Wednesday, February 24, 2010

{seeds and weeds}

It's about that time again...time to order seeds, pull out the little pots, fill them with soil, and plant the seeds. What a great science lesson for kids! Last weekend, Chad spied a little "greenhouse" dome with 6 small pots, 6 pellets, and some cactus seeds. He begged me to buy it and help him plant the seeds. About an hour after completing the process, he crawled up to the counter and cried, "nothing is up yet!" I explained that it will take a while for them to sprout. Every morning, he has made note that the seeds are not working. What a surprise he will have when he finally sees a cactus "pop up." He got really excited 2 weeks ago when he found a dead fly in his venus fly trap- LOL.
This weekend, we are ordering seeds from my favorite company:  http://www.seedsofchange.com/ 
--the company my cousin John Steiner works for in their research and preservation of heirloom seeds. He recommends the yacon, so I'm going to try it this year.
Chad's request is for the Chadwick Cherry tomato. He was delighted when he found his name in the catalog. He also asked for his favorite vegetable: asparagus, but was deflated when I told him it takes a few years for that to be ready. Katelyn's only request is peas. Last year, she ate the whole crop. Whenever we couldn't locate her in the house, we would find her in the pea patch harvesting the green M&M's. My absolute favorite is the yellow pear cherry tomato. Each year, I let the last crop of green beans dry out, and save them for seed the next year. This will be my 4th summer to do this. Another highlight of our garden is the magic pumpkins. Last year, we grew four 100-pound pumpkins. But the magic was in the skin...Jonathan and I used a pocket knife to etch "Chad" and "Kate" in the skin of the pumpkins. The skin scabbed over to form white letters. Chad informed me, "God knows my name, b/c he wrote it on my pumpkin!"
Needless to say, we have a good garden times.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

{family pics}


I must admit, I am REALLY BAD about getting family pictures taken. It's one of those things that gets forgotten in the rush to get the kids to school, get to work, have fun with the family, try to get into school, remodel the house, etc... It may also have something to do with hating studios and posed pictures. I like candid shots better. So I have avoided family pictures like the plague. Then one day, I was coming down the stairs in our house and laid eyes on our last family picture hanging there. Chad was 3 months old. Wow! Could it really have been that long ago? Chad is 5 now. 
About that time, a friend of mine got family pictures taken. Jonathan and I liked them so much, we promptly made an appointment. But where to go in Denver outdoors in January? Downtown of course...to Union Station. 

Sunday, February 7, 2010

{national western stock show}


It was a day both our husbands were busy, so Alyssa (my cousin) and I decided to bundle up the kids and take them to the National Western Stock Show...not knowing what to expect. The expedition involved tons of people in crowded buildings, lots of walking, cotton candy, and 4 trips to the bathroom. Nonetheless, we had quite the fun. We watched sheep dogs rounding sheep a pen, enjoyed a bit of a rodeo, pet some animals, rode ponies, and came face to face with many farm/ranch animals- including HUGE stock horses. All in all, the adventure was a success, and I know we'll have to do it again next year...but maybe on a weekday instead.