In the works

A ruffled shower curtain for the girls' bathroom. 

Pear sauce and pear butter

Mice week at preschool

"Flat Cousin Steven" is here for a visit. Now if we can just show him a good time, we might get some real cousins out to see us! By the look of his coloring, we think Flat Steven must've been expecting a trip to Jamaica instead of Arkansas. 

When I packed, I put all of our W's from around the house in one box. I think I have enough to fill an entire wall with them. I'm adding a new one this week as soon as the stain dries. 

After the girls get home we'll plant our tulips and repot the mums. The front yard is all pumpkiny and ready for fall. I need a wreath for my door. I had a cute acorn wreath at my old home but the squirrels ate it! 

The Big Cheese

Aaron has been working for Neighborhood Market as the meat, chicken, and fish buyer for several months. He loooooves it. 

An exciting day has arrived.  

Aaron has also been assigned to dairy. 

Cheese. 

Aaron is the cheese buyer. 

7 1/2 years ago, Aaron left his job in Sales at Schreiber Foods.  Last week, he went back to the Schreiber office, but this time, he got to sit at the other end of the table.  None of the people he worked with are still at the supplier office in Bentonville, but there was still a smile on his face when he got home. 

Aaron is wonderfully full of humility and is too kind to be anything but humble about the personal significance of this awesome little moment in his career. 

But I am not. I'm proud. I am totally proud. 

Great work Aaron!

My Season

I think Autumn is my season. As the outdoor foliage begins to die, I sort of wake up. Projects take off, I get excited about running again, I cook, I organize, I read books just for fun again, I feel needy and grateful, stressed and relaxed, orderly and unprepared, anxious and acceptance all at the same time. Autumn is my season of awareness. I become totally aware of how every hour is spent. I'm mostly ok the things and people to whom I deliver time. This season is a time for preparedness and I devote more time to my family, my job, my husband, my callings, my friends, my body, my home, and my spirit, and as I do this I often end up needing to reevaluate and find balance between all of them. I almost always feel a like I am neglecting some area to the point of failure and it deives e crazy.  I'm taking a different approach this year. 

My best is all I can do and my best is enough. 

So far, it's working and this season of mine has still been too busy, but as long as I keep my family's needs and my spiritual needs met I have the capacity to do the rest and still love it all. My garage is a mess and that's ok. Corbin needs a haircut and that's ok. I still have a primary program and annual budget to write and 28 more primary workers to do training with and that's ok. Aaron and I managed to make our 2 dates a month goal happen this month and that was awesome. I went to pe with my kid and a baptism on Friday and those were awesome. We got our car fixed and that's awesome. I call my mom nearly every day and that is ok. Things are awesome or at least they are good enough and I am ok with that. 

An update? Here we go: 

My job is awesome. Preschool is the best. The children are great, every week is more fun than the week before and every week I wonder how that is even possible since every week is totally awesome. 

The kids are already growing and learning new things from their experiences here and I love being a part of that. I am teaching them and they are learning from me. I've always loved my job as a hobby, but only recently have I recognized teaching as a spiritual gift. Sometimes when I am working with a child, I actually feel prompted to approach a concept or skill in a certain way and I recognize God's love for that child and my gift to be His instrument in aiding their development. It's an amazing feeling that really has set this year in teaching apart from previous years. 

I visited my old ward's primary program today and it was fun to see so many former and current students perform their parts. Some were hilarious, some were precious, and some read from the pulpit with great confidence and each word felt like a pat on the back, knowing I helped them not only become literate but I also helped one of them learn how to function in and learn in a classroom setting. Something like thus program would've been really difficult for him years ago, and today he managed with total self control. Growth is what it's all about. Today was a chance to see many of "my" kids bloom. Anyway, preschool is going really well and is one of my highlights every week. 

Who doesn't love a pajama party with seven 3-5 year olds? Popcorn, shadow puppets, lullabies, bedtime stories, and dramatic play. Winning. 

So far, we've done a name unit, a summer unit, a house unit, and a bedtime routine unit.  Preschool really deserves its own post, but that's all I've got tonight. 

