Happy Labor Day!

It was a little smokey, so Matthew quickly went inside and got his eye protection. It's been so nice and cool out this past week! We've had the air conditioner off with it in the 70's and the windows open all night in the 50's.
9/5/2011

Kaitlyn was not interested in the heat. This was the closest she got for a short time.

Adam's Labor Day. He canned for 14 hours, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Pumpkin and squash for soups and mashed potatoes; bell peppers for stew and Kentucky Wonder green beans.

Yellow tomato honey butter for chicken strips, fried fish, etc. It is good! The little ones are jalapeno jellies. With crackers and cream cheese ~ it is so good! Adam added a sack of the seeds to simmer with the cooking jelly. It's pretty spicy.

In the middle, jalapenos. Wow, Adam! So wonderful!

This is an alphabet train puzzle. They were so cute singing the song over and over again while putting it together...all by themselves! Matthew can do puzzles all by himself now. And Kaitlyn is always pulling one out and having us all do them together.

Little budding photographers. Always taking turns doing everything.

They really like to play hide and seek. It is so cute listening to Kaitlyn count to 10 and say, "Ready or not! Here I come!" And Matthew just likes to plain hide! Every night before bed for the past number of months, he'll run upstairs first and hide under the bed sheets. Giggling and squirming, the rest of us come up and talk it over, wondering, "did Matthew come upstairs? Which bedroom is he in?..." He thinks it's the greatest thing and will finally surprise us, coming out from under the sheets.

He also believes he must be first, "I win!!" First up the stairs every night after we brush our teeth and the first buckling up in the car; are the main two. But all day every day this topic comes up pretty often and can get him very upset if he's not the one! He's coming along, though.

Kaitlyn really likes to draw, especially people. There are scraps of paper all over the house with her drawings, circles and some scribbles. She also really likes stacking her playdough containers, picking flowers outside, and is always intent on carrying her pink and white blanket and doll up and down the stairs; or something. She is rarely empty handed! She also really likes taking baths. She enjoys laying right down with her ears in the water. And when she sometimes takes a shower, she plunges her head right under the water. No problem ever rinsing out her hair!

One of their favorite things is to ride for a while when we need to go somewhere while I drive.

On this particular day, Matthew then rode down the hill on the least steep part for the first time...and then ran back up again when I realized I forgot something. Then that evening after the chiropractor, Daddy and the two of them walked back home. As it is on main street, he again ran up the hill. Hardly even winded when he made it to the top. He really wanted to ride and run today!
9/2/11

To the park. Throwing the football with another neighbor he just met.

Getting an extra fast push!

9/1 thursday

Blanching the tomatoes.
8/31 wednesday

Daddy's little right hand man.

Laying them out for the dehydrator we just got today. This is the first couple of weeks since spring that Adam has 'taken it easy' when arriving home from work. He's tired! And maybe fighting something off.

But when we finished eating dinner tonight, he promptly cleared some space in the kitchen and put that new dehydrator to work! Still Very interested in all the aspects of gardening!

The "sun dried" tomatoes and carrots turned out well. The purple carrots looked like they were burned on the edges. Since they are fully orange like normal carrots, with just purple skins.
Looking forward to drying onions and scallops next!