We love our garden!

We love to garden. Last year we had great tomatoes and pumpkin, but made mistakes on everything else. The corn was doing great, but we didn't pick it in time and it was all starchy and chewy when we realized it was ready. The peas and squash didn't ever grow well and I think it was that I planted them too late. So...this year I planted peas when there was still frost on the ground. They are doing so well! We picked a big bowl full yesterday and made alfredo and pea linguini for dinner. The corn (in the picture) is doing great. We also planted tomatoes and red and green peppers (you can see the tomatoes in the tires behind the corn). I love fresh produce!

My mom bought my dad a backyard fire pit for Father's day. The day after my sister Kara was married we broke it in for the first time. Before we lit a fire and it was still new and clean, Nicholas enjoyed playing in it. Later that evening we roasted marshmallows and starburst. It was great!
This was Essie's first time having her fingernails painted. My sister Kara did the honors. Essie was not very cooperative. She was intent on grabbing the brush. I was amazed that Kara was able to get any polish on her nails at all. They were so cute! Sorry about the blurry picture.

Random pictures

Here are a few random pictures from the past month or so.

This is Thomas and his cousin Newell. They are good buddies.

Estella eating oatmeal. She is figuring out the eating thing really well. The only problem is that she wants the spoon, so when we feed Essie it takes four spoons. One to feed her with and three others to keep her little hands busy!
Nicholas found a little baby toothbrush that goes on your finger and used it to brush Essie's hair. He knew it wasn't for brushing hair, so he had a "I'm being so silly" look on his face the whole time he was doing it.
For Jackson's birthday we decided to get a babysitter and go on a hike just the two of us. It was so fun to be able to move quickly on the trail without stopping or carrying the kids. We hiked up to a waterfall and decided to explore up over the top of it. When we got up and over we dropped down into a little valley. Suddenly we were surrounded by echoing animal calls of some kind. It took us a while, but we figured out they were frogs. On our hike back we ran into a group of people who were actually hiking up specifically to listen to and watch these frogs. They informed us they were called "canyon tree frogs." It was so fun that we wanted the kids to have that experince as well, so we hiked back up a few days later with all three kids. It took a lot longer, but it was worth it. We had a blast. If you want to see a video that Jackson took, just go to YouTube and search Canyon Tree Frogs.

Kara's Wedding

This past weekend my little sister Kara and Cody Markham were married in the Manti Temple. It was so fun to be there. They are such a gorgeous couple. They were just dripping happiness and new love. It was wonderful.

Here they are having a little moment together in the lobby before they come out of the temple.

She is just stunning!

Kara and Thomas
Brothers
This is my aunt Gaylene holding Nicholas and my sister Jamie standing in the background. If you click on the picture you will be able to see his big crocodile tear.
These are my dad's parents. They have worked in the Manti Temple for over 10 years now. They are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet.

Netflix

If you want to be our Netflix friend click on this link:
http://www.netflix.com/BeMyFriend/P6cMrir8jaHjmkLG9a10

-Jackson

Spoon Feeding

Estella is now being spoon fed at least once a day. I don't remember this being such a chore with the other two. It must be that there are more demands on my time because it sure feels like it takes FOREVER to feed this adorable little one. It is sure fun, though.

Thomas LOVES taking pictures. His favorite things to take pictures of are (1) Estella and (2) the light fixture above the table. He is getting better and better at getting his subject in the frame and also at letting the camera focus before he fires the shot.

A few pictures

Jackson made it home from Las Vegas last night. That was a long week for us! We are so glad to have our daddy (and husband) home. I am so thankful that he doesn't have to leave us regularly anymore. Thanks for the lunch ideas! I really needed a jumpstart.

The weather has been so nice lately. The boys think the hose is the best toy right now. I have a nozzel on it that has different sprays. Their favorite is the "gun" because it sprays hard and far. They love to spray it everywhere.
Thomas really likes to pick flowers for me. I have taught him that the only flower he can pick without permission is a dandelion. Dandelions are never more beautiful than when offered with love from your little one. So sweet!

Here is a picture of our sweet Essie Boo. I don't want her to grow up. More than ever before I just want her to stay exactly how she is right now.

And here is an old, but recently touched up picture of Thomas.

