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!