Yard work, continued

 Scott trenching

fun things we find in the dirt

The lilacs

"Madame Lemoine" lilac double white flower

"Sensation" lilac, purple with white edges

We got the back lot plowed again to get rid of the weeds. We want to get in the sprinkler system and then plant grass seed before winter.  Hopefully in the spring, the grass will choke out the weeds some, and in a few years we will have a nice lawn back there, instead of mud and weeds. Our neighbors planted seed when we did sod, and it has come in quite nicely, so we are optimistic. We are also planning for a garden area, and the lilacs are to be a privacy hedge. They are supposed to do well in our terrible soil, so we hope the deer will leave them alone long enough to get established. They have already nibbled most of the leaves off. But a bunch of websites said they were deer resistant, so we'll see.  We bought the plants a few weeks ago on our trip north to the zoo.  There was not enough of any one type, so we alternated the white and purple.  Hopefully it will be pretty and they will grow quickly.  We are still planning on a few fruit trees, but we have so much going on, it's one thing at a time.  Scott has worked for days doing the sprinkler system and getting everything set up.  It will be nice to have it done.  Anyone who wants to donate to the cause, or feels like doing some manual labor, or who loves picking rocks, give us a call ;)

Drive to Elk Ridge

We are excited to see Scott a little bit more these days! One day we got some Subway and took the girls on a drive. West of Blanding there is a place called Elk Ridge. Scott works here all the time, and it is where he took me on our hike to the cliff ruins.  We went back to the area with the waterfalls.  Unfortunately, it was only a trickle from a recent rainstorm, but it was still pretty and fun anyways.  The girls had fun running around, and throwing rocks into the water.  Whitney managed to fall in head first and soaked her clothes and shoes.  We learned first hand, that babies actually do hold their breath when they fall into water. I was right next to her and just grabbed her right out. It was kinda funny, not as terrifying as one would think. She was completely fine with it, not scared at all. But we still had a lot of trip left, so she was naked for a while, then we found a few things in the car to dress her up in.  Those are the times I am glad I am not a neat freak in the car. there is always something we can use.  After the water, we drove around looking for animals. Deer were plentiful, but no elk or bear spotted.  We saw a lot of pretty things and places Scott often talks about.  We got out for a view of Arch Canyon, but acorns were much more interesting. I am still finding them in the laundry.   It was a fun trip and we are so thankful to live in such a beautiful area. 

Little girls miss their big sisters

 Modeling mom's super-high heels, and Sara had to be in the picture

Since school has started, the dynamic at home is very different. Abby and Isabel head to school at 8 am and return at 3:15. So all day it is just my little ones.  When all of them are home, everybody seems to play together, but when it is just Whitney and Sara, not so much.  Sara has preschool Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning.  Whitney tends to just hang out with me and not want to go anywhere. Which is fine most of the time, but not always.  Sara wanders like a lost lamb.  She just doesn't know how to entertain herself after 4.5 years of having someone to play with.  So it is a process.  She always wants to play at a friend's house. She gets bored very easily.  She and Whitney fight sometimes.  They also do play a game where Sara is the baby and Whitney is the mom and takes care of her.  Sometimes they play dolls.Whitney is speaking more clearly and definitely has an opinion.  She is a sweet girl. She is into Dora, and lately has been changing clothes every 5 minutes. she knows exactly which drawers to get a shirt and pants out of, and she likes her sisters' dresses.  She also wears shoes all the time.  Today, she is wearing (as her 3rd outfit) Some jeans, with Sara's swimsuit on top of that, then Isabel's shirt over top, and some sandals she found that are huge.  She also has her two piggytails in, at her request.  I am still figuring out if it is a nature or nurture thing. Do two year old boys care this much about clothes and hair?  Whitney is working on potty training, but we are not even close to done. If I put her on the toilet she will complain and then pee, but she doesn't do anything else and she won't tell me when she has to go.  She is so smart and we love listening to her and watching all the things she is doing.
Sara is getting bigger. She recently figured out how to use the mouse and gets onto computer games herself (we have tabs with the few websites they can use). So she loves to do that. She almost knows all her letters, and can write her name. She is learning sign language at preschool and seems to like that.  She still struggles in church, going to her class but I keep hoping she will grow out of it.  She is doing well at school and no major problems, so I am relieved about that. She definitely can have her own opinion and create some drama. Sometimes it drives us crazy, other times you can't help laughing.  It seems like a preview of the teenage years, but I am still holding onto the hoope that she will get it out of her system young....  we love our Sara.  So days are a little more simple at home, but also a lot more hands on with out the big girls to help entertain.  We shall see how it goes now that the weather is getting cooler.