Keeping Up With the Joneses

After a busy few weeks with Marshall traveling a lot, we decided we needed a vacation but with limited time it needed to be a day trip. So on Saturday morning we headed up to Park City for a day of fun. First we went to Utah Olympic Park, which was so much fun! We watched the freestyle and Nordic ski jumpers practicing (and decided our kids will be Olympic ski jumpers), played at their playground, and then Mason and Marshall went down the alpine slide. We tried to get Myles to try it too, but for all of his tough talking and attitude, he sure is scared of somethings. After that we all rode the chair lift up and walked back to the car. We got a picnic lunch and headed to another playground, and then after lunch headed to yet another playground where the kids played while I shopped for a little bit. All in all a great day and just what we needed!

Every Thursday BYU has a farmer's market at the Stadium parking lot and last week we finally got around to going. I told the kids they could each pick out one thing to buy and when I saw the ice cream I assumed they would pick that. But they surprised me. Mason picked blackberries, Myles picked carrots, and Max picked popcorn. And then it was so hot I decided to buy them ice cream anyway :) We had a great time eating it in the shade and practicing rolling down the hill. I'm going to miss this great weather.

Ten years ago if you told me I would spend days canning produce from my own fruit trees while living in Utah and driving a minivan I would have laughed in your face. But here I am. What happened!? After canning 18 pints of Salsa last week, this last weekend I canned 48 jars of cranberry sauce (long story resulting from my mother-in-law accidentally buying a case of cranberries), and 2 dozen quarts of cherry pie and apple pie filling. And we still have bushels of pears and nectarines needing to be picked off the trees. But I'm done canning. I'm giving the rest away. I do find it all strangely relaxing and satisfying, but I think I'm done for a few years.

Myles started his second year of preschool today. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays he goes to Miss Julie's Learning Tree Preschool for two and a half hours. On Tuesdays and Thursdays he goes to Miss Michelle's Joyfully Read Preschool for an hour and a half. It is so good for him to have some structured learning time and he is really loving it. All morning yesterday before preschool started he was practicing writing his name and matching letters to sounds in a workbook so that he could show the teachers what he knows. I got good reports from the teachers about his behavior for the first few days, so let's hope it continues! Why are my kids always so much better behaved for others than they are for me? :) A blurry picture of Myles and Miss Michelle on his first day. Another nice think about preschool for Myles is that it gives Max and I a few hours every week alone together! Yesterday we went to story time at the library and shopping and Max just loved having mommy to hi...

A few weeks ago I came across a deal for tickets Mary Poppins in Salt Lake for half off ($40 instead of $80-150). I loved seeing it in New York and really wanted Mason to see it, but I went a little crazy and bought 5 tickets thinking that some of my neices and mother in law would love it . When I told Deb (Grandma Delta) about it she was excited and we headed up last weekend. The kids absolutely loved it and it was truly amazing. Mason has been singing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" all week! Megan, Liz, and Mason Mason making a funny face. He is always such a little ham! We had a great rest of the Labor Day weekend. Saturday we practiced riding bikes, watching the BYU game (go cougars!), and played outside. Sunday night we had a cousins sleepover with Liz, Megan, and William. It is so great how much fun these kids have together. Monday Marshall took the older boys to the Payson parade while I shopped with my sister.