Starting our vegetable garden

This isn't our first attempt at a vegetable garden. A few years ago we planted some tomatoes (just in pots) and did not get as many as I hoped we would. I think it had something with us going on vacation for 10 days and several of them died of thirst. Since we're definitely not planning any summer vacation with the arrival of the baby (except maybe a small camping trip at the end of the summer), we'll have plenty of time to nurture our small garden.

We initially were going to tear up some grass and create a real garden. Then we decided against it because who knows if we'd be digging into a power line, pool pipes or part of our sprinkler system. So instead we just used a portion of our back flower bed. On one side we planted tomatoes, and then on the other side we have green, red, and chocolate peppers. Austin was really interested in the chocolate peppers... We also have some jalapenos and cucumbers. Finally, we're going to plant some onions and more tomatoes in pots. So not the biggest garden, but I'm hoping it works out this year! Then maybe next year we can add to it. James' parents had the most beautiful garden with everything you could possibly imagine - that is our dream one day!

My mom came over yesterday to celebrate the girls' birthday (which is Tuesday). Then we went to Austin's soccer game. After that, she watched the kiddos while James and I ran some errands. We actually had lunch together - Red Robin has a new southwest salad - very good! Not as good as Chick-fil-A, but seriously what is? We then visited the mall to replace the batteries in my heart rate monitor (how exciting) and then we were off to pick out our veggies.

The kids were all into it. Who wants to go first?

It was about 75 degrees outside - and the girls were sweating like it was 100. Just wait until July!

This is one half of our new garden. Each of us planted one tomato in this section - we're going to keep a tally and see which plant wins.

Hard at work...


The wild-eyed gardner...

Organizing school stuff

Organizing the kid's school stuff has been on my list for - oh let's say for about a few years. I finally dedicated my time this morning to creating a new system.

This is what I used to do with the kid's prized school creations:

They got thrown into a Williams Sonoma bag in the office. All three of the kid's stuff.

So I took a rare trip to Wal-Mart, invested in a 3 inch binder, some dividers, and some sheet protectors. Then I started sorting out the mess.

It was fun looking at Austin's preschool and kindergarten papers. He has come such a long away, it is truly amazing. This is one of my favorite items I found from early kinder.

It says, "I look in the mirror and I see a boy with a nice smiol. And I see a girl with new earings."

What?! Bwaaa Haaa Haaa!! I know he will get a kick out of that when he's older.

So I made sections in each grade for stories, pictures (on the bigger items I take photos of them, and eventually I will print them out and stick them in the folder), awards/certificates, report cards, nice teacher's notes, sports pictures, his cards to us, etc.

Here is a story he came home with a couple of weeks ago, I think it was written several months ago though because he really does know how to spell crayon.

"The Craoun and the Pencil"

One day I went to school. My school is WCES. When I am in my class I unpack my things. Wow! It's a pencil

and a croun dancing. What are you doing here! Were doing the Cha Cha here! It's privacy!

I dicided to write a story. "But what can I use." "Hey! You can use us!" "Who" "us" "who" "us" So I started to write a story.

Too funny.

So here is the finished product. Well technically it won't be finished until he's done with high school, so here is my work in progress. I hope to fit all of elementary school in the same folder, we'll see...


And I don't know why, maybe because he's the oldest and I kept more of his stuff, but I don't have nearly as many of the girl's school things. I need to make a more conscious effort to save them!

Oh and this is what I am doing for the kid's school pictures. Somebody had gotten three of these books for me after the girls were born and I finally started filling them out. I think it's a pretty neat and organized way to keep up with school individual and class pictures.

Oscar night

Once upon a time, James and I actually cared about Oscar night. We'd actually make a point to see all the movies nominated and fill out ballot forms for a friendly competition. I always won. Nowadays we just don't have the time to watch the movies - we have actually seen zero of the movies nominated. The only movie we have seen recently was the second Alvin and the Chipmunks in December - but it really didn't have Oscar worthy written anywhere on it. I will say it was a really funny movie though, I hadn't laughed that hard at a movie in a long time. So we'll watch tonight and maybe fill out a ballot so I can get the satisfaction of winning something again.

In other news... I am now 28 weeks pregnant. Finally in the 3rd trimester. Things are going well, except I've had a few injuries so I'm trying to slow it down some now. It all started almost 2 weeks ago on Monday. I went to my strike/kickboxing class, felt ok, came home and tried to put our stroller together. I got a good deal on it online at Babies R Us... it was on sale, plus I got free shipping, and found a 20% online code. So it was way cheaper than what I would have gotten it for at the store. Anyway, as I was putting it together I couldn't get the darn thing to open and somehow really hurt my shoulder in the process. James finished it for me that night, so now we have one more thing crossed off the list.

Then that night I was making chicken burgers for dinner (so yummy) and somehow sprained my ankle. Yes, a cooking injury. I somehow actually managed to get injured in the kitchen. It was pretty mild, bruised just a bit, but it took a few days for it to heal.

By Thursday I was feeling better so I went to spinning on Thursday and Friday. Then step on Saturday. Then on Monday I really screwed myself up. I went to a boot camp style class (it wasn't real boot camp but that's the closest thing I can compare it to). I really don't know what I did, but that night I could hardly walk. Tuesday and Wednesday I could hardly walk. I did something to my left side lower back/upper rear end. I know it's not pregnancy related, but I'm taking the events of the last 2 weeks that I really need to slow it down. I was hoping I could maintain the same pace for the duration but it doesn't seem likely.

I had my gestational diabetes test last week and hopefully will get the results at my appointment on Tuesday. I almost threw up having to drink that nasty orange stuff. Then I got stuck in the small waiting room with a girl who was on her cell phone for the entire hour. I tried to read but it just didn't happen. Fun times. On paper, I had gestational diabetes with the girls, but I really think it was nonsense. They gave me the test right after I had steriod shots for the girls lungs, and I've heard that can really skew the results. My blood sugar was never out of whack like you'd think. So hopefully I don't have it.

Little boy is growing nicely! I call him Evan. James calls him a whole bunch of different names. He is moving around like crazy now!

The girls had a candy birthday party today and came home with tons of sugar. Here they are "toasting" their goodies - saying "cheers" and laughing like crazy. What's funny is that we don't give many toasts in this house - so we're wondering where our media-sheltered kids get these things.

Oh and as I was finishing this up, Austin lost his second tooth. Literally lost for a few minutes while the kiddos were playing Hullabaloo. Abby found it on the carpet in his room 10 minutes later. 2 teeth in one month - Austin is going to be rich!

Here is heroic Abby telling the story...

In the last week

In the last week (or so)...

It snowed. Again. For about 30 minutes.

Snow White loves the snow, of course she does because her name is SNOW White.

We had to get warmed by the fire.

Then the sun came out. Hopefully to stay.



We had several soccer games. So far Austin has scored a goal in every game. But don't ask him about his goalie experiences.

The girls played during soccer...

and at one point got the barbie stuck in the tree. Then they tried their hardest to get it stuck in the tree again but to no avail.


Austin had breakfast with Belle.

The girls had hat day at their reading class.

Have a great weekend!

2 princesses

Today Emily was Jasmine and Abby was Belle. Everyday they are a different princess. Yellow bear was ballet bear and baby Abby was ballet Abby. Saffron was turned into a frog. The backyard was transformed into a forest. The girls held hands, sang and danced to the Sleeping Beauty song Once Upon a Dream.