Busy summer!

The weeks have just been flying by! It's hard to believe that Kelly will be moving in less than 2 weeks. I try not to think about it, but it is very hard to do. This past week we had his surprise going away party and it was wonderful! Our neighbors and friends here have been so good to us, we just can't express it. I over heard more than one person telling Kelly that his family would be well cared for when he was gone. It was really sweet. I don't know what we will do without him. I know that Jenna and I can survive without him, I just wish we didn't have to. The good news is that we met someone who lives/works in Norfolk and comes back here to work at least twice a month. We are hoping that Kelly can share rides with him once in awhile. It would really make the move more tolerable for all of us.

As for the Bean, she is doing great! She has another tooth that just popped through yesterday. It is one of her front teeth and you can see the other one won't be far behind. I can't imagine how much she will be able to eat when she has 4 teeth! She is also crawling all over the place and even pulling herself up to stand a lot. Kelly and I have seriously looked at child proofing the house, but I don't think I will get too far with it until our company has come and gone.

The garden is coming along well. I have picked lots of bounty from it (zucchini, squash, tomatoes, green beans, green peppers, onions) and have given away lots. Although we love to eat it, I just haven't had time to do anything with it lately.

Okay off to check on my husband down by the lake. We are trying to get all his projects done by the time family arrives July 3rd. He will do it, I just know it. And if he doesn't, the projects will just have to wait. Duty calls and he will ship out on the 8th of July while our company is still here. At least Jenna and I won't have an empty house when he goes. Of course, our first rendezvous is planned for July 24th, so it won't be too bad this first time. Can't wait until he can retire! I guess we should start counting those days next.

First swim!!

Jenna took her first swim yesterday! We got home from schooland the babysitter's and it was HOT! We don't have the air on and inside the house (in the basement) it was still 78 degrees. Jenna was bored and miserable even without her clothes on, so we decided to do something different. We went down and put our feet in the lake to test the temperature. Since Jenna didn't object too much I thought "it's time for a swim!" As soon as Kelly got home, we grabbed our suits and the camera and headed in. Jenna wasn't too sure at first. She held on really tight to Mommy with her eyes as wide as saucers. We went deeper and deeper into the water and actually she did better when more of her was in the water. Finally she relaxed enough for me to pry her hands off of me and spin her around in the water. We started jumping up and down and she really liked that until she got water in her mouth and spit up a bit. But, she didn't get upset because she was willing to stay in the water and keep exploring.

Not long after that, she realized she could splash! Something she hasn't really done in the bathtub. Of course she didn't like it when she splashed herself in the face, but she never did cry either.

All in all, she had a good time. When it was over, she got her bath and went off to bed. Clearly exhausted from the busy day!

This past weekend!

This past weekend held a few challenges for Jenna and I. Nothing we couldn't handle of course! We started working on getting her to sleep on her own, which was more of a stuggle for Mom than for Jenna. Wednesday night we started limiting how much we go back in her room after she is put down for the night. I went in with her, rocked her while she got her last bottle, then I laid her down while she was sleeping. The problem was, often she would wake when I put her down. So, I would pick her up and rock her more. This just perpetuated, as you can imagine. Anyways, Kelly wanted me to leave her in her room to cry for a bit and it almost killed me. But, we did it. Jenna cried for exactly 8 minutes before she stopped. Of course, then after about 30 minutes she started again and I didn't know what to do. Luckily, she didn't cry much. I went in and rubbed her back and talked to her. Then Nubbin got in bed with her and about 5 minutes later she was down for the night. And so began our little routine for the last several days. She gets a bottle and rocked for one more song after her bottle. Then, it is off to bed for the night. I think she is doing well with this. Better than I am, actually.
Our second issue this weekend, was when she went to visit Terri and Grace for a few hours so I could work in a friend's yard. Jenna wasn't too happy about it and after 2 hours (about an hour before I was done) I went back and got her. I think she is going through a stage because all she wants is Mommy! Not even Daddy, just Mommy. Of course I don't mind most of the time, but sometimes it can be tough. Tomorrow I go back to work for 2 weeks of summer school and I only hope she isn't like this for the baby sitter. If she is, I guess we will deal with it. Luckily, a few months ago our sitter got a phone installed in the barn, so I can call and check on her throughout the day. I am hopeful that since she has been with them for awhile, she will be okay, but we will see. There are worse things than her being attached to Mom, that is for sure! Have a great week everyone.

