Mother's Day Weekend

Been a great day.  A long day.  And a great day.  After many late nights after putting Cammy down we have completed some BIG projects.

- watering system for both gardens = COMPLETE

- planted both gardens = COMPLETE

- build Brit's potting bench = COMPLETE

Here is our PVC watering system.  Man was this fun to put together!  Of course, any time you get to build something is pretty much the greatest thing ever.  =)

We found this idea on-line from another gardener who made a similar system.  I really like it, because it seems like the water is used far more efficiently.  We drilled holes where we put plants.  We built the first system in the section north of the garage.  This section certainly represents our grandest plans.  "The Experiment" has begun - to see how much of this we can keep ALIVE!

Then we decided to expand The Experiment to The Great Experiment and open up the space on the east fence line.  Should be exciting!  And probably a little stressful.

The next big project has been Brit's potting bench.  It has been probably about two months in the making.  We decided long ago that we would not keep "projects" in our yard or garage.  Although we have had multiple ongoing projects, we have made sure we continue working on them to a certain extent.

 It was pretty great though to get that done.  Brit found this awesome project on Etsy showing how to make a potting bench out of pallets.  It had been a pile of disassembled pallet boards forever, and I finally got it all done.  Think it turned out pretty well and was not very difficult to make.  If interested, here is the link: Pallet Potting Bench

Our Boy Cammy, Already 10 Months!

Beware--this next blog post is my way of avoiding writing by hand in my journal how much Cammy has grown. Guaranteed cheesiness, sappiness and grins to come!

So I've decided to take a page out of the book of my sister-in-law, Bonnie, tonight and just write about how adorable our little boy is. I can't believe how he's become just that--a little boy. He's still my baby, but he is determined to show me how quickly he can learn.

From his first weeks, Cammy was determined to walk. He's finally reached that goal this week by taking 2 and 3 steps with growing confidence in every additional step. He always practiced hard at moving--at sitting up, pulling himself up to standing position, at taking little steps, and now with venturing out into the great opportunity of open space. Yes, he has definitely had some bumps and falls along the way. But he's so proud of himself, it doesn't matter!

Okay, it's getting late, so now comes the time for just putting up some of my favorite pictures and videos:

Cammy went through a phase of enjoying having puzzle pieces in his mouth while cruising around.

Drinking out of cups, any cups (even measuring cups full of bubbly bath water) is one of Cammy's favorite things to do. He gets so excited that he often will tip his head back so far that all the liquid dumps out on him and he comes up sputtering for air.

Cammy loves to open his books and read. I stash them everywhere so that he always has something fun to do.

The first (and last) day that I allowed him to go crawling out on the back deck. He loved being outside, past the gate I usually put up on the back door; however, he got SO MANY splinters that Daddy lovingly removed--in his hands, fingers, knees, tops of feet, toes...--that he will not get to do this outing again until he is able to walk well. 

Tribute to the UK basketball national champs! And Cammy celebrates by eating dirt, leaves, and anything he finds in the yard. YUM!

We're getting ready for a summer full of camping. Which means, we've got to figure out how to keep Cammy happy and sleeping normally in a tent. This night was fun in the backyard. However, the neighbor boys who were jumping on the trampoline until 10pm made it very hard for him to sleep. Thank goodness for a queensize mattress, bottles, and double sleeping bags. All three of us slept very well!

There are 5 babies between the three presidency members of our primary, so Cammy gets plenty of time to romp around while we set up for the meeting. He loves to hold onto high, precarious things that could hurt him, like the stand for our chorister. (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to take pictures like this in church...but, oh well!)

Cammy has figured out stairs. And it was never more apparent to me until I turned around and saw him up on THESE stairs! My heart just about stopped! (Turns out he DID fall down while I was watching, but he had such an iron grip on the top bar, that he just ended up swinging like Curious George! Tough guy!)

We love the swings! Cammy will put his arms out like he's flying and kicking his legs like a running man. So fun!

