Our Garden:the good, the bad, and the ugly

The Good:

For our first time gardening, we did pretty well!  Everything was growing quite well from seed, with the exception of the eggplants and hot peppers.  I  also had some trouble with the onions, but eventually got them to grow.

The lettuce and zucchini were the first to arrive and we harvested them a few times!

The Bad:

Gus, our groundhog, also ended up being a big fan of the garden and once he found a way in, there was just no stopping him.  In a very short period of time, he devoured our entire garden, eating our brussel sprouts, carrots, onions, corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, banana melons, beans and butternut squash.  Of course, he did this before anything was ripe enough to pick.  We were able to get our green bell peppers out of there before he got to all of them.  

We were so worried about keeping the deer out of our garden that we didn't focus on a fence that would deter the little critters too.  We won't make that same mistake next year, I promise you.  I was heartbroken to see all that hard work eaten by an oversized rodent.

The Ugly:

We got a live trap and set it in the hopes that we could catch the little (insert expletive).  First we caught a young raccoon, then we caught a larger raccoon and eventually we got Gus.  

From what I hear, when you get rid of one groundhog another one moves in...so we are waiting patiently before the trap needs to get set again.

In the meantime, the only thing left is our tomatoes and basil from the herb section of our garden, so we've been enjoying them now that we are critter free!

Oh and don't worry - all were taken to a large wooded area away from houses and roads to be set free.

Check Ups for Hunter and Mason

It is that time again, more milestones for our little monkey's!!!  They continue to grow and grow...

Mason is now 15 months old and at his check-up he tipped the scales at 24lbs 3ozs (44th percentile) and was 31.5 inches tall (60th percentile).  These measures really need to be validated because it seems he weighs a ton when we have to carry him or hold him for any stretch of time and he is tall enough to climb up onto all the furniture in the house and can navigate the stairs on his own now.  His personality is bursting through with lots of smiles, demands, and more complex vocalizations and understanding of things we say to him.  Some of his frequently used words are: Mama, Dada, Hun, Ball, Up, Down, Hat, Elkie, Mom-mom, Green or other similar variations...oh and almost any animal sound you ask him to make.  He likes to play games, and is extremely skilled at kicking, throwing, and catching things of all shapes and sizes.  He really looks up to his big brother, but we are also already seeing clear signs of a blossoming sibling rivalry.  The competition for drinks, snacks, toys, and attention is becoming pretty fierce.

Speaking of big brother, Hunter's fighting weight was 36lbs 8ozs (90th percentile) and he was measured at 38.3 inches tall (62nd percentile) at his 3-year doctors appointment.  Though it may not sound like it from these percentile scores, Hunter is really starting to thin out and get more of a slender look.  Pictures of him now versus even 6 months ago show an astounding change.  In addition to that, Hunter's speech has really taken off!!  He pronounces things so clearly and says so many complex words, it is amazing.  He does need reminders to pronounce the "s" at the beginning of many words, but once he has the prompt the words come out perfectly.  He has his ABC's dialed and can count well past 20 on his own.  He is still the leading authority on all things Star Wars in the state of Maryland and is now branching out into comic book super heroes.  Current favorites are Spiderman, Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern.  Hunter is also becoming more independent.  He is now fully potty trained with few "accidents", can get himself dressed/undressed, and can brush his teeth without much assistance.

Life is good these days, and these crazy boys keep us entertained every day.  Though there are many more milestones and memories to look forward to in the near future, here are some pics to help us remember and enjoy where we have just been with these guys.  Pretty amazing stuff!!!

Hunter turns 3 years old!!

Can't believe our boy is 3 years old already.  How did that happen?  He has grown into such a smart, articulate and incredibly sweet and loving little man!

On his actual birthday, August 2nd, which fell in the middle of the week, Ryan took Hunter to the Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp to watch the players.  Hunter was so excited and came home talking about the players, his new Eagles t-shirt and football, and how he dumped water over Daddy's head.  After a yummy birthday dinner we had special birthday cupcakes for dessert, followed by presents!

Hunter's birthday party took place over the weekend at Chuck E. Cheese on August 5th.  First time we had been there.  Talk about stimulation overload, but all in all it was a great success.  The kids had an absolute blast and the parents all survived!  Crazy times, but we wouldn't change it for anything!

Farm Fair

While Hunter spent an extra 2 nights at Mom-Mom's house, I took Mason to the local Harford County Farm Fair.  He enjoyed checking out all the animals...

Back at the Beach

The boys and I headed back to O.C. while Ryan was attending a business conference in Germany and Day Care was closed.  We had a great time.  Mom-mom wanted to celebrate Hunter's birthday while we were there, too, which Hunter loved.  We went to the beach at Assateague, spent time at Mom-mom's pool, enjoyed the Toddler Waterpark at Frontier Town, and of course Mom-mom gifted Hunter more Star Wars action figures than he knows what to do with as well as a Star Wars Encyclopedia.  He was in heaven - to be honest, I'm surprised we could get him to leave the action figures to go outside at all.

Mason's 1st Trip Around the Sun

I'm a little behind on posting this as I meant to post it when Mason turned 1 year old.  In all honesty, we are lucky I am able to post it at all.  Full disclosure: Once he was able to roll over, Mason made this daily picture exercise miserable for us .  He truly despises being on his back, even now at 15 months old, and you will see this as many pics are of him rolling over.   Ryan and I almost gave up several times, but we stuck with it and seeing the results, I'm so glad we did!

Mmmmm...corn!

Vacation

With Day Care closed, Ryan and I took off of work to spend the week with Hunter and Mason.  It was lovely!
The kids and I went to visit Pop-pop & JoAnn, Calvin & Becky, and Faye & Jerry before Ryan returned from his business trip.  The kids enjoyed causing chaos at the farm and Hunter especially enjoyed the tractor ride, though he really wanted to drive.  Aunt Faye had a special gift for Hunter, a Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat quilt that she handmade to match his room decor.  She was thoughtful enough to include Memaw, too, by using some of her fabric in the making of the quilt - we feel very loved!  It is truly an amazing quilt, absolutely gorgeous and Hunter just adores it.  At night when I tuck him in and pull the quilt over him, he often says proudly "Aunt Faye make this for me."

Upon Ryan's return from California, we headed to Ocean City for some much needed Mom-mom and beach time.  The kids had a blast playing in the surf and her pool, as usual.  It was very relaxing and we really enjoyed the time away.  I celebrated my 34th Birthday while there too!  Mom-mom watched the kids that afternoon while Ryan and I enjoyed some quiet beach time (and boy was it quiet without the kiddos - I think we forgot what it feels like to not jump up to run after one of them every few minutes).  We returned to a delicious Pina Colada cake made and decorated by the kids!  It was great!
We ended the week back home.  Mimi and Opa kept the kids for a sleep over one evening while we got some much needed house chores and errands done!
Overall the week was a perfect mix of productive, relaxing and fun!

Happy Father's Day!

The kids and I worked hard to take these pics as a special gift to Ryan when he returned from his business trip on Father's Day!
We love you Daddy!

Our Music Lover

Hunter not only likes to sing along with songs on the radio or iPod, but he has started singing them on his own, too.  One of his favorites is "We Will Rock You" by Queen.


Of course, Hunter will tell you his favorite band is "Uncle Scott's band, Ballyhoo".  They were playing an outdoor gig in downtown Bel Air, so we decided to take the kids.  Hunter was pretty much in awe the entire time!