Gardening...

Hello blog world, it's been a while!  I guess maybe I needed a break from blogging?  Maybe I am still not ready to come back?  Not sure, but for now, here is our latest at home hobby that we just love.  Jordan's last project was a fence surrounding our garden, he did it himself and in my book it took up way too much of his precious time.  But the result was well worth it.  We have chicken wire on the inside of the fence which goes down about 2 feet underground.  Take that rabbits and gophers!  We have had 4 dumpload trucks of wood chips delivered, which now cover every square inch of our property that was once dirt.  Jordan has brought in loads and loads of rich soil and manure, and we compost all our organic materials, I love not wasting that stuff!  Now our 9 garden boxes (which Jordan built) and our large plot of land were safe and ready for spring planting!  These pictures were taken a couple weeks ago when everything was at it's prime.  We were hauling in crazy amounts of bounty and could hardly keep up.  Don't worry, nothing has gone to waste, we distribute freely among friends and family and get creative with our dinners.  Beet Burgers, Eggplant Parmigian, grilled veggies, frozen corn, stuffed peppers, tomato and basil pizza, strawberry ice cream and the list could go on of all the wonderful things we have been eating out of our garden.  I believe I am getting a bit spoiled and will forever be a vegetable snob when it comes to buying vegetables from the store. 

Helping us do the prep work...corn just sprouting in the back...Coleton thought he found the perfect sand box ;)

Our little gardeners.

Yellow squash, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, bell peppers, strawberries, radishes & beets, tomatoes, pumpkins & melons.

Zucchini, corn, herb garden, an example of our harvests every few days.

Did I mention we have an orchard?  25 fruit trees, you name it, we have it.

An aerial view, we aren't close to done yet either, we plan for berries between the herb garden and fence, as well as berries and grapes around the fence.

 

We are getting very attached to our little half acre property.  It is so rewarding to grow your own food, and make delicious and healthy meals for your family.  So there you have it, our garden!

4th of July!

This year the 4th was pretty much a replicate of last year...Jordan at work, parade & park in the morning, naps, hanging with family and lastly fireworks...only the kids are a year older and things are getting more and more fun.  Here is a sampling of our day, better late than never, right?

Mount Laguna

We are on a roll with our camping trips.  This trip was particularly fun because there were six families that camped together, and that meant for lots of little kiddos running around.  Our kids always have so much fun with other kids to play with, they all of a sudden seem so grown up and independent.  Here is a summary of our trip through pictures...

Lots of hiking and exploration...

Hanging out at camp, spending lots of time with good friends...

 Slackline...mountain bike riding...delicious desserts...

One little note to self...bring extra blankets when camping in the mountains!  We just about froze our behinds the second night, even with all four of us huddled together in one bed.  Speaking of nights...they can be pretty interesting.  The first night was just our family in our trailer, and the hours of midnight-2 am were very eventful...restless and very awake little children made us worry it was going to be a looong night.  Sometimes I wonder, are we crazy to think we can camp with kids these ages?  Luckily they finally settled down and slept great the rest of the night.  The second night, Matt, Jeannine & Elora slept in our trailer with us, and amazingly it was an uneventful night all the way until 6:00am, that's really good if you ask me!  Camping trips with other families has got to be our favorite thing to do, and we hope to do many more!

First Hair Cut!

This the first hair cut for either of our kids.  Clara's hair has been allowed to grow out on its own in an uneven and crazy way.  We were heading that direction with Coleton, he was looking more than a bit shaggy, and Jordan decided it was enough, his hair needed to be cleaned up.  I was against it at first, I just knew he was going to lose is baby-ness with his curls.  And I was fighting back some tears when I saw the final result.  I missed his curls, and he looks so so so much older, so sad!  But now I can say that it is growing on me, I love how his hair isn't constantly in his face, and I love my big grown up looking boy.  He is too sweet for words...

Promotion Party!

Jordan recently promoted at work, he is an Engineer now!  He has every little boy's dream job of driving the Fire Engine, and he loves it.  We had a promotion party for him over the weekend and friends, family and coworkers came to help us celebrate.  We had shooting, barbecue, bonfire, smore's, home made ice cream, slack line, horseshoes, popcorn, and a movie..  Everyone had a blast, and although it was a lot of work, it was definitely worth it.

Jordan, we are so proud of you, you work so hard for our family and we appreciate you so much, congratulations!

I love camping.  I love the bonfires, smores, great food, playing games, and spending time with family.  We made this trip into a little birthday celebration.  My family came down for the first day, we dropped our new tent trailer off at our camp site in Carlsbad, then headed up to the timeshare to spend the day.  We played in the water, all three of the kids face planted into the waves at different times...ooops!  Went to dinner at Norte, a great Mexican restaurant right on the grounds of Carlsbad Inn.  I opened my wonderful presents which included an ice cream maker, and Jordan immediately whipped up a batch of delicious vanilla ice cream to go with my mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies.  We went back to our camp for the night, and Debbie and Brian stayed with us and hung out the next day.  Matt & Jeannine came down early afternoon and camped with us that night, they are our wonderful camping buddies, and no, three little ones in a tent trailer doesn't equal much sleep ;) but it is all worth it in the end.  This phase of life is not restful, it is crazy and chaotic at times, but we are trying to soak it all in and enjoy this time with our little kiddos.  Clara slept in a regular bed in the trailer, which was her first time, and she loved it.  It was crazy how she would just wake up after a nap, and open the door and come out all by herself, wow she is growing up fast.  Coleton ended up sleeping with us both nights, and he is actually really good at it, that boy can cuddle, and I loved it!  The first night back, when I didn't let him sleep with us, I could tell he was bummed, he thought that was going to be the norm...soorry.

My sister's in-laws were visiting from Massachusetts.

Love her beach curls :)

Skate boarding with daddy was a favorite pastime.

Yummy BBQ dinner, Brats with peppers & onions.

Roasting marshmallows!

I turned another year older, 28 years old and I think I feel a little bit wiser ;) but seriously, I do feel like I have been learning a lot.  Learning about being content, and putting your all into what you're doing, like being a homemaker and a mother.  It was a wonderful birthday, and here's to a wonderful year!

Coleton's 1st Birthday!

We had a little Birthday BBQ for Coleton on Sunday...his actual birthday was Friday, the 20th.  It was so fun celebrating this sweet little guy.  He really has been the best baby, and now he is moving on into toddler hood!  He is walking all over the place with a little assistance, and as long as he has a finger to hold onto he is content, and would walk forever!  He even took his first little steps on his own at his party!  He is losing his baby chub way faster than I would like, and is majorly slimming down, which is just making him seem so much older.  At his 12 month check up he is 2'6" tall and weighs 23.7lbs.  He loves to dance to music, blow kisses, and laugh, he says thank you "gu goo" when you give him something, loves to point to pictures in books, push buttons, and is a serious mama's boy.  We love this little man more than words can say, and are so thankful to have him in our family!

 

Happy Birthday Coleton!