Two questions

I have had two questions on my mind. They are very different in nature. One came about because of a Relief Seciety lesson. How do I find time to ponder? I feel like every minute of every day is full. Full of caring, making, cleaning, helping, hurrying, driving, reading, disciplining, cooking, and listening. All good things, but where do I fit in pondering. It is so hard to find a time when things are quiet. I used to have a bit of quiet in the shower (and that is when inspiration came last week about how to help Thomas), but lately I have had visitors. So I ask you, When do you find time to ponder?

The second question is much different...What do you make for lunch? I am so sick of peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese that I could leave those out of my diet for a LONG time and not feel bad about it. My problem is that I want lunch to be EASY and FAST! I have enough of a struggle making dinner every day with three little ones battling for my attention. I don't want to make anything for lunch. At lunch time I feel like I just finished cleaning up breakfast, I don't want to make a mess again. I just want it to magically appear on the table and clean itself up. Does anyone have a magic lunch making spell they could teach me?

Handsome Husband

I posted these pictures reverse order of what I intended. These first few are of a hike on the monument. We just love it up there. The boys found a rock that rocked :) and they had a blast rocking on it. I didn't get any pictures of Thomas on it...I'll have to do that next time.

Jackson just left yesterday to attend a work conference. He needed a photo to go on a name badge, so we did this one in the garage for him a few days ago. He will be gone for a full week, so wish me luck with three kiddos by myself for that long! It has actually been very pleasant and fun so far. I was REALLY worried because last week and the beginning of this week were HORRIBLE! Estella had a cold, got shots, and cut two teeth all in the same week. Also, we were having major tantrums from everyone...especially Thomas. One day Thomas had 5 MAJOR, full blown tantrums. It was bad. I had an enlightening moment (guidance by the spirit) as to what he needed a few days ago and things have gone MUCH smoother since then. I can't wait to have my handsome husband back home with us!

I see you Daddy!

Dress ups

I have fond memories of playing dress-up as a child. Over the past few years I have started collecting cheap or free dress-ups for my kids. Thomas and Nicholas are beginning to get interested in them. A few days ago I got the dress-up basket down from the closet and let them have at it. First, they dumped everything out and ooohed and aaahed over it all. Then they decided on what they wanted to have on. I had to help a bit. They were so pleased with their costumes.


After playing for a while in his snakeskin vest, Nicholas wanted a change. He found this "Mommy hair" as I mentioned in the last post. I wasn't aware that my hair was short, curly, or mulitcolored. Thankfully I have Nicholas to open my eyes :)

It is annual "junk pick up" time in Grand Junction. There are piles of junk on the sides of the road all over town waiting for the trash crew to pick up. Jackson rummaged up a few things to make a bike jump with, so he could practice up for his upcoming mountain biking trip with his buddies. The boys thought it was super cool that daddy could go off a jump on his bike.

:)

I just love this picture! Like I said before, I didn't have any ideal fabric for a background, so I was using what I could find around the house. Jackson's grandma left a bunch of fabric here when she left, so I found this in her stash. I was initially planning on trying to take some photos of Estella and change them to black and white using this as the backdrop, so it was set up when Jackson bribed Thomas to sit for us. I only took a few shots with it before I changed it to something more manly, but I think it is perfect for this expression!


I am behind on pictures, so I don't have a visual image to go with this story, but I want to tell it before I forget it. Today, Thomas and Nicholas were playing dress-up. Nicholas pulled a bright multicolored clown wig out of the box. He ran up to me saying (in all seriousness), "Look Mommy...hair like yours!" I waited and waited for a grin or a twinkle in the eye to show me he was kidding, but it didn't come...He only repeated his devistating remark. I will post a picture of him wearing "hair like mine" soon :)

A bin full of Estella

A few days ago I was putting away laundry in Estella's room and just for fun I set Estella in the empty bin. Thomas had a great time pushing her around the house.


Last night Jackson bribed Thomas with an ice cream sandwich to dress in his church shirt, gel his hair, and sit for a photo shoot. I don't have the supplies I want yet, but I was anxious to try, so I used what we had around the house. I was disappointed because a lot of them turned out blurry because it was just too dark, but we got a few that were sharp. This was one of my favorites. It is such a Thomas look :)

Aiden

This afternoon my nephew Aiden came to play. He looked so adorable I couldn't help snapping a few pictures. I was also excited to use my new camera. Jackson gave me the Nikon D80 for my birthday. I am SUPER excited! I have big dreams as far as photography goes. I keep having to remind myself that I have my whole life ahead of me to learn and practice. I get carried away with dreams and ambitions far to easy, which sometimes causes me to neglect things that are more important. I am so thankful to have a husband who encourages me to pursue my interests and supports me in any decision I make.

