Our Gardens

Our Inside Garden is ready to turn into a big pot of spaghetti sauce. I don't think the seed pods came properly labled, so the spaghetti sauce will be especially yummy if I can decipher which are the mint leaves to leave out. The other herbs you see are basil, dill, oregano, and thyme. I guess we have to throw chives in there too--but only three stems came up. It has been fun to grow on our kitchen counter, and will be a great addition to our dark winter (when daylight patterns reverse in 6 months).

But in the meantime, we have a wonderful outdoor garden. We have lots of blossoms on our strawberry plants, and the sweet peas are doing great for only being the end of May. We will plant potatoes in the soil and we have pots for green onions, tomatoes and cauliflower. We are optimistic that this summer will be warmer than last summer--so we hope for a good harvest.

Tuckered Out

Sweet dreams, Little Buddy.

White Sox

That was then:

This is now:

What's the difference, you ask?

We are trying to move past the "swaddle" stage of sleeping--because the evening sun beats into David's bedroom window until after 11 pm. And it's just too hot to be in a room with that kind of sun and all swaddled up. When we first left him in his crib without swaddling him, he would rub his eyes in his sleep, and somehow that led to digging his nails into his forehead. (Notice how his cheeks aren't scratched up the way his forehead is.) So now he is scar free, scratch free.

A bonus is supposed to be that he can't suck his fingers while he sleeps. Sometimes we wake up to some very soaked socks. A little cotton may not be enough to stop him from doing what he loves. "Cotton mouth" has a new meaning around here.

The Perfect Shoulder

When Daddy comes home, David is very content letting him go about his business while he snuggles down into his shoulder. One of our favorite things about David is that he cuddles well and often.

Gourmet Cuisine

I don't know if two french words can properly be used to describe food as American as mac 'n cheese and hot dogs, but I'll take my chances.

I surprised Sam with a new way to serve up Mac 'n Cheese with hot dogs. I added velveta for good measure.

When I unveiled the course, I was met with a "What is it?". It was the only time I can remember Sam being confused with what I put in front of him. And since my photo is not nearly as detailed as the one from Scribbit, here is your visual:

Of course serving this to Sam was all in good jest--I didn't really expect him to dive into the pasta-protein combo. But he humored me, all the while giving David his first lesson in marine biology. "David, this is what a squid looks like. And these are called tenticles. Look how they move!"

Our Son in the Sun

Sunny days this spring have already outnumbered the sunny days in all of last summer. For that, we are glad! Last year, 30 inches of snow dumped on April 25. This year I refrained from thinking about spring until April 25 came and went. The last week of April we enjoyed sunshine and 65-72 degree weather. We haven't seen that kind of warmth here in Alaska for almost two years!



David seems to take well to the warm and sunny days. He sat our friend's activity chair, and seemed to like it well enough. Now I just need to find a summer hat to put on that bald head. Maybe he can borrow Oakley's hair plugs? Just for the summer, of course.

Salmon Run

We had a fun time this morning running a 5k. It was to support a PTA or the Rotary Club, or both--but whatever the cause, we enjoyed the beautiful trails of Anchorage. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and it was a balmy 45 degrees when the race started. Which is surprisingly warm to us, now that we have lived here for nearly 2 years!

Actually, it was a run-walk-stroll. Sam ran, I walked, and David rode in the stroller. David replenished his energy with a nice bottle of Enfamil once we reached home.