FYI

I started the "Back to School" post yesterday, but didn't finish it until today so when I posted it, it went before the one I posted today (confusing I know) I don't know how to fix it, so scroll down to see the boys "first day at school" Oh I also added the pic of Robert in his new carseat (humor me...pretend like you care :)!

Thanks!!

DINNER

I was wondering what to make for dinner tonight then I wandered out to our garden

mmmmmm...there's dinner :)

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Onions, Potatoes, Zucchini, Crookneck (Yellow) Squash, Carrots, and Beets.

--

Not doing anything fancy...just steaming/boiling everything (except the cukes and onions..putting them in vinegar)

--

Who's comming to dinner?!

The First Days of School 2009

****Warning....this is a long post...feel free to skip most of it, but check out the pictures and video (you can click on the pictures to make them bigger)***



*******************

Well..it's that time of year again...time for early bedtime, homework, and having to get ready in the morning instead of staying in jammies all day!!

Michael started 2nd grade this year. He is so excited and seems like an old pro at this school stuff. He was ready to go back!!

He got to ride in a private bus with his cousins the first morning (alright..you got me...it was Sherry's van! Think anyone's excited much!!)

Michael promised that he would let me take a picture of him in his classroom, but when we got there his nerves got the best of him and he didn't want me to. I took one anyway :) Next year I probably won't even get this much!! ( I just noticed when I posted this that his name is spelled wrong...maybe I'd better go check his folder)

They had a short day but it seemed like forever until the bus got there (it didn't help that it was 20 minutes later than I expected!!

He had to wave to all his friends when he got off the bus, then he saw me and posed for a proper picture :) When did my boy get so grown up?!?!

Thomas was NOT happy that Michael got to go and he had to wait a whole week for his turn!!! He did get to go the next day to meet his teacher. He was so excited, but disappointed that it didn't mean he got to go to school the next day. (I thought it was cute that they both had frogs)



Finally the big day came. He was so excited to start KINDERGARTEN (in fact, in the picture he was saying "I'm going to KINDERGARTEN"



I drove him to school, and he was at least 5 steps ahead of me the whole way there.



He quickly found his hook, turned in his homework folder, and got to work...



It was time for me to leave, then the tears started. They were mine...not his!!! I have been having such a hard time sending him to Kindergarten. By the time I got back to the car I was seriously sobbing!! (I really have been crying for weeks whenever I thought about it)

I don't know if it's that he was my baby for so long, and I have some concerns about him, so I am overprotective...or that I have gone through this before with Michael and I know that this is the beginning of him not needing me so much, or just what it is exactly...

It's hard when their teacher has them for more time during the day than I do!! Speaking of which...I know that part of the problem I'm having with sending him to school is that he is going to an all day Kindergarten class.

When I first heard about it, I didn't want it at all. Thomas still takes a nap almost every day, and I was really looking forward to sending him to school in the morning and having him come home, eat lunch, then take a nap. I didn't even want to think about him being gone all day.

Then it was suggested that it might be good for him, so he was evaluated to see if he qualified as "at risk" (which is why they have the program) He didn't even come close to qualifying...but his name was drawn out as one of the "model" children. (they have some "at risk" kids then other children who don't struggle to be examples for them...imagine my son a "model child") I really struggled with the decision to let him be in this class or not.

After praying, crying, and talking to the teacher about what they did in the class, I decided that it would be good for him. So my 5 year old is at school all day, having 3 recesses, and lunch at school...just like the big kids!!

I hope I've made the right decision (when I found out all he ate today was a trix yogurt, cookie, and milk for lunch...and he was so tired and grouchy that he wouldn't touch his dinner and went to bed sobbing, I'm not so sure!...but that's a whole other topic)

He came home from the first day so happy!!! He LOVED everything about school and LOVED the bus ride!! (he sat by his cousin Katelyn and when the bus started moving he told her "Katelyn...this is going to be AWESOME"

In fact...he didn't want to get off the bus:) but he eventually did



When we went through his backpack, he was so excited to show me what he had done. He had a little folder that said "I Can Read on My First Day of Kindergarten" Inside was a book he had colored and he sat down and "read" it to me.

Here he is "reading" his book


He was so excited to show Daddy that he could read just like Michael!! That made my heart just jump with joy!!

Robert sure missed his big brothers that day though. If you watch the video again and listen in the background, you can hear him laughing...I think he laughed for like 30 minutes after they got home. Everything they did was just so funny to him.

I'm kind of having a hard time with them being gone. Funny how they drive me so crazy I need to get away from them to regain my sanity...but when they're both gone...I hardly know what to do with myself. Hopefully things will smooth out over the next couple of weeks and we'll get back into the swing of things (and hopefully I'll stop crying whenever I think about Thomas in Kindergarten!!)

All in all though, the first day was a success!! I also forgot to mention how thankful I was to my wonderful husband for giving my boys such beautiful blessings on the night before they started school. Thanks sweetie!!

Happy Half Birthday Baby!!

I can't believe my baby is 6 months old!!!





(and he can't believe I want him to sit still on the couch with that elephant...he'd much rather play!!)



At his Dr. visit he was 21lbs 11oz and 28 1/2 inches long (both over the 95th percentile)...so growing is not an issue...or rather it is!!! I'm so sad he's growing so fast. He's growing out of all of his 6-9 month clothes and I'm having serious issues that I can't buy him anything from the newborn section anymore!!!


