Watch My Garden Grow!

This year I have started a garden in the back yard.  Our landlords had a plot already set up when we got here and all I had to do is rid it of weeds (no easy task mind you) and plant!  I have learned thus far that gardening is NOT for the weak of knees if you know what I mean!  I have enjoyed being outdoors working on the garden and though it is a lot of work at first, it seems to do pretty well once you get all the initial hard work in.  These pictures are a little old as the plants are even taller now, but I will post another one with updated pictures in another post.  For now though, you can see how much progress my little plants have made.  I did not start any of these indoors, but put the seeds into the ground when it was appropriate to do so.  More to come on how this all turns out! 

Broccoli sprouts



Broccoli growing bigger!




Onion sprouts

Onions getting taller!



Pea sprouts

Peas growing up!



Spinach sprout




Spinach spreading out!

 

Potatoes sprouting
(These I planted later than the other things and they are pretty big now!)

Awana Closing Ceremony

Daddy & Naomi walking to the ceremony.

At the end of the Awana year, they always have a big ceremony to give awards and thank-yous to all the volunteers.  This Awana group was no different than that, but this was our first with this church to experience the closing ceremony.  Naomi was tickled pink (literally) to be able to come in with us to the ceremony and I couldn't resist capturing her with her Daddy.  Precious moments!

Caleb & Daniel making their way to the stage.

All Caleb and Daniel could talk about the week before the ceremony was that they would "get to go on the stage!" Their teachers Mrs. Wally and Mr. Brett told them they would get to be on the stage to get their awards and so they were very excited.  You can see their proud faces here as they make their way to the stage.  I would like to note that our children are near the front with the leader as I am sure that was a necessary step to keep them in line! 

Josiah making his way to the stage.

Josiah was trying to hide from me as I took a picture of him on the way to the stage, but once again Mommy wins and got a photo!  In front of him with the red pigtails is his friend Teresa who lives just down the road from us.  He has had some fun in recent days playing with her and the other neighborhood children in the afternoons and late evenings.  She is a sweet little girl and seems to like Josiah as well. 

Caleb & Daniel on the stage.

These photos aren't the greatest as they were from far away with the zoom, but you get the idea.  The boys were so proud to get their awards.  This was the twins' first year in Awana and I think they really enjoyed it!  They both got a Cubby cup with some candy and stickers in it along with a Cubby bear to sew onto their vest for completing their first book.

Josiah on the stage.

Josiah got a Sparky cup and candy and stickers in his cup as well as a reward for a good year in Awana.  He already got his 2nd book ribbon earlier in the year and will be moving on to his 3rd and final Sparky book next year.  

Naomi peeking at her little buddy behind her.

Naomi was sitting with us in the audience and she found a little buddy to peek at over the seats.  They were so cute looking at one another!

Daniel boy!

After the ceremony, they had cake downstairs to celebrate.  Daniel posed for me in his Cubby vest.  

Caleb boy!

And Caleb boy of course gave me his happy Caleb smile as well in his Cubby vest.

Josiah boy!

Josiah as usual had to be caught in a picture before he ran off again, but here is a close-up of him in his Sparky vest.

And lastly, Miss Naomi had to have a picture too as she will not be left out of the fun!  She is always pretty in pink!  It was fun to see the kids get their awards and I went around to thank their leaders afterward and chatted with some of the others parents also.  We will look forward to the next Awana year in the fall.  Thanks to Valleypoint Church and all the volunteers who make Awana happen! 

Naomi girl!

Colton's 7th Birthday!

Colton's bow hat!

This year we got to celebrate with Colton for his 7th birthday!  It was fun to come to one of his birthdays again as the last time, Josiah was very little and so was Colton for that matter!  As you can see, his birthday was in a nice shady park on a very sunny day.  There were some squirt guns to play with and other outdoor toys as well, but mostly the kids just loved running around in the grass!

Beautiful Kylie!

Colton's sister Kylie was there of course and gave me a winning smile here!

Kim pondering the lighter.

At first, the lighter wasn't working too well and Kim was looking at it questioningly here.  I love the expression of all the kiddos in this shot too watching her.  The candle was lit once and one of the kids (probably one of mine, I didn't see) blew it out before Colton could and there was a great outcry by the older children!

Chris lighting the candle for the 2nd time.

Then Chris stepped in and lit the candle again for the second time, hence his smile here as he is doing it. 

Colton sharing his wish with Josiah.

After Colton blew the candle out, Josiah said, "What did you wish for?" Colton said something like, "I wished for you to be here with me Josiah."  You can see Chris saying, "Awwwww!" in the background.  It is nice that they are such good buddies!

Me and Kim!

And speaking of buddies....here is a picture of me and Kim! It has been so fun living over here again and getting to hang with Miss Kim.  We have a lot of fun together and she is a great friend!  

Caleb taking a "gun" drink and Naomi watching the festivities.

As you can see, Caleb found a very practical use for his squirt gun, to give himself a drink once in a while.  Naomi was very engrossed in whatever was happening on the opposite side of the table!

Daniel shooting himself with the squirt gun.

Daniel was very pleased with himself and you can see on his shirt that he was squirting himself with the squirt gun.  Many people tried to squirt him a number of times and that was NOT popular!  He could "give it" to others, but definitely could not "take it!"  

Lastly, we have some gift opening and you can see three very eager children around Colton looking to see what is inside as well!   It was a really fun day in the park and I think Colton had a good time!  When we left, Kim and Chris gave all of our children a balloon, which they loved!  It was nice that it was such a warm day in May to enjoy Colton's birthday.  Thanks to Chris and Kim for inviting us! 

Colton opening gifts with very curious onlookers.