I Can Can

I've always been a little intimidated by canning. I really can't pinpoint why, I'm not sure if it's the preparation, the fear of contaminating my family with an improperly canned food, or what. And it seems that every good Mormon woman knows how to can. I think they may be born with it. I, being a convert, obviously do not have this innate ability and have felt for some time that I had some catching up to do. So, I threw my fears out the door, sucked it up and bought a canning bath (ie, a large pot with a rack inside). To be honest, despite my concerns I was a little excited. I felt like by purchasing the canning bath I had joined some elite club and my membership would be advanced once I actually used the darn thing.

A few weeks ago, one of our local grocery stores had a huge sale on boxes of peaches (you know you live in Utah when grocery stores have "canning sales" or "food storage sales"). I visited this store a few times before actually making the purchase. Then, I brought the peaches home with the intention to can the next day, but life happens and a few days later we had eaten half the box. So, I canned half a box of peaches. I really did. And it wasn't so bad. A little time consuming, but well worth it. I couldn't stop staring at my cans of peaches. I felt like a little child who just has to show anyone who will look her newest piece of artwork, or how fast she can spin. I'm sure I made Andy look at the jars a dozen times. I told all my friends, posted it on Facebook... hey, it was a pretty big accomplishment for this canning idiot!

So, my fears assuaged, I've now become canning obsessed and can't stop thinking about what I'm going to can next. Today, my friend Carlee and I made applesauce. Apples were on sale, we love the sauce, our kids love the sauce. Piece of cake. I gotta say, I definitely preferred the apples to the peaches... easier, less messy and the outcome was much prettier (my peaches taste good, but look a little sad).

Ava, being the big kitchen helper she is wanted to get in on the action and helped mash the apples, which we actually left a little chunky... our preference. For the record, I also like a few lumps in my mashed potatoes... but I will not be canning them.

Ava saw this picture and said, "Mommy, my hair looks crazy!" She's still beautiful!!

Carlee's little boy, Reid taking his turn with the masher.

Tonight, the applesauce is sitting, cooling and thanking Carlee and me for creating it in all its beautiful canned glory. Tomorrow, we eat!

Does anyone know why the cans get that white residue? I'm assuming it's just minerals in the water.

Is He Ready?

Jax loves his big sister and will do just about anything she does. He's her little shadow, whether she likes it or not. As of late, anytime Ava goes to the bathroom Jax stands outside the door yelling, "Potty!" and knocking on the door (or sticking his hands under it).

His interest in the potty comes right on the heels of his newest favorite thing -- announcing what he's doing in his diaper at any given moment. That's a pretty big deal for a 16-month-old right? Part of me wondered, when he began making his announcements, if he was ready to start potty-training. But, I wrote it off. I don't want to pressure him. I want it all to happen naturally... as all potty business should.

So, you can imagine my surprise when one morning as I ran into me room to get him a pair of socks he charged in yelling, "POOOOOOOP!" then ran into the bathroom, placed his bum against the toilet and yelled, "POOOOTTTTTY!" I raced in, "Do you want to go potty, buddy?" He nodded, so I took down his pants and diaper (I had forgotten what an ordeal it is) and sat him on the potty. He sat there for a few minutes. Nothing happened. But he was smiling the whole time. Finally, he said, "All done!" and hopped off.


This has happened several times since. Same thing, he sits, nothing comes out and he hops off. BUT, that's a big deal! I'm excited at the prospect of him being potty-trained by the time he turns two (although I'm not holding my breath). He's getting excited about the potty. He's such a Kleinman!