He has such a fun personality and laughs so easily. He rolls ALL over the place and puts EVERYTHING he can get his hands on in his mouth (that's what happens when you have two new little teeth (which are VERY sharp!!).


He is getting close to sitting and he scoots some and had his knees tucked up underneath him the other day!! YIKES!!


He's enjoying trying out new foods, and so far has loved EVERYTHING (including prunes...poor kid!!) He's even starting to hold his bottle by himself!


He loves spitting, making kissing noises, being lifted in the air, and playing with toys.


The other big event this month was getting him a new car seat. Yes at 5 1/2 months he outgrew his infant carrier!! I'll get a pic of him in his new one to add to this...but isn't it amazing how fast they grow!!


**First time in car seat**

**Last time in (this) car seat**

**Here's the new "ride"**

I really can't believe it's been 6 months already...I'm afraid if I blink he'll be a year old...so I'm not going to blink, and try to savor EVERY minute of his babyhood while it lasts!!

I love you Robert,
Mom :)

A whole new level of messiness!!

Robert had his first taste of babyfood today (besides cereal)

mmmmm sweet potatoes!!

He LOVED them!!!

He explored them with ALL his senses :) (notice the paparazzi in the background...two cameras went off with each bite he took...I had to finally ask them to leave!!)

The sweet potatoes went especially well with his new found trick for blowing raspberries!! (notice the formarly white shirt :)

Let the fun begin!!!

All hope is not lost!!!

So, I go out to my garden this morning to see what has grown in my garden while we've been gone...and low and behold...what did I see?



These beautiful little Sweet Peas blooming on my fence. As I looked closer, I could see a few of them winding their way through my fence. I was so excited!!!! I went over and smelled it and just as I suspected...I started to cry. Which isn't really surprising since I've been missing my Grandma Brough an awful lot lately.



I was in Jubilee the other day and was getting some dishwashing soap and smelling them to see what I liked best.

I smelled a bottle of regular palmolive (which she ALWAYS used) and started crying right in the store. I can actually smell that while I am at my sink sometimes.



There are so many memories of my grandparents in this house (obviously, since it's theirs) that it is sometimes overwhelming. I still feel that this is not really my house, but that it is their house and I am just taking care of it for them. I also know it is not just me that feels their presence here. Thomas found an orange cucumber in the garden last night (an overgrown one...but he doesn't know that and he loves it) As he was washing it and rubbing it with germ killer (see I told you he loves it) Dave asked him if he grew that cucumber...and he said..."nope...Grandpa Brough did"



As corny as this sounds...seeing that flower today felt like Grandma was telling me not to give up and that she was proud of how hard we're trying to take care of things. Well...I cleaned the weeds out of that side of the garden and hopefully I'll see a few more of these beautiful flowers bloom.

Our Garden

When we bought this house it came with some HUGE garden areas (some of which we lovingly refer to as the back 40) It also came with memories of beautiful flowers, productive gardens, and really no weeds....well...I have the desire to learn more about gardening/flowers/perennials, but sadly I am finding that I lack the time and energy I need to get everything done the way I want.

I do want to show some things I am proud of (and some I'm not so proud of)

I LOVE my strawberry patch...it's overtaking my porch...and producing some yummy berries to boot!!

My cabbage are looking great (just stay away hungry deer)

My beans are looking great (I failed horribly at them last year) and the potatoes are looking good too...we'll have to see when we dig them up how well they are doing

I'm especially pleased with the squash...they fill up this whole area clear to the fence...and they're tall!! hopefully there are lots of good squash in there...we can see some good ones by the edges (including a couple of banana squash that are over 2 ft. long already) we failed at squash last year too!! (if you want any zucchini...PLEASE CALL ME!!!)

Now...for the flipside...the things I'm not so proud of :(

Our poor poor corn. We think it just got too wet (hadn't popped out of the ground yet when all the rain came in June) I put that bucket next to it to give you an idea...six rows of corn and we'll be lucky to get enough ears for a meal...we've joked that we're growing baby corn for salads :) and lets not even get started on the weeds!!

Speaking of weeds...look at my sad small garden....it's turned into a weed bed with a few things still visable (we did enjoy the lettuce though) We've eaten a few things out of it...and there are still some good things growning in there...I've just got to find them again!! What is up with weeds anyway...I'm sure I didn't buy or plant any weed seed!!! Why can't just the things we put in the ground grow?! The thing that makes me the most sad about this little garden is this is where I planted my sweet peas (flowers) they hardly even grew...I want sweet peas so bad (even though I know I'll cry the first time they do and I'm able to pick some) maybe next year!

Not sure what happened to this poor little Hosta I planted...it was doing so well :(

Now, my flowerbeds/hanging pots I have a love hate relationship with...a month or so ago...they were BEAUTIFUL...now the snapdragons have mostly died (but I think they're actually starting to bloom again) and the weeds are getting away from me...The pots are starting to look scraggley and dry out so quickly...hopefully when it cools off...they'll look better again!!

And lastly there's the new fun stuff this year that's doing good

Kohlrabi (which we tried tonight...they kinda taste like a cross between broccoli and radishes)

Tomatilloes (that I have a YUMMY salsa recipe for)

and our little watermelons...not sure what's inside...but they're sure cute!!

Thanks for taking this trip through the gardens with me...I think after posting this all that I've figured out my problem...Maybe it's just TOO MUCH!! We're thinking maybe a basketball court would be good for at least half of the garden space (just partially kidding about that!!)

...oh and thanks to those of you who have come and helped with the planting and weeding...we SOOO appreciate the help!!