Flu Shots and Tomatoes

Yesterday we headed down to the Health Dept. (all 6 of us) to get our flu shots. We learned the hard way last spring - during tax season - that it is not a good thing when everyone in the house has the flu - at the same time! We just never made it in last fall to get the shots, so this year it was a huge priority.

Rachel went first, cried a little, but was more than happy to stop for a sucker.

I went next, then Josh, who was very tough.

Then Emily went, wincing the entire time and squeezing my hand as hard as she could! She stepped away to pick out her sucker, and Jared got his (shot, not a sucker - although he did a great job and deserved one too).

As soon as he was done, Emily said, "Uh oh!" and turned as pale as I've seen her since she passed out with her first tooth!

Can you see where I'm going with this??

Jared, with Caleb in one arm, caught her on the way down to the floor as she passed out!

This girl adds so much excitement to an otherwise boring and hated event!!

The nurse dropped everything and got down with her to help her out - had to even give her a little wiggle to get her eyes open again!

When Emily woke up, she said, "Did I pass out??"

Uh, yeah! So she lay there on the floor while the nurse got her some concentrated Tang to drink.

And Caleb got his shot. I don't even think he realized what was happening as he was happily slobbering on the sucker Jared stuck in his mouth right before the shot!

We all walked out on our own two feet, thankfully!

But I don't know if Emily's going to be so willing to go back next year!

Now, on to tomatoes. This morning I picked 14 gallons!! That's right - 14!! That's twice as much as I picked a couple weeks ago, and that batch yielded 38 pints of crushed tomatoes (which Jared canned all by himself - with kids running around)!! Heaven help us!! Thank goodness Jared found some people at work to come take them from us. I was ready to set them on the driveway with a sign that said, "FREE - PLEASE HELP US!!"

Peaches

We came,

{On Saturday morning}

We canned,

{56 quarts of peaches to be exact}

We CONQUERED!!

{2 1/2 bushels of peaches!! Add that to the 3 flats of raspberries that made 43 pints of jam, 110 ears of corn that made 22 quart bags to freeze, 6 quarts of fresh tomatillo salsa (which we've happily eaten), and lots and lots of tomatoes that are getting peeled, smooshed, and frozen as they come!}

IT IS ENOUGH!!!

{but those pears at Macey's are calling me!}

Summer So Far

Here we are - half way through Summer break!! I can't believe we will be half way through July this week!

We've been trying to keep busy...well, maybe busy isn't the right word. With 4 kids, two of them a handful on their own, we don't really have to try to keep busy!! I guess we've been trying to get stuff done and keep entertained!

Emily and Josh just finished up Fun and Fitness camp at the school. Basically, it was supposed to keep them physically active but having fun. Goal accomplished! They both said they wished it lasted all summer long. They got to have two off-site activities - mini golf and swimming at the aquatic center - which they absolutely loved!! Who wouldn't, though??!?

Em and Josh are also finishing up their last session of swimming lessons. I don't know if either of them really LIKE swimming lessons, but they've been good sports to go and get it done. We've told them they have to go, but they don't have to like it! I think knowing how to swim is something they need to do (this from someone who doesn't swim very well)! Here they are on their performance day for the first session. Looks like they're having fun to me!

We have also been trying to keep up with the garden. If you looked from the house, you would wonder if there was anything out there besides weeds!! With all the rain we got throughout June, the weeds pretty much took over. We (mostly I) have been trying to get them back under control. Emily and Josh were loving the $$ they were earning at first, but even that isn't enough to entice them into the heat! I don't blame them though! It looks like we're going to have a bumper crop of tomatillos! Hope Jared can find a really good salsa recipe or we're going to turn into the tomatillo bandits and start leaving them in cars while we're at church!

We've had a few bike rides, but we can't seem to keep tires filled with air. The kids LOVE when we do get to go. We almost always end up at the park for a while too.

Last night we went to Providence Canyon for some dinner and shooting. Yes, you read that right! Jared did some repairs on a gun or two and had to make sure he did everything OK. He told us all we needed to stay in the van while he shot the first rounds, just in case. Um, yeah! That made me feel really good! I was concocting an emergency plan in my head, just in case! Thank goodness he did everything right and didn't have any problems! He even let Emily and Josh shoot his 22. Instant heaven, especially for Josh! Sidenote: I brought the camera to take some pictures, and what do you know - that battery was dead!! Dang thing!!

And, to top it all off, we've had another round of the sickies. I really can't believe it myself! You'd think we'd be safe in summer, but no. Coughs, throw ups, fevers, you name it!!

And all in the name of summer fun!!

Tis the Season...

...for plants!!!

I will admit it - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this time of year!!

Everything in the yard looks so healthy - especially the weeds!

It's not too hot, not too cold, and we usually get enough rain to water the lawns.

But what I love the most is to wander through the garden centers and greenhouses and enjoy all the wonderful, beautiful, enticing new plants. I LOVE THEM ALL! Big, small, pink, blue, red, yellow - bring 'em on!!

Today we planted our garden: tomatoes (LOTS of them), tomatillos, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers (goes great with the fresh tomatoes and tomatillos for home-made salsa), swiss chard, green beans, zucchini, crookneck squash, watermelon, and pumpkins. The rest I'll leave to the professionals!

I also planted $$LOTS$$ of perennials in the flower beds in our rock wall planters in the backyard. Couldn't tell you what any of them are, except some ornamental grass, but we should see yellows, pinks, purples, blues, and reds.

I can't wait!! I feel like a kid at Christmas!