Splish Splash!

James loves the water, whether it's the bathtub or the blue tub outside!  Everything is getting to be so fun with him.  He laughs and giggles at everything and although I have a hard time catching his adorable smile on camera, he's definitely a happy baby! 

Splash Park

Fort Campbell has this super fun splash park for kids that's absolutely free!  It's located just inside gate 5...conveniently (for the mom's) behind the Starbucks!  James and I had a fun little outing last week with Erin, Daniel and Claire,  Amy and her kids Allison and Jacob,  and Holly and her boys!   James wasn't too pumped when i stuck his feet in the fountains, but I'm sure in another year he'll be all about it!  It's just nice to get together with friends and enjoy this Tennessee weather. 

What a little stud...sitting up all by himself! 

This is one of Holly's boys (Dillon, I think), he was so cute with James....tickling and talking to him, it was adorable! 

Erin and Claire

Claire was all about the splash park, running through the fountains and having a blast.  Amy's kids, Jacob and Ally, are in the background of this pic.  All of them are so sweet!

Claire running through the fountains.

Two New Discoveries

I can sit up all by myself...
AND
I found my toes! 

My Flowers and Garden

This is my favorite time of the year, when the flowers are blooming and the garden is growing so fast, you can see the change overnight!  My hydrangea bushes were so pretty last year, I had to add two more to the flower bed this year.  They have all grown really well and I'm in love!  They need a nice shady space or an area that gets just morning sun for them to reach their full potential.  Plus, they need tons of water...hence the name...HYDRAngea. 
Did you know...you may buy a bright pink hydrangea at the store but find that in your flower bed you get blue flowers?  That's because the acidity in your soil changes the color of the blooms, the more acid, the bluer the blossoms.  You can manipulate the acid levels with lime based fertilizer.  My soil is pretty acidic, and I love the slight variation in colors I have right now. 

I especially like them when they are still green and their colors are just starting to pop! 

It's hard to tell here...but this one is going to be deep purple, so exciting! 

We planted our garden in early April, and I was convinced for the longest time that chose the wrong time.  We had a couple really cold nights, a bad storm with some serious hail, and no growth for all of April!  However, May brought rain, sun, and a little more attention from me, and now it's rockin'! 

The only causality was my cucumber plant.  :-(  However, this new plant started growing where the cucumber originally was, and I'm letting it grow to see what it is.  For all I know, i could be just a hearty weed, but it looks like something more...we'll see!  

I've committed to keep up with my garden this year.  Last year was completely out of control.  First of all, i planted WAY too many plants...like 10 tomatoes, 20 peppers, 6 basil plants, two zucchini, a cucumber and a yellow squash.  Steven likes to say that he was scared to mow by the garden because he thought something would jump out of the jungle and attack!  This year is different.  I only planted 5 tomatoes, 2 peppers, 1 zucchini, 2 basil, 1 cilantro and 1 rosemary.  There are definite walking paths through the plants and I'm taking time each week to weed, fertilize and control the bugs!  :-)  No jungle in this garden, just delicious treats. 

I got this refreshing mint plant from Mary (Thanks!) and it has grown so much.  Mojitos anyone??

Last weekend we finished our landscaping in the back yard...finally.  Last year we framed off the flower bed on the right and planted, and this year we completed the look with the little bed on the left.  It just helps add some dimension to the boring back yard. 

My new three little bushes, hope they grow!

This is the bed from last year.  The knockout roses are (well, were) pretty, but the dang worms demolished the leaves already.  I gave them both a big haircut and bug spray last weekend, so I'm praying the blooms will come back.  My Stargazer lilies in the back are about to bloom, too.  yay!

My Husband...the Handyman

I come up with the ideas...he puts them into action!  I found this beat up old dresser at a thrift store a few months ago and saw some major potential for our living room!  The entertainment center that we had in there before was from my old apartment in Lexington and had seen it's better days.  It was way to big for our little living space, so we were in the search for something new.  When I saw this dresser, I knew it was the one! 

It has a pretty good foundation and is made of maple, so we knew it would sand down nicely.  We removed the top two drawers from each side, Steven framed them out for shelves, we added nice molding to the top, bottom and sides, sanded it all, applied a fresh coat of paint and new hardware and you have a gorgeous piece of new furniture!  Steven did all the hard work and I painted and kept the baby!  We are so pleased with this piece and our fresh new living room! 

There is potential here.....

Stripped down and ready for work.

Shelves framed out and everything sanded down.  

New moulding on the top, sides and bottom.

One coat of oil based primer, two coats of latex paint, and two coats of sealer. 

The old, nasty, way too big, ugly, previous entertainment center.

The fresh, new piece!  We love it! 

Next project is a white side table....it's bought and ready to refinish....to be continued.....

Avocados???

James had been exploring the world of food!  He loves oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and his newest favorite is avocado!  Kind of...it takes him about 5 bites to decide if he likes them, but then he's all about it!  I need to take some video...he grabs the front of his high chair, pulls his body forward, and nose dives for the spoon.  It's really quite cute!