Apple Orchard

BYU-I has an apple orchard and everyone is free to pick apple. It cost 50 cents a pound and they have over 100 different kinds of apples.

All the popular apples were gone but some had apple really high up so BJ climbed a tree or two to get some apples

We didn't find many we liked but we found one that has a hint of strawberry. Super yummy! Rylee had fun until she got hungry.

This one is just cute and I had to post it. I think it is in our genes that we need to sleep with our arm over our head. She has to have at least one arm up by her head which means her arms are always cold. Long sleeve shirts and sleepers are coming out!

Fancy toys

We don't need fancy toys around here. BJ was suppose to be doing homework and I was watching Rylee while rearranging our living room. She was not happy being pushed into a corner while i moved the couch. The people we sent kettle corn too brought back our bowl so BJ grabbed Rylee and stuck her in the bowl. She stopped crying and BJ can't help but play with her. 

She also loves playing with paper. I found that out when she was upset after we left the store so I was hurrying and put my wallet, keys, and receipt in her car seat with her. I left all but the keys and she was magically happy all the way to our next stop. When I went to pull her out she was amazed at the sound the paper made when she grabbed it. I love that she knows how to use her hands now. However she now wants whatever I'm holding. I love watching her learn new things! She has us laughing all day now.

Favorite baby

Rylee playing at the park

I finally got my camera back! We left the battery charger in Phoenix so I haven't taken in pictures. This one shows how much Rylee really loves being outside. Just minutes before this picture she was inside crying then we relocated outside and she was all smiles for 20 minutes. I'm only a tad worried about what we will do when it snows next month!

I realized I haven't posted much about Rylee so here is what she has been up too

~ At her 3 month app she was 12 lbs which was in the 48-50% 

~She was 25.5 inches long which was in the 98%

~ Oh and her head was like 50% too

~ Her favorite thing to do is smile. She will smile at anyone who talks to her.

~ She is almost 4 months old and is mastering the art of grabbing.

~ I love watching her play with toys now. She loves to hug them then chew on them after.

~ She loves reading books. She will look at a book for 20 minutes then read another one.

~ She is ALWAYS kicking. She can't help but kick her feet.

~ She learned to yell at us. If we leave the room she will yell at us until we come back.

~ She still hates to be on her tummy but is now able to hold her head up until she gives up and face plants and cries until I roll her over

~ She will roll over but only if she is wants too

~ My new favorite thing is when she looks up at me and smiles.

~ She will not sleep in her pack and play so she sleeps on a twin size bed. (no clue what I'll do when she is mobile!)

~ She is still a great sleeper. She will sleep for 8 hours but after that is up every hour until I finally just wake her up

~ She loves her daddy! He picks on her like crazy she just takes it

~ I swear she says Hi. I'm not even kidding

~ She only takes cat naps during the day. 30 minutes tops unless I lay with her

~Blowing bubbles is her favorite

~ She is drools like crazy. She is soaking wet all day long

~She still loves showers and hates baths

~She still is the best baby ever!

Canning Peaches

Have you ever had a Utah peach? They are super yummy! Peaches from the store just don't match a fresh picked Utah peach. We were driving to Wal Mart and saw a guy on the side of the road selling Utah Peaches! We pulled over and the guy let us try a slice of one and we were sold! I said we should just buy half a box and even then we couldn't eat them all. BJ said they were worth getting a whole box and we should just can them. I have never canned anything before and had no idea where to even begin. I first called my sister in law Camille to see if she wanted to do it with me then I called my mother in law for a step by step on what I needed and what to do.

I went and bought some Ball jars (I couldn't bring myself to buy the Kerr ones. I had to have Ball which tend to be more expensive but we found a 15% off canning supply sale so I got my Ball jars for the same price as Kerr!) I also got the jar lifter upper, magnetic lid grabber, and a funnel. Helen suggested I get a steam canner but I wasn't feeling spending a lot for only being able to can one box of peaches. I looked up how to do water bath canning and instead buying the cool pot I just used my biggest pot and my steaming pan from my pressure cooker.

BJ and Matt went over to Camille's grandmothers house to do some work and Camille came over to help me can. She never had done peaches before so we just followed what Helen told me and what the internet said. Rylee slept for the first half so we were able to wash all the jars (24 pint jars) and peal all the skins off. Most of the skins came off in the boiling water so it went pretty fast. We made the syrup really light. It said 3 cups of sugar to 6 cups of water for light but I was low on sugar and didn't want to go to the store so I did 2 cups of sugar to 8 cups of water. The peaches were already sweet so it didn't need to much sweetener. Once we canned all the peaches I spent the rest of the day putting 4 jars at a time in my pot and doing the water bath.

Thankfully it was a success! 6 of them didn't seal so I put them in the fridge to eat and they ended up sealing up just fine. The peaches are so tasty! I love that I have canned food in my pantry and I canned them! Maybe next summer I'll be able to do make my own jam! That would be so sweet!!