Bunn in the Oven!

Many of you have already heard of our exciting news, but the announcement is official now that we have documentation. Carter is going to be a big brother! We're expecting our new arrival in mid April. More news will be posted as it comes. Stay tuned!

Mini-Updates

I know I'm due for a new blog post here, but my energy level is running on reserves right now. So forgive me for only posting mini-updates in a list format.

1. Carter had his first "official" haircut last weekend. It was long overdue. He did a great job sitting still and his hair looks very handsome.
2. Apple season is here! I'm trying to decide what orchards to visit. We recently tried a Ginger Gold apple and I was quite pleased with the flavor. Yum!
3. The first weekend of October always means Pumpkin Daze in Republic, MO. We're really looking forward to it (though if we could teleport there instantly, I would be even more excited).
4. Halloween is nearly here! Do you have your costume? Purchased already Carter's I have. Jedi Master Yoda he will be.
5. I just posted tons of pictures on Flickr! Check them out!

1-YEAR-OLD!

I hardly know where to begin! So much has happened since our last update. Most important...our little boy turned ONE! We had a small party here at home with a few friends and their kids. It was a perfect day all around! The weather was spectacular...we played washers and wiffle ball, grilled burgers and hot dogs, and stuffed our face with cake. I was relieved my goodie bags went over so well with the kids. It's tough to find little gifts that work for boys and girls ranging from 3 to 14! Birthday party pics are going up on Flickr now.

Carter also had his one year check-up with his doctor. Aside from the 5 shots (gasp!) he needed to get, everything went well. He's still one of those long, lean babies that never seems to fatten up no matter how much we feed him. At home, we're progressing into the toddler stage. Carter walks all over the place now, babbling and banging as he goes. For the most part, he's fairly accepting of all types of food we've tried with him. The doctor warned us this is the age that babies may not need as much food now that growth has slowed down. I think we've started to experience this behavior since Carter will emphatically shake his head "NO!" when he's had enough food.

Today we are getting ready for a big trip to Hot Springs to visit Mike's family. This will be the longest trip we've ever taken with Carter and I am astonished by the amount of stuff we have to bring for him. I hope the driving goes without incident!

Up to Our Ears in Tomatoes!

Now I'm sort of glad the deer ate some of our tomato plants. It's all we can do to keep up with current harvest! I've been a canning machine! We have pasta sauce, salsa, and tomatoes filling up the shelves of our pantry.

Unfortunately, there is a fungus among us. The tomato plants have become infected with Septoria Leaf Spot. It's a fungus that affects the leaves of the plant, and spreads through wind and direct contact. The fruit is unaffected by the fungus but as more leaves die, the plant stops producing new fruit and the existing fruit can experience sun scalding. It only affects the tomato plants, and the recommendation is that we don't try to grow tomatoes in that area for 3 years.

The entire batch of corn we grew has been lost to Japanese beetles. Despite catching thousands in the trap we set up across the yard, the beetles managed to eat their way into every single stalk of corn. I hate those things!

The cucumbers and zucchini plants started out well, producing a lot of the vegetables for us. However, they too lost the battle to the bugs. The squash bug population couldn't be controlled with our organic pest management strategies. They bled the cukes and zucs dry, and the plants haven't produced any veggies for a few weeks now. Next time we may try a chemical pecticide.

The shining star of all our plants has been the bell pepper. It has suffered no pest damage whatsoever and the peppers are HUGE! I haven't decided on the best way to preserve our pepper harvest...any suggestions?

Walking!

It's official! Carter has taken his first independent steps. The most he's managed so far is about 4-5 steps in a row, but he's getting better each day. He seems to really get a kick out of his new method of getting around. He also loves to push (and ride) his new fire truck toy. Look for videos on Flickr.

In addition to walking, Carter is becoming a master climber. A few weeks ago, we bought ourselves a new mattress for our bed. Carter very much enjoyed the shopping as he found the endless uneven surface of mattresses a perfect playground. One of his favorite activities at home involves trying to go from couch to end table. And just today on the first try, he climbed up the stairs in our house without a hitch! We need to get serious about buying a safety gate.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It seems like it's been a long time since I last posted here, but I just looked on the calendar to see that it's only been 2 weeks. I guess being busy makes it seem like we packed several weeks into just the two that have passed.

