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~ Catch me if you can ~

Fun in the Sun

 Our fun day in the sun!

 

enjoying the park... in our matching Seattle Mariner shirts!

 

We took Nala for a walk, but being that she's 12 years old... she got tired and needed a little break.  Connor was more than happy to let her ride with him though.

He's really good at riding his bike now... and fast!

 

we left a note for dad with side walk chalk

"We heart U Dad"

JDRF walk

 2010 JDRF walk

 Our team shirts this year, organized by our fantastic team captain, Tina Trantum.

Go Team Trantum!

We walk to support Jakob Trantum, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age 2.

 the front of the shirt has an insulin pump made into a robot.  What a cute and clever design!

 Our Team Captain, Tina!  Getting some snuggle time with Connor

 The Trantums: Tina, Aric, Zach and Jakob

Annette and Hailey

 

And we're off...

 Connor getting a ride on dad's shoulders

 Jakob getting a ride from Aric

me and Connor

 Zach

my boys walking

we ended the walk with a BBQ and a nice red balloon.

Big helper

  The perfect man!

He cooks

He dusts.  He sweeps.  He does laundry

my goofy boy with his PJ bottom turban

new apron

My newest sewing creation for C... a kitchen apron! The front is dark green (material chosen by Aunt Frann when she was here last week) with a large pocket on the bottom. The back is light gray without any pockets. I made it reversible so he could use it for helping in the kitchen and also as a craft apron for art projects. It's not completely done.. I still need to add some decorations or something to the front to jazz it up.
C wasn't in much of a modeling mood, but I did manage to snap a few pictures of him in the apron.

Plum Jam

My first batch of homemade jam! Dang, if I would have known it was this easy to make I would have started making my own homemade yummy jam years ago!

I did some research on how to make the best jam ever, talked to my mother (who is a fabulous cook) and then made my own little tweaks to the recipe. So, here is my recipe for the worlds best jam...

First step- have parents call and ask if you would like a "few" plum from their plum tree. Smile thinking your son would love more of Nana and Grandpa's fresh fruit and veggies... and quickly agree.

Then have Nana and Grandpa drop off a 5 gallon bucket FULL of plums! no kidding.. it was filled to the top. This picture was taken after I made a batch of jam. I still have enough plums left over to supply half of North America with plum jam!
Next recruit a cute little boy to sing into a wooden spoon and dance around the kitchen with a bowl on his head. Pour a glass of wine, giggle at the silly kid and get ready to start making jam.
Now the boring part... slice and dice 6 cups of plums
place sliced plums into a large stock pot with 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Boil. Stir frequently. While this is coming to a boil wash 6 12-ounce canning jars. Place in a large pot of boiling water. Leave the jars and rims in the boiling water until ready to fill. Do not boil the flat seals.
Once plums have boiled for 1 minute, lower heat to simmer and cover for 10 minutes.
Plums will reduce to about 4 1/2 cups of plum syrup. Add 6+ cups of sugar. (most recipes suggested 7-8 cups of sugar. I added 7 cups and it was a little sweeter than I would like). Boil until sugar is dissolved. Add 1 package (3 ounces) pectin. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Skim off foam if you have any. I didn't have any foam on mine.
ladle into sterilized jelly jars. clean any spills off the outside rim. Place the flat seal on top and screw on the rings. Hand tighten. Place in boiling water on the stove. Water should just cover the top of the jars. Boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from water and place on a towel on the counter. After 15 minutes all the jars should be sealed. To check the seal press down in the middle of the lid. If it springs back, it's not sealed.
Allow jars to sit on counter and cool over night. Last step... and the best part... wake the next morning and race down the stairs with your smiling, giggling, singing, dancing little helper and pop open a jar of your homemade yummy plum jam! Spread some on a piece of toast and relish in the "mmmm's"
Then relax in the family room with a full belly and watch your silly kid create his own exercise routine?!? Connor was running laps and would stop in front of my legs, put his head against my belly, wrap his arms around my legs and flex his legs straight up. Talk about using ab muscles!

Rock Star

Out of the blue Connor decided to put on a show for us. I have no idea what he's singing, but he did the entire routine (singing the same thing and playing the air guitar and towards the end he raises his arms up) several times. I tried to sing along with him. I thought he was rubbing his tummy (like the Icarly intro) but he grabbed my hand and corrected me.. it's an air guitar. Wish I knew what the song was.

Fair with Charette's

Spokane County Interstate Fair

C riding in style with Grandma... the only way to see the fair - kicked back and relaxed!

Chelsey, Karen and Frank Berry

checking out all the cool kids projects

Monster truck

ride em' cowboy!
Can you believe he stayed on for 8 seconds! Just kidding. No riding bulls for this boy.

I finally got some chocolate covered strawberries that I've been craving

Aunt Frann tried some too... chocolate covered strawberries and banana's
Alaskan Pig races
run piggies, run!

Kids' Mutton Bustin'

Kids between the ages of 3-6 years old see how long they can ride a sheep. The goal is to stay on for 6 seconds. A little girl won today!

sheep

goats

goats are still the favorite

coolest cow ever! Check out his spiky hair

petting a cute and fluffy bunny

wow, crazy long ears!

it's hard to tell the size of this bunny from the picture, but it was huge

fluffy chicken

Grandma and Grandpa getting their picture taken with C for a fridge magnet.
C is so funny. Apparently I take too many pictures because as soon as he see's a camera he poses and smiles. Say 'cheese' and he sure does!

lamas

a tired little boy after a long day at the fair

J with his parents (AKA Grandma and Grandpa C)
J's the tallest in his family, I'm the shortest in mine

J and Aunt Frann (his sister)

gitty up Grandma

Yahtzee
Grandma won

This was so cute. Aunt Frann was doing some stretches with C. He's such a copy cat.