Brailie Dancing

I was beginning to feel like one of those people with a family blog that never gets updated-YIKES!!! I have pictures to post just not time; I have too many things on my plate and need more time or better time management. Anyway thanks to Tali for saving my life and teaching me THE EASIEST way to upload videos so now I am set with these ones of Brailie dancing and I will have more in the next few days. She has her mothers rhythm. I am taking all the credit.

Talking to Grammy

The other day (Monday the 4th) I think, I asked Allie if she wanted to call Grammy on the phone and she said yes. She usually says no. So I jumped at the chance and dialed and waited for my mom to answer and handed her the phone and she talked, and talked and talked for at least 10 minutes. She was so cute. She sang her some songs and told her what I was doing in the kitchen and the Brai was sleeping and told her about what she could see in her line of site. I don't know if my mom could understand everything she was saying or not but she was having quite the conversation. Today, the 8th, she asked to do it again and when I had the phone for a minute she said, "I want to talk to Grammy Konopelski." We might have to keep tabs on our cell phone minutes now if this keeps up. I love it. I think it is adorable and I know my mom loves it.

Baseball 1/4 finals

Greg's baseball team made it to the 1/4 finals this year. The game was played in Spanish Fork. The day was horribly windy and cold. I was not nearly prepared enough with clothes for my girls but luckily it didn't last all day-just during Greg's game. His team did not win but they played really well. That is the bummer about sports. Someone always has to lose. Just wish it wasn't us. The girls had a blast. Well Allie for sure. She loved every minute of running around and playing with "berella's" (umbrellas).

Swalbergs umbrella. The Swalbergs are our neighbors and Allie adores them. She knows Eugene is the dad, Carlie and Sarah and calls the wife "Swalberg". She had a blast playing with Carlie at the game too.
Grandpa doing what he does best-teasing.

I think she looks like a little elf.

A girl and some dirt

There is construction happening on our road which meant there was some extra dirt and we asked if we could have it. They brought it to our backyard and gave us a nice huge pile and wouldn't you know Allie (in her nice new Dora dress) had to go and test it out in this fashion.

She had the funnest of times and I didn't say a peep about the dress. Anything to get her out of the house and playing. She is a little tom boy through and through.

Bountiful Baskets: Finally a Reality

I believe that my friend Allisha and I started talking about and taking action to have Bountiful Baskets in Green River back in July so you can only imagine the excitement and huge relief we felt on Oct 2nd when it finally happened. A quick overview of what it is: Bountiful Baskets is a food buying Co-op that is all volunteer run. You place your order on the internet and pay $15.00 for a basket of fruits and vegetables. Everyones money is pooled and then used to buy fresh, local, restaurant and grocery store quality produce that is distributed back to all the participants. It is shipped by truck to all the sites. Allisha and I are the site coordinators for Green River. That means we have had to train, do paperwork, deal with miss communication after miss communication and finally have got this wonderful program to our town. It is such a blessing to bring fresh produce that is affordable to our area. We hope that word of it will spread like wild fire so that lots of people can get in on it. Here are the highlights from our first pick up.

Here are our wonderful volunteers (which include husbands) unloading the produce boxes from the truck.
Allisha carrying a 50lb bag of potatoes as if it were a kleenix tissue. The girl can heft two children and a laundry basket with out batting an eyelash. The power of being of mother of 5.

Our produce boxes sorted out into fruit and vegetable piles.

Allie checking everything out.

The baskets that the fruits and veggies will be sorted into. Allisha's mother in law thought they would be hand woven since we are called Bountiful Baskets. I said, "we are trying to offer produce at a discounted rate, not a higher price because we have to spend our spare time weaving baskets." LOL

The distribution begins. This is very organized, well Allisha and I have it very organized. We had some good training experiences and some not so good ones so we took what we liked best and are running a tight ship at our site.

My basket is always bountiful with these two.

Doesn't the lettuce look so beautiful? For fruits we got: apples, grapes, strawberries, a cantaloupe, bananas, and plums and for vegetables we got: lettuce, red peppers, artichokes, cauliflower, potatoes and tomatoes. I am happy to report we have eaten a ton of ours already.

A better look at what you get for $15.00

Allisha and I standing by our line of baskets with pride. What a fun thing to be a part of and we are so grateful for everyone that showed up to help and all the enthusiasm that is brewing over this (except from local grocers). Can't please everyone.

Pumpkin Picking

Oh dear I am so far behind on this family blog. This is from Sept 30th. We had a home baseball game and it went really fast which left us with a few minutes of daylight in the evening and I asked Greg if we could PLEASE go out to the pumpkin patch and see if the gates were open to get some pumpkins. So we went and the gate was open and I nearly had a heart attack because of all the beautiful pumpkins. I could have taken a whole semi trailer of them home. Greg would only let me have what would fit in the blazer. Why weren't we in the truck???? Here are the highlights.

Allie didn't like walking around in the patch too much cause it was poky.

She was looking around though for some good ones. She has yet to learn that they are all good.

This is one happy mama right here in her heaven on earth

I spotted this field of giant pumpkins from far. I knew it because of their bright orange color. I wanted to cry. I have always wanted a giant pumpkin. Greg allowed me two and made me feel guilty for wanting two huge ones so I got one huge one and one not so huge.

My pumpkins with the pumpkins.

Look at all of them. I suppose I could take the girls out some time while Greg is in school and see if I could lift one or 17 more.

Take me out to the ball game

Yesterday (Thursday Sept 30) was the last home baseball game of the season and it was a big game to determine the region champs. The girls and I got ourselves ready to go after nap time and headed off. Allie even agreed to wear a baseball cap so she could look like Sarah (her hero-she said). Sarah plays baseball. So off we went. It is more work to go to the game than it is for any of the kids playing baseball I just have to add. I had a baby in a stroller, a diaper bag, a cooler, a blanket, an umbrella and a toddler, not to mention a potty that was left in the car in case it was needed and a folding chair also left in the car in case it was needed. I was simply exhausted by the time the games were done and felt like a human burp cloth but it was great to see the team play together and win both of their games and take the region championship.

Brai trying on the hat.

With Sarah.

Great games team!!!

Daddy's favorite team

A little mid fall cool down

Well our fall temps have been put on hold for the return of summer for a few days leaving us with a need to cool off. I put the girls in their swimming suits and headed down to the park to play in their sprinklers they have for the kids. The cement pad they have to play on is pretty much totally nasty with wood chips and trash (as is the whole park but don't even get me started on that) but the kids didn't mind; I kept most everything out of Brai's mouth and they had a blast cooling off. Here are the highlights.

Only brave enough to stick her toes in.
And fingers

If she has a stick all is right in the world

Brailie walking on all fours to save her little knees.

Where is that water coming from?

Now let's put the stick in the water.

I love this one.

Couldn't get her to look at me for nothing, but I love this one too-I love her hands.

Apple Picking

Our little apple tree in the backyard produced big for us this year. It is supposed to produce 4 different kinds of apples and I think technically it did but only 1 or 2 of some of the varieties. We ended up picking them earlier than we wanted because the birds were getting them and we didn't want them wasted.

Greg gave Brai an apple to eat and now it is her favorite thing. If i am eating an apple in her site better watch out or it is screech fest until she can have it.

Cuties.

She ate 3/4 of this apple

Our pickings. I am going to make some pies and apple sauce I think (if we don't eat them all first.)

Doing her business

I guess Greg and I aren't the only ones that find the bathroom is the only place to get a minute of private reading done.