I don't know what's come over me. I feel like a pregnant woman nesting or a squirrel preparing for the upcoming change in seasons. I am neither one of those, but seeing all the fruit and vegetables in season right now is making me want to buy extra and store for winter. Probably because I just read this book.

I've heard several times that the most important way to reduce your impact on the environment is to eat what's local and in season. It's more crucial than the kind of car you drive or the light bulbs in your lamps. It's also the healthiest option. Freezing keeps more of the vitamins than canning. Add in the fact that I have never canned anything and you get this:

Our new freezer. Brian was very proud of himself for finding it 75% off. Eli was so excited about finding it this morning that he started filling it right away. Then we went to a Rojas Farm about a mile away. The fabulousness we get from the CSA is not quite enough for us now, so I needed to get extra to freeze. It's not necessarily organic, but they only spray the corn with pesticides, so I went a little crazy.

Most of the pears were a little dinged up (unlike these ones on top), so I asked for a discount and and the lady just gave them to me. She even held Esme while I shopped. She said we could go out and take cucumbers too, since they decided not to pick them. Maybe next time. We'll go back when they get more peaches, another Brian request.

Just Another Trip To The Fair

Nothing special, really. Just a Monday night visit to the State Fair. First came the all-you-can-eat ice cream ($3) tent, then the mini farm, then running into the prophet, and onto some bunny rabbits.

That would be the back of Eli's head in the second to last picture. He gave President Monson his usual I-don't-know-you frown and ran back to me. AHHHH!!!! Curt was more friendly.

Lesson of the day: You never know who you'll run into in the pigeon exhibit, so don't skip it.

Saying Goodbye

So you all know who Seth and Carrol are by now. They were our soon-to-be neighbors that we met the day before we got married. They helped us move in and promised to think about us at 12:45 (time of our sealing) the next day. If we had known what good friends we were going to be we would've invited them to the wedding.

They were between housing contracts (getting ready to move to Ohio for grad school) and needed a place to sleep the last couple weeks of August. We were happy to be able to see them a little extra before they left. Eli and Emi were especially giddy. Here are a few things they did together.

And the best for last:

"Hold hands to cross the street" meant each others, not ours, I guess.

We're going to miss you guys.

Birthday Season

It starts soon, with Brian's birthday in a couple of weeks and ending in 2 months with Esme, most of my family members in between. It usually stresses me out, what to buy, what to sew, getting to the post office... in time. For some reason I have decided to start working on Esme's gift first. I'm just too excited about this tutorial and making Esme's first doll. I'd better get to it while the house is quiet.

When she's finished you'll have to help me pick a name.

Have I mentioned that Brian's been leaving us a lot lately. It's especially terrible when its for the weekend that I wait all week for, only to have him gone and come back in time to go back to work Monday. So far this summer he's gone to Colorado a couples times, New Jersey, Orlando for a week, and now Idaho to go backpacking during the last weekend of summer. Hopefully he'll come back so sore, tired, and hungry that he won't want to leave home anymore.

So Saturday I looked down at Esme's cuteness and thought, Grandma Corrales hasn't seen her lately. Accidentally forgetting about a couple of responsibilities for the weekend I packed the kids and we went for a sleepover at grandma's. Eli is finally getting better at warming up to people, family being most crucial. It was always embarrassing when we'd go and he would never hug his great grandma and only give her grumpy grunts and frowny faces. This time he talked a lot and was super-affectionate.

Jealous of Esme's turn, so he climbed on too.

Reading Grandma his Alphabet Book.

Grandma singing Esme a song in Spanish that she's now sung to 3 generations of babies. Something about these little feet going to pick watermelons.

I'm so glad we went. The kids were great in the car and Brian's grandma, aunt, and cousin got to oogle over our beautiful little Esme.

10 Months

Esme traded her usual smiles in for seriousness thanks to the prickly grass. Brian likes to point out that she's even cute while crying, not that I was trying make her. She even closes her lips like she's trying to hold it in. It's the saddest thing.

And somehow I never got a picture of Eli in his dad's newborn shirt. Oh well, Esme looks more like him anyway.

Everly Tuesday

Look who we get to play with every Tuesday morning when her mom, my friend Anna, goes in to the office. Two month old Everly. Eli and I are totally enamored with her, and Esme doesn't really notice her, which is better than jealousy. I have to admit I had a hard time handing her over to her grandma when the time came.