raising heller

basil.
my favorite fresh herb to cook with (probably the only fresh herb i have cooked with)

zucchini.
my zucchini plant hasn’t been doing too great. this is my only zucchini that has grown. when i transplanted this from a pot to the ground, i don’t think i got it in the ground good enough. oh-well at least i will have one.

roma tomato.
obviously not ripe yet but there are for nice sized ones to choose from.

bell pepper.
i love bell peppers. fortunately this plant was happy and there are like 8 or 9 growing pretty quickly.

this is jackson’s sunflower.
he planted a little sunflower seed in an egg carton at preschool and this is what it has become. i think he planted it way back in april or may but this little sucker has hung on quite well. today is the first day that it opened but it is a good two feet tall.

i thought i would try gardening this year. i really don’t know what i am doing but most of my plants are producing for me anyway. i just thought i would document them just in case i ever feel like i am not a very good homemaker. i mean come on, i grew my very own vegetables and herbs. i am sure most of you are thinking, “what’s the big deal?” well, this kind of thing just wasn’t done in my home growing up. we just weren’t the gardening kind of people. actually, i did try to keep a cactus once but killed it by over watering it! i obviously didn’t know what i was doing. well when we lived in spokane, steven’s family had/has this huge garden every summer and it was the most awesome thing. all i had to do was walk into my backyard and i had my pick of zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, corn, basil, pumpkins, green beans and i am sure there is much more that i am forgetting. i was able to watch them a bit and thought i would give it a try. i love walking outside every day and seeing how much my plants are growing, it is very satisfying.

so the other day i was on the computer when asher comes in the room and he covered in necklaces and bracelets. by the time i got to the camera he had already taken off most of the bracelets but i still captured him with all of the necklaces. he is honestly the funniest little kid, i could tell from the look on his face when he walked in the room that he knew he was looking pretty darn cute.

i can hardly ever get them sitting by each other so i thought i would throw this in.

so the other day i was on the computer when asher comes in the room and he covered in necklaces and bracelets. by the time i got to the camera he had already taken off most of the bracelets but i still captured him with all of the necklaces. he is honestly the funniest little kid, i could tell from the look on his face when he walked in the room that he knew he was looking pretty darn cute.

i can hardly ever get them sitting by each other so i thought i would throw this in.

i have been wanting to cut lily’s hair for a while now and today she finally, begrudgingly, let me. she hates it when i blowdry her hair and it was getting really hard the longer it got. she also didn’t like me to put it up so cutting it was the only option. i think she has a really good face for a bob and i thought i would share it with you all.

i asked lily if she likes it and she says, “i don’t know.” no one ever likes their hair on the first day after cutting it, so i guess that answer was to be expected. i think she looks pretty cute!

i have been wanting to cut lily’s hair for a while now and today she finally, begrudgingly, let me. she hates it when i blowdry her hair and it was getting really hard the longer it got. she also didn’t like me to put it up so cutting it was the only option. i think she has a really good face for a bob and i thought i would share it with you all.

i asked lily if she likes it and she says, “i don’t know.” no one ever likes their hair on the first day after cutting it, so i guess that answer was to be expected. i think she looks pretty cute!

(one of his favorite birthday gifts, he actually wore the helmet to chuck-e-cheese)

june 3rd my little baby turned 2! can i still call him a baby? i can’t believe how old he is seeming lately. he didn’t talk for the longest time and now all of a sudden, he is saying everything (or at least trying to.) it is so fun to see him blossom and grow. asher is the most loving cuddly little kid i know. if he is upset or crying about anything, all i have to do is sing him this lullaby that i use to sing him as a baby and he immediately stops crying and cuddles up close. he loves bears, blankies, binkies, his bed (i have never seen a kid love their bed more than him, he literally laugh and giggles when ever we put him in it), he still sleeps in a pack-n-play (we tried cribs but he never slept good in them), loves almost all food, ice cream (gets crazy milkshake headaches just like me if he eats it too fast) mr. potato head, the park, water parks, getting dirty, reading, music and listening to steven play the guitar (when he was a baby he use to watch steven so intensely that steven thinks (hopes) that he will be his guitar player prodigy). this kid has the best smile and fortunately he blesses us with it all the time. he is truly a happy kid and he makes our family better for it. thanks for blessing our home every day buddy! i love you!

he got into the dirt/bark in the backyard. he had a good time until he started getting slivers on his neck and in the bottom of his feet from the bark. i had to sit with him for a long while pulling them out. that is the most still i have ever seen him.

