Here is our garden, as of today! The boys were helping check out all of the new growth! So far, we've got baby bell peppers, jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, and the beginnings of squash. The basil is ready to go, as is the cilantro. The flowers are from the squash and the cantaloupe. Our squash plants are HUGE. In the first picture, Joshua is standing in between the squash and pepper plants. The squash comes up past his waist. :) I've already learned so much and I'm going to do some things differently next year. But, I guess that's what it's all about.

Where does the time go??

I went to post a picture this morning and realized two things. One, I haven't taken pictures in awhile. And two, there are several things that I need to take pictures of, the boys included! That said, I need to get busy this weekend. :)

The Stats Are In...

Today, the boys wanted to be weighed and measured. So, we got out the scale and the measuring stick. I was astounded as to how much the boys had grown since their birthdays. We keep track of their height on a 'birthday board'.

Joshua is 46 1/2 inches tall and weighs 50 lbs. Compare this with the fact that he was 45 1/2 inches tall on his birthday 3 months ago. He's grown a whole inch. Wow!

Now for more WOW! Micah is 38 inches tall and weighs 32 lbs. Since his birthday last September, he has grown 3 whole inches. I checked the birthday board twice and measured both it and him twice to make sure. But, plain as day, he was 35 inches tall on his birthday, and he is definitely 38 inches now. These boys are going to be grown up before I know it!

A Morning Hike

We went to a local nature museum this morning. It was cooler and cloudy, a perfect day to go hiking. We said hi to the wallaroos and to a new baby ringtail lemur (you can barely make out the baby in the above picture). Then we went hiking on one of our favorite trails, the Hoot Owl trail. It's long enough that it feels like a real hike, and short enough that if I end up having to carry Micah for a portion of it, it won't kill me. :) The pictures of the boys were taken at a lookout spot where you can listen and observe several different species of birds. The plaques that the boys are looking at have pictures of several birds, as well as descriptions of what sounds they make.

About half way down the trail, it started pouring down rain. We made it to a little covered cabin, stayed there for a bit, and then decided to run for it. We made it back to the main building just as the heavens opened up and it really started to rain. I didn't really want to try to get to the car, as the car was parked a good distance from the museum. But there were also several school groups trying to stay dry inside as well. We ended up buying some popcorn and hanging out until the rain let up. The boys had a great time, as did I! After we left, we headed to Chick-fil-a for a milkshake and play. It wasn't our typical day, but it was fun to do some things that we wouldn't normally do!

This and That

This week has gone by quickly. I wanted to write a few things down before I forgot.

Yesterday, we went hiking at a trail outside of town. There are blackberry bushes, a low lying ground cover variety, that we have been keeping our eyes on. Some of them were ripe. So, we all picked and ate as many berries as we could. Joshua is still a master blackberry picker, just like he was when he was 1 and we had the house with the blackberry patch out back. The cutest thing was to watch Micah holding the juiciest blackberries in his hand, almost squishing them, because he wanted to wait to eat them. :)

Today, the boys and I went to a local park to play. We ended up tromping around one of the small lakes/big ponds in search of water turtles. Joshua was on the hunt. All of a sudden he jumped down on his knees, reached his hand into a clump of algae and pulled out a little turtle. I was very impressed! After a bit, Micah started asking to hold the turtle. Joshua let him hold it and then immediately caught another turtle. We eventually let them go and then headed home. It is so fun to watch Joshua...he has that knack for catching things just like his daddy does. ;)

On a different note, Micah told me today that I'm his 'best girl'. I hope I stay that way for a very long time...at least 20 more years! :)

Face Painting

Here are the boys, busy "painting" their faces with chalk. :) They both have goatees and mustaches.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms who read this blog! I hope that you have had a good day and feel thankful and appreciated! Here are my guys! I'm so thankful for them. We've had a good day so far. Neil cooked biscuits and gravy this morning. Then we headed to church. Afterwards, we went to a burger place for lunch. It was fun and very tasty. Now we're relaxing and getting a few things done. It's unseasonable cool today, and has been windy. I'm not complaining. 110 degree days will be here before we know it! Many thanks to my mom for the matching shirts for the boys. They looked so cute!

How Does Our Garden Grow

Here is Joshua last Friday, showing off our new little plants in the garden, specifically squash. I'll have to post a pic tomorrow showing how much they have grown. They're 10 times this size now! I'm having a crash course in identifying garden pests. My basil was getting eaten up by a little bitty caterpillar that I finally found today and plucked off. I've found white flies and what I think were aphids. Good times, but we're learning and watching the plants grow!

Raising Real Men

I just finished reading the book Raising Real Men. It was excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone who is trying to raise their boys to be godly men in this crazy world that we live in. It was refreshing to be reminded in such a positive way of the things that I need to be striving to teach my boys.

Snakes and More Snakes

WARNING TO MIMI...you may not want to read this post (it's all about snakes). :)

Joshua is way too much like his daddy. He is completely comfortable handling critters, including snakes. Here are two specimens that he has recently found, the garter snake yesterday and the burrowing snake last Friday. In fact, as I am writing this, he and Micah are going on a "snake hunt". I'm overjoyed (insert sarcasm here). ;) But, if it means preserving their boyhood, I'm all for it! And, don't worry, we are constantly teaching them the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous snakes, and the fact that even non-poisonous snakes can and will bite. I pray that when the time comes that Joshua actually encounters a poisonous one, that he will heed the teaching that he has had.

International Friends

Last week we were blessed to have some good friends in our home for a visit. They are missionaries in Africa, in the same town that Neil and I interned in so many years ago. Here are two of their daughters with Joshua and Micah at a park near our house. The kids had a great time with each other and acted like they had known each other for years.