Preservation Pyramid

Our shelves are full. We are tired. But we are finally done preserving food for the winter. (It no wonder animals hibernate all winter....its exhausting). For those who are wondering what we canned:

Pumpkin butter, Apple Butter,
Cherry Jam, Bumbleberry Jam, Peach Jam
Pear Butter, Raspberry Jam, Strawberry Jam, Blueberry Jam
Salsa, Nectarines, Pickles, Tomatoes, Green Beans
Apple Sauce, Cherries, Pears, Peaches, Pear Sauce, Apricots 

Oh! Here is the dehydrated fruit!

Cherries, Pears, Strawberries
Peaches, Blueberries, Raspberries, Apples

And we also have the veggies that aren't pictured!
We have leeks, carrots (from the garden) and tomatoes!

Plus, a freezer full of bread crumbs (homemade from bread crusts),
sourdough bread and numerous types of cookies.

I love this time of year. We are done the hard work. We get to see the bounty of our labour. And get to grow fat on our fruit and veggies! Perhaps its time to share our hard work with a preservation party?

Exciting Times

Its been a big week here at the McCrimmon house!

For the first time in months, Dan and I have gotten to sleep alone in our bedroom. No baby or fetus to share with. It feels great! Which means of course that the boys are officially sharing a room!!!!! (which is perhaps the more exciting part of it all...no offence Dan). Today I made it official and moved all of Micah's clothes and diapers into the boys room. They seem to both be okay with it, but only time will tell how it works out. I've done a progressive move in for Micah, starting with just his naps, then the shared nap and then the other night, I just bit the bullet and put him down for the night in Joel's room. They both seem to sleep well together, although they seem to wake one another up in the morning or after nap. Only time will tell how it all works out.

On to the second exciting thing! I am officially at my goal of storing 1000 ounces of breast milk! I have over 300 ounces stored for our personal use, 650ish ounces to the milk bank and 50ish ounces to a friend. I am super excited that I made that goal. I also have another goal that I am close to accomplishing. Between my donation from when Joel was a baby (325 ounces) and Micah, I would love to be able to donate 1000 ounces. I'm pretty sure I'll have that soon! Give it a couple days!

It must be Fall

Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples and pears. Plus the cool crisp air. I love Fall!

One more reason...

...why I love cloth diapers.

Sixty bucks!!!! For two LARGE boxes of diapers! Can you imagine paying that every 2-3 weeks plus a big box of wipes??? I can't! We wouldn't be able to afford babies if we used disposables all the time. We only use them at night, on vacation (for Joel) and the odd time when we need to do diaper laundry. These boxes will last us for months!

Micah's Dedication

Yesterday we were blessed to have our friend, Chris, dedicate our little boy, Micah,  to the Lord. It was a great way to spend thanksgiving.

We are truly thankful for our boys. We are thankful that Micah has joined our family. We are thankful that we are surrounded by a wonderful church community who continually encourages us, prays for us, and helps us raise our boys. We were blessed to be surrounded by our family and friends yesterday as we declare that our little boy to belong to the Lord.

 Thanks to all of you who joined us yesterday, whether you were there in person or in spirit. We know that we are surrounded by people who live all over the world

Micah

Micah in Sunglasses

Total deer in the headlights look---classic Micah face

Cool Dude!

Nerd in the making

And for all those who long to see Micah as an old man...here he is!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to Neufeld Farms to get some veggies and take some pictures in the pumpkin patch.

What you don't see is the next sequence of pictures is Joel pushing Micah over onto his face.

Hugging a pumpkin

Joel LOVED the tractor!

Holding hands in the pumpkin patch

 

Micah wasn't thrilled with the idea of being propped up next to pumpkins..especially when they moved!

Joel saying "Cheese!"

The money shot!!! Finally!

 

 

 

Oh! Airplane!

Mama and her boys!

Her one true love!

Lest you think we are a Hallmark card family.....

Joel

Joel loves to try on our glasses.

We think he's pretty cute with glasses on.

He's just gotta learn to put them on the right way!

 

We're suffering from PSSD

...also known as Post-Squeah Stress Disorder.

We came home with two grumpy boys. Boys who had spent one glorious weekend being cuddled, held and played with. And then, they come home to one busy momma, a sick papa and a cold each.

This week is a busy week. We are planning Micah's dedication for Sunday, there is Thanksgiving and all the preparations that go with that.

Then there is apple sauce that needed to be made, a pumpkin that needed processing and bread crusts that were made into bread crumbs.

 

Plus two sick kids and one sick husband, makes this momma a busy one. It doesn't help that all the boys haven't been sleeping well (since they can't breathe). Which in turn means that I don't sleep.

 On Monday, I went to treat myself to a nice pumpkin spice frappe at Starbucks, only to find that its closed for renovations.Ahhhh! PSSD (pumpkin spice shortage disorder)! Had to hit up the Starbucks in Safeway instead. Its never as good. Partly because the coffee isn't made the same (it tastes different to me) and partly because carrying two kids across the parking lot, with two to-go cups is A LOT to carry, especially with Joel running all over. 

Have I mentioned that Micah seems to be going through a growth spurt and is eating constantly? Or that since Sunday I've already done 8 loads of laundry?

Yep! Post Squeah Stress disorder is in full swing.

The weekend away was a nice change of pace. I felt really relaxed. Had a great time hanging out with people from the church. Temporarily forgot I had a toddler since these nice girls took care of him all weekend. Barely held Micah, since the church wanted a turn. Got to go for coffee with a friend at the Blue Moose in Hope. Danced (okay, circle games with musical movement) with Dan....and a bunch of other people. Won a game of Settlers against a husband and wife who both claim to be undefeated (ahem...Chris and Katrina). I sure won that argument!

A great weekend away and lots of prep for what I'm sure will turn out to be a good weekend ahead.