Food for Thought

Well, we are busily reaping the fruits (mostly vegetables) of our first garden!  We've never had a garden before,  even the family I grew up in I think my parents started one and then never finished it so it all went to weeds - of course that could've been because they only had teenagers on hand to help weed it.  So it's been a fun experiment.  We've learned the following:

1.  Corn is hard to grow.  

2.  Water your garden frequently.

3.  One squash plant is all you need (instead of four).  

4.  One cherry tomato plant is all you need.  

5.  If watermelon doesn't get enough sun it will soon die.  

6.  Three pots of sugar snap pea plants will produce roughly three pods of sugar snap peas total - so I'm wondering how many acres of plants it takes to make one bag of pea pods.  

So here's a sampling from our garden:

This taste great sautéed in scrambled eggs and monterey jack cheese.  

These ended up in fajitas.  

These ended up in a greek salad with cucumber from our garden, feta and olive oil & balsamic. 

 

 

Remember those chicks we bought - well they are finally laying eggs.  They are kind of small, but our friend told us the first batch usually are. I am so frying these up for breakfast tomorrow.  

Finally, since I am on the subject of food, I have recently started a new diet.  It's based on how my kids eat - minus the exorbitant amounts of sugar and white flour.  It's called, "eat-just-enough-to-give-me-enough-energy-to-keep-doing-what-I-was-doing diet".  Essentially, I'm trying to eat less food.  I had gotten stuck in a bad pattern of eating healthy during the week and maybe shaving off a pound or two that would find it's way back on me over the weekends when I gave myself a free pass to eat what I wanted (it would be bad parenting of me not to eat Isaiah's birthday cake, wouldn't it?  ... and to also eat it after he sleeps, and when I get home from church, and when the mail comes).  It doesn't help that I have a wife that could eat ice cream for breakfast (and has) and still looks the same.  (Shelly denies such statement - but we know the truth).  

It also stems from the fact that I've been averaging a workout 5 to 6 times a week and still no change in weight.  Whereas my friend who is about my build, told me after two weeks of working out with me, "I've already lost seven pounds".  Yeah, hmm, not too happy for him.  So fine, I guess that means I have to take it up a notch.  I use to believe people that blamed metabolism were exaggerating a little but now I see the light.  

Anyways, if it doesn't work out I can take comfort from this New York Times article

that says pot bellies are the new "in" thing. I'm the third guy from the left.  

Shelly also says to tell you, she has given up sugar too.  I am actually very proud of her.  

Woolies Got Hair

You know we've been waiting patiently and her hair has finally come in.  

Dinosaur Park and Rock Climbing

Okay, usually I don't like to do two posts so close together because it feels like too much to read.  But I wanted to share our trip with you.   I had never been to the dinosaur park before, and here it was in the heart of my mission.  They do a pretty good job.  They have a rope that they keep the dinosaurs behind that I assume is just a suggestion, because climbing on the dinosaurs is a lot more fun.  I think a lot of my family would support this, or you might be like some of those families walking by and the kids would say, "Hey we want to go on the dinosaurs too?"  It's not like they're real dinosaurs.  Heck you should've seen us at the La Brea Tar Pits.   

Well, I guess I prefer hands on exhibits.  Plus I am into pushing my kids into doing things that will look good in pictures as the last one can attest.  

 Oh, the horror.  

Okay just put your face in the hole, and everyone will be happy.  

Finally, Isaiah got to climb this wall for free if Shelly would listen to a free insurance quote - not such a bad deal.  I wasn't there, but as you can see from this we got a natural rock climber on our hands.  I'm expecting the Hanzas to fill us in on all the necessary details of the sport.    

Finally, I love Pooh Bear as much as the next parent, but apparently some parents really get into it. 

As you can see, some of my free time is spent looking for funny things on the internet.  Find this and other silly photos on  awkwardfamilyphotos - I just kept looking around this website and laughing the whole time.  

Birthday Time

Happy Birthday Isaiah and Woolies!  Isaiah is now eight and Woolies is one.  This year we had a simple birthday for these two with cake in the back yard.  Isaiah got some Ben Ten toy and went to a dinosaur museum in Ogden with a friend the next day.  Woolies got a baby stroller. She is not so concerned about pushing a doll in it, so sometimes she puts a lego in it, a truck or nothing at all.  

I like to say this was Woolies first taste of cake, but this is the third child and unlike the first she has experienced shall we say a variety of food already.  

Here are the kids with their respective cakes.  

Isaiah with his Ben Ten cake that he put his alien figures on top.  I think next year I'll be in charge of the cake.  

Woolies excited about her pink cake.  

Always the lady.  

She likes it!

Figaro assumed the party was for him.  

Diaper Man and Mud Time

Isaiah has not completely outgrown his penchant for dressing up.  This one is called "Diaper Man" and is probably more for laughs than anything.  Where could he possibly get this from?   - this make a fool of yourself, attention getting behavior for laughs.  I would say he will outgrow it, but I have to take this underwear off my head first.  

Imagination can be a great thing, but sometimes....  The other day Isaiah wanted to look up aliens on the internet, because of a cartoon he watches, the aforementioned Ben Ten that is based on such.  Shelly did not feel comfortable and when she wouldn't comply he got really worked up.  He started accusing her of being an alien and wanted her to take off her disguise.  Fortunately, Shelly was able to assure him she was not.  I suppose for a seven year old imaginations can get a little out of control.  However, I still have to tell myself there are no sleestacks in my closet.  For now I think we'll switch him to watching Smurfs' reruns - anyone for a game of gnap?

Anyways, a few mud shots for you.  It's a great summer pastime in our home.  Half the time we skip clothes because it's easier to wash off bare bodies than doing laundry.  

Hope you noticed the great garden in the background - I'll tell you more about it later.  Isaiah's eighth birthday is this Friday and we're busily finalizing baptism plans.