September-the Zoo!

September has been so lovely.

Asside from the stress of being unemployed,

being home with my boys is the best job,

and the most fun that I have ever had.

We went to the big zoo about an hour south of us.

Where they have three dolphins.

Beautiful, smart dolphins who come to the glass to say hello.

We got to touch the sharks!!

We got to touch the sting rays!!

We walked through shark jaws...

and checked out very realistic tide pools, that even had real waves splashing through them. We laughed out loud when Brayden scrambled away from the tide pools as fast as he could. We forgot big waves are scary.

Then we got to watch a little dolphin show.

We loved it!

I took Brayden up to the glass before the show and one of the dolphins came to the wall and gave us a little splash. Then she laughed and enjoyed herself.

Jack loved the goats!

And apparently this goat loved Jack.

They are totally communing!

Jeremiah loved the Wells Fargo Barn.

And Brayden loved the tractor of course!

These prairie dogs reminded me of Montana.

We used to live by a park full of them.

And sometimes we would take Grizzly to the prairie dog colony and he would go crazy chasing them. And we would laugh at their barking, hiding, teasing antics.

We saw a leopard,

Some very sleepy bears,

and another Montana freind, a mountain lion.

In other news...

Jack Jack started walking...at 9 months old.

We were all home to see it!

He took a few steps. We video taped it.

And then we didn't encourage it anymore!

Brothers! These guys do everything together. Jack ADORES his big brother. To him, there is nothing better in the world. When Brayden has a time out in his bedroom, Jack crawls along behind him, surrendering to voluntary time out in solidarity. Then he doesn't understand when I drag away from his brother's closed door. Brayden is pretty happy with his little brother too. He kisses him goodnight before bed and invites him into all kinds of brotherly trouble. "Yack-Yack" or "Yackie" is what he calls him on a regular basis. When I am making dinner, Brayden will stand behind Jack's chair and pop out on either side and yell "surprise!" just to hear Jack shriek with delight and laugh and clap his little hands (another new skill!)

We've (Brayden and I...he's very good at washing and de-stemming) also been busy turning all of our tomatoes into 19 jars of spaghetti sauce, sun dried tomatoes and 8 pints of tomato soup (and 12 cups of diced tomatoes in the freezer).

Anyone want to come over for dinner?

You can bet something tomato-y is on the menu......

September

We went on a shopping trip in the neighbors minivan (one day she was test driving it and she brought it home...we stood in the driveway shrieking and squealing over all of the cool features that we never would have blinked over before kids...then we felt really, really soccer momish!). We had to take Jack's seat out anyway so I just left him to finish his nap in there. He seemed so comfy!

On that shopping trip (to a thrift store for wool sweaters for mittens), we found a bike. And since we have been contemplating a bike for Brayden, and this one was $15, we couldn't leave without it. He was THRILLED. So were Jeremiah and I!

His version of riding it is to push it around the yard. Even at it's lowest position, it is still a little high to reach the pedals when they are down low.

So, he pushes.

It is very big boy exciting for him!

Jack thought it was pretty cool too.

Grizzly wondered what we were up to.

So he came over to check out his baby.

"Were you calling me?"

"No? You weren't calling me? Well let me just give you a little lick and smooch as long as I am here."

Pop a wheelie!!

Now he has training wheels on, and it makes pushing it around a little bit harder.

Then we made our annual trip to the orchard.

I always get a little chocked up at first. I love this tradition.

We used to do it when my brother and sisters and I were kids, too.

Yum!

Aren't these guys handsome?

Silly Mamma! Silly Daddy!

Brayden was supposed to be taking this picture with me. He changed his mind, I guess...

They have a new addition to the orchard this year.

Its a jumping pillow!

Yahoo!

This long hot summer: The End.

Our summer was so hot, but so fun! We made our annual pilgrimage to Auntie Danielle's house for her town's hertiage days. One year she rode her awesome quarter horse Haze in the parade. This year, she walked Silk in the parade. Yep, Silk is her cow.

Silk was her horse before she had real horses and she is halter broke, trailers, gives kids rides and is pretty much a dream to work around. Except when she gets playful, then she kind of freaks me out.

When Silk was little she was supposed to be sent away from the dairy because she was born a twin...a sterile twin. Which means she can't have babies, or make milk. And that isn't very good on a dairy. Some how Auntie Danielle talked Farmer Gary into saving her and letting Danielle keep her. Now she is an ambassedor for the dairy. And she helped us hand out string cheese in the parade!

We got to see brand new baby cows at the dairy farm too. This one was just born a few hours before we took her picture.

Uncle John lives, breathes and of course, works at the dairy (their farm has some yearling cows and horses and Silk). He took a break to take his godson on a tractor ride. On a REALLY BIG tractor ride.

It was a beautiful ride through their farm land. They have 400 acres and consider themselves small. We have four acres...boy, we must be tiny!

This is some of the corn we grew. It was an heirloom variety and it the ears were very small. But the kernals were purple! And so yummy they were irristable right out of the garden.

We also grew green beans (we froze about 4 gallons!), pumpkins (sugar and an heirloom kind), tomatoes (including green zebras!), lemon cucumbers, zucchini, squash, green peppers, mustard greens and spinach (which failed miserably).

Brayden missed the horses pretty badly. When we got home, he decided he was going to ride Grizzly. Grizzl didn't seem to mind. It was pretty funny when he had enough. He would stand up his front half (into a sitting position) and then B would just slide right off. :)

Jack spent most of his summer time in the tree swing in the front garden I was working on. From the moment he was born that child has loved swings.

He sure is getting to be a big boy.

My goodness, so is this lil' stinker (check out his shirt). Get it? Lil' Stinker? That is what he calls his shirt. Ha!

I am really enjoying my time home with these little stinkers!

Jack can reach and get into anything. We have to be so careful with the stove. And I have to put a gate in front of the oven any time I turn it on.

They both still love their baths. Jack sits back and kick, kick, kicks up quite the splash. I don't know how he kicks that much while he is sitting down. Brayden lays down to do his kicking and I am just grateful to slam the shower doors shut and not get soaked. Jack cries when we take him out of the tub. He loves the water THAT much.

See?

Here is a comparisson of the two fellows...Jack is nine months, Brayden is eleven. It was almost the same dang picture, so I had to put them up together.