Jenna and Ethan

On Wednesday, our friends Jasen and Lori came up to visit us from Evansville and they brought their beautiful son Ethan who is about 10 days younger than Jenna. He is a cutie with lots of blonde hair and big blue eyes. He is a little bigger than Jenna weighing in at over 17 pounds, and around 27 inches long. As opposed to Jenna's 15.5 pounds and only 25 inches. But he is just as curious as she and loved being on the floor with new toys and big dogs all around. (Ethan has a little yorkie at home names Lucy) The kids had fun as you can see. Jenna enjoyed pulling on Ethan's ear and hair. While Ethan enjoyed sucking on Jenna's sock and pacifier.

We all enjoyed a nice dinner grilled by Kelly, a "scary movie" that the kids couldn't finish watching so the dad's did (A Bug's Life) and finally a lazy afternoon walk with lots of sunshine and conversation. We were hoping for a boat ride, but the weather didn't cooperate. We will have to do that next time.

She likes it!

This past weekend I tried my hand at homemade baby food. Why? you ask. I don't really know, except that I was pretty sure it couldn't be too hard and I wanted to feed Jenna something more homemade. So, I steamed some carrots and then broccoli and I let them cool. At first I put the carrots in the food processor to puree them, then I realized that the blender would be better. I added some formula and some white grape juice and blended it all until it looked smooth. I did the same with the broccoli and then put it in the fridge for today.
At lunch, we tried it. Well, Jenna tried it I just tried feeding it to her. She LIKED it! I was a bit worried because I didn't think it would taste exactly the same as the brand name stuff and altough she isn't picky I didn't know how she would respond. I doubt it tasted the same, but she really ate it down. She even ate the broccoli, which she has never had.
So, now I am going to try my hand at a few other flavors. I have potatoes on hand already. I will probably process those with cooked chicken. I also have corn, which I know Jenna likes. I have a recipe to process those with a few other veggies, but I may try them on their own first. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. There are some recipes on the net, but I think it is also a matter of taste. It will be a summer of experiments I guess. At least I have a baby who is willing to try almost anything!

Summer projects!

Summer has officially begun for us now that I am off school so Kelly and I have started our summer projects. This year things are very different for a few reasons. Of course, Bean is the biggest change in our life. We are so excited to be spending our first summer with her. Our second big change this year is that Kelly will leave in July, so he will not be around to help with things after that. He is actually hoping to have all his big projects completed by the end of June so that he can enjoy a few weeks around here without things hanging over his head. Both of these things have thrown a loop in all we are used to.

Kelly and I are both very outdoor-sy, if you didn't know. I have a garden that is very large and usually feeds us through the winter with many things. Kelly has a tractor that NOBODY thinks he truly needs on our little piece of property, but he does put it to good use around our house and on our long private road. This year, we knew we had to make some changes.

The garden is still as big as always, with 4 kinds of squash, cantalope, onions, garlic, strawberries, green beans, tomatoes, 3 kinds of peppers, 2 kinds of cucumbers, tomatillos, fresh herbs and corn. However, we turned a portion of it into a community garden of sorts. Our neighbor Don planted peas, beans, corn and tomatoes in the last 6 rows. And our friend Rosi planted pumpkin, peppers and tomatoes in another row. It's great because it really fills out the garden. They have also offered to "bean sit" whenever the garden needs weeding, which I truly appreciate.

Kelly didn't have too many options for his projects. He had to repair some damage to our property, mainly our retaining wall. This was demolished when the sewer was put in and our hill was running down Don's hill, which wasn't good. We also needed storage space, hence the tremendous barn project. This past weekend Kelly worked on the wall, and almost finished it! Our goal is to eventually tear out the existing upper deck that is slowly sinking into the ground and replace it with patio and a retaining wall. His work this weekend showed us that it is possible, once we have the money and time.

The garden... well, we shall see how it fares. So far only the strawberries have come in and Bean hasn't let me pick them too quickly. (she won't even sit still for that too long.) As for picking tomatoes once a week and then spending all day canning them, we shall see if that happens at all. If it doesn't, they do freeze very easily. Or, if that doesn't work, we do compost quite a bit. It's all a learning experience isn't it! We still love you Bean, and wouldn't trade you for ANYTHING!

Next school year

As some of you know, I was called to the Coop office Tuesday for a meeting with the boss. Basically she offered me a position at an Elementary school in Washington, which is about 30 minutes away and in the opposite direction from our baby sitter. Actually, she offered it, then recinded her offer, then offered it again. I will have to get an additional category on my license, but she assures me I can do this online through West Virginia University. Another teacher in the Coop just did it. It isn't ideal, but it is full time and it will have retirement benefits and all the bells and whistles of a REAL job. I will miss the Preschool terribly, but this position is also an established classroom with 2 experienced aides, so I won't have to reinvent the wheel like I did last year. I am excited and nervous and a little disappointed that I am not going to somewhere that I know. But, it will be a good thing, right?
As for our little Bean, she is great. She has been riding around on my back most of today which she loved. I, of course, am beat. Hope everyone out there is well.