Yes, we are very alive!

I know it's been over 2 months now since I've really posted anything, but I just couldn't do it. The internet connection here has been KILLING ME! Dial up is so slow, so it would've been a huge waste of time for me to even attempt to blog. But now we have wireless (thank you promotion!), so I will be coming back to the blogging world. We have been very busy the past couple of months. Mostly we have been outside....gardening and cleaning up the back yard. I love living out in the country. It's such a blessing to have so much land to live and work on. Alexander and Isabella are both doing well and really growing. I have been making all of Alexander's baby food (which I did when Isabella was a baby, too), and he loves it. I though for sure at his 6 month check up that he'd be 20 lbs., but he wasn't, he was 19lbs, 3 oz.....close enough. He's a big boy. He can sit up on his own now, which is fun, and has just started rolling from his back to his stomach. Isabella's memory amazes me every day. She is such a smart little girl, and she's so observant. The other day we walked past a lady who was smoking.

I: Mami, that lady blows smoke outside.
C: That's right, she is. Blowing smoke is very yucky. It makes you sick and it hurts you.
I: No, Mami. It won't make me sick.
C: (stop and look at Isabella.....you know, the "this is serious" look) Yes it will Isabella. It will really hurt you and make you very VERY sick. We don't blow smoke, okay?
I: Okay, Mami.

My baby brother (who is 19....not quite a baby anymore) smokes, and he lives with us. Isabella sees him smoke frequently. The other day we were all outside and Tanner (Tio) came out to smoke.

I: TIO!!!!!!!!!!
T: ISABELLA!!!!!!!!!!
I: Tio, DON'T BLOW SMOKE! You get sick. Mami says don't blow smoke, k?
T: Okay. (Continues to smoke)
I: Tio, you's all done. Don't blow smoke anymore, k? Don't get sick. It will hurt you.

Tanner just looked at me. I think he was a little annoyed that a 2 1/2 year old was scolding him, but he looked proud, too. Like, "good job, sis." How do you teach a 2 1/2 year old about these kinds of things. Well, at least I got my point across to her.

Ronald built a really nice bench for our wooded section behind the house. I need to get a good picture of it, but take my word for it, it's nice.

Alexander eating Isbella's jacket during our picnic.

Papi and Isabella during the picnic. She was really into those pears.
Trying to take herself for a walk.....silly girl.

Me and the little bear. He doesn't fit in the snugli anymore, so sad.

We get to enjoy many delicious meals made by Isabella. She loves to cook for us.

Oh what a love-a-lee GARRRDEN!

In March Ronald broke up the ground and tilled a big, beautiful plot of soil for the garden. I went to The Mill and bought "The Farmer's Almanac" and some peas (they were WAY cheap there) and went to work. Since then, I have planted lots of early crops, and pulled lots of weeds. It's so exciting when you plant your seeds to see them come up out of the ground. If only they grew as fast as those dag-gone weeds. Yesterday I went out and weeded around everything but the lettuce, beets, potatoes, and corn, and today when I checked out the garden, there were those weeds again. At least it keeps me busy.

My first tray of seedlings (minus the broccoli....they are in the garden already). These are mostly herbs....basil, cilantro, oregano, lavender, and eggplant on the end.

That is zucchini coming up....isn't it beautiful!? I colored toothpicks so that I would know what is what. Still waiting for the melons, peppers, and eggplants to come up.
Cucumber and tomato seedlings (and an eager Isabella, too). Isabella loves that we are growing vegetables. When I go out to work in the garden, she always wants to help. She insists on having her "alligator" (cultivator) and says she's gonna get those weeds. We have such a good time together.

Cucumbers

Guess what I found in the garden today.....the CORN!!!!

One of the strawberry plants I rescued. When I was pulling the dry, dead leftover weeds before we could till, I found 4 surviving strawberry plants. I dug them up and transplanted them into pots. Yesterday I built a raised bed, hulled 10 loads of beautiful dirt from the compost pile (BOY WAS IT HEAVY!) and put the plants in the nice soil. This plant is already making 2 runners. This summer I'm going to pinch all of the blossoms off so I will get lots of runners, then next summer we should have a lot of new plants. Can you believe I've already pinched off about 7 little blossoms? It was kind of sad, but it's for a good cause.

Two beautiful rows of peas. I love love LOVE have fresh peas. They are sooooo delicious! You can see the raised bed of strawberries on the left.

Pototoes....I need to hill them up soon.

Beets!!!! They are so stinkin' hard to find, they really blend in with those weeds.

One of the broccoli plants that I started from seed and transplanted into the garden. I think that Peter Rabbit must have found our garden, because a few of the plants are missing. But he hasn't been back since, thank goodness.

Beautiful lechuga!!!! (Lettuce)

Spinach

I love radishes! They are so easy to grow, and the grow fast (in about 40 days)! If you look closely, you can see the red of the actual radish on the plant on the far left.

All of the beautiful onions. I hope they will dry well this summer.