this!!

And oh these eyes!! I get so many many comments about how big Eeva's eyes are but I wouldn't have her any other way.