A little more this and that~

Our garden has been growing pretty well. The tomatoes are getting really tall, and we are trying a different method of holding them up so we will see if it works this year! The glads are taking over the entire big garden, this fall I am going to dig them all up and relegate them to ONE corner. Even though they are propagated by bulbs, I have found glads all over the garden, even in the raised beds. 

We have a few lilies, and we have one lily that is just enormous. This picture really doesn't do it justice, but for comparisons sake, the statue of Our Lady is at least 12 inches tall. 

Last week, both Kateri and Sebastian had a little stomach virus, that was thankfully very short lived and left before Pat, Chiara or I caught it. Even though it is so sad they are sick, it is extra special to get some extra cuddling in!

Laura left us some rhubarb, and we picked more in our backyard, threw in some blackberries from the backyard bushes, some granny smiths, and made an apple crisp! It was so yummy! I inadvertently doubled the recipe for the crumble on top and so it was very VERY thick and hearty!

Chiara under a pile of toys thoughtfully left by her older siblings!

Last week, we also went to Merrifield . . .

the land of free popcorn and tantalizing plants that cost a very little bit more than you'd want to pay . . .


like the tree Pat and I both really liked and were tempted to purchase, but decided against it when a glance at the price tag revealed it was slightly out of our price range, to the little tune of $1800.00.


The sale table is more to our liking!

We did find some good perennials, though!

And lastly, I love this little shot of Dad and Chiara, who is so happy to be talking to her dear Grandpa!

This and That, random phone pics :)

Sebastian has been enjoying the play-mags he got for his birthday, and it has been fun to see what sort of things he builds. Often, he builds something and then destroys it with glee. He also discovered that he can build his towers against the sliding glass door. 

Leaning Tower of Bashy

Kateri has been very keen on trees of late, and one day Mihi helped her climb the perfect climbing tree.

And of course, Sebastian couldn't be left out!

When trees aren't available, light-poles are!

"Just a little high, not too much." ~ Kateri

This pic of the cousins always cracks me up:

A couple days before Laura and Mikey headed to Hawaii, we took the kids out to ice-cream at Nathan's. I didn't tell Kateri where we were going, just told her it was going to be a surprise! She was very very excited. When we picked out the ice-cream, she thought it was neat, but was sure the surprise involved something of the play-ground variety, and was so thrilled that she literally did not eat one bite of ice-cream. Can this child possibly be related to me?


Can you tell how happy she was in these pics?

Laura and I had to laugh~ Charlotte and Sebastian really looked like siblings, this picture doesn't  capture it, but in their coloring they look very much related! 

She wasn't too happy when she found out that the ice cream WAS the treat! And that we weren't going to the play ground (it was very very hot and very very sunny). Perhaps delayed gratification isn't always the best :)

Chiara's First and Second Month Photos

She may be child number three, but neither of her older siblings have month by month photographs, so there are some things she gets to do first! 

One Month Old

Two Months Old

Bashy's Second Birthday Part II

Part I here

So, as I mentioned, everyone slept quite well, until the sun peeked over the horizon and the natives were restless and rearin' to go by about 6 AM. Pat, being the saint he is, immediately threw some clothes on them and rushed them out the door so that I could get more sleep (did I get a winner, or did I get a winner?? :) ). They went to the beach, played on the playground, went to eat some  of the continental breakfast, "played" ping pong, AND chess, AND cornhole, and then headed back to see how we were doing! By then it was 7:30 (they packed a lot in!), and Chiara was stirring, so they joined me as I went down for my breakfast and they could enjoy their second breakfast, as only good hobbits do.

Afterwards, we went swimming in the outdoor hotel pool, well, PAT went swimming with Kateri, while I held Chiara and chased Sebastian around (for some reason, he would  not touch the water!). Kateri had a blast, and after 30 minutes or so I was more then ready to vamanos, and so we headed out!

On Laura's recommendation, we left to check out the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. It was absolutely beautiful and, even though the entrance fee was pricey, it was well worth it!

The botanical gardens are surrounded by a serene lake, which has only private access via the houses surrounding the house. So it is very quiet, and though there are some boats on it, there are not many. The botanical gardens offers boat tours of the gardens themselves, which would be a fun thing to try one day. It was nearing lunch time, and after such a packed morning, everyone was hungry and so we stopped for a picnic right at the lake's edge.

Immediately, several turtles swam right up to Kateri, and I had to ask myself if we had suddenly stepped into Edward Eager's Magic By the Lake, although I don't believe the turtle was overly friendly in that book. The turtles and (very) large fish must have been used to little delectables offered by the gardens patrons, they were entirely unafraid and shockingly bold!

This turtle took a treat from Kateri's hand at one point!

Despite it being a Saturday, the park wasn't crowded at all.

Afterwards, we headed over to the visitor center, and checked out the airport that is right next to the gardens! If you climb up the hill, you can watch the planes land and hear the pilot as he communicates with the air traffic controllers.

The first garden we saw was the Rose Garden, which is extensive and lovely, laid out as you would expect the garden of a queen to be designed.

There were so so many gardens, and we only snapped a few shots.

Here is the Japanese garden~

This little serene pond had rectangular stepping stones crossing it.

This was in a corner of the English Garden, and I thought I may try some of these plants in out back yard.

There were two out door weddings going on that Saturday, and one of them was set up facing this fountain. The water was in the sun, but the seating was on a flat expanse of grass that was shaded by huge trees. It was very lovely!

Chiara and I in the gazebo near the colonial garden. I kept pouring water on her head to keep her cool~ it was sweltering out!

The children's garden is absolutely amazing, several acres with themes from around the world, including an entire hill of all edible plants and fruits, a teepee, and best of all, a giant splash pad in the center. Sebastian had never been to a splash pad before, and this was probably the biggest highlight of his life so far! He was the happiest kid there! I had to laugh at the way he was prancing about, ALWAYS smiling, and making friends with everyone. At one point, he ran up to two kids who were sitting down, knelt between them, and threw an arm around each of the kids shoulders, he was sure they were all the best of pals!

"Come onnnn, daddy! let's go this way!"

Kateri's level of water play

 As I mentioned before, it was a very hot day, and Pat couldn't resist the biggest water-spout there.

I think it was very satisfying!

When it was finally time to go, the kids were very loathe to leave. But they were very tired!

We walked around the grounds some more, and then went on a 26 minute trolley tour which was fascinating for both the kids (no rails! no seat belts!) and the adults (the gentleman driving shared all sorts of interesting facts, for instance, did you know the Native American's boiled down black birch sap for syrup!).

All in all, it was a fabulous time! We then left to drive home, and all the littles slept remarkably well the whole way!

Sebastian is such a dear little fellow. He is quiet, always assessing situations before he jumps in, but once he does jump in he is very whole-hearted. He pays close attention to the needs of others, and I have found him quietly taking all the dirty laundry piled in heaps around the basket and putting it into the laundry basket, or running to bring Chiara a little favorite stuffed animal if she is crying. Whenever he is thirsty, he will get his sippy cup, run to the fridge and bring out the milk or apple juice, carry it to me, and then ask me to fill it up. I don't think he has ever asked me to do all the work myself! He will always bring Kateri her sippy cup as well, and make sure that she has animal crackers or an apple or whatever he has requested. He generally speaks only one to three words at a time. He really enjoys music, and one of his gifts for his birthday was a Riders in the Sky CD. He loves to holler and whoop and moo whenever Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, and Too Slim carry on. I am hoping one day he will learn to yodel, or at least play his face!

Happy birthday to our dear little Bashy! I cannot believe that he is already 2 years old!