The Dog Days of Summer

Wow looking back, its been a while since I last posted. A testament to how busy we've been around here at Woodland. It has been so miserably and record breakingly hawt! Yet the kiddies could play outside most of the day if you keep the little pool filled. I love the fact they would rather play outdoors in a heartbeat!

As you can see the tomato crop is plentiful this year. Little Miss AnnaBelle enjoys counting and stacking them while I put them up. Along with the butterbeans and corn we are stocking the freezer full! Tomorrow I am going to make a batch of fig jam. Our tree is loaded with them this year.

My sunflowers this year bloomed in spectacular fashion and I didn't realize we had planted such a variety. Tomorrow I'll harvest what seeds I have left that the birds haven't enjoyed.

I'm keeping Nathan busy this summer. He enjoyed bible school at Rocky Hock UMC for the third year in a row and each year more and more children are attending. So good to see such a great turnout this year. This past week I signed him up for 3 days of tennis camp (MWF) at Cypress Cove. He absolutely loves it. So much that I am signing him up for a full week the second week in August. We played some on the basketball court this evening and had quite a few rallies. It was so nice playing tennis with my little man, what a special evening!

Papa's pool has been a nice respite after Nathan's tennis practices. AnnaBelle is getting to be a better swimmer everytime she gets into the pool. Nathan is learning to dive but it just looks like a cannon ball/belly flop! :)

The butterbeans are plentiful this season. We have been getting rain when we need it, such a different circumstance from last year. I picked over half bushel this morning. We're still doing the patch therapy on AnnaBelle's right eye (the good one) She has an appointment at the end of August and if this isn't going to work, I am thinking against the surgery. It will only correct the straightness which isn't that slightly off, but will not correct the vision. So I see no need in putting her through it.

My little girl will be starting preschool in the fall! She is doing so well on her potty training, I have been so proud of her. Still a ways to go, but what progress we have made!! :)

July Happenings

The 4th of July was pleasantly spent on the farm with the in-laws coming over for dinner. In addition it was also George's birthday AND his Mom and Dad's anniversary. We had lots of vegetables from the garden along with chicken on the grill. AnnaBelle helped me make a chocolate cake for her Daddy and has eaten her weight in it since. She loves cake........ and flags!

The garden is producing extra since we've been blessed with rain when we needed it. Sure has been a change from last year.

We camped out twice last week since we had such great weather for it. No humidity and lows in the low 60's for both nights we camped out and I could do it every night if the weather cooperated. AnnaBelle is still asking me every evening if, "We gonna camp out, Momma?" Followed by a sigh of discontent when I tell her it's too hot....and boy has it been hot!

When the heat, humidity and the thunderstorms chase us inside we find other things to occupy the day.

Board games have been a hit. I bought a few over the last couple of months and have been introducing them to the kiddies. They LOVE this one! Isn't that the cutest toe?

But when it's really hot we head down to the river. A couple of weeks ago Nathan landed this nice smallmouth on a beetle spin. He was super happy and I was super proud. My little guy is getting to be quite the fisherman. He can throw right up to the shoreline with ease. He'll have his occasional squirrel fishing fiasco in the trees, but he quickly gets out of it, keeping his bait. Who hasn't?

Since this picture was taken the river has risen over 4 feet. The little islands are covered and we'll have to wait a few weeks for the level to go down. Judging from this map it could be a while.

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=akq&gage=sebv2&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1&toggles=10,7,8,2,9,15,6

Hmmm...we could always get that part we need for the canoe and put that into action! ;)