Happy Bee!

This morning as I was watering the garden, I saw this bee buzzing happily along covered - and I mean completely covered - in pollen. He was so heavy that he was flying like a drunk bee would fly. Too funny. Completely yellow. Apparently he'd just had some fun in a squash flower.

The tiniest of tiny

Just a quick note to say that I'm excited about my little garden. There are a few new developments in particular.

1) I've got tiny little buds on most of my pepper plants. Even though they are tiny plants, they have even tinier buds. They are cute, I have to say it. And, they are supposed to be mini peppers (chocolate and orange, I believe), so hopefully they'll actually survive and produce fruit we cat eat! They are plants I started from seed, so it is especially fun.

2) The tomatoes are ripening. Even the bigger ones. Yum!

3) The Mexican sour gherkin seeds that I planted are growing nicely, but they are SO delicate and small. And, alas, there aren't any flowers on them yet. So, I'm waiting...

4) The beans are growing. Purple and green, although the purple ones turn green when you cook them. Bummer, but maybe that will be good for the kids. Not sure they'd eat purple beans.

Anyway, I'm hoping to have lots to harvest when we get back from houseboating.

Garden update

So, now that I'm done shopping online, I figured it would be the best bet to update you all on my garden. (Since I'm sure you've been wasting away hours wondering what's going on in my backyard.) The garden looks pretty good, even more now that I cleaned it up a bit today. Bolting broccoli, who needs it?

I am excited to say that, though I have more bugs that last year, things still look good. Tonight at dinner we had all of the vegetables from our garden... well, ok, not quite all. But we had broccoli, beans, carrots, lettuce, and peas from our garden. The cucumber and tomatoes aren't quite ready yet. I did spray some soap water on the black bug infestation, so we'll see if that helps business. Luckily, the bugs have gravitated toward the flowers and not the vegetables. I can deal with dead nasturtiums... not so with anything else.

Ground cherry husks, sort of blurry, but cool.

We'll see what they turn out to be.

Gavin after he "puck" some lettuce and a carrot. It is fun to see the boys so excited about vegetables. He swears that he loves squash, now that it is growing in our garden, yet I can't get him to eat it at the table.

Some Strawberry speckled lettuce that was the hit of the garden this year. So fun to grow (since I don't have any hungry rabbits around), and looked very cool. Plus, it was tasty too.

I have to say that I am most proud of my little tomatoes that I started from seed. I have no idea what kinds they are now, but there are three and they are starting to bud (tiny as they are). What's also cool is something I bought called a ground cherry. It is supposed to be treated like a tomato, growing style, but it is a sweet fruit with a husk like a tomatillo. I have two growing really well, and today I just found three more that survived my neglect. So, I've moved those into sunnier location sto see ho they do. They are a very pretty plant and, though I have no idea what they'll produce and what I'll use them for, I'd recommend the plant just for fun.

Ground cherry: Very pretty foliage as far as I'm concerned.

Even if the fruit turns out to be weird.

There are tiny cucumbers growing, so hopefully there are enough to pickle... as pickles demand high esteem in the Maclean household. (Helen's are always better than mine, but she's been doing it longer.) And a few of my tiny, tiny pepper plants have developed blossoms. We'll see how they last between the boys pronouncing them "weeds" and the summer sun. (Thank God for Deb, our neighbor, who waters our plants when we are away... usually for the hottest months of the summer.)

There are also lots of beans growing and blossoming, so hopefully they will survive and we'll have lots to freeze like last year. I enjoy just watching everything grow and develop. The zinnias that I planted are starting to blossom, not as many survived as I had hoped, but I always forget how things hang on and grow quite quickly (being neglected all the while).

Camping on Whidbey

This last weekend we went camping in South Whidbey Island with our friend Kevin and his two boys Eric and Owen (their mom Robin was home studying... or at the spa... which would be my choice). Here are some pictures of our quick trip. It rained all Saturday and then Sunday morning we did a great little hike down to the beach. I love the ocean. Just that little breath of salty air... love it!

We found lots of star fish and little crabs. Very cool. It made me excited to find more tide pool areas.

