Random Busyness

We've been pretty busy this past month. I think we've finally settled into a routine with Cayden being in Kindergarten and the girls like having some mommy time while Cayden is gone. I've found that I really enjoy running errands with just two kids; it's funny how that seems so easy now that I have three. I finally completed some of the projects I've had sitting around, but unfortunately, there are still more to do. Here are some of the random things we've done that have kept us pretty busy.

I've tried to take the kids to the park when it's warm enough. We won't have many of those days left until we'll be stuck inside all winter. Gracie is just a little too small to enjoy the park (unless there are swings, and then she'll happily sit in the swing the whole time) and so she gets to hang out with mom while the big kids play.

When we can't play at the park we go to a play place! And we eat ice cream too! I love all the kids in this picture. It seriously captures each of their personalities.

Cayden had Wig Day at school. We don't have any wigs, so we made a weird hat/beard thing which he absolutely loved! When I dropped him off at school one kid in his class pointed out that Cayden had a beard and he was just tickled.

One of my projects. This is our art wall. I got tired of not having anywhere to put the pictures and drawings the kids made, so I put this together. Yard sticks, clothes pins, and paint. Voila! I love it and it turned out even better than I expected! (Btw, this picture doesn't do it justice. The lighting is weird. It just looks way better in person.)

Another project. I had a bunch of tomatoes (way more than we could use before they went bad) so I decided to can them. I learned how and then made my own crushed tomatoes. It turned out that I had way more freezer room than space for cans, so I opted to freeze the tomatoes. Now I have them to use in my soups, sauces, etc.

The first thing I made using my crushed tomatoes! Holy amazing! I could not believe how much better it tasted using my own tomatoes versus canned. I'm going to be so sad when I run out of tomatoes. And yes, this is before it was actually cooked.

We went down to visit our old ward one Sunday and had dinner with our good friends. I seriously miss where we use to live. It has been almost a year and a half since we moved, but I think I will always miss the area and people we left. It was the first place that really felt like home since Chad and I got married and I think it will always hold a special place in my heart. 

The kids had a blast playing with their buddies, though sadly I only have pictures with my kids. I didn't get any with Sienna or Lucas in them.

The kids had a blast driving this little buggy. Laura was a riot when she was driving by herself. If it wouldn't have started raining I doubt we would have gotten them back inside. And if you look closely, you'll notice that Laura is wearing only a diaper and an apron.

Laura loved riding on this old tractor. It was loud and ugly looking, but this kids all loved it.

There was a lot of play dough playing. I love Laura's outfit here. And Cayden's face. :)