How Does Your Garden Grow?

We've been working on getting our garden together this past week over Jason's Spring Break. We've planted 8 tomato plants [Hillbilly, Pineapple, Green Zebra, Black Cherries, Early Girl, Yellow Pears, Beefsteak, and a white variety that I can't remember the name of] and a few sweet pea sprouts. We have broccoli, red leaf lettuce, swiss chard, little pumpkins, moon & star watermelons started and will transplant them once they have sprouted. We're thinking of adding some spinach, too.

Here is a picture of the tomato bed. Since we always have such a problem with squirrels, we decided to squirrel-proof the bed by making a frame and placing fine bird netting over it. The front panel rolls up so the plants can be accessed. Its an experiment - we'll see how it turns out!

Jackson was next to us every step of the way! He'll be able to taste some of the veggies (sweet peas and pumpkins at least) over the summer. Yum yum! Hopefully, our tomatoes will turn out as good as Opas and Millies! They are our tomato inspiration. : )

You can click on the photos to enlarge. There are 2 plants missing as we planted them after the picture was taken (they had to be revived a bit due to the heat) but they're all in there now.

Spring Time

Spring is definitely here! Jason is on Spring Break this week and we've been keeping busy. The week started off with Easter. We went to church, then brunch at Mima and Poppa Stull's, afternoon visit with Erik and family, and home for our first Easter family dinner with lil' Jackson. Unfortunately, we didn't take too many pictures on Easter, but here are a few.

Jason's cousins, Matthew and Raechel, with Jackson:



Jackson's cousins, Sir Caleb and Princess Hailey, hunting for eggs:



The next day, we decided to drive up the coast to Mendocino for our first overnight away from home with Jackson. On the way up, we stopped off at the vista point after we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge:

San Francisco in the background




We also stopped off at Anderson Valley Brewing Company on HWY 253. As you can see below, mayhem ensued...



Jackson did very well on his first night away from home. He slept in his pack-n-play and enjoyed the sights around town from his backpack. It was SUPER windy, though (50 mph winds!), and we were glad he did not blow away.



Today the weather was much nicer (close to 80) and we decided to have lunch at the beach in Capitola. Here are some pics:









AND - I'd also like to mention that a very special family friend paid a visit during Lala's 90th birthday party from New York State - Webby! Here is a picture of Jason, Jackson, and Webby. He is a dear family friend and we were so happy we were able to introduce him to Jackson. : )

Solid Food...Finally!

Today Jackson had his first solid food - rice cereal! At first, he just pushed the food out with his tongue, but within a few minutes he had this whole eating business down and was eating away like a pro. A bit messy, but we were really surprised how much he ate - seemed like he really enjoyed the cereal!














Here is a (messy) video clip:

March Madness

It's been a busy week! We had our good friend Heather visit us from Long Beach for a few days, Ethan's first t-ball game, and some fun in the sun. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!

Jackson smelling the spring-time jasmine. Not sure if he likes it. hehe.


Jackson and his new BFF, Heather:





At Willow Glen Park on the swings:



At Ethan's t-ball game:





Visiting Mima, Poppa, Tata, Krista, and the Twins:



Whew! I'm beat. Time for a nap with daddy!

Like Father, Like Son

Jackson is sporting his Hawaiian shirt today! Who does he look like?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We hope everyone had a great St. Paddy's Day! We had a fun-filled day.

After Jackson's bath, we got ourselves ready to go to a local park, Rancho San Antonio, with a mom/kids group. I think Jackson's shirt says it all.



The park is great - there is a farm about a 1/2 mile in for the kids to explore. Lots of sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, and Luna the cow. Here is a picture one of the mom's took during the hike. Jackson liked seeing the farm animals!




After dad got home, it was time for a good ol' St. Paddy's Day feast of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. With a pint of guiness, as well!



Mmmmm.....

February and Early March

Oh my!!! I can't believe its been almost a MONTH since I last posted! Where does the time go?

Some excitement occurred in February as Lance Armstrong came riding into our neighborhood during the Tour of California ride. It was a sprinkly winter day, but we bundled ourselves up and walked 2 blocks to catch a glimpse of the riders. Here are some pictures:




Who is that little munchkin in the corner?!

Here's a video of all the riders:


It was a nice surprise seeing the racers that morning! I thought Jack wouldn't like being out in the cold, sprinkly rain, but he actually liked it. After we returned home, he enjoyed a nice, warm bath. What better thing to do on a rainy day?!

More News: Jack is learning how to sit up on his own. He's almost there! Here is a picture of the little cowboy practicing in his Bumbo chair:



and getting some tummy time:



Jackson is also test-driving the highchair! Here he is for the first time in the chair, taking it all in. Soon enough, he'll be eating with us and throwing his food everywhere! LOL.



Jackson just loves to "talk" and coo. Here he is telling us how he misses you all and wants to see you soon!