Coconuts and Strawberries

One of my favorite parts about being a mom is seeing my son experience something for the first time.  Sometimes the anticipation of experiencing something new Brody will be excited and other times terrified.  I think we as adults experience the same thing with the unknown.  This week Brody wanted to try a coconut.  I'm a huge fan of the coconut...Ryan is not.  After tasting it, Brody decided he does not like coconut.  Bummer!  He did however have a great time watching and helping get the coconut open (which is quite a task).

Our family made strawberry jam for the first time.  It's a lot of fun to make, and it turned out great.  I love jam on my toast so it is a treat to me. Food always seems to taste better when you make it yourself. We have some other canning projects in our future this summer like blueberry jam, pickles, tomatoes, etc.

All the "firsts" this week made me think of AJ. I cannot wait to have him home.  So many things will be new to him.  While I have missed his first steps, first words and countless other firsts, I will get to see him experience many firsts.  Maybe even see his first taste of coconut or strawberry jam.  It's exciting to think about all the things AJ will get to do with our family! 

Brody's First Baseball Game

Brody asked...begged, to play baseball.  I was very unsure how he would respond to baseball, but I signed him up anyways. I see now what a good thing it is.  Brody is very excited about it.  On Saturday, he had his first game.  It was a "fun disaster." Brody had a lot of fun, but he did get distracted a lot.  "Oh look!  A Bird!" The first two times up to plate took many pitches before he made contact with the ball.  I was proud of how he didn't get discouraged.  His third time to bat was very successful.  He hit the ball well and ran very hard to first base. I think he will get better with practice.  The important part was he felt successful and had a good time.  I'm proud of my boy!   

I love this picture!  His face is priceless!

A little dance on home plate.

Riverbanks Zoo

I have been told on numerous occasions how wonderful the Riverbanks Zoo is, and I was not disappointed!  It truly is a great place plus it is also kid friendly.  The Riverbanks Zoo is not the biggest zoo we have been too, but it very thought out and has a lot of animals available.  It was clean, and the extra attractions were reasonable in cost.  Brody loved it!  It became his new "best day ever."  He really enjoyed climbing the ropes course.  My favorite part of the zoo was the penguin exhibit. After we went through the zoo twice, we took the tram to the botanical garden.  Oh.my.word. it was such a beautiful place!!!  No extra charge for the gardens.  Brody and I made a whole day out of it, and we made some great memories!

 A cup of Nectar was $2.

 Brody said his wish came true by seeing Paranas.

 The cost of the course was $7.

 Pony rides were $5.

Giraffe feeding was $3. Of course we picked up leaves other children had dropped and feed the giraffes. A lot of kids got scared of those really cool tongues and many leaves were dropped. 

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.  

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