(one of his favorite birthday gifts, he actually wore the helmet to chuck-e-cheese)

june 3rd my little baby turned 2! can i still call him a baby? i can’t believe how old he is seeming lately. he didn’t talk for the longest time and now all of a sudden, he is saying everything (or at least trying to.) it is so fun to see him blossom and grow. asher is the most loving cuddly little kid i know. if he is upset or crying about anything, all i have to do is sing him this lullaby that i use to sing him as a baby and he immediately stops crying and cuddles up close. he loves bears, blankies, binkies, his bed (i have never seen a kid love their bed more than him, he literally laugh and giggles when ever we put him in it), he still sleeps in a pack-n-play (we tried cribs but he never slept good in them), loves almost all food, ice cream (gets crazy milkshake headaches just like me if he eats it too fast) mr. potato head, the park, water parks, getting dirty, reading, music and listening to steven play the guitar (when he was a baby he use to watch steven so intensely that steven thinks (hopes) that he will be his guitar player prodigy). this kid has the best smile and fortunately he blesses us with it all the time. he is truly a happy kid and he makes our family better for it. thanks for blessing our home every day buddy! i love you!

he got into the dirt/bark in the backyard. he had a good time until he started getting slivers on his neck and in the bottom of his feet from the bark. i had to sit with him for a long while pulling them out. that is the most still i have ever seen him.

(steven enjoying a piece of leftover mangled pizza from asher)

we have had a few birthdays in our home over the last few weeks and steven came next in the line up on june 2nd. the kids and i made him a little cake and surprised him at work one day and took him out to dinner. he picked claim jumper and we had a blast. we aren’t big celebrators so this was pretty much all that happened.

i am grateful to have steven in my life. he works so hard so that i can stay home with our children. he has also started going back to school in the last year so he is even busier. he leaves for work at around 7, doesn’t get home until 7’ish and then has to start homework. fortunately for him, he is one of those people that does good in school without too much effort and this time around i think he is actually enjoying it a little. he is a great dad and a wonderful husband and i am so thankful to have him in my life.

happy 33rd birthday babe!

(steven enjoying a piece of leftover mangled pizza from asher)

we have had a few birthdays in our home over the last few weeks and steven came next in the line up on june 2nd. the kids and i made him a little cake and surprised him at work one day and took him out to dinner. he picked claim jumper and we had a blast. we aren’t big celebrators so this was pretty much all that happened.

i am grateful to have steven in my life. he works so hard so that i can stay home with our children. he has also started going back to school in the last year so he is even busier. he leaves for work at around 7, doesn’t get home until 7’ish and then has to start homework. fortunately for him, he is one of those people that does good in school without too much effort and this time around i think he is actually enjoying it a little. he is a great dad and a wonderful husband and i am so thankful to have him in my life.

happy 33rd birthday babe!

happy birthday lily! i have been sorely neglecting my blogging duties so i have to catch up starting with lily’s birthday that was on May 10th. i can’t believe that my little baby has grown from this tiny little baby (well not that tiny at 9.3 i think she was closer to a 1 month old) with tubes up her nose and hooked to all sorts of monitors

to this grown up beautiful five year old.

five years have gone by so fast and that is a little scary to think about. how fast will the next 5 years go? for now she loves to play with her brothers, loves puzzles, games, any kind of craft, making messes (not cleaning them up), high school musical 1, 2 & 3, princesses, pink, purple, coloring, writing words, trying to read, she only eats chicken nuggets, quesadilla’s, pizza, grilled cheese, any kind of fruit, yogurt, candy, cakes, cookies & milk. she literally wont eat eat something if she is not sure that she will love it. this is where her stubborn side shows the most because she is more than happy to got to bed without eating to save herself from eating anything that she might not like. even though this is so frustrating sometimes, i love that she accepts the consequences of not eating what i have made with such grace. lily is constantly singing or talking. unless she is in her room for quiet time (she hates that i make her do this), i can be guaranteed to hear some sort of chattering. lily is very studious and i just know that she will be the best student in our home. ever since preschool ended, she keeps asking, “how many more days until summer is over?” the girl can’t wait to start kindergarten this year. i thank heavenly father everyday for bringing her love and light into our home. i love you lily belle

lily shoving her face with cake at her little party.

opening one of her presents wearing a hat that she made at school.