Everyday is a New Day

Enjoying our first watermelon of the year on the front porch.

No two gardens are the same.  No two days are the same in one garden.  ~Hugh Johnson

It's true gardening is cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes.  There is always something to learn that helps us grow in life.  I walk out to our garden a couple of times a day.  The first thing Brody does when he gets home from school is go check on his carrots.  Ryan gets home from work, and he goes to the garden.  Why?  Because it's changing daily.  The plants look different every day as they grow.  

Everyday is a new day.  It's different.  This growing and changing brings hope.  Hope in that no matter what yesterday was like, it will be different today.  And tomorrow brings change as well. 

There are still consequences that will be carried over into each day.  Like when I don't water the plants they will die.  Just as if we do not take care of our bodies we will suffer too.  And when heavy rains comes, like last week, sometimes things get broken.  So we will replant and start again.  We don't just leave a section in our garden empty because something bad happened.  Just like in life, when bad things happen we pick ourselves up and start again. We know tomorrow will bring sunlight and water and everything we need if we just plant the seeds.

beans

I've enjoyed watching our beans grow the most. They really are different every day.

The potatoes in the back left are over a foot long now.  Brody planted carrot seeds, and he keeps track of their growth on the top right in the picture. 

 The salsa box is looking pretty good. 

 The boysenberry bushes are growing everywhere!

 We planted four Azaleas in the front to add some color.

Our porch where I like to sit more than any place in the world. I become more thankful for it with each day that passes.

This garden was an investment, and it is giving more than just vegetables and fruit.  So many life lessons are taught through watching things grow.  I'm proud to be sharing these lessons with my family.  It's refreshing to be reminded daily that tomorrow will be different!

Planting and Growing

We've finished up the last of the planting over the weekend.  Some things we have brought and some have been grown by seed.  Now it's time to watch them grow.

 Brody is planting bean seeds.  We have four types of beans growing.

 We've learned a new way to plant tomatoes.  You make a trench and plant it sideways.  The tomato plant we planted a few weeks ago is growing great this way. 

 Some of my herbs: two types of mint, dill, and parsley.

 eggplant, zucchini, and squash

 two types of cumbers, okra, beans, and herbs

 carrots

potatoes

These have been really fun to watch grow.  Every time they get bigger, we cover them up with more dirt. 

Notice Brody's shirt?  He is a big brother now!  Our family is also growing in number.  

Check out our adoption blog for the Big News!

Spring Break

Easter started off our Spring Break.  I made my people wear blue this year.  Why must we coordinate?  I don't know, but it seems like the thing to do every year. We went to church that morning, and then we headed to Alabama to visit with Mimi.  My mom fixed a wonderful Easter dinner.  She got Brody and his cousin Alex helicopters, and they had a blast flying them. 

Next we went to Louisiana to visit Ryan's parents.  Nanny and Pops live on a pond, and Brody went fishing everyday. This kid likes to be outside. We ate good food there every night too.  I seriously gained 5 lbs. in one week.  It was worth it because it's not often that we vacation as a whole family. 

Brody learning to play baseball

On the way back home, we stopped at Mimi's house again.  She took us to the Birmingham Zoo.  We love that place!  Alex came too, and he got to spend the night with Mimi as well.  Brody thinks he is the coolest.  He is a very sweet kid, and we are blessed to have him in the family. 

The first thing we did when we got home was check on the garden.  The seeds finally started to grow.  Yippee!  Looks like we might be farmers after all. 

Brody likes finding worms to put in the garden boxes.

Planting Okra

Boysenberry bush growing

potatoes

Blueberry bushes blooming

Brody digging for more worms.

Happy 7th Birthday Brody

Seven years of Brody fun! 

Seven years of Brody quirks! Like make a cake with no icing.

Seven years of Brody hugs!

Seven years of Brody smiles!

Seven years of Brody surprises! Why hello 2lb. Baby!

Seven years of Brody laughs!

Seven years of Brody adventures!

Seven years full of blessings!  Words cannot even express just how blessed we are to have him.  We love this awesome kid! 

For his birthday, we asked him what he would like to do for his day. He wanted to see his grandparents. So we have adventured to Alabama and Lousianna to see Mimi, Pops, and Nanny.  This speaks volumes of what his heart is like.  He loves "his people." 

Happy 7th Birthday Brody!