It's been raining nonstop for over 30 hours. I'm not kidding, it hasn't stopped even for a moment.
Before all this rain came, we had some beautiful weather during the week and Carter and I made the most of it. We hiked at Shaw Nature Reserve and saw spring wildflowers blooming including daffodils, bluebells, and poppies. Flowering dogwoods are finally showing their white blooms within the towering oaks around our house. Next we visited the St. Louis Zoo and saw bears, penguins, big cats, and more. Then finally we visited the Botanical Garden, which was really the most spectacular. I've been to the garden more times than I can count, but I think this time of year is my favorite. The spring tulip display is really amazing. Anyone who visits us here can count on me recommending the garden as a place to spend the day.
Tomorrow is opening turkey hunting for Missouri and Mike is chomping at the bit to get out and "bag a bird". Everyone cross your fingers for a good hunt this year.
Couple new videos are up on Flickr. Make sure you take a look at "The Amazing Flying Carter!" and how Carter reacts to the sound of Mike's owl call.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Momma's Little Bear
Not too much to update in the Bunn household. Just a few tidbits...Carter has officially lost all of the dark hair he was born with. Now his head is covered only with the light brown fuzzy hair which has earned him the nickname "Little Bear" from his mom. Still no crawling, but he could win a breakdancing contest with the way he spins around on his belly. And finally after getting his first two bottom teeth at 4 months, two more teeth on top are emerging just after 7 months.
Mike is working hard getting our garden ready for planting and I continue to tend our seedlings. Today I took Carter to a farmers' market and we enjoyed checking out all the flowers and plants for sale was well as some early produce. I can't wait until local veggie availability picks up full swing.
More to come soon...we've got some fun things planned for the upcoming weekends.
Mike is working hard getting our garden ready for planting and I continue to tend our seedlings. Today I took Carter to a farmers' market and we enjoyed checking out all the flowers and plants for sale was well as some early produce. I can't wait until local veggie availability picks up full swing.
More to come soon...we've got some fun things planned for the upcoming weekends.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sprouting Seeds and an Irish Jig
It's a bit of a whirlwind to have two sets of Carter's grandparents visit on back-to-back weekends, but totally worth it. Mamaw and Papaw took us all to the Blue Owl for breakfast and enjoyed a walk around the neighborhood with Carter on a warm Saturday afternoon. Seven days later, Grandma and Pop visited and went swimming with Carter at the rec center while it snowed outside. Other than the weird changes in weather, the two weekend were great and Carter looks forward to more visits.
Thankfully the snow has already melted and the sun is shining. As pretty as everything looked covered in white, I am anxious for the warm weather to come. Especially since we started some of our vegetable seeds indoors this week. Already we have some sprouts from our Roma tomatoes. I hope Carter will tolerate sitting in his play pen (or play penitentiary) in the shade while mom and dad work in the garden.
A hilarious new video will be posted on Flickr momentarily. St. Patrick's Day may be over, but the Irish are still dancing in Hillsboro. Could Carter be the next Lord of the Dance? Check out the video to see Carter's Irish jig.
Thankfully the snow has already melted and the sun is shining. As pretty as everything looked covered in white, I am anxious for the warm weather to come. Especially since we started some of our vegetable seeds indoors this week. Already we have some sprouts from our Roma tomatoes. I hope Carter will tolerate sitting in his play pen (or play penitentiary) in the shade while mom and dad work in the garden.
A hilarious new video will be posted on Flickr momentarily. St. Patrick's Day may be over, but the Irish are still dancing in Hillsboro. Could Carter be the next Lord of the Dance? Check out the video to see Carter's Irish jig.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Carter Updates
I hope this warmer weather has arrived for good! It's really let us break in the baby backpack carrier. Carter seems content to ride around and look at things, though sometimes he has trouble staying awake.
Carter updates:
- He's getting really good at grabbing little puffs with his tiny finger and thumb, then putting them in his mouth. He seems delighted when he succeeds.
- A few more inches and he'll be too big for his carseat. We'll have to upgrade to the next size up.
