Another Tornado?

A couple of nights ago, we had another round of bad storms, and we're pretty sure a tornado came through our neighborhood. We were woken up in the middle of the night around 12 AM by the storms. We thought our windows were about to bust open. Then, around 3 AM we were woken up by chainsaws. Our neighbors' tree fell across the road, and somehow the city found out about it and came out to clean it up at 3 in the morning. We still aren't quite sure how they found out. It was a huge tree though, and had originally been damaged back during the April tornadoes. Here is a picture of Frank and Little checking out the damage.Our other neighbors had a huge tree that fell on their house but did minimal damage. It was just leaning on the house. They had to bring a crane in to get the tree off of the house. Notice the base of the tree is up out of the ground.At our house, we had a small amount of damage, mostly to our front porch. We were very fortunate to not have more damage.

And here are two pictures that are just too cute not to share. After Little and Daddy checked out the damage, they came inside and she gave him a big sweet kiss and then was so proud of herself. What a sweetie!

Our Garden Now

It's been a month since I showed you pictures of our garden, and let me tell you, A LOT has happened. Remember the beginnings of our garden? Take a look now...With all the growth, Frank had to put in a few trellises.
And the herb garden is almost out of control. Look at this oregano. All of the herbs have just blown up. Seriously, if you need any fresh herbs (including oregano, basil, dill, lemon thyme, sage, cilantro, and mint), please let me know. I would be thrilled to share because we will never use all of this.

Playdate at Big Jen's

Today, we got all the kiddos together so they could play and we moms could socialize. It was a lot of fun. Thanks to Big Jen for offering her home and Isaac's toys and for the yummy lemonade and snacks. It has been awhile since we got together, so it was so good to catch up. Playdates are much needed for babies and moms alike!

House Projects Update

Awhile back, I told you that we'd be working on some house projects over the next few weeks. Well, today was one of those days. Of course, when I say "we," that doesn't really include me. I was busy taking care of Little. But much thanks goes out to Frank's parents who helped him conquer some major projects today. First of all, Frank and his dad built a really nice platform to cover our old hot tub that was collecting dirt, leaves, and who knows what else. The plan is to put a fire pit on the platform. Of course, I had to throw out my suggestion for a karaoke machine and dance stage, but the fire pit will win this one. It also makes a nice footrest. I'm planning to get some nice outdoor cushions for the bench.They also started the major pressure washing project. You never really know how dirty your stuff is until you pressure wash and compare. Frank's mom was a pro at pressure washing the siding on the garage. Here is a before and after photo.And take a look at the concrete. Frank even wrote my name in it with the pressure washer. It really didn't look that dirty until the clean parts were right beside the dirty ones. What a difference!And since we're talking about the backyard, I'll add that my Mexican lillies are blooming beautifully. I planted these 2 years ago not knowing anything about them. When I planted them, there were 3 flowers. They have come back every year and multiplied. Take a look now!The garden is doing great, too. We actually picked a tomato off the vine this weekend, and I made spaghetti with fresh herbs from my herb garden.

Little had a good time today, too. She walked around the yard with Momma J while all the work was going on and then had a good time playing with Big Daddy's tools. We are so thankful to have both my parents and Frank's parents so close. What a huge blessing they are to us!

11 month update

It's amazing to me how grown up my little girl is! I don't have her height/weight stats since there was no doctor's appointment this month, but here are some new tidbits about our sweet little toddler.

-She has really taken to the finger foods. In fact, she does not like to be spoon fed. Sometimes she will actually refuse to eat until I give her something she can feed herself. Luckily, we've found quite a few things that she likes to feed herself. Her latest favorite is ravioli and diced pears. I must admit that it's nice to sit down with her at the table and not have to do anything but keep her company.

-She has also graduated to big girl pajamas. No more one piece pajamas. And she is so much happier about this. Putting on pajamas used to be the most dreadful part of her day. Now, it's not so bad. She just looks so much older in the big girl clothes, though. It's exciting, yet sad.

-Little and Mollie (the dog) are really starting to enjoy each other more and more. They will chase each other around, and Mollie will even allow Little to pet her now that she is learning to pet softly. Little loves to hear Mollie talk (or howl). It makes her laugh every time. She will come from the other room to see Mollie if she starts talking. Here she is laughing at Mollie:-Her noise making and babbling is starting to sound more like actual conversations, just still not in English. She loves to watch herself talk, too, which is a lot easier now that we've put up a full length mirror in the playroom.-She loves to brush her teeth. We got the best little toothbrush for her that has special bristles that feel good on her gums and a safety rim so she can't stick it too far into her mouth. She enjoys this every night.

-She loves to be tickled. And what a sweet smile she has! And I love to hear her laugh. What makes her laugh the most, though, is playing with Daddy when he gets home from work. They love to chase each other and play tackle.

-We're looking forward to a few big events. First, we have an upcoming birthday party. We're planning a family party and hoping some of Little's cousins will make it from out of town. Then, this summer we're going to take Little to the beach and can't wait to see her play in the sand! We're also hoping to have quite a few pool playdates this summer. We'll keep you posted!

Chick-fil-A

Now that Little is walking, Little Pea Adventures have gotten even more fun than before. Yesterday, we went to lunch at Chick-fil-A with Momma J and Daddy J. Little was so excited to play in the toddler area and to meet other girls. They were so sweet to talk to her. One of them, who was 5, very sweetly asked Little, "Do you want me to teach you some words and show you around?" You'll have to excuse the poor camera quality. I didn't have my handy little pocket camera, so I had to use my phone.What a big girl! I think it's official that she is now a toddler, not a baby.

Teeth, Teeth and More Teeth!

Our Little Walker is getting more teeth! If you read my last post, you know she already has 7, but she is now teething again and we're not even sure how many this time. Today, I tried to get a picture of her teeth, which was not an easy task. She just kept wanting to reach for the camera when I was taking pictures. It's nice for her to have so many teeth already because it has really allowed us to try lots of new foods. She is getting really good with her finger foods, and we love to try new things. Her newest favorite finger food is American cheese. (Thanks for the suggestion, Sandy!) She also likes to feed herself cereal bars and diced carrots. I wonder how many teeth she'll have by her birthday. Only 5 weeks to go!