Our Garden Part II

Well, half way through the summer our garden has made some progress, although not as much as we would've liked due to the long winter/no spring we had here in the "tundra" this year. We have already enjoyed lots of our spoils, including spinich, lettuce, peas, green beans, zucchini, summer squash, blueberries, rasberries, red and orange carrots, gooseberries, currents, and turnips. It sounds like a lot, but some of these gave a small turnout because they are new. We are still looking forward to our tomatoes, watermelon, pumpkins, edamame, blackberries, grapes, and apples (only a few). And our herb garden has been faithfully producing all summer. I love a fresh tomato and mozzarella sandwich with balsalmic vinegar and fresh basil leaves!

I have to be honest, April's been behind 95% of this garden, and I've put in a little effort here and there (usually picking off fruit/veges). Not only has she looked after the garden, but because of April we've enjoyed mixed-berry jam, zucchini bread and zucchini in all sorts of dishes (anybody want some zucchini?). It's been a lot of fun at the Foreman Farm, and there's lots to go!

The garden as a whole.

Blueberries... better cover these or the bird will get'em (we learned the hard way).

Rasberries... Nate's favorite- he visits these every day and steals all the best ones.

April's herb garden... lots of things I couldn't even begin to identify.

Our first watermelon!

That Girl Can Eat

Elin has started really walking in the past week. She has transitioned from more crawling to more walking. I guess it takes a lot of calories to be one, growing, and chase after us all. At dinner tonight Elin ate the following and kept it all down:

6 slices of watermelon
1 piece of pepperoni pizza
1/2 of corn
sippy cup of juice
1 piece of cake

To top it off she asked for more. To her disgust I said no, which did not go over well. That girl can eat.

Nathaniel Turns Four!

I know many of you didn't think it would be possible (I admit, I've had my doubts now and then), but he has proved us all wrong. Today Nathaniel made it to his 4th birthday! He has been looking forward to his party for many months (really, since his 3rd birthday), and yesterday he was finally satisfied. Nate and his friends had a great time, but Nate said it was too short... "It needs to be longer next year."

We played some games (including a water-balloon toss, which lasted 1 minute then turned into a water-balloon fight- much more fun!)...

Ate some pizza and yellow watermelon...

Sang "Happy Birthday" in an interesting key...

Took a crack at a pinata (we had to explain to Nate that he wasn't the only one playing... this was a tough lesson)...

And lots more cracks...

And finally enjoyed the spoils of the poor sea turtle...

Nate, of course, loved all of his gifts. Thanks to everyone who came and made it a great time!

Our Trip to Alaska!

Last week April and I, along with my Mom and Dad, made a visit to Alaska. The main reason for our trip was a bicycle race (see post below), but we also had a few extra days to enjoy the vast landscape of Alaska. What a beautiful land this is... truly vast, almost completely mountainous, and full of wildlife everywhere.

We started in the city of Anchorage, which is really more of a small town- but a nice town at that. We ate great seafood (and pasta for our ride), and spent time touring Anchorage on foot. The flowers are amazing there, most growing twice as big as we have in the "lower 48". I guess this is because of the 18.5 hours of sunlight in the summertime, which was something I couldn't really get used to.

After our bike ride, we spent a day in Valdez (you've probably heard of this town from the Exxon-Valdez oil spill almost 20 years ago). This was an even smaller town mostly based on its oil exportation, fishing, and tourism. The highlight of our visit was our 6-hour cruise to the Columbia Glacier, during which time we saw some wonderful wildlife- whales, sea lions, eagles, puffins, and other various creatures. Our last day was spent driving 300 miles back through the beautiful mountains and glaciers, enjoying the scenery and visiting small outback cafes along the way. What a trip!

The Fireweed 200 Bike Race

My Dad and I were crazy enough to ride 200 miles across the Alaskan landscape. What a day!!! It started when we awoke at 4 a.m. to drive to the start line (in the middle of nowhere). It was rainy and foggy and 48 degrees, not a pretty start. But, most importantly, the wind was with us for the first 75 miles. It was sobering when we turned south at about 100 miles and saw a sign saying "Valdez- 100 miles". But then the clouds cleared up and the sun gave us much needed warmth! It was a beautiful landscape, as the pictures show, and we had great weather for the next 50 miles. But that all ended when we turned into the wind, and then had to climb 15 miles up to Thompson's Pass- all against the wind. We eventually made it after a lot of blood, sweat and tears (and legs on fire!), and then a lovely down-hill most of the way to the finish line.