- Celebrated his first St. Paddy's Day at the popular Irish pub McGurk's in St. Louis.
- Tons of new pics on Flickr...check them out!
Carter updates:
- He's getting really good at grabbing little puffs with his tiny finger and thumb, then putting them in his mouth. He seems delighted when he succeeds.
- A few more inches and he'll be too big for his carseat. We'll have to upgrade to the next size up.
- Celebrated his first St. Paddy's Day at the popular Irish pub McGurk's in St. Louis.
- Tons of new pics on Flickr...check them out!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Spring is in the Air!
Little teasers of spring keep showing themselves. The birds are very active around our feeders. The male goldfinches are becoming more yellow and the male cardinals are serenading the females. Today I saw a bluebird fly through our yard. Though they are year-round residents in Missouri (state bird even!), I don't often get to see them since they don't eat seeds. Even though today brought a cold spell, it still feels like spring is just around the corner.
Carter's 6-month doctor visit went well. He's growing like a weed and seems to be on track with all his developmental milestones. He measured 28 inches long (93%) and weighed 17 lbs, 6 oz (50%). Still long and lean. Solid food is a regular part of his diet now. He's become quite good at sitting up on his own (with the occasional tumble). He can support himself on his feet for a long time if he's got something to hold onto. No crawling yet but we expect it to happen any day now. He can move himself in a 360 degree circle while lying on his belly, but no forward motion yet. Beware your fingers if you visit! He's quite the biter and those baby teeth are sharp! Finally, and probably the most significant for me and Mike, he sleeps through the night! WooHoo!!! (releasing confetti and paper streamers into the air!)
Our garden planning continues this month as we clean all our tools and supplies. In a couple weeks we plan to start sowing some seeds indoors. As soon as the ground dries up a bit, we'll begin working the soil.
Posting some pics on Flickr!
Carter's 6-month doctor visit went well. He's growing like a weed and seems to be on track with all his developmental milestones. He measured 28 inches long (93%) and weighed 17 lbs, 6 oz (50%). Still long and lean. Solid food is a regular part of his diet now. He's become quite good at sitting up on his own (with the occasional tumble). He can support himself on his feet for a long time if he's got something to hold onto. No crawling yet but we expect it to happen any day now. He can move himself in a 360 degree circle while lying on his belly, but no forward motion yet. Beware your fingers if you visit! He's quite the biter and those baby teeth are sharp! Finally, and probably the most significant for me and Mike, he sleeps through the night! WooHoo!!! (releasing confetti and paper streamers into the air!)
Our garden planning continues this month as we clean all our tools and supplies. In a couple weeks we plan to start sowing some seeds indoors. As soon as the ground dries up a bit, we'll begin working the soil.
Posting some pics on Flickr!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Appalling
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 22, 2009
Jefferson County leads Missouri in meth lab incidents
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department says Missouri had more than 20 percent of all meth lab incidents nationwide in fiscal year 2008. Jefferson County also had the most methamphetamine lab incidents in Missouri during the reported time, with about 200 reported. Jefferson County relied on figures from the El Paso Intelligence Center, which gathers narcotics statistics. While the majority of states contribute information, the figures may not include all seizures nationwide. Authorities record an incident when they bust a lab or find a dump site of chemicals and equipment used for making meth. Jefferson County's rural location make it a popular spot for meth making. The county is also known for its aggressive enforcement against meth, which allows the department to record such a high number of incidents.
Jefferson County leads Missouri in meth lab incidents
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department says Missouri had more than 20 percent of all meth lab incidents nationwide in fiscal year 2008. Jefferson County also had the most methamphetamine lab incidents in Missouri during the reported time, with about 200 reported. Jefferson County relied on figures from the El Paso Intelligence Center, which gathers narcotics statistics. While the majority of states contribute information, the figures may not include all seizures nationwide. Authorities record an incident when they bust a lab or find a dump site of chemicals and equipment used for making meth. Jefferson County's rural location make it a popular spot for meth making. The county is also known for its aggressive enforcement against meth, which allows the department to record such a high number of incidents.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Things that Grow
Mike and I have begun planning our vegetable garden for this year. We've ordered our seeds and designed the layout for the planting. Last year was our first year ever trying out our green thumbs. Overall we were really pleased with how things went, but we've got some new ideas on things we'd like to try this year. For the most part, we are planning to grow the same vegetables as last year, but with some different varieties this time around. My mouth is already watering at the thought of those tasty tomatoes! On the books, we've got tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, corn, zucchini, herbs, and of course watermelon. We'll also try to pick strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, and apples from local farms.
