Blueberries

I was about to purchase a whole bunch of blueberries, and didn't know what to do with them. I started to search the Internet when I came onto this delectable beauty. I do believe Jared would eat this! Here are the instructions for the Blueberry Crumble Slice.

All this talk of blueberries makes me want to buy more! Here are the instructions for the Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

HOT has so many meanings!

Braydon asked me yesterday the meaning of the word HOT. I proceeded to explain to him that is meant the temperature of the object was really great. Food can be very hot when it comes out of the oven. And when I cook on the stove the burners can get very hot.

He replied to me, "No mom when a PERSON is hot." Idiot me, I said that when a person is hot sometimes we will open a window, or turn on the air conditioner. He looked at me with a blank stare. I then realized what he meant.

I explained to him that when you think a person is very cute sometimes you say they are HOT. I then asked who was saying that someone was hot? He replied that his TEACHER was very hot!!!! He has been in school for TWO months. I asked if anyone else was hot ans he told me Jessie and Emily N. from his class. I have no idea who these girls are, but they are so cute he won't even talk to them.

SPIRITS

Our family has been to ALOT of funerals in the past year. After about 3 funerals Braydon started asking about death. I decided I would teach the boys what happens to the body and spirit at death at our next family home evening. I demonstrated how the body is like a glove and our spirit is like our hand. The spirit can move, but that it needs a body to protect it while we are here on this earth. When we die the spirit leaves the glove or body to be buried here on the earth, but that the spirit goes to live with Heavenly Father. I thought that they understood the whole concept. Braydon and T.J. both asked very good questions. All in all I felt like my boys really understood.

In the past month we have again been to 2 more funerals. Again the questions came up. So we had a quick review. After going to the viewings and explaining that the spirits are in heaven with Heavenly Father, and the bodies are sleeping and will be buried in the ground till their spirits reunite with them again I could see on their faces that they understood.

A few days latter at breakfast T.J. announced that he knew how the spirit got out of the body. I asked how. He replied," through the lines in your armpit!" Braydon jumped right in and said' "No T.J. It is through the bellybutton." What is it with the bellybutton?

Now if you ask T.J. to lift his arms he won't. He wants to stay here on earth with mom and dad!

Kids Say the FUNNIEST Things

Braydon and T.J. were in the tub on night this past summer. I over heard them talking about their bellybuttons. Braydon has an innie, and T.J. has an outie. Braydon was telling T.J. that as we grow our bodies change. They were discussing how they wanted to grow up to be like their dad. Braydon said to T.J., "As we get older our bellybuttons fall off, and they all become an innie!" Where do they get these things from?

Food Storage Analyzer

I have been trying to build up my food storage for quite some time now. I have been to a few sites that have tools to analyze the contents of my food storage, but nothing like the one at Emergency Essentials. Emergency Essentials has a cool new tool called the Food Storage Analyzer on their site.

I had a great time analyzing my food storage today. You just input how much food you have stored, and walla it computes how long you can survive, & the nutritional value you need to survive. I just imputed the food in my pantry, and to my surprise I have food for my family for 208 days! I thought maybe 3 months at the most, but hey we are doing better than I thought. The Analyzer also allows you to purchase from their site. Emergency Essentials has a lot of foods no longer offered and the cannery. Check it out. It was simple, and very user friendly.

Excuses

There are LOTS of reasons why I have not posted as of late......

1. Lake Powell, Utah
2. Fall Harvest
3. Caliente, Nevada
4. Fall Harvest
5. Butte, Montana
6. Fall Harvest
7. Kindergarten starting for Braydon
8. Fall Harvest
9. Pre-School starting for T.J.
10. Fall Harvest
11. New callings at church
12. Fall Harvest
13. Kids are sick

So now the excuses are there, and you know we have been busy. So stay tuned for pics of all our special things we have been up to. Oh yeah and did I mention the FALL HARVEST is here?!?

Downey Idaho

So we have been so busy this week in Idaho with Grandpa and Grandma Dahlke. We went to the Fair. Read on to see all the things we have been up to. I created a few slide shows because I had so many pictures. The kids had the time of their lives. It will be hard to top next year for sure!

COWBOY UP

Here he is in all his glory. I am so proud of T.J. for trying it. After, he told his dad next time to do the helmet up tighter so it doesn't fall off. He is so awesome!

The Rodeo was so cold we only made it half way through. Good thing T.J. was at the FIRST. The kids had so much fun watching the bulls, and horses. Kye even got into it with his clapping and yelling. The kids absolutely had the time of their lives.

Bannock County Fair 2009 in Downey Idaho

We had so much fun this year at the Fair in Downey. From FREE kids games every day to all the contests the kids were able to enter. T.J. and Kye both rode their first horse. T.J. is totally hooked on the cowboy scene now! He also rode his first sheep. Kye participated in the cutest baby contest. What do you think is he cute or what? Braydon did everything he possibly could. Take a look at all the things we did!

