Summer Happenings!

I haven't been on the blog in forever. We've been having a busy summer around here! Let's see if I can fill you in!

Brian had his nearly month long survey cruise early in the summer. Fiona and I were hanging solo and boy did we miss Papa. A new twist this year of access to a phone meant we could talk to him every few days though. That was so nice to be able to hear his voice during his long absence.

His shoulder is giving him a lot of trouble this summer and we are waiting for him to get into the joint specialist in a few weeks. I really hope he'll be feeling better soon! I hope we get some answers from the specialist about what they think is going on. I'm guessing a month at sea lifting heavy totes of fish is not really recommended for his condition... but that's just a guess!

Fiona is out of diapers during the day! She isn't totally accident free yet but she is doing great. In the beginning she was very excited and all about it and really didn't have any accidents at all. Now that it's old news she gets distracted easily and is less likely to tell us she has to go. We're trudging on anyway. She loves to visit the various public bathrooms about town. It is especially exciting if she can flush with her foot! Who doesn't love that?! The other day she barged in on Brian in the bathroom and pulled up a stool to tell him a story... "Once upon a time there was a little girl named Papa. He liked to visit the farm and see all the animals." I couldn't stop laughing at that one! Yes, there have been long sits with stories going on around here. "Not from a book, from your heart!"

Potty Time!

Stickers on the bathroom door!

We've been having incredible weather around here too. Fiona prefers to strip down "nakey" and run through the yard. Here she's practicing climbing the fence. Although nakey is her favorite she is always sure to accessorize! Sometimes its just a hat or perhaps one shoe and one boot. She certainly has style! She loves playing in the yard with the hose, her sand table, and her beloved chickens and dogs. She and Brian just bought a new soccer ball. It's hard to say who was more excited about that one!

nakey fence climbing!

Suddenly I find myself in the third trimester! How did that happen so fast? Baby Sister will be here before we know it. I just washed all the newborn diapers and dried them on the line the other day. Oh my goodness are they tiny! Hard to believe that they fit Fiona at one time and harder to believe we'll have another one here soon to put them on. Still working on a name but we aren't going to tell you until she's born anyway! :)

6 months down, 3 to go!

We've been putting a lot more energy into the garden this year and it seems to be paying off. That and the sunshine we've been getting! We just started doing compost tea every week too and the plants really seem to be loving it! I'll be harvesting basil in the next few days to get some pesto in the freezer. We also have tons of greens, carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Not a huge variety but its what we love and have had good success with here. We figured more of what we know will grow well is better then just a little bit of what might not do so well in our cooler long days.

Herbs, peppers, and cherry tomatoes growing in the greenhouse. (Excuse me, "It's not a greenhouse mama, its a white house." I stand corrected)

This is one of two raised beds. Normally its covered in a plastic hoop but we took it off today to get everything watered really well.

The other bed has our garlic and potatoes in it.