She sees a spot she feels like she should be able to get through...but she can't.  This is sad news for a curious little girl!

Leiden is so cute.  She borrowed Mac's crimper and went full 80's on her hair.

She's becoming a beautiful young woman and really coming out of her shell recently.  With us, at least!  She is funny with a very dry sense of humor, and a quick wit.  I love this girl!

She also still loves to be artistic, and made the cute little signs I hung for Zada's 9 month last minute photo shoot.  You can't see it very well, but it's got a ton of detail in the 9 that she did all by hand.

Leiden got this shot of us as we headed to take them up to their dad's house.  We look so happy and I'm glad she caught the moment.  I think I had just called a bad driver a stupid jerk.  What love!

When hands go into the hair or put on her head, eggs in the ear can result!

The kombucha is doing really well, growing its own scoby and becoming delicious.

We tried some to see where we are at.  It's still working on it, not ready to be bottled, but it's making progress.

Jon ordered more of these pretty flip top bottles for his brewing, and Zada took her time investigating daddy's purchase.

Jon requested pasties tonight for dinner, and I obliged!  They are really good, they just take FOREVER to make.  Luckily the girls like them too.  Michigan dinner!!

She has just started to move a little further away from us at church, but luckily still mostly just putters around near us.  I had forgotten how difficult church can be with tiny ones.

Zada is venturing further and further as she becomes really confident with crawling.  We use the pack and play as a baby gate because not only can it block her way into the kitchen, we can also put her IN it. 

This afternoon we met at the Garden Restaurant downtown for Joni and Dad's birthday dinner.  Probably the most amazing thing about today??  We started ZADA on dairy!  This dinner was so much fun and so relaxed for me because she could eat anything that we had.  I could eat anything on the menu.  I hadn't realized until it was over how difficult the restrictions have felt.  Fingers super crossed that she's fine on dairy and we can just move on.

Grandmere loves her big chunky necklaces, and Zada loves them too!

I felt really happy today, and I'm grateful for these people in my life whom I love so dearly.

Thomas and Joni got to enjoy some Zada laughs with the selfie camera.

My family!!

They are the best parts of my life!

Jon couldn't resist peeking at his kombucha to check progress, and it's already beginning to grow!  He's very pleased with the success so far.

Mac has been asking to paint often these days, and she's been putting her artwork on her room walls.  They are really well done little pieces of art.

I appreciate that they're trying the techniques Jon's book teaches, and actually learning a bit about art theory.

And of course, they are allowed to paint whatever they want, including rainbow bottomed animals!

Mac's little collage in her room is just HER.

Zada was quite pleased with her finds in the kitchen.  We've started letting her in here right by us, and it's a whole new world.

The tie dye worked!!  I was so worried it would bleed everywhere and make just muddy messes, but they looked great.

Zada's onesie will be super fun for her to wear.

This afternoon we went outside to wait for Jon to come home.  She doesn't like the grass, so she stayed o the blanket, which made it easier for me!

Happy Pioneer Day!  We are so grateful for the sacrifices made by our pioneer ancestors and the work they did preparing the way for us to live the way we do.  

Jon spent some time today preparing the behemoth pot, rigging a smart heating system that will keep the kombucha at an appropriate temperature for maximized growth.

He taped aquarium heating mats around the pot, fitted with a thermostat that works just like the one in the house.  Too warm?  Shut off.  Too cold?  Turn on.  This way he can maintain the right temperature range.  This all came about because the giant pot is going to stay in the storage room downstairs, where it is quite cool, and the kombucha needs a warmer environment.

After the heating pads, he insulated the pot with foam board and saran wrap.

Then it was time to start the brew!  Starting with rooibos tea,

adding water to the correct volume,

and inoculation!  It will take about 3 weeks to be ready.  There will be SO much kombucha!

Grandmere, Bapa, Mark, and John came over this evening to celebrate the holiday with us.  Zada was really funny, crawling along the table.

And then she relaxed with Bapa and watched a video on Grandmere's phone.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner together,

and then the girls got to tie-dye!  It's something they've been asking to do for a long time, and we figured it was an activity Grandmere and Bapa would like to be around for.

Mimi tie dyed a shirt and some tights.

I tie dyed a onesie for Zada.

Mac tie dyed a shirt and a pillowcase.

And Leiden did a shirt.

I hope they turn out!!  They will sit all night and be rinsed tomorrow!

Church continues to get more and more interesting with Miss Zada.  She struggles with the time as it approaches nap time by the end of sacrament meeting, but we try to keep her there as long as we can, and then generally one of us takes her home to allow her to nap.

Jon is one of the librarians, and we found this today...Earasers are so much better than erasers!

Happiness is found again after naptime, and being able to spend time with Grandmere and Bapa!

She really takes to Joni well.  She allows Joni to hold her all the time and doesn't squirm or protest.  It's really sweet that Joni loves to be with her!