Raspberries!

This is Rachel. Rachel LOVES raspberries (even the white ones!).

This is what happened to Rachel for eating so many raspberries.

OK! That's really what happens when you go swimming with a regular diaper on - I don't recommend it. Hopefully we can find these pictures when she's 16 and her date wants to see some baby pictures!Actually, we ALL love raspberries and last week I was finally able to keep the kids from eating them as fast as they picked them, and had enough to make a few batches of jam. The kids were so excited to help me make it, and Saturday night we were finally able to do it. I thought it would just be me and Christopher - or I was hoping - but they ALL wanted to help. This made me nervous it wouldn't turn out right and so I was trying to make sure they didn't spill on the table, etc, etc. I had Christopher mash up the raspberries, the whole time remembering how my mother taught me to measure the raspberries so carefully. I guess I was concentrating too hard and I completely forgot to even measure them at all before we added the sugar! That batch turned out OK, a little too sugary, but it'll have to do! I could tell I didn't have enough raspberries because the next batch made 1 jar MORE of jam! I have enough raspberries to make two more batches today, and I am hoping to NOT have so much help! It probably would have been fine if Rachel wouldn't have been ON the table trying to 'help'! Maybe I'll wait for her naptime!

Proud to be an American!

We were lucky because Aaron's days off last week were Friday and Saturday! (He could have gotten Thursday off as well, since Saturday was a holiday, but volunteered to work). He took Chris, Bryce, Tacy and Rachel up to his parent's house in Preston Thursday night while I stayed home with AJ. They took our tent and put it up in his parent's front yard. It was kind of weird having the whole day, Friday, to do whatever I wanted - between feeding AJ and playing with him. I ended up finishing most of my 'Maternity Tops' section on my website - something I have been trying to do for a long time - and finishing several pages in our Family Scrapbook - something I have been wanted to do for even longer, as I am still catching up and in 2006! Aaron wanted me to stay home to get some rest and it was a very relaxing day. Aaron brought the kids home that night and we watched the fireworks before ALL going back up to Preston to 'camp'.

We wanted to go into the stadium this year, but didn't dare get the tickets early in case the weather was bad so we went with Aaron's brother Val's family to a church in North Logan. It was a really good spot and our kids had fun running around before it got dark. Tacy fell asleep during the fireworks and Rachel climbed all over me and Bryce during the show! Saturday we went to Lewiston to the 4th of July Parade/Celebration.
My favorite part of parades are the bands playing and although there were only two bands, I loved it!
The best part about the Lewiston Celebration is running through the water! Every year they hook up a fire hose and spray whoever is crazy enough to run through it. We all did, even AJ got a turn, since Aaron had him in the tummy-carrier when he went through! I missed seeing them since I was in line forever to the bathroom with Chris, Bryce and Tacy!

We 'camped' until Sunday night and then went back up yesterday (Tuesday night) to eat with Gayle's brother, his wife (they live in Indiana), his son, daughter-in-law and 2 of their kids. Rachel was really tired and sat on Dale's lap the whole time Aaron's wonderful dutch oven potatoes were cooking! All the kids had a really fun time, and it was a great weekend!