A Dry Garden Report

 This evening's photos are kinda dark.  This has been a hot, dry spring & first week of summer!!!  The garden has been abysmal.   However, after 3 years of trying to grow sunflowers, I finally have a bloom!

 Yes, it is really taller than me!  There is one more plant that is even taller, but it's not ready to bloom yet - it's still growing up!

I took photos from the same positions as I did last time, so you can compare if you'd like.  In the first photo, the onions have been harvested, the corn (which did not make any) has died, and the squash is still alive but not producing any more.  The green bean tepee is there but empty because the green beans died without producing.  One lone zinnia is blooming in front of the playhouse.

 From the opposite side, you can see the spaghetti squash plant on the trellis is dying, but it was my best producer of all!  We have eaten one and I have 9 spaghetti squash put up for later!  The tomatoes are hanging on, and believe it or not, still making some little tomatoes.  The pepper plants are doing likewise.  I put up a shade cloth over the peppers and the tomatoes are benefiting from it in the afternoon as well.  I am starting to believe "full sun" does not mean "Texas sun" for many garden plants.

Here is the lizard house David & I built beside the asparagus (in it's 1st year) after spotting a Texas Spiny Lizard there one day.  Of course, we haven't seen one since, but David enjoyed making the house for him.

 I have tried to make the garden a fun place for the kids to be with me, since I like to spend so much time out there.  I just wish this year had been a better year for gardening!  Just too, too hot and dry... too early!  Notice the large crack in the ground coming out from under the playhouse?

The girls were waiting for me when I came out of the garden.  They're the reason it's fenced off... them and the other wild critters that would get in there & dig it up.  I have decided to try gardening again, this year, in the fall.  I've never tried fall gardening.  We'll see how it goes.

Welcome Summer!

 We celebrated the First Day of Summer with apple juice pops on the porch and tried to go to the Splash Pad in town, but it was not running (which really stinks for the first day of summer).  Instead we came back home, played in the awesome sprinkler I built!!! and made homemade ice cream in my amazing ice cream maker!

YEA, SUMMER!

Happy Father's Day

This year for Father's Day, 

we made our  

7th Annual Father's Day Collage,

went swimming with our Life Group 

and... 

we got kittens!!!

 

We love you, Dad!!!

First Fish!

We had some fishing excitement as David caught his first fish of the year and Elizabeth caught her first fish ever!

With the help of Spiderman and Barbie, David had a pretty little bass and Elizabeth had a... um, what's that? a perch? maybe? 

Anyway, it doesn't really matter what type of fish it it - just look how cute she is with the bow and the pink pole!!!   : )

Relay for Life 2011

 

 This first year after we lost Momma, I decided to participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  Our team name was The Blue Angels, in memory of her.

 

Our team gathering before the event began.

 Survivors Photo and then they start walking.  Daddy is the only one not wearing the t-shirt.  : )

 My sister & I raised over $560 for the event, but she lives in CA and was not able to join us at the walk.  They had their own walk, however, hiking along the coast.  Other family joined me to help walking and we had someone walking all night.

 This is where Sarah stayed much of the night!

Sarah's First Trip to the Station

We haven't been able to visit the station much in the last year but finally made it there this Sunday afternoon.  The kids were really excited to see Dad at work!

 Yes, it's a pole & they still use it!

 Thermal Imaging Camera

 Here's the pole from the top:

The Roof Patio

  Yes, it was hot!  : )

On the way home I asked the kids what their favorite part was.  David said, "Going out on the roof."  Elizabeth said, "The big balls in the gym!"  Rebekah said, "Fire Trucks!"  Finally!

Splashy Signs of Summer

You know "summer" is here (even though it's not yet June 21) when the Splash Pad opens!  We are fortunate to have this free water park at our city park!

 Dad trying his hardest to get one of the kids

under the water dumping bucket.

 Sarah chilling out on the sidelines.

 Time to schedule our next trip!

June ONE

Another month has flown by.  David is now 7!  He discovered today that he has another loose tooth!  On the top!  Often times he has trouble sleeping at night and ends up collapsed on the couch during the day.

Sarah is now 5 months old!  She has a cheering squad in her big sisters!  They love to love on her and also enjoy pretending to be Mommy to their own dolls & animals. 

 

 Look out world, she'll be headed your way soon!

 Love, LOVE, love !!!

 Watch the kids grow: month ONE

Birthday Excitement

 When asked what David wanted to do for his birthday, he wanted to stay home and play Legos.  His big birthday present/event, was Legoland a couple of weeks ago.  After that, everything else was rather low-key.

He also did some playing outside.  It was hot!  But he found a way to solve that problem!

 I used the trusty iron-on transfer paper and printed out some Lego Minifigures for a new muscle shirt.  Jackpot!  

For dinner he picked the local small town cafe, because he wanted rolls & butter!  There was an old man celebrating his birthday when we got there.  The waitress brought a piece of the man's cake for David and when they left, they gave us their balloons!  The waitresses also sang Happy Birthday to him.  Very exciting!

For three years now, all David has asked for is Legos - 5, 6, and now 7.  You'd think there might be something else that would catch his attention, but no.

(I'm a cupcake lover.)  Last year he asked for a cake that looked like a Lego brick.  Then he instructed me on the proper placement of the buttons to make it accurate.  This year, he wanted his cake to look like a Minifigure!  I thought about cutting & piecing a minifigure out of cake, but decided to go with drawing one on top!  I sketched one out & got his approval (after making the corrections he suggested) and voila:

 I've never done this type of cake before, but I was very pleased by how well it turned out & how easy it was!  I was inspired by this recent instructional post at Prudent Baby!

He got some pretty cool stuff for his birthday, too!  From Aunt Erin, a Lego Hero Factory model, which was instantly put together!

MawMaw got him a cool pen/pencil set with minifigures on them!  We'll see if that helps him enjoy handwriting any more...

Grana got him a Star Wars Reader.

We got him a Venus Fly Trap to grow.  He's been asking for one for a while now.  I actually ordered it to go along with next year's botany material, but decided to go ahead & give it to him.  Turns out to be a good thing, because the seeds have to be refrigerated for 8 weeks!

And how 'bout that!  MawMaw also got him a giant stuffed Minifigure! When he first saw these at Legoland, he said, "Wow, only a Master Lego Builder would have a minifigure he could sleep with!"  And as I type, my Master Lego Builder is sleeping with his giant stuffed minifigure.  : )  He named him David.

And with birthday money from Aunt Wee & Uncle Bubba, guess what he bought - Legos!  When we went to pick it up, he walked straight to it, put it in the basket, and was ready to go.  Shopping like a man already!

It was a perfect Lego-y birthday for my 7 year old!