Tyler's in the Band

High School Marching Band has kept Tyler really busy. They have a practice at 7am every morning in addition to the regular class time. Last Friday was their first football game. It was pretty cool to see! Tyler found us during the 3rd quarter. He was so hot and tired, but happy! He likes playing the trumpet and being a part of the band. It was a fun night, watching him out there. And our team won the football game too! Go Jr. Blues!

And here's our other two awsome, talented, and handsome boys.

My New Hobby

Along with our gardening experiment this year, I've done some canning. We planted tomatoes and peppers thinking that we could make a ton of salsa, but they didn't ripen at the same time. So I made Spaghetti Sauce, Pizza Sauce and Salsa. And today I turned a gallon bag of jalapeno peppers into 8 half-pints of Jelly!



We also planted cucumbers - which we also don't like. But I do like pickles!



We also had a few cases of peaches that the boys sold for a scout fundraiser. Some of those got sliced and frozen in gallon bags. Some were frozen in pies. And some got canned as Spiced Peaches, Cinnamon Peach Jam, Peach Syrup, and Peach Butter. It's a lot of work and it's more expensive than just buying cans of food at the store, but I like doing it - and it tastes sooo good. It's a nice skill to have and I love how my storage room shelves are filling up with pretty jars of yummy things!

Our Labor Day Weekend

For the long weekend (and a late Todd's birthday), we took a trip to Nauvoo! The last time we went was 13 years ago - Tyler was not even 2 years old and I was 8 months pregnant with Ryan! Every summer we say "We should go back to Nauvoo. The boys need to see it." And then before we know it the summers are over and we let it go, thinking "We still need to take the boys to Nauvoo!" It's only about 5-6 hours away so I don't know why it's been so hard for us to go! And things have changed - the Temple there has been rebuilt, there's a new Family Living Center, and they have wagon rides around the old part of town.

Its a really beautiful place and the weather was perfect. There were gorgeous gardens around the Temple. I couldn't stop taking pictures of all the flowers! And since it was the "off season" we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

Some of my Ashby ancestors lived in Nauvoo so learning about the city and the people at that time was really neat. At the Seventies Hall, we looked up Nathaniel Ashby and I got to sign a book of Descendants of the Seventies. Then the boys got to sign it too. I don't think they realized that this ancestor of mine who we had been talking about for days was their ancestor too, until they got to sign the book. We also found his house and his name on the list of pioneers who died before they got to Salt Lake.

We also went to Carthage Jail where Joseph & Hyrum Smith died. It was a special place for us. I hope the boys felt the spirit there too.

We drove back on Monday in plenty of time for the boys to get ready for school on Tuesday. I did lots of laundry and canned the last of my garden tomatoes - I made Pizza Sauce!

It was a really great three days together. I hope it will be a happy memory for the rest of the boys' life.

First Day of School

OK. The boys have been in school for TWO WEEKS now and I'm just now posting their first day pictures. It was a really dark and rainy morning so I had a hard time with the lighting - and Tyler and Ryan left before the sun even came up! All the boys were a little nervous but also excited. This is the first time each of them is on their own at different schools. I think they're each feeling a little more grown up and independent. So here they are...

The Awesome 9th Grader - Starting Seminary, All Honors Classes, Marching Band & Debate - TYLER!!!

The Amazing 7th Grader - Advanced Math, Basketball, and First Chair Trombone - RYAN!!!

And the Adorable 4th Grader - Solo Bus Rider, Class Banker, and Fourcaster - JUSTIN!!!

Cupcakes Anyone?

Last weekend, I baked & decorated a bunch of mini cupcakes for our friends' wedding open house. There was a ton of great food and lots of other treats, but the bride & groom both told us that these cupcakes were their favorite ever! I just used cake mixes and a big batch of frosting and changed it up with different sprinkles. I also reassembled my "make-it-do or do-without" homemade cupcake stand. I just love the pink & white! I could do this every week!

The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden...

...so that's what we'll do!

That song (from the Primary songbook) has been playing in my head for months now. The boys helped me build grow boxes and Todd helped me plant seeds. And "before you know, good things will grow, to feed our family" - we've got real produce! It amazes me that tall plants and real food come from tiny little seeds, lots of sun, & a little water. It's a miracle and I'm in awe.

We are not a big veggie-eating family, but I'm having a good time showing the kids what I've picked and then trying to add it to our meals. We've had battered & fried yellow squash, pasta salad with our cucumbers, tomato, & green bell pepper, a stirfry, a few salads, a garden vegetable skillet dish, and there's still lots of things out there still growing! We planted 2 (only TWO) tomato plants because we don't really like tomatoes, but I've picked about 5 and there are probably 75 more!!! I'm going to can them if they'll get together and ripen at the same time. I also have about 15 cucumbers (again, not something we like) so I'm going to make pickles. The rabbits destroyed my lettuce and zucchini, and I haven't learn how to string up the beans & peas right, but I'd say this garden has been a success.

"Oh, won't you plant a garden too, and share the many joys

A garden brings in health and love to happy girls and boys."