Grandpa Groesbeck and Essie

We took a quick trip to Utah this weekend to get Jackson's cello repaired in Salt Lake. We had a great time. I have lots of pictures, but here is my favorite. This is my dad with Estella. PRECIOUS!

Family Home Evening

Monday at about 4:45 Jackson called from work and said, "Let's have a picnic on the Monument for Family Home Evening." So I threw some food in the cooler and loaded the kids in the van and off we went. It was so refreshing. We ate with the warm sun on our backs and cool breeze on our faces. The sun started going down so we "chased" it as long as we could. The boys had a great time exploring and climbing. Here are a few pictures Jackson took.

Spring!!!

Spring is here! I love spring. After a long winter, spring is such a joy! I love the daffodills blooming in my backyard. Thank you Grandma Berry for creating such beautiful flower beds!


I love that the boys will go outside together (without me) and play. This shot was taken out my VERY DIRTY bedroom window. Also take notice that they are in their church clothes! What kind of a mother am I? I guess one that likes to do a lot of laundry and doesn't like to wash windows :)
Estella is 5 months old now. It is amazing how time flies and how fast babies grow. She is such a fun, happy, laid back baby. We love her so much!

This isn't a very good picture, but I had to include it. Essie is definitely a thumb sucker! I might not like it in the future, but it is great right now! For some reason the boys don't like it when she sucks her thumb. They are both always pulling it out of her mouth.

Preschool it is

Thank you all so much for your advice. I have always thought I would wait a year, but as I started calling different preschools this past week, many of the people I talked to strongly suggested Kindergarten. After thinking and praying and asking advice of many people, I think it will be best for Thomas to wait. I do, however, think we will pay to send him to preschool two mornings a week. I don't necessarily think they will teach him anything that I can't, or that he will learn more there than he would at home, but he enjoys it so much, and I think Nicholas needs it. Thomas is constantly directing Nicholas in everything he does. So much so, that I think Nicholas needs some regular time away from him to spread his own wings and discover his own person. I do think a lot about homeschooling in the future (as Carrie mentioned). I have several good friends who have done, or still do, that with their children. Jackson and I often talk about how horrid middle school was. Is it just us, or was that a rotten time for anyone else? Of course we still have a lot of time before we meet that challenge, but we think it may be good to consider homeschooling during that time. I could go on and on about this subject. My opinions are ever changing, though, because I am still so inexperienced. Thanks again for the advice!

KINDERGARTEN?????

I need some advice. Thomas's birthday is September 4th and he will be the big 5. The cut off date for kindergarten here is September 15th. DO I SEND HIM, OR DO I WAIT ANOTHER YEAR? I thought I had decided a long time ago, to wait and send him when he turns 6, but now that it is drawing closer and I am thinking about it more, I just don't know. Everyone has always told me to generally send a young girl, and hold back a young boy.

Thomas (like most kids) is ready academically. Socially...I used to think he was behind, but he is doing better and better with people, so now I think he may be ready. As far as seperation from me, he is fine for the three hours, twice a week he goes to preschool...but every day for Kindergarten...I just don't know????

To throw another spin on things, Nicholas will be 5 August 23 in two more years. That means his birthday is well before the cutoff. I feel like if I send Thomas, I will need to send Nicholas...if I hold Thomas back, I will need to hold Nicholas. I think because they are two years apart, minus two weeks, in age, they need to be two years apart in school.

Also, he has cousins here. Newell 6 now and will be 7 on September 5th...he just went to kindergarten this year and will be in first grade next year. Ethan is 5 now and will be 6 in November and he will be going to Kindergarten next year.

Advice???? Please send any and all!

Oh...in answer to some comments about my preschool post. Some friends and I do a rotating preschool. It is twice a week, for 2 1/2 hours. We rotate weeks. So I teach at my house one week out of five weeks. Our goal is to teach the kids to follow directions, sit still for a short lesson, raise their hands, and get along with each other. We are very laid back and give them a lot of free play time and movement activities. We use a book called, "Teach me Mommy," as a base for ideas and themes, and we supplement whatever else we want to do. This is the second year I have done this...last year in Las Vegas with three year olds, and this year in Junction with mostly 4 year olds. It has been a great experience both times.