When G-Ma & G-Pa Come to Play

We were so lucky to have my parents in town this weekend! We hadn't seen them since our visit to Arizona in May, so this was long overdue. I didn't tell the kids they were coming and instead surprised them with a trip to the airport to pick-up G-Ma & G-Pa. The entire car ride, Ava pelted me with questions about her surprise, "Is it a movie?," "Can I eat it?," "Are we going to Disneyland?," "Are you sure I can't eat it?" She seemed a little disappointed when I answered "no" to each of her questions, but the excitement on her face when she saw my parents at the airport disintegrated any concern she may have had over the coolness of her surprise. As soon as she caught sight of G-Pa, she took off running toward him and jumped into his arms, big smile painted across her face. It took Jax a little longer to warm up, but a few weird sounds out of G-Pa and smiles from G-Ma and he was good to go.

We were suddenly hit with cold temps and rain just in time for my parents' visit, so it put a damper on some of our outdoor plans, but the kids had fun nonetheless.

Watching the rain with G-Pa

Keeping warm with G-Ma

Ava's new favorite game is playing "Little G-Ma." My mom has been wearing fannypacks for as long as I can remember. Ava realizing that G-Ma wears her purse on her waist, decided she too would like to wear a fanny pack, so my dad tightened it as tight as it would go and Ava traipsed around the house insisting we call her Little G-Ma.


Jax, in all his goofiness, loved to chase G-Pa around and play peekaboo with G-Ma. He even entertained with all the mealtime antics that we have become so accustomed to.

Everytime he did this he yelled, "TAAADAAAA!"

Saturday we went to the local Farmer's Market, ate good food, shopped and then played on the playground. G-Ma had to observe Jax for an Early Childhood Development class she's taking. I don't know how much observing she got in since she seemed to spend most of her time chasing him around, but they both definitely had fun.





Ava conquered her fear of a rope apparatus and made her way across chanting, "I can do it." Well, she sure did and then we couldn't get her off the thing. She's getting so big!


There was lots of story-reading, princess-playing, silly noises, dancing, pretend cooking, the Bean Museum (a museum of formerly live, now stuffed, animals)



and the BYU Creamery.

After finishing his ice cream and taking a few bites of mine, he helped himself to G-Ma's

So much fun, just so little time. We wish the trip could have lasted longer and can't wait to see G-Ma & G-Pa again next month.

Ava took this one

Ava and I took my parents to the airport on Monday night. As we left on the moving sidewalk (Ava's favorite part of the airport) Ava asked if G-Ma & G-Pa were coming again next weekend. When I explained they weren't but that we would see them at Thanksgiving she said, "That's something to be thankful about!" So true! Then, as we drove home I asked what her favorite part of the weekend was, "Everything!" she emphatically replied.
"You sure to do love your G-Ma & G-Pa, don't you?" I asked.
"Yeah. Mama, you're my best friend, but G-Pa is my best buddy."


I think this picture explains it all.

Soccer Star

My, what a difference a few weeks makes. After six sessions of Smart Start Soccer, Ava is done for the season. Six sessions doesn't seem like that many, but I am so impressed by how much Ava improved in four short weeks. She became more aggressive, a stronger kicker and better at dribbling. I'm actually sad the season is over, as is she. It was so fun to watch her out there running around, ponytail bobbing behind her.



For the last session, the coaches played several skill-building games with the kids. Ava's favorite was "Soccer Monster." In this game, one child stands in the middle of the field while the rest are at one end. The goal is for the children to dribble past the "soccer monster" to the other side of the field without their ball being kicked away. If the soccer monster manages to get their ball, then they too become a soccer monster. The first time around, Ava and a little toe-headed kid with a thunderbolt for a leg (I can't believe a four-year-old kicks that well... I wanna know what his parents are putting in his Trix) were the last two standing. The second time around, well, this happened when the soccer monster approached:

Finally, Ava and a few other kids teamed up to be soccer monsters. Notice whose ball Ava kicks away.



I don't know if I should be proud of her for recognizing an opportunity and seizing it (afterall, there's no crying in soccer) or if I should be a little worried that she took a ball away from a crying kid with no remorse.