Fair 2009

Braydon and T.J. worked so hard on their boots for the fair. They both got BLUE ribbons. I am so proud of them. Braydon's boot is the Cowboy Cactus Sheriff, and T.J.'s boot is the Goofy Giraffe Deputy. All the boys entered the tallest weed contest. They all won second. Way to go guys!

Slip N' Slide Downey 2009

While in Idaho this past week we set up the slip N' slide. The kids had an absolute blast. Grandma Dahlke has a small hill just big enough for the kids to have alot of fun on! Enjoy the great pictures.

Feeding the DUCKS

So while Dillon was with us we went to feed the ducks. We had a really hard time finding the ducks at the pond. I think the Eco system might be off down there, because the last few times we have been down there things just haven't been right. But we finally found them, and they were very hungry! Dillon liked the cat tails more than the ducks.
Kye just wanted to eat the bread himself!

T.J. is getting really good at throwing the bread out. He is always concerned about all the ducks getting some.

Dillon and Braydon got to feed the ducks from the bridge.

We even found the baby ducks. My how they have grown over the summer.

Natural History Museum

So our family decided to take advantage of the Utah Museum of Natural History FREE day. For those of you who do not know, the Museum is free to everyone every FIRST Monday of the month. Since we had Dillon for the weekend we decided to go check out what all the fuss was about. They had so much fun. If you haven't checked out the Museum lately you should really go out there. I think the FROGS were the highlight of the Museum. Dillon even found the red eyed tree frog.

Kye thought that digging for bones was the BOMB!

Braydon and Dillon got a lesson in how water moves sand in rivers.

T.J. DON'T throw the sand!
Not for sure if you were to climb on here, but I took the picture anyhow. Isn't he so cute.

The boys learned all about early American cave dwellers, and Indians.

All in all the boys had so much fun. We were there for 3 hours! What more could boys want to learn about. Bugs, Rocks, Water, Frogs, Dinosaurs, and lots lots more!

Home Made Granola Bars

Camille has a really great recipe for home made granola bars. This uses my food storage, and it looks really good. I need to try it. Thanks for sharing Camille!

TeeTH

Kye just broke tooth number 5. That makes two for the top, and three on the bottom. Go Kye! A few more and perhaps mom will stop cutting everything up and let you take big bites like your brothers.

Slip N' Slide

So for the 24th of July we were going to go to my Uncle Darrel and Aunt Becky's place for a slip N' slide party. They live in Centerville on the bench. In their yard they have a huge hill perfect for slip N' slide. We also were going to help Kevin and Jenna move into their new place in Layton. We had planed too many things for one day so the slip N' slide party got pushed right out. The kids were so bummed! So I said we have some plastic in the basement, and a hose with a sprinkler...Jared said it was worth a try. We stopped in to Home Depot for some long nails to anchor the plastic down, and you can see the blast they had! T.J. had a BLAST!

Braydon finally figured out how to go on his tummy without hurting himself!

Dad and T.J.

Braydon N' T.J.

T.J. loved doing the Slip N' Slide just as much as Braydon. His tricks are so cute!

Braydon is so good at tricks now!

Jared and Braydon had to do some planning to get this one just right. It is so cute to see the way the two of them work things out together!

Jared N' the Boys

Jared took both of them for a ride!

This was the part where they each do a trick. I know Jared will never recover from this one!

The Garden of FAITH

This summer I have really worked hard on our garden. The kids bless it in every prayer so we call it the garden of FAITH. So one morning the kids wanted to run through the sprinklers so I thought I would let them get wet while I weeded a bit. I had just watered the whole garden so pulling weeds would be EASY. I started in on the corn when from the other end of the garden I could hear some cute giggles. I poked my head up, but I could no longer see the kids. I stood up, and could see that they had worked their way once again into the mud. They were doing army ops in my CORN! What imaginations they have!!! Braydon Cohen, and T.J.
Braydon doing the army crawl through the mud
That suit was WHITE on the top! I think he actually rolled in it.

Cohen, Braydon, Even, and T.J.

The garden of Faith looks great! Perhaps we will get something out of it.

SANDcastles

The boys could spend hours in the sand this summer. Braydon and T.J. have come up with some really good Sandcastles this year. They are so proud of their creations! Braydon in all his glory

The creators T.J. and Braydon Not as grand, but picture worthy

The construction site

FIREworks

We have the best neighbors around. They invited us to their fireworks show! We had lit our fireworks off the previous night at grandpa and grandma Peters house. So we just went to watch. The kids all had so much fun! We have discovered Braydon is a bit of a pyro! Braydon and his dad always put on one heck of a show! Sparklers were the biggest hit for everyone
Braydon lighting his fireworks
T.J. and his sparkler

Some fireworks were a bit too much for the little ones

Everyone had such a great time

Cohen, T.J., and Even waiting for the next one

The kids had the best spot on the block. FRONT ROW!

What a show it was

Mom gets two seconds to relax

Dad and Kye watching the show

Last ones

Time to go home

The End