Graeme's new found stride on his bike was the best part of the weekend. I'd taken he and Gavin to the bike park/playground last week and Graeme seems to be getting the hang of the bike. But, he won't sit down. I try to explain to him that he'll go faster if he sits and glides, but my explanations and suggestions are met with a resounding "No!" So, he'll get that part when he decides. He was doing "wheelies" and going over bumps... more to come, I'm sure.

What's new?

Well, the best laid plans... I've been meaning to write a ton and constantly think of cute things that the boys are doing, but haven't obviously been writing. So, here (again) is a short update.

1) Gavin is turning into quite the polite big boy, unless he isn't of course. Most of the time he still snuggles with his trucks and will play forever with them. He gives Graeme a hug and kiss if (by stealing a car or toy away) he happens to make Graeme cry. They usually (well, at least sometimes) end up laughing. It makes me smile that they like each other.

2) Graeme is growing into a little boy too... and still likes to give "Mime out!" to mummy and Gavin (followed by a huge smile). And he still will do or say anything his big brother does or says. There is even a song from the truck video that they watch and you can hear Graeme singing it. I'm probably the only one who would catch it, but he certainly tries! He loves singing. He also has been more of a snuggler lately... "Mummy nuggle!" "Daddy nuggle!" And, if I'm at the computer, he'll come over and hook his little arm around mine and pull me away... all the while giving me a look that say, "you should be playing with me!"

The other day, actually, I accidentally squirted a Go-gurt on him when I was trying to help him get the rest out. He was not amused and gave me a look that just melted my heart! So full of emotion - he was really hurt. But I hopefully made it all better and he won't b scarred for life. (He's got the looks though! He certainly knows what he wants to express!)

3) We are remodeling our bathroom, which is to say that Craig is doing all the work. We might help by picking things out. A little leak turned into (surprise) more than just a little leak, so we figured we might as well redo the whole thing since we've known we've needed to for a while.

4) I taught a small yoga class in my backyard with friends tonight, which was quite fun. I'm getting practice as part of a mentoring program with the YMCA so I can teach there. It is great practice and I'm very excited to teach more.

5) The garden is doing well! We've had broccoli, peas, and loads of lettuce. Pretty much anyone who comes over to our house goes home with some lettuce. The tomatoes are doing well and the cucumbers are growing, but not as fast as I'd like. Graeme likes to pull out the tiny potted peppers (which get replanted for him to pick again the next day). Gavin likes to pick carrots and eat them in the yard. They are just getting big enough to be eaten in more than just one bite! Today he said, "Look Graeme, at the carrots I just puck! I puck some carrots!" So excited and so sweet. Oh, and we all ate a bunch of super yummy strawberries this morning. Red all the way through. Yum! (In fact, an offer to pick strawberries was the only thing that worked to pry Gavin away from the trucks to come outside.)

6) Otherwise, we are happy and tired and, most likely, trying to do too much. But that's what summer (and parenthood) are for, right?

More to come soon...

I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I've posted something. Both boys already need new haircuts!! More to come shortly, as I need to upload pictures of the garden and monkey activity at our house (there has been a lot). For now, a few notes...

1) Gavin is very much the "Ferdinand" at soccer camp, as he participates for maybe half the class and lays in the grass for the other half.

2) Graeme is fond of giving his brother "time out's" and knocking on Gavin's bedroom door saying, "Anybody home??'

3) Craig and I are home this weekend, which is a special occasion in itself. I love visiting friends and family, but I think our neighbor needs a weekend off (as she waters our garden whenever we leave). I don't think I have enough good lettuce and such to give her for repayment.

First Hair Cut

Here are some pictures from Graeme's first haircut (and Gavin's hair cut too). They are in reverse order, as now that we're using Google Chrome, I can't seem to cut and paste pictures.

The much anticipated lollipop at the end of the trim.

Gavin is always very excited to get his haircut, as he knows this follows.

Very happy, cute little man!!

He sat in the same jet that Gavin did for his first cut too. There was a lot less screaming, but in Gavin's defense his first haircut was a lot sooner. I think he was around a year, where Graeme is almost 2 years old.