Preschool, Apples and Art Prize

We did it! All three kids are in school and loving it. Bryan loves being just like his sisters and is excited on Tuesday and Thursday to go to his school after Mommy drops them off at theirs. He's had a great first couple of weeks and keeps assuring me that he will make friends "next time." Oh, the social skills of a 3 year old. :-)

My baby and I before his first day. He does get quite offended at being called my baby but he is, and he's a wonderful note to end on. We enjoy our days together but it's nice that he has something special that he gets to do with other children.

This past week was a very busy canning week at our house. Bryan was thrilled to turn the crank on the Sauce Master which is an awesome contraption if you do a lot of applesauce. We ended up with about 80 quart jars and I was so thrilled to pack up my canner for the year. God blessed us with a hugely productive garden this year and our freezer is packed full. It's a lot of work, but very worth the effort in December when fresh veggies and fruit are rare.

On the day before leaving on their Mediterranean cruise, Grandma decided to make HER Grandma's recipe of chili sauce, so off to the orchard for tomatoes, peaches and pears. Bryan spent his time traipsing between us and the baskets carrying tomatoes, apples and peaches.

An apple fresh off the tree has to be one of the best snacks there is.




It was a fun day with Grandma.

Friday night, we had a picnic on the way downtown to visit the Art Prize exhibit. This is Nessie, the Lochness Monster. It was fun to see all the different ideas that so many artists had and incorporated into the city landscape.

The table and chairs on top of the bridge was definately a favorite.

Bryan's legs got a little bit tired, truthfully, so did Mommy and Daddy's. :-)

Elizabeth in a maze/house built out of recyclable materials.

The girls with their names on the Grand Rapids Tree. Some of GR Public Schools' art teachers collaborated on creating this tree with thousands of ribbons for the community to sign. It was also a very cool exhibit. This afternoon we're off to watch as thousands of paper airplanes are launched off the top of some the buildings in the city. Have a great week!

Grand Haven

This past weekend we were able to do one last fun summer outing. It's been a couple years since we last took the kids out to the pier in Grand Haven so we decided to do that. We invited Eric's brother, wife and kids to join us and had a great time. The weather was absolutely beautiful.

The other Tower family.

Sister-in-law and friend

We heard no complaints from Bryan about holding someone's hand. I think he felt much more secure while doing it. As someone who used to have nightmares about falling off piers, I can completely relate.

A beautiful and long walk.

Mommy and her kiddos.

We were glad Bryan had Eric's hand at this point, as he was LEAPING from rock to rock with no regard for whether it was flat or slanted. Thankfully, we had no major spills.

I think every child who goes to Grand Haven insists on walking on the rocks.

Our precious third grader.

Our niece was happiest when pushing the stroller rather that riding in it. We ended the night with a trip to Temptations Ice Cream parlor and enjoyed their fabulous waffle cones.

Off to Third Grade!!!

Off to FIRST GRADE!!!!!!

Coming soon: Bryan's first day of preschool next week.

The girls did great on their first day of school. They already love their teachers and are excited about what the year holds in store for them. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful public school to send them to and we don't take that for granted.

To Aunt Shari's house we went

We had an awesome week last week as the kids and I traveled the four hour trip to Indianapolis to visit my sister's family. Shari loves to make memories and this trip we visited Conner Prairie which is a living history museum from the 1800's. We learned so much about what it was like to live in those days and were even able to help with some of the chores that had to be done. We did make many special memories. Thanks Shari and Stephen for an incredible week. We love you!!!

Learning how the Indians made clay pots.

Visiting an Indian home.

Riding a bronco that was pretending to buck. :-)

I wasn't really expecting it to feel like this!!!

Ashlynn was much more calm and serene and didn't scare the chick to death.

Brushing a goat in the animal barn.



Taking a break to enjoy the wonderful picnic that Aunt Shari packed for us.

Amazingly, Bryan was strong enough to get this pump to operate and was ready to exchange the buckets so that he could fill the second one. He quickly found that that was not possible when he tried to lift them.

Getting beautiful at the General Store.

Pickled tomatoes, anyone?

Bryan is learning how to play hoop and stick.

Elizabeth was given a special job to do by the blacksmith and his wife. She was asked to deliver this pot of slop to the pigs at the inn.

These are two happy sows.

Making sure they finish their dinner.

Bryan and Elizabeth all dressed up for tea.

I'm pretty sure who is enjoying this more. :-)

Our silly little boy discovered "Pringle" fun this week. Have a great week! We're off to school tomorrow!