First Day of Kindergarten

Along with the longest heat wave of the summer, has come the start of school. Today, Levin began his school voyage. He was excited, though I am not sure he knew what he was supposed to be excited about. Everything went well, and he is excited for another day tomorrow.

Missing an "r" in there. Maybe I am the one that needs to go back to school, or maybe I just need more sleep.

Gardening Success

Many of you have been asking to see pictures of my garden this year, and so here goes. These pictures were taken about two weeks ago, before we left town for a week. When we returned last week, the garden had grown so much. I now have tomatoes turning red, broccoli coming, and carrots ready to pick. The peas are dying back, but we sure have enjoyed them. We have even been able to shell and freeze some to enjoy later this winter.

This is what the garden looked like, the days leading up to all the following pictures. Lots of weeds.

Carrots

Broccoli

Tomatoes

More tomatoes.

Peas.

Onions.

Grapes.

Pear.

Asian pears.

Apple.

The whole garden.

My first dahlia to bloom. I now have a full garden in bloom, with all different shades. I should really take a picture, because they are beautiful, and are especially fun to look out to while washing dishes.

So, there you have it. A sampling of what's growing around our yard.

"Look Mom, No Training Wheels"

Last week, Philip decided all on his own, that he was ready to ride a bike without training wheels. Levin had moved up a bike size, and so he felt it was time for him to ride Levin's old bike.

Please don't judge me as a mother when I say that I thought Philip would be a lot older before he accomplished this childhood milestone. It's not that I didn't think he could do it, but he is not even four yet. Philip, incase you did not already know, is my very very cautious child. He will be the one some day to watch everyone else jump off the bridge. So, when I came out to see what he and daddy had been working on, you can imagine my surprise.

Though, not a great video, here is a short clip taken the first day of riding. We are still working on being able to start all on our own, but he sure is a proud little guy. Way to go Philip!

Happy Birthday Jason

Monday was Jason's birthday, but since we hosted the church softball BBQ at our house that night, we celebrated last night. Well, actually his family party is here on Thursday night, so really all we did was enjoy a nice dinner together, as a family. But, what more could a guy ask for, right? Thanks to the half a cow we purchased last year, we were able to enjoy juicy t-bone steaks, accompanied with baked potatoes, and fresh roasted asparagus on the side. What a wonderful excuse to share a special dinner together. Happy Birthday Jason! The boys and I love you.

My Little All Star Helper

During nap time yesterday, Levin helped me make strawberry jam. Earlier in the morning, the boys and I had gone out to a local farm and picked up a flat of fresh strawberries. Had I been feeling really ambitious, we would of actually picked our own berries, but we opted to save that adventure for another day. Levin was a great help, and quickly proved himself a natural at smashing the berries down. We were succesful and even enjoyed some jam with our toasted peanut butter sandwiches today.

When Levin is not busy helping in the kitchen he can be found out on the baseball field conveniently found right out our back door. Jason mowed a baseball diamond into our back lawn, complete with a pitchers mound and infield. What a fun dad.

Sewing Bug

Now that the days are getting warmer, my itch to sew something has increased. Not the way it is supposed to work, I know. None the less, I have been sewing. I made a pair of pajama pants for Owen last week, with some fabric that was given me by a friend. Sorry, no pictures of them (yet). Then, this week I finally finished the birthday banner I had started cutting out a few months ago. This turned out to be a bit time consuming, but fun. Now I only hope the boys enjoy the tradition of being able to pull it out for each birthday.

I have already started scheming about what my next project will be, but the garden may win over sewing for a bit.

What's Cooking?

This is what a leisurely Sunday morning looks like at our house, when we do not have early service.

The BBQ was a garage sale find from Grandma Ann. All of the boys love it.

Hot dog anyone?