Perennials, Baby Smiles and other Random Stuff

Well, I am once again guilty of waiting too long to update the blog. I find the blog is like a friend - if you talk to them daily, you have a lot to say, but if you wait a really long time or don't keep in touch, you find yourself thinking of what would be important enough to mention. So I will take a cue from my sister-in-law and just mention random stuff, numbering it (she usually does 10, but we will see how many I get).

1. Perennials - Last year I got the gardening bug (flowers) and decided I wanted to beautify my outdoors Better Homes & Gardens style. I've always loved the look of perennials, plus not having to replant them every year just seams like a logical bonus, and cost-effective. So I ordered a bunch of stuff, very cheap, from a mail-order site, and when they arrived, in one tiny little box, was shocked to see that my plants were but tiny little strands of green with two or three leaves - not quite as I had pictured (or for that matter, what the picture on the site looked like, but it did state they would not be full-size, so there you go). Well, my Mom came over to help me plant these little things, and we hoped for the best. Granted, not everything survived, and I'm sure my profound neglect could not have helped, but we sure do have some pretty flowers this year. The ones in the backyard are the best, as they get the most sun, but I am appreciating everything we've got. I hope to separate and spread them out next year, to fill in the gaps, as these plants have a taller, more wildflower look.

There are a few more varieties, but you get the idea. I did finally get a hanging basket for the front when the local nursery went 50% off this past week, and that made me very happy too. Lack of a planted veggie garden though, sad - the compost facility has had issues with all the rain, but after a month of waiting, I am very close to picking up the "unsifted compost" and taking my chances - the little plants I have waiting out back won't make it much longer.

2. Cami - in seeking out the best photo to describe where she is at right now, I think this one fits best:

First off, she is in motion - constantly, except for when she is sleeping or watching TV, I guess. I am sure this is very typical for a two-year-old, but I find myself pretty exhausted by nap time, and again by the end of the day. She is doing great though, and I feel her getting older all the time. We are going to try potty-training in a week or two (I am gathering all of the supplies -book, potty doll (dressed up like a princess, as those are the only dolls she will pay attention to), rewards, pull-ups for nighttime, etc.) and will be booking Chris to do all the Joshy-care as we try the "potty training in less than a day" method on an upcoming Saturday. Also, she is outside in this picture - like all kids I think, she likes to be outside. Too bad Joshy isn't big enough to entertain her out there yet -

3. Josh -

Here's the little guy now...

Oh wait, you wanted to see a CUTE baby photo...luckily Daddy walked in and cheered the little guy up. He has some good little smiles -

This is his content smile.

This is his alert smile.

And this is his really, really happy smile. He does it when we make him suddenly happy, and it's basically just opening his mouth as wide as he can with a baby grin. Sometimes when he is close to me it seems he might try to eat me.

As for him, he's still growing like a weed (or perennial :)) and will be six months old on the 24th. He is about this close (picture me holding my thumb and pointer finger really close) to crawling, and can scoot about anywhere he wants, but still can't do it fast, so gets grumpy when he is impatient. As you can see from the little bruise on his forehead in the picture above, he had his first bonk this week when he scooted over to the TV stand and cracked his head on the shelf below it. Later he knocked his head on the wood floor, so I am sure he is learning that not everywhere is as safe as lying on his blanket. Also, since he won't stay on a blanket, I now have little spots of spit-up all over the carpet, that I have to try to scrub out before they dry - TMI, I know. He is a really sweet little guy though, and quite zesty in his own right, so we are having lots of fun with him this summer.

4. Carrie - So I know this was all supposed to be random, but it looks like it's going to be just one number for each member of the family, and then one for the perennials - odd. Anways, so for me, I am mostly doing the same old Mommy thing, and trying to stay ahead of it each day. Some days I feel like I am doing great, and then other days, not so much, but I think at least I will have many more years to try to get it right. I am also taking a class at JCCC (the community college) in web design and learning a lot. It is all summer long, for roughly 7 hours each week, and covers quite a few programs, with Flash being our current subject. I was already quite familiar with some of Adobe's programs, but many, like Flash, are new to me, and I am really enjoying filling the gaps in my knowledge (and hoping that I can use these enough to not forget the mass amount of information I am being fed).

5. Chris - P90X! While I am not sure Chris is ready for me to announce to the world (or the 5 of you who read this blog) his workout plans, he isn't up here right now, so I'll just go ahead with it. He is two weeks into his "90 days to being in the best shape of your life", and is pretty darn sore (and 13 lbs lighter - great job Chris! - disclaimer: that does include the two weeks before that I made him ride the exercise bike 6 days/week to show he was committed before I would let him buy the P90X program on Craigslist). I have been impressed with his dedication and am "this close" again to joining him to get rid of the baby pounds, but it is a pretty intense regimen of home workout DVDs, and I'm not sure if it jives with my class schedule. He is enjoying his wardrobe expanding (by virtue of more clothes fitting :)) and just feeling better in general. If anyone wants to see him do a pull-up, just give us a call & come on by :).

So while I can actually think of a few more things to say, I can't actually think of anything to make for dinner, so I better head that direction (trying to think of dinner at 3:50 - The Food Nanny would not approve - but that is another blog post). Hope everyone is enjoying summer!