Signs of Life in the Garden!

A few months ago, Joey came home from Cub Scouts with three tomato plants. He promptly put them in the back yard, and our first "real" gardening efforts began. We were determined to keep these plants alive and (hopefully) get a few actual tomatoes from them! They quickly outgrew the plastic containers they came in, so we repotted them into terra cotta pots we had on hand and moved them to a sunny spot in the yard. It was very exciting about a week ago when we discovered there really are tomatoes out there! So far, only two of the three plants have tomatoes, but the third one has some flowers on it now so I'm hopeful! Here's a picture of our one cherry tomato (we only have ONE tomato on this plant, but isn't it adorable?)This tomato plant didn't come with a label so I have no idea what type of tomato it is. But it's growing a ton of little guys! They're just a few tiny signs of life, but I count it as a gardening success. Next year, I'm planning to plant several larger plants since I hope to make and can my own tomato sauce. Wish me luck!

Goofy Kids

Alicia is a great photographer. I love when she catches candid moments like this one, with Joey and Kristin goofing around. It captures their personalities so well!This summer, the kids simply cannot get enough of the water. Whether they're running through the sprinklers, going to the water park, going to the beach, or simply splashing around in the paddling pool - they are obsessed! Note Simon in the background. What he's obsessed with is trying to eat Joey's goggles.
I'm not sure where this started, but Joey loves to pop up in the background of pictures lately. So, an otherwise sweet portrait of Simon and his Grandma Mikki ends up looking like this:I just LOVE that he does this. Yeah, I know that some people might feel like he's messing up the shot, but I disagree. I think it adds such a great element of humor. Joey is such a fun kid. He's a joy to have around.

Tandy's baby shower

Tandy's baby shower was a big event! And I mean that literally, because the girl invited over 40 people! It was almost standing room only. But, the more the merrier. Tandy had a great time, and got lots of lovely gifts.

Here's a photo of some letters that Alicia painted for Tandy to hang in the nursery. Alicia bought plain wood letters at a craft store and both designed and painted them herself. She's such a talented, artsy gal!Another super cute gift she got were these wee little bunny slippers, crocheted with love by my dear friend Cassie. I can't wait to learn to crochet so I can make adorable stuff like this! Seriously, could they be any cuter?Here's a photo of Tandy and Mom. Poor Mom was finally taking a moment to sit and relax. She was very excited and anxious about the shower. She wanted everything to be perfect for Tandy, so she was really stressing out! You wouldn't know it from this picture, though.And, just because this is my blog, I'm going to include a photo of Tandy opening MY baby gift! I went a little crazy with the gift because I wanted to get her a little of everything! When I put it all in the box, I put this story book on top: Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman. I just recently read this story, and I loved how it asked for blessings on a baby girl to make her strong and wise. I don't really understand what blueberries had to do with it, but I thought the story was sweet nonetheless.And now, we wait. Tandy's due date is August 12th, but she's ready for the baby to come any time now. Tandy says she can't stand the heat. I feel for her. Remember that Kristin came in October. So I was at the uncomfortable huge pregnancy stage through the dog days of summer myself! It's not the most fun. But, if you get a healthy baby, it's all worth it.

Garden Stones

The kids recently put together these garden stones to use in our yard. There's an area between our two orange trees that has a few stones left from the previous owner that have pictures of lilies on them, or something similar. These three perfectly fill in the empty spaces. Joey and Kristin had fun designing their own stones, and then they helped Simon with his.