In the end, all was well. The kid stopped crying and Ava told him she liked his soccer ball. They're even, right? As practice came to an end, the coaches presented each child with a certificate and medal. Ava waited patiently for her name to be called (and by patiently I mean repeatedly asking me, "when will they say my name?") and when it finally was, she jumped up, head held high, a giddy smile slapped across her face and a little hop in her step. She ceremoniously bowed her head as her coach placed her medal around her neck, then bounded over to me and excitedly said, "Look at my medal! Is this thing made out of metal or plastic?" It made me wonder what she'll be like when some lucky guy proposes to her (way, way, way down the road), "Is this thing a diamond or cubic zirconia?"



After all the awards were handed out and pictures taken, the team huddled up for one last cheer, "GOOOOOO SOUNDERS!" after which one of her coaches said, "See you next year." "Mommy," she said, "he said he'll see me next year." I replied that we would be in Mississippi next year so she would be on a different team. "Oh, coach," she said to the man whose name I don't even know, "I won't be here next year. But hey, maybe my team could come to Mississippi with me." That's my girl, thinking of ways to keep her team together. I think she'll make a good team captain some day.

Jax is in heaven!

Writing Letters

Ava has been very interested as of late in learning to write. She began writing her name right around her third birthday and went through phases of wanting to write, wanting to scribble and wanting to write again. But these past few weeks are the most consistent she's been in her desire to write and I must say she's caught on quickly. She can now write all of her letters, although she needs a little help with 'G','S' and 'Z'. Almost daily she asks me to help her write a letter to someone.

This is the first she wrote on her own (with my help with the G and P) a few weeks ago (G-Pa is my dad):


I have more pictures of recent letters she's written, but they are in the mail to grandparents and I want them to be the first to see them.

It's so cute to watch Ava sit with her little black and white composition book (25 cents well spent) and write letters. She'll ask me how to spell a word and then I see her focus intently and then pop her head up and ask for the next letter. Maybe she'll take after her mama and be a writer. I just can't let Andy get his hands on her or she'll be writing mathematical symbols :)

IT'S BABY TIME!!!

HA! Made you look! It's not baby time for us, but for the animals at the Hogle Zoo.

We took a little family outing Saturday to one of Ava's favorite places -- the zoo. We went last year when Jax was very young, but this time he could really appreciate it.

I was checking out the zoo's website the other day and saw that it has experienced quite the baby boom: giraffe, elephant, tigers, snow leopard, crocodile. Since Ava's favorite animal is a giraffe and Jax is all about elephants these days I thought we better go see these new babies ourselves.




Baby Zuri was born August 10. The kids couldn't get enough of her. Unfortunately I didn't get great pictures of her, but you MUST check out this video on her official blog. It's adorable!

http://www.babyzuriblog.com/

And here's the kids doing their best elephant impressions.




The baby giraffe was next on our list, although it's quite the trek from the elephant encounter to the giraffe area so we made a few stops along the way to visit the rhinos, monkeys and few other critters.
Oh, but the look on Ava's face when she caught view of the giraffes was priceless.





As soon as she saw the baby she immediately ran over and began calling to it, "Come here baby giraffe, come on." She even starting patting her leg and clicking her tongue, like you would when calling a dog or a horse. Unfortunately, the baby giraffe has not been to obedience school because
he did not come, despite her beckoning.

After a few minor breakdowns (it had been a long day) we made our way over to the tiger exhibit to check out the babies.

I have such a hard time getting them to look at the camera at the same time!

We thought these drinking fountains were hilarious! Until Andy told Ava she was drinking lion drool. She stopped drinking for a few seconds and then turned to him and said, "No, it's water. I can taste it with my own mouth!"

Oh, one more thing. How can I forget? The zoo currently houses a Madagascar exhibit, where you can find a Fossa. A what-a? I had never heard of it either? But apparently it's a major predator on Madagascar. You'd never know by looking at the thing. It just looks like a house cat on steroids. It was pretty skittish, which Jax loved.

HAPPY WEEKEND

Jax's newest favorite place to be....

UP HIS NOSE!!!