B is for "Bounty and Boys"

Wow...so my little garden has taken off!!!




and looking around the yard, other things are coming along too!
This first one is the plum tree in Grandpa's yard and the other is the fig tree in our yard.



Matthew had insisted on a strawberry plant and recently the boys got to taste the "fruits" of our/my labor!



We also got some strawberries at the farmer's market before they were gone and I managed for a little bit of freezer jam making. I would love to someday do some of my own canning and such but this just wasn't quite the year for it. And besides, I will need to figure out some storage space for that kind of thing. For now, I am just as happy with a little bit of jam in my freezer to be able to enjoy in the middle of winter when I am dreaming/wishing for warm sunshine!

Leavn' NOW

Ok...so we are literally about out the door (as in the Jeep is loaded, it's time to go!) . We are off to my brother-in-law's cabin in central OR. to play for the weekend. I have tons of pictures I need to post about but that will have to wait until next week. In the meantime....here are a few from Matthew's birthday last Thursday.

Once Upon a Time.....

Once upon a time there was a married couple who decided to have a baby. They got pregnant quickly and the typical 9 months later a beautiful baby boy was born. He had amazingly beautiful, large brown eyes and a deceivingly calm disposition and brought joy to his parents hearts.









The baby grew and grew and and even gained a brother along the way.....






He became a very sweet big brother and even learned to put up with Mason's screaming. The brothers eventually learned to get along (some of the time) and to look out for and love each other.

Along the way, the parents of this little boy came to learn that his brain was a little different from everyone else's and was believed to have Aspergers. There have been lots of struggles, but this little boy has been very willing to learn and has been so brave and come so far in his development and learning. He also started school and made friends and developed relationships. He came to love many different activities and things...including Grandma Dee's cat "Abby", gymnastics and swimming lessons, riding bikes, playing cars, and reading with his dad.




Enjoy your special day tomorrow...Happy 6th birthday Matthew, I Love You!!

Another "Mommy" Link..."The Nasty Gram"

So I must be feeling sorry for myself. I have been gravitating to a few blogs lately that commiserate in the joys (or lack of on some days!) of motherhood. Summer can be difficult with school out and my pain threshold is obviously lacking. So in searching around tonight I found this blog post and after I had a good laugh, felt it was worth the effort to share. If you're a mom, I think we have all had these days, and if you're not a mom....well then be good to your own mother!

Last of the N.D. Pictures...

So these should be the last of the pics from North Dakota....I almost didn't put them up but I kinda felt they were cute so there you go! These were taken at the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck which is a very tiny zoo but is actually great for small children as it is an easy walk around and not totally uphill to get out of the complex when it's time to leave! (and yes that is a jab at our zoo here, I do like it but I can't stand the fact that it is such a lonnnng, uphill climb with tired and cranky kids to get to your car!) They have a nice little playground for the kids inside the zoo which of course my children wanted to only spend their time going down the slide. Is that what I paid admission price for?

I did enjoy the prairie dog exhibit...they are so cute! I loved watching them pop out of their holes and then go back down again. Makes me think of "Little House on the Prairie" too! :) However, I had to wonder what the locals thought....and I wonder this since not too far from this exhibit was a raccoon exhibit. Which gave me a laugh, since during the summer we find raccoons either in the backyard or waddling down the street almost nightly!

We really didn't get a lot of time to check out the animals since the kids spent most of the time whining about how they wanted to go back and play on the slide and other park toys. Did I mention by that point I was a little irratated with both boys??! Oh well, that's kids for ya.

Pleasure Reading For the Day

Ahhh...parenting....gotta love it! I just read this blog entry and felt great joy and understanding in the fact that I am not the only parent to have these sorts of moments. :) Reading it just made me feel "oh so very much better" about my day! Cheers!!

Movin' and Diggin'

So one of our afternoons in North Dakota we managed for a trip to the park (in between family events). Turned out there were plenty of parks in Bismarck but we stopped at a little one that we found that was close to a strip mall and other conveniences (such as Starbucks!). It worked well since there was nobody there and the kids had the park to them selves. It was warm and humid and the kids (Mattew, Mason, and their cousin Jarren) came out filthy so that means it was a good time! ;)

The child in Andy could not resist the slide...take note that there are no pictures of me on the slide since I knew I had no business trying it at my age. Andy, however, feels he is eternally 9 years old and decided to give it a go. Crazy I tell you!

Sunrise on the Prairie

This was taken the morning we left Bismarck to come home. Matthew was eating a poppy seed muffin for breakfast and the pictures seriously do not do the moment justice. The sunrise was beautiful!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy Independence Day!! This is Matthew's "American Flag" that I encouraged him to make just to keep him busy this morning. I helped him with the stars but he did the rest and it also kept him out of my way for a short period of time. He is so excited to do fireworks that he can hardly contain himself!