Growing kids and veggies.

I really want our yard to be a place where our kids can explore and learn. I want them to learn that you reap what you sow, how to garden and what is a weed. I want them to learn about animals and taking care of them. About organic eating and to enjoy beautiful things like flowers, rainstorms, rich dirt and beautiful sunsets behind a wall of redrock. And that sometimes you step in chicken poop . . . 

Impromptu hike to Delicate Arch on Brian's day off. After this hike and going with Emily's family, Brian declared, "I will NEVER go to Arches again." Felicity being a cutie on our "leather sofas" -- the sad result of our lame sofa saga this year. Brian climbing-- he still has it. Three of my four baby dolls. 

When I asked the kids what the highlight of their trip to the mountains was, they both said, "COUSINS!!!" Guess they didn't hear the mountain part of that *wink. But seriously, the highlight of this entire year were the visits with their cousins. 

Normal life. This is what I do, grow kids, chickens and vegetables.  Our hens have started laying the most beautiful little eggs. Never knew brown could be so beautiful and varied: light brown, brown with speckles, almost white brown, tiny brown, big brown, dark brown. . . 

AUNT SARAH!!!! Don't ever leave! Who needs a college education? Don't you want to work at High Point Hummer for the rest of your life dealing with grumpy tourists on vacation and renting 4x4s? My kids love you. I need you (and love you). And man, seriously our summer would have been half as fulfilling without you. 

This should be illegal. This photo looks benign but you can't hear them screaming and running away from me in two directions, begging for treats and free cookies, telling me NOOOO!, saying they have to pee or get a drink of water, the slobber all over that strap that Felicity is sucking on and the guilt on my face for not stopping her as I imagine the 10 different types of diseases she's contracting. . .followed by the guilt for buying 2 half gallons of ice cream. . . again, or the stranger that just walked by and gave me the "look" because my kids are singing at the top of their lungs and I don't care because they aren't crying, or that the cheap spinach is all gone and the kids are picking up mushrooms with the tongs again, and now the lettuce I like is gone again and I'm cursing the tourists, and Hannah is crying because I didn't see her hop off the front and hit her with the cart and my phone is ringing and I'm trying to answer, or the mile long line of tourists speaking french, dutch and german when I check out,  and the fact that I feel sad because Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are divorcing and then feeling stupid for caring, and then Hannah opened that York when I was reading that magazine about the divorce and now I'm trying to teach her a lesson about stealing but all she sees is that mom has to buy the candy bar now and so someone has to eat it and it might as well be Hannah . . . yeah. You can't see that. Be glad. Be very glad.