The garden harvest has begun. Already we have more cucumbers and zucchini than we know what to do with. The tomatoes have started to turn red and we are most anxious to try the Brandy Boy tomato. Unfortunately, I think we are losing the battle against the bugs. The cucumbers and zucchini plants are suffering the most, and the tomatoes are fighting hard against something I can't identify. We plan to bring in some clippings to the Plant Doctor at the Missouri Botanical Garden to get some advice.

Last weekend, after harvesting some of our veggies, I thought I'd pick some of those wild berries we have along the tree line in our backyard. Mike had already picked some similar berries nearby and they we quite good. The day after I picked them, I discovered a poison ivy type of rash on my face and on my wrist. Good thing I was wearing pants, long sleeves, and gloves or else things might have been much worse. One week and half a bottle of calamine lotion later, the rash is nearly gone.

As if things couldn't have gotten worse after the rash, that same night I took a spill down the stairs in our house. A "spill" is really a euphemism...it was a hard hit. Really I was quite lucky. Nothing broken, but one VERY black and blue butt cheek.

On a happier note, the weather was amazing this weekend. Sun, clouds, breeze, and mid 70s. We took full advantage, visiting the Soulard Farmer's Market and then hiking yesterday. And today we went to the botanical garden. Hope this weather lasts through the week!

Pictures to be posted tonight!

Firework Fuddy-Duddy

Time seems to be going by so quickly. I can't believe it's already July! Happy 4th to all by the way. I'm not feeling very celebratory right now...hope you'll forgive me. Carter is just getting over being sick but Mike also seems to have caught something so we've spent most of the weekend on the couch. Fine by me since we certainly could use a restful weekend, except the neighbors are still shooting off fireworks after our bedtime. I hate to be a party pooper but it sounds like those things are going off on our front porch. I can't believe Carter is sleeping through it (knock on wood).

Anyway, between the fireworks and Mike's mucus-gargled breathing, I couldn't fall asleep so I thought I'd update the blog with a long-overdue post.

The big event since the last post was the Twins v. Cardinals game here in St. Louis. Mamaw, Papaw, Grandma, and Pop all came to stay with us that weekend and go to the game. I was really excited to see the Twins play and the new Cardinals stadium is a fun place to watch baseball. I even had a hybrid outfit ready for Carter, Twins hat and Cardinals romper. Unfortunately, the day of the game ended up being the last day of a horrid heat wave in St. Louis. Our game was scheduled for high noon. I had no hope of lasting even halfway through the game. We armed ourselves with sunscreen, water bottles, misting fans, and wet cloths. We were lucky to have one inning of shade before the sun cooked us. The 3rd inning was as far as we could tolerate sitting in 100F temps. The Cardinals ended up winning that game, but the Twins won the other two in the series (yay!). We got a few photos but they look awful since everyone appears so uncomfortable.

The garden is doing well, though we still battle with the local wildlife. Deer and now squirrels are the usual culprits. Additionally, the war now involves insects. I think this is a losing battle though...short of covering the plants in chemicals requiring a haz-mat suit (which would defeat the purpose of a vegetable garden), nothing seems to stop the bugs altogether. Oh well. At least the first harvests of tomatoes and cucumbers turned out to be quite tasty.

Not too much going on the next several weeks. We may try to attend some local events on the weekends here. Summer is the time for festivals. I LOVE festivals, especially food festivals! I've already been to a couple...the Strawberry Festival in Kimmswick and the Gypsy Caravan. Next weekend is the Peach Festival in Kirkwood, and the following is Sunflower Days in Clarksville. Hope we can go!

One big event coming up is Carter's first birthday. I think we may have a small party here at our house and then take a trip to Arkansas over Labor Day weekend to celebrate again there. The party here will probably pretty simple...he is only 1 year old after all. At least I'll have a good excuse to make Gracie's carrot cake (so heavenly!). Any ideas for activities for the guests would be appreciated!

Hope all are well and had a safe holiday!