Onward:

Baby guy had his 1 year checkup and is a whopping 18lbs. My little buddy is in the 5th percentile. I think I will use it as an excuse to nurse him another month or two. Neither of us is ready to quit. He had 6 shots on the big day and is my first baby to have bizarre reactions. Here we are back at the dr to check out his lymph glands in his groin that swelled up like ping pong balls and the rash from head to toe. He was pretty miserable for about 10 days but is finally feeling like himself again. He's such a sweet and happy baby and people stop us all the time to comment on what a happy little lover he is. 

My life is like an upside down repeat of what it was 5 years ago. I have two littles at home, except it is all boy! The days of tea parties in Tinkerbell dresses are replaced with pirate and robot talk, a LOT more noise, broken stuff, and more physical activity. We get outside more. I answer less questions and give less instructions. Days are shorter with these two. Corbin is a very sweet and loving big brother. Soren is a very loved baby. 

Arrrgh! Free donuts on talk like a pirate day to all who come dressed in pirate garb! Surrender the donuts ye scalawags or it'll be Davy Jones' Locker for ye all! ("Ye all" Not to be confused with "y'all"...which us what we say the other 364 days a year) 

Yeah we totally scored! We pillaged Krispy Kreme and were given a bounteous treasure of 5 dozen donuts! 

Wii dance party on a rainy day. Can't beat Quincy's moves or her crazy 80s fountain ponytail on top of get head. These two are the greatest! 

Corbin's best buddy had a build a bear birthday. Corbin named his doggie "Caca". Correct son. That is exactly what doggies do. Duke might've been a more appropriate name, though. 

Soccer is in full swing. Corbin is surprisingly non aggressive and runs away from the ball when it comes near him. He does love to chase the other kids though. Yesterday's game finished minutes before a huge storm rolled through.

Fall decorations are up and Halloween party invites are making their way to Primrose Lane via balloon owl

Lately, I've celebrated the changing season by spending a great deal of time in the kitchen. I busted out a few masterpieces. 

Ok so I didn't actually "make" these, but it should be noted that the hens are no longer molting and are finally laying again after several weeks off. 

Cheddar and Gouda 

On Sundays, Aaron makes waffles with the children. I love this tradition and I love getting waffles in bed by a sticky fingered little boy. 

This one is such a peach these days. Sweet and sensitive and just a lovely treat to have around. I'm so thankful for her kind heart and her help around the house. She is the most obedient child ever and sets a perfect example for her siblings. 

I had a girls night the other night and my friend, Jeddi, did my hair. I came home with a few of Jeddi's sparkly pins in my hair and Aaron said, "Jeddi made you her!" Haha it's true. My hair did look like hers. I might just have a new go-to updo.  I love me a messy bun. 

Can I get an, "amen" and a "hip hip hooray" for the fast approaching end of swimming lessons? I have major regrets for signing up for this session. Our lives are over booked and with soccer and Activity Days on other nights of the week, I find myself craving more afternoons home with the kids playing carelessly in the yard. I like having a schedule, but too much "planned" activity is starting to cut into our imaginative allowance and I don't like when that happens. The absence of swimming lessons will be filled with simple afternoons with me in the kitchen, homework at the table, lengthier and more meaningful dinner conversations and creative dramatic playtime on the island. 

 Reese and Quincy turned their bikes upside down the other day for the first time and as they cranked the little pedal "factory" I reminisced and smiled at the feeling that my kids are getting a good childhood. Mud pies for everyone. Cheers. 

Thursday was still pretty great.

How amazing is this place?! Arkansas is

 beautiful! 

Corbin loves to do anything that involves his buddies Cole and Emma.  We went exploring along some of the trails along the lake Bella Vista walking path. I can't believe some of the treasures that are hidden in the trees just steps beyond the path I've been running on for years. There are huge limestone bluffs you can stand under, a cave, and a waterfall that runs from a natural spring. Awesome stuff for the kids to explore, and just a mile from my house. We found turtles, squirrels, deer, a praying mantis and some giant stick bugs. I can't get over how lucky I am to live in such a pretty place. It looks like something out of a fairy tale and I half expect a troll or a gnome to show up out of nowhere. Soren was thrilled to be carried on a hip along the trail and later sucked on some rocks and are ate dirt when I set him down to fix Corbin's shoe. 

On speaking too soon.

Spoke too soon. The alternator (we think) on Aaron's car died in the parking lot at work today.  At least it happened on the one and only day I honestly cannot say, "I don't have time for this." 

Poor Aaron wishes he could say the same.