We were out the other night in our backyard and I was going through my garden to see what was available to pick. I couldn't believe what we had growing! 2 zucchinis, 5 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, a handful of green beans, and dozens of green chilies, cayenne peppers, and a few jalapeños (which I was informed from Rhett
after I picked them that he was waiting for them to turn red). It all added to the rest we already have in the fridge. I marvel every time I pick something that it started out as a little seed in the ground. Isn't it amazing?!?
In another bit of news, Porter lost his other top front tooth on Monday. He came home from school talking with his teeth clenched. I asked him what the matter was and he said his tooth was jostled during lunch and was
really loose. I tried to talk him into letting me pull it (knowing well that it was probably so loose that it was hanging my a thread). However, he instantly broke into tears and told me he was nervous about it hurting. I tried (and tried) to convince him that it was so loose that he wouldn't feel a thing, but he wasn't having anything to do with me touching his tooth. I even tried to make a deal that I would make his bed for the rest of the week if he would let me try - no deal. Finally at dinner, I could tell that he was having a hard time eating, so I asked him again if I could pull it. He finally agreed to let me as long as his dad was holding his hand. I told him I would pull on three - and of course I pulled it out on one and he never felt a thing. He was so happy to have it out; and happy that he would be getting money that night from the tooth fairy! I love the way he looks with no front teeth and think his little lisp is even cuter. I almost don't want his new teeth to grow in!
I started preschool this week and it has been a blast so far. I have 5 of the funnest kids (one of them being Zach) and we have a great time playing and learning. I thoroughly enjoy it!
One my favorite parts about spring and summer are all the flowers. And now that I have my spiffy new camera, my favorite thing has been to take pictures of all the beautiful flowers that are growing in my yard and that have been in the various places we vacationed this summer. Here are a few of my favorite:
Enjoy!!
Last weekend we went camping with the Sill's and the Garrett's. We went to the Holy Ghost Campground which was out past Santa Fe. We left late afternoon on Friday and got up there with enough daylight to make dinner, set up our tent, and let the kids run around for a while. The place was beautiful. It was lusciously green (a color that is lacking in Albuquerque) and there was a little river running nearby that you could fish in. We roasted hot dogs over the fire, ate tons of food and s'mores and had a great time visiting with everyone. Before we went to bed, Natalie ventured to the outhouse, only to come running back saying that a skunk had just walked into the outhouse! Being curious, we all looked over to watch it come out and saunter up the hill. During the night we got quite a lot of rain, and if that wasn't enough, the skunk came back through our campground. I heard the Sill's dog scuffle with it, then there was this wave of skunk smell as the skunk sprayed the dog. I have never smelled to much skunk in my life! It lingered all night (of course) and our clothes even smelled of it when we got home. I still get a whiff of skunk every now and then when I walk by the car.
The next morning we all made breakfast together, then went for a hike through the mountains that were next to our campsite. It was so beautiful! There were trees everywhere - most of the time the trail was only wide enough for us to walk single file. We came to a couple clearings; one that was just covered in yellow flowers. The boys were troupers as they hiked up and down the trail. Porter had a blast hanging out with the other kids - I only saw him when we would stop. Zach did a great job and Andrew got a ride on Rhett's shoulders the whole time (having had his cast off just two days before, he still had a really had limp which made it difficult to keep his balance and walk). I stayed in the back most of the time so I wouldn't keep anyone up as I was stopping all the time to take pictures. We crossed streams and little bridges and picked and ate wild raspberries. I felt like I was in a totally different place; I kept asking Rhett, "Are we still in New Mexico??" We hiked for about two hours, and probably would have gone on for longer, but the clouds were getting thick and dark again and decided it was probably best to head back to camp. We had lunch, then packed everything up and started on the way home. But not before we stopped at the fish hatchery, where we saw trout in all sized from 2 inches long to over a foot long! It made us realize we need to camp more often. Thanks for a great time Sill's and Garrett's!!
