Lots of stuff

Hmm...so much going on. Not enough time to blog about everything. Finally got my garden in. Yahoo! I'm so excited to see what grows well, what needs to be changed, and how we deal with our new garden area. I'm already hopeful that the weeds won't be as bad as last year. But I'm also hoping, that with having a fenced in back yard, that I can spend more time in the garden. We are getting along with the back yard remodel. Matthew got the sprinkling system running. It had a lot of broken pipes and heads and other randomness that needed fixing. So going to hire someone to blow it out this fall. I've got little fruits growing on my pear and apple trees, and little cherries on my cherry tree. I'm so extremely pleased! We have some raspberry transplants that appear to be doing okay. Probably won't see many berries this year, but hopefully they'll keep growing strong and in a few years we'll have lots and lots! Also got some blackberry starts. I'm still wondering how they will go. I love watching things grow.
Speaking of growing things, our kids are growing up way too fast. McKinley turns 9 on the 17th this month. Here are some lovely pictures from her recent dance recital. They didn't do professional pictures, so these are just Matthew specials. I can't do it, get them all blurry.

Can she just stop growing up? She looks so much older than 9. Doesn't help that she's bigger than most of the 10 yr olds.

My little sister claims I've "gone country" because I make our bread now and I enjoy making muffins from scratch. There is something extremely satisfying seeing these beauties come out of the oven. Plus the fact that my kids think it tastes good. Between my baby and my husband, they eat a half a loaf fresh out of the oven. Sorry...You'll just have to turn your head.

The same sister came up camping for memorial day. I still feel bad for the drive she had to make, but my kids loved seeing their cousin and aunt and uncle.

It is the first year in a long time that it has been nice for memorial day. It was so lovely! We used sunblock in abundance!

The fishing wasn't great, but we caught a few little ones. I did have a big one on, but he flipped himself off my line before we got him on the boat.

Malcolm and Reagan....such cute, messy little critters. They had a good time.

This is what my kids have discovered in our ripped up backyard. They think it is absolutely the most fun activity to do. We dislike it. Makes a huge mess in our bathrooms. How can you fault them, though.

Can I mention, I'm digging Reagan's pixy cut. It is so much easier to take care of. Her long hair was always getting gross with snot, stuck in her nose. Nasty! Not anymore. Its growing on me.

I suppose that's all for now. McKinley is playing softball this year. Its pathetic to watch...a lot of walking involved as her team's pitchers aren't very good. She is practicing as well...but not good enough to use in a game yet. And we had to laugh, one of the first games, when the pitcher struck her out. She came off the field stating "I swear I didn't swing at that one!". Guess no one told her that if the pitch is over the plate, its a strike whether she swings or not. Made me laugh.