He also loves to push anything around on the floor as if it were his own personal car. We were at the library today picking out books for him about camping (yep, definite brainwashing--he needs to know how to say things like "bear" and "deer" and "I love to fish!") and he found this little kid chair and was pushing it around like a lawn mower.

And finally, a video of Cammy figuring out the slide at the park. This kid is super coordinated and determined--when he finds something he likes to do, he figures out how to do it!

Pounding fragrant things...is an antidote to depression

“Pounding fragrant things -- particularly garlic, basil, parsley -- is a tremendous antidote to depression. But it applies also to juniper berries, coriander seeds and the grilled fruits of the chili pepper. Pounding these things produces an alteration in one's being -- from sighing with fatigue to inhaling with pleasure. The cheering effects of herbs and alliums cannot be too often reiterated. Virgil's appetite was probably improved equally by pounding garlic as by eating it.” --Patience Gray, cookery author 

I had no idea this idea existed, but it sure explains why growing herbs has been so therapeutic for me! And I haven't even started pounding anything, yet!

Early in February, I started my windowsill herb garden. The lucky contestants (victims?) are: Basil, Parsley, Cilantro and Oregano. I like all of these so much that it would be wonderful to have them growing fresh. So far, things have been successful. These pictures were taken in the weeks after they started up until now. One thing I've learned is that they need lots of light and that Basil and Oregano grow much slower than Cilantro and Parsley. Also, Cilantro and Parsley are almost identical--it is next to impossible for me to tell them apart right now.

Preparing the Gargantuan Garden Bed

This year Allen and I have the growing bug. First, our garden. We just finished tilling steer manure into the garden bed, raking it flat, and installing our cheaper than cheap PVC irrigation system. It is really fun to see how it waters the rows so well. Once we get a timer on it, no need to wake up early to water our garden! After we finished the irrigation system, I planted 8 little broccoli plants. They, in addition to my 24 strawberry plants (thanks to a sister in our ward who passed them on), these are the lucky first additions to our family garden!

Ground raked flat of most rocks and measured for 18" rows.

We found a LOT of rocks, thanks to the ancient Lake Bonneville, whose lake bed we now live in. Allen has been diligent in digging them up. This is also the reason we broke the tiller so often...

Oh, yeah. We broke the tiller twice. Thank goodness our friend Tye is incredible and brought his solder machine over and fixed it for us the 2nd time. Thanks, Tye!

We spent all Saturday cutting and drilling 1/8" holes in the PVC to make our system. It works!

Cammy LOVES being outdoors. So much so that when he sees an open door, he heads straight for it. We keep him in the stroller when unsupervised because we still find crazy stuff in our backyard, like a knife blade, broken beer cans and lids, and just plain rocks and dirt. Cammy LOVES dirt. His personal preference, however, is potting soil. So rich, so nutrient-packed.

Can't believe he's almost nine months =)



Our baby is growing! Some highlights from the pictures:
*Cammy loves to sit sideways in shopping carts. Looks so casual like he's just chilling there, hanging out.
*He's found his favorite places in the house to play: the drawers of measuring cups, the bookshelf with an elephant's nose which is great to suck on, the toy room at Nana Gutzman's house.
*Bathtime is now FUN. Hard to keep him from standing up to inspect the faucet. Seems to have the same fascination with gadgets, tools and gizmos as his daddy.
*We went on the swings at the nearby school for his very first time. He couldn't stop giggling as he flew through the air!
*He's quickly graduated from army crawling to cruising along furniture. He's insistent that he will learn the stairs next, will reach to the highest cupboards, and that anything new in the house must pass his "touch & eat" inspection test.
*Cammy's had fun these last couple months playing with his cousins--Collin and Dylan especially, with all the others as well. According to Dylan (4 or 5 years old), Cammy is the best to babysit because all you have to do to make him happy is smile at him really big, and he'll smile right back. That is a perfect summary of Cammy's personality.

Will Kiss for Food

My cousin Ania watches Cammy on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is so good about taking pictures of our baby. I love seeing what he is learning! This is a video we took after she taught him to make this kissing sound!

The Barry Gutzman Family Picture, 2012