April and my Mom worked hard as our "sag" support, and we couldn't have done any of this without them. Thanks April and Mom! We all had a great time, but that was one experience that may remain "once in a life time."

Grandpa's 92nd Birthday Bash!

Happy Independence Day!

Well we had one jam-packed, blueberry pie-filled, ice cream-topped weekend, and here are some pictures to show what I mean. On Independence Day, after I recovered from a night shift, we drove to Aunt Kathy and Uncle Mick's place to celebrate what was left of the day. Even though we only had a few hours, it was a very relaxing time. It was a perfect night to make home-made ice cream, eat perfectly grilled salmon, and sit out in the shade. Thanks Kathy and Mick!

The next day was my Grandpa's 92nd birthday party. After helping my Mom and Dad prepare for the party, we were ready for a nap, but there was none to be had. Actually, this was more of a family reunion than a simple party (that's my Mom and Dad for you). It was great to see so many people from both sides of our family. The day was filled with lots of good food, swimming, good food, conversing with good company, good food, campfire and s'mores, hot tubbing, and more good food! I gained at least 10 lbs. But then I think I worked it all off after cleaning up the next day. What a great weekend- we're already looking forward to next year!

So what have I been doing?

What have I been doing? Well, lots of things, but you have seen a few of them. I love it when all the yumminess of summer starts to roll in! Twenty-two quarts of strawberries later we are officially set in the jam department for the next while. Fresh garden turnips or snap peas anyone?

Summer Time!

We love summer time up north ... perhaps because we wait 9 months out of the year for this time to come. We spend a lot of time in our backyard- it's close and easy. Nate loves to play and jump in the swimming pool. He also loves to play with the hose, and after a while our entire backyard feels like a soaked sponge.
Elin likes the smaller "pool" or water table. It's more her size. Look at those white legs! She definitely takes after both of her parents.Elin tends to head straight for the sandbox. We usually find her with sand in her hair and mouth... you'd think she would learn after a while that it's not so tasty.We all love watermelon in our house, but Nate takes it to the extreme. He could polish off a large melon in one sitting... no kidding. We just put him outside with a cut-up watermelon and let him go wild, then we rinse him off in the pool. This morning I found Nate taking a "bath" in the laundry tub. He told me he got "very dirty" outside and so he had to wash off. I have to admit, I didn't even know he went outside- he did all of this very quickly. We're still working on this one... Nate certainly has a mind of his own.
When children run barefoot outside, splinters are bound to occur. Nate has a splinter in the bottom of his foot, and of course he doesn't want us to touch it. Even with all my experience as an ER doc, I still can't convince my child that I may be able to help. I love summer time!

First Steps!

Well, not exactly her first steps, but the first ones we've been able to record. As all of you know, this marks new territory in the household. The more she walks, the more she will reach up and grab, and then the more crazy our house will become. It probably won't be to the same extent as Nathaniel when he was younger (not much is to the same extent as Nate, as he was walking at 8 months and running at 9 months), but all the same it will be interesting. Still, it's good to have her "cruising" around!

Fun at the Amusement Park!

My Biking Dudes

So if you know anything about us, you know biking is a "minor" part of our existence. Check the link to see Jason's current endeavor - he's training for the 200- and yes, that is miles in one day. http://www.fireweed400.com/

This love of biking definitely has had a trickle down effect. Nathaniel rode his bike around the basement this winter hollering "I'm the fastest bikerman." His goal is to be "as fast of a bikerman as Daddy" - he may not be there yet, but someday I am sure he will give Jase a run for his money.

Nate's new favorite activity is to ride the "hook-up" bike. Today he asked several times if I could take him out on the hook-up bike. I asked him what he thought we should do with Elin while we were on the bike. His response "oh don't worry about her- she will be alright."

The last shot - how much everyone eats after all that biking ;)

I love those crazy bikers!

Our garden- Part 1

I wanted to show you a picture of our garden. I'm calling it "Part 1" because it's still early in the year. Hopefully it will continue to grow, and the next time I post a picture there will be much more green. April has done the vast majority of work with this garden so far (I'm very good at thinning out the spinach for dinner time), and she's done an incredible job. In this picture you see apple trees, a cherry tree, lots of fruit plants, and of course the vegetables in the raised beds. If you come to visit, hopefully we'll have lots of good food to share!