Speaking of local farms...I recently read an article about CSA farms. CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. They are sort of like a private farmers' market where an individual can make a financial contribution to a local farm (like a shareholder), and receive a weekly basket of fresh produce from the farm. This website allows you to find local farms (CSAs or otherwise) dealing in all things imaginable...veggies, eggs, beef, goat milk, chicken, herbs, etc. I was surprised how many farms deal in my tiny community. Perhaps we will check a few out this year in case we decide to buy into a CSA farm next year.
Apples are probably my absolute favorite fruit. I love apples and literally eat an apple a day. It's a bit of an obsession really. I even eat an apple the same exact way every time. Am I alone in this? I'm very particular about the kind of apples I eat. They must be crisp with a good snap in every bite. I'm partial to tart apples but other varieties are good too. My mission is to try as many varieties as possible. It may be a lifetime before that happens as there are hundreds of different kinds of apples. My favorites are Honey Crisps, Jonathans, McIntosh, and of course Grannies. While I buy my apples at the grocery store, in the fall I love to get apples from local farms...something about the flavor makes these apples the BEST. Great for snacking but also good for applesauce.
One of the local conservation areas holds an annual Maple Sugar Festival in February. Mike and I attended last year, and seeing how easy it was to make maple syrup, we wanted to give it a go. Sugar maple trees are the best for making the syrup. We have two in our front yard but unfortunately they are just shy of the recommended diameter for trees that a safe to tap. That hasn't stopped the neighborhood yellow-belly sapsucker though. This woodpecker has drilled dozens of holes in our trees to get the sap flowing. And boy does it flow! The past few days have dropped below freezing and so the sap has formed huge "icicles" that hang from the tree branches. Hopefully next year we can try collecting it to make some syrup.
Speaking of local farms...I recently read an article about CSA farms. CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. They are sort of like a private farmers' market where an individual can make a financial contribution to a local farm (like a shareholder), and receive a weekly basket of fresh produce from the farm. This website allows you to find local farms (CSAs or otherwise) dealing in all things imaginable...veggies, eggs, beef, goat milk, chicken, herbs, etc. I was surprised how many farms deal in my tiny community. Perhaps we will check a few out this year in case we decide to buy into a CSA farm next year.
Apples are probably my absolute favorite fruit. I love apples and literally eat an apple a day. It's a bit of an obsession really. I even eat an apple the same exact way every time. Am I alone in this? I'm very particular about the kind of apples I eat. They must be crisp with a good snap in every bite. I'm partial to tart apples but other varieties are good too. My mission is to try as many varieties as possible. It may be a lifetime before that happens as there are hundreds of different kinds of apples. My favorites are Honey Crisps, Jonathans, McIntosh, and of course Grannies. While I buy my apples at the grocery store, in the fall I love to get apples from local farms...something about the flavor makes these apples the BEST. Great for snacking but also good for applesauce.
One of the local conservation areas holds an annual Maple Sugar Festival in February. Mike and I attended last year, and seeing how easy it was to make maple syrup, we wanted to give it a go. Sugar maple trees are the best for making the syrup. We have two in our front yard but unfortunately they are just shy of the recommended diameter for trees that a safe to tap. That hasn't stopped the neighborhood yellow-belly sapsucker though. This woodpecker has drilled dozens of holes in our trees to get the sap flowing. And boy does it flow! The past few days have dropped below freezing and so the sap has formed huge "icicles" that hang from the tree branches. Hopefully next year we can try collecting it to make some syrup.
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