A photo review of October

We went to a BYU football game with Jeff and Shelly!  BYU won, which always makes it more fun.  And Sophie was obsessed with Cosmo the Cougar.  She behaved really well and it was a nice day.

Sophie and her joy school peeps went on a field trip to the local fire station.  They watched a Sesame Street movie on fire safety and got to go inside the fire truck.  Fun was had by all.

It snowed.  This caused us to clean out the garage of all the summer toys and bikes so we could park inside.  Thus far we have not parked inside, we are just waiting to be punished one of these mornings.

We finished up Jack's first tackle football season.  I think this may deserve a whole post, so I will save the details.  But Jack had more fun than he knew was possible, even though they didn't have a winning season.  He's number 81 in the above photo.  He continually tackled a kid that weighed 40 pounds more than him in this game.  Scary.

The girls and I went to the PTA Halloween carnival at the school.  Sophie is clearly having fun, and so was Bella, even though you can't see her face.  There were rides and games and the girls had a blast. 

We had Halloween!  We went to a trunk or treat party on Friday night at the church.  Then we braved the rain for Trick or Treating.  I know none of you know what we are.  Jack is Darkwing Duck-shout out to the cousins from this summer.  They all loved watching cartoons from the nineties.  The girls and I are Russian nesting dolls.  It was nice and warm in the cold, much like wearing a snuggie. 


I am sure there were other things, but I spent part of the month being a little sick, so they weren't photographed and clearly not blogged about in a timely manner. 

Happy Birthday Sophie!

I can't believe Sophie is 3 years old today.  It seems her baby and toddler years have just flown by.  She is definitely growing up!  We often get comments about her that she looks different from the other kids.  It's the blonde hair, none of us have that light blonde hair.  But not too long ago we got this picture of Nate which I think looks so much like Sophie!

You can tell they were both full of mischief!

Hope your birthday is great girl!  We love you!

Mommy Mommy Mommy , I need to go potty

All my kids potty train just before their third birthday.  Sophie was ready at the beginning of the summer, but I wasn't.  The idea of potty training her on vacation, or while we had house guests made me want to gouge my eyes out-no way.  When Jack was little, he loved stickers, so I made him a chart and every time he went on the potty, he could put a sticker on the chart.  I also made Bella a chart, but she could have cared less, she just wanted cute undies.  Sophie was all about the chart, but she wanted to chart to lead to something.  So we picked out a doll, made the chart and went to work.

Potty training is one of those things that you know will be excellent when it is over, and the end result is totally worth it.  But the middle, not so much.  I think I was also reluctant because we got new carpet this year, and it is still nice.  But we stocked up on the thick gerber panties and those usually don't leak a ton, at least not on the floor.  And here we are a few weeks later, and she's got it!  I know there will still be the occasional accident, but I won't be buying diapers anytime soon.  We do have to go in a ton of public restrooms, and I do have to focus on someones bodily functions besides my own.  But that will all pass.  We did have a bout of being afraid of big potties, but I think she is conquering that. 

So adios diapers, hello more things to wash!

Family Bike Ride

On Labor Day we went on a bike ride all together.  I have intentions that we will do this a lot all summer long, but this last summer got away from us and this was our first ride together.

The weather will hopefully be mild enough that we can get another one in.  That is, if we get a new tire tube for the trailer.  It has a flat that we just pumped up along the way.  Bummer.

We also went and saw the Karate Kid, which I think was okay.  Sophie is potty training and asked to go to the bathroom at least five time during the movie.  We are now talking about the ability to "hold it" for a bit.  And why is it all kids like public restrooms?

First Day Of School!

We started school about a week and a half ago.  The porch light is on because Jack left early for his new school.  We are sooo blessed to be in a carpool with a bunch of kids from the neighborhood.  He was in school for a week before I drove!  I hope all the other moms are loving it as much as I am, one of the hardest things about letting him go to the other school was the driving everyday prospect.  It was a bit of a rough start, Jack feels homesick for his old school.  But he's starting to get the hang of the new rules and procedures and getting into a good homework groove.  The kid does as much as he can in the car on the way home.  Maximizing his time, that one is. 

You can see here that this girl is thrilled to start second grade!  She was beyond excited.  The funny thing is, neither of these girls even saw their brother that morning the start times are so different.  She is so independent this year.  She says she wants me to go with her to school, but then takes off so I am just watching her from a distance, or running to keep up. 

People keep asking me if Sophie is sad to see the kids go.  No, no she isn't.  With them gone she has run of the house and can try and sneak into the stuff of theirs she isn't supposed to play with.  She can also choose to watch a movie without negotiating or compromise.  She is looking forward to her neighborhood preschool we are doing.  She is a bit bummed that the first place they are coming is our house, but she'll have fun.  Also, we are in the throes of potty training right now.  She is doing really well, she is telling me when she needs to go of her own volition.  I am thinking in a few weeks we will be there.  We did go shopping on Friday and did have to go in many public bathrooms.  She is terrified of falling in the toilet, so when out and about she makes me really hold her on the potty, which is fine, but awkward.  I'll take it over diapers though.

In The Zone

Football season officially started at the beginning of August.  Jack is playing padded football this year rather than flag-and the kid is beyond thrilled.  These are some shots from the Jamboree his league had last Saturday.  Jack is the one with the long white sleeves.  He is a back on offense and a linebacker on defense.  The kid is in heaven. 

It was great to see them play at the Jamboree and I am even more excited for the games.  The girls and I have been at practice so much this past month-we are anxious to see the fruits of their labors.  Don't they all look cute in their pads-it's funny how small some of them still are.

We also have this guy out on the field with the freshman this year.  This means three football games a week for the next 2 months.  Plus any other high school or college games we try and hit.  It will be crazy!  I have everything all scheduled out though and am ready to go.

Freezer Jam

We recently had a Relief Society Meeting about Canning and Preserving food, and freezer meals.  I have done freezer meals before, and I have always liked how they turn out.  But I have never canned or done any other preservation.  So, knowing my tendency to start out too big,  I decided to pick a small easy sort of thing.  I bought a lot of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and mangoes, and made some freezer jam.  I dragged Nate into the project to cut the mangoes into chunks and help bag up in freezer bags all the fruit we weren't using in the jam.  We used the Bell Freezer Jam pectin, because it was recommended at the class.    We made two varieties, strawberry mango, and raspberry blackberry.  It didn't take all that long, and I have 11 jars total, which is plenty of jam for us.  Maybe another time I will try some actual canning.