Labor Day + Domesticity

I know I'm behind. I just haven't felt very "bloggy" lately. That needs to change.

On Labor Day we took the kids on a short hike to Escalante's Cross up Spanish Fork Canyon. This cross marks the spot (the supposed spot) that Father Escalante stood at and surveyed the valley in 1776. Look closely, you can see Carter "waving."

Carter spent most of the hike riding in comfort. Here he is nearly asleep.

Also, people have been telling me lately that my hair is getting really long. I thought we'd use a comparison here. This was last June:

And this was recently. It's a little hard to see, but you can tell it's pretty far down my back. I may have 8 inches to cut off. We'll see how I feel about that...

With Allie in school in the afternoons, and Carter sleeping, Kyla is trying to figure out what to do with herself every day. We alternate between playing Starfall, watching kid shows, playing together and reading books. Today, after we watched Pinky Dinky Doo, I asked her to tell me a story. She told me three. They were all about someone going to the store to buy candy. Or gum. And sharing with everyone. Except for "the chubby bubby, because he would choke," as she put it. It made me laugh. Two Wednesdays a month I am going to help in Allie's class and she gets to come with me. Tomorrow is our first time. I know she thinks she should be in kindergarten, so we'll see how she does as a "helper."

Also, a word about Bountiful Baskets. I have been doing it for a while now, and I must say, it has changed the way we eat (in a good way). Because we get so much produce, we have to eat some every day so it doesn't go bad, and I am forced to figure out how to cook things we haven't ever eaten before. Today I made some Sweet Potato Muffins because we got sweet potatoes two weeks in a row. Tonight we're going to have Butternut squash with our meal, and I have to work in several other fruits and veggies the rest of the week. Jeff brought home some blackberries from work (someone brought them in) and so I need to make him a Blackberry Cobbler tonight.

AND, someone left a bushel of peaches on our driveway and so I spent yesterday making freezer jam. I have 12 small jars and 2 big jars of peach jam. Hopefully enough to last us until next year, and tasty enough to give the neighbors for Christmas. The goal is to can the rest of the peaches, but I need help with that, so we'll see if that gets done. Aren't I all domestic? Maybe I will make a good Mormon woman after all. Time will tell.