My Garden - At Last

It has been a long time in coming, but I finally have a garden to be excited about. With a lot of hard work and lots of help from all, the garden is in and blooming. Matt was such a help with all of the heavy labor and layout. Rotor-tilling, fencing, sprinkler assembly/installation - you name it, he did it. McKenna supplied lots of weed pulling expertise (sometimes she offered, sometimes - not so much). Isabella had her hand in helping plant those tiny little seeds, and then there is Joshua. He pretty much had his hands in everything (no pun intended). He was in the dirt, in the mud, in the planter boxes - both before and after things had been planted in them, drug the hose, and pulled the leaves (instead of the weeds).




Despite some "little" setbacks and time delays, everything got in just right. We are expecting a bountiful harvest. Especially welcome due to the ever increasing food prices and safety scares. We have lots of tomatoes on their way along with carrots, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons, corn, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, sunflowers, rhubarb, snap peas, spinach, green beans, wax beans, jalepenos, green chiles, bell peppers, lettuce, radishes, strawberries, raspberries, and a mirage of herbs. Wow, it seems like a lot more when you write it all down.

It seems as though every day brings plenty of smiles and excitement as we watch each vegetable push its way up through the soil. What an incredible process the Lord created. What started as this dried up, sometimes shriveled little seed, when combined with a little dirt, sunshine, water, and lots of tender loving care ends up as this amazing plant emerging from the ground to soak up everything it can get. What a tangible view of us when we allow God to be our master gardener. We'll keep you posted on the garden's progress.

Springtime in the Rockies

Springtime in Colorado is an amazing time. After a winter of trying to stay warm inside while the world seems to hibernate outside, we tend to gain very restless spirits and muscles ready to explore everything nature has to offer once it melts into a blossoming wonderland. We still had to deal with a little bit of a chill on some days (to a girl who grew up mostly in hot and sunny Arizona; chilly was anything under 75 degrees). Here, we break out the t-shirts as soon as it reaches anywhere above 45 with sunshine. It's amazing how our bodies adapt so quickly to our surroundings.

Along with the plants and flowers emerging to face the sun, Joshua was quickly emerging into this amazing little boy ready to explore everything the world had to offer. He is blessed with a sense of curiosity that can only be God given. He never seems to get his fill of dirt, tools, or food.




The girls (both being true cowgirls at heart) got to revel in their first experience with a brand new foal, Zoe. Our neighbors are foster parents for rescue horses. One of their mares, unbeknownst to them, came into their care a couple weeks pregnant. Due to the horse being mistreated and malnourished, they were unable to tell until she was about a month from foaling. They promised to call as soon as they knew anything. We got the call at 5:30am. The girls rushed over to discover a beautiful new filly still wet and still trying to figure out how to stand up. What an incredible moment for them both.





Spring also brings 2 birthdays to our family. This year Isabella celebrated her 6th birthday and Joshua rang in his very 1st. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly they grow. It seems that all you have to do is blink and another year has gone by. Bella rang in her special day with her first birthday celebration at a fun center- complete with video games, rides, and bowling. She's already trying to plan out birthday number 7.

I can't believe that Isabella is already finished with kindergarten. She learned so much this year. I feel so honored to have been able to keep her home with me and home school her this year. She is reading, telling time, counting money, adding, subtracting, and spelling. She amazed me every step of the way. I don't know if I'm quite ready to give up my time with her yet. We'll see what the fall brings.



Joshua is happy to celebrate anything that involves food - so his birthday party was right up his alley. We had a few friends and family over on one of our warm and sunny Spring days to help us celebrate this very special little boy.

This was right before his birthday party. He decided that the cake needed to be tested before everyone arrived, and was very proud of himself that he took on that responsibility. Thank goodness they were only cupcakes, and that he only grabbed one.

Spring also allowed us to get out and explore a bit. We made it out fishing early in the season. Although we came up empty handed on our first attempt, our trip was a great family get away.