How does your garden grow?

Updates
Time for a new update. As fall begins to roll in, I wonder how I am going to roll this thing out. Here are the latest pics from 9/20. We figure this big thing is approaching 300 pounds at this point.

Dang this is getting big! Yes, this is a regular size basketball in case you were wondering.
Can someone help me lift this thing out when its time? It's probably about 76 inches around and probably weighs about 125 pounds or so right now. But look out, its brother is catching up quick!

This is the 'little' brother. It is only a few inches smaller in circumference, and probably weighs about 15 pounds or so less (my guess).

And the smallest one of the family that I haven't aborted. Its about basketball size.




Alright, you asked for it here it is from August 13th!
It is now about 58 inches around. I wonder what it weighs about now.
It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown!


And here is the next largest one on the same day




On August 2nd, it definitely surpassed the size of the basketball. This thing is growing pretty quickly, I'd better get something underneath this thing and figure out moving the cinderblock before it hits into it.


This is what it looked
like on July 31. It was
fast approaching the
size of the basketball
On July 25th, this is what it looked like. To give perspective, it was just larger than a softball.





















I love this picture, taken at ground level right into the main vine of the plant. Unfortunately, since the wind has blown off the gate on the fence on the south side of the yard, the leaves and vines on the plant have taken a bit of a hit. They are mangled a bit and are not as healthy as they were on this date.

Original Post
Real estate might not be the hot
commodity right now as it was a few years ago, but when it comes to gardening space, it hasn't been any hotter. If you've been approached by Jason with a pumpkin seed in the last couple of years, you'll know what I'm talking about.
It ceases to amaze me at how big a small seed can become. I figured this one plant has been growing anywhere between 3-6 inches a day in each direction and is currently about 24 feet long
and about 18 feet wide.

We'll see just how big those pumpkins become. Right now the biggest is just over softball size. The seed came from a pumpkin that weighed in at about 1,000 pounds.
I feel just awful about what happened to the sunflower (Jeffrey's sunflower). We planted it from last years plant we grew. This plant was in a race with the corn on how high it could grow. It was


just shorter than the tallest corn until it reached about 5 feet tall. Then it took off. Fast. It was growing about 3 inches a day until it reached about 9 feet tall. Sorry no pictures of that. It was starting to lean as the flower started to form and weigh it down. So I lightly tied it back the other direction a bit, and that night a big storm came and blew it over in that direction. Dang it! Snapped it off near the bottom of the stalk.
The broccoli has been delicious and the corn should be ready soon. The tomatoes look like they've turned the corner after a bad June and they might actually form and ripen before the cold sets in.
In other news, Jeffrey's diabetes camp was a success. I guess. He didn't want to come home. Too bad. But I guess if he finds its too sad to come home, we just told him we can't send him next time.
School is back in session and Jeffrey is in 6th grade now. Wow! Hailey will be going to "Jeffreys School" She is excited to be walking home with Jeffrey when she starts afternoon kindergarten next week.
Next up, the Cache County Fair. Jeffrey is showing another lamb this year. Lets see if he can control it a little better this year. Don't ask him if he likes lamb chops.

Jeffrey at Diabetes Camp

So we dropped Jeffrey off to Camp Red Cliffe near Huntsville yesterday. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever done. Leaving him with other people to care for for 5 days. Scott and I have had pretty much the complete care of Jeffrey's diabetes for the past six years. I worry that he will not pay attention. I know that it would be good if he learned to take control himself, but at the same time, I worry about not being needed any more. I guess life goes on and he and I both need this time to grow.


Hailey was not happy to leave Jeffrey, she wanted to stay with him. I had Caleb color him a picture and mailed it to him so that he can get mail.

We got our air conditioning fixed today. The guy that came was someone that our neighbor recommended. He was good and he also gave me some recommendations on how to make our home more comfortable as far as our air needs. So if anyone needs a recommendation, I would use him.

A few random thoughts

I'm not exactly sure how to start this blog ... or end it. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure what is going in the middle either. But maybe if I just keep on typing, some kind of thought pattern might emerge.
Even though I am tired of all this rain, and I'm sure everyone else is too -- It does have some benefits. For one, it has kept that dang ice cream truck away -- except for that one evening a few days ago when the sun crept through the clouds long enough for that devil to creep through the neighborhood. Well, really if he were just creeping thru, it wouldn't be a problem. It's that dang music he plays that seems to hypnotize all the kids in the neighborhood, especially mine. It causes them to run inside and dump all the money out of their banks, and hand it over for a couple of small treats.
I do have to admit, though, I have the sweetest kids in the world. Jeffrey has always been so thoughtful. It can be frustrating at times. Like when the ice cream man came the other day, he not only bought some treats for himself, but also for his friends and siblings. Of course he had to use some of his sisters money too. Other times, he will give away brand new toys or other things that he is no longer interested in.
But then there are those moments -- like last night, when he had a bad headache and so did I. He was thoughtful enough to, without asking, get me a cold, wet washcloth for my aching head, with no thought for himself. He has always been that kind of kid.
Hailey is just sugar sweet. And she is all girl. This morning as I was getting ready for church, she came in with her red dress on and stood next to me, looking up at me -- her eyes blinking, and her hands flinging her hair back as only a girl knows how to do, just fishing for a compliment. Other times though she is outside looking for bugs. She just loves rolley-pulleys, and butterflies. Then just tonight as she is doing her prayers, she says "Bless that daddy can get a sled for Christmas, and mommy, some rings, and Jeffrey gets ... nothing, and I get some butterflies."
Caleb is another story. He is a handful. It seems like everyday he pounds his head into something. Sometimes on purpose. Today's incident was more of an accident that seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, He had to see what was up on the picnic table, so he was climbing up on, and falling off the table - headfirst onto the cement floor. THUD! A few tears later, after he saw his little cousins come by, he was just fine. Back to his old young self; climbing, running and finding ways to get himself hurt yet again.
They say that if a kid doesn't get bruised and scratched up on a daily basis, he is doing this kid thing all wrong. Crazy! By the way, for my future reference, what does a concussion look like on a toddler?
Did I mention church? Seriously, this kid can not sit through a sacrament meeting. I don't even care if he's not sitting. We've got books, toys, food, drinks, stuff to color and stuff to color with. What else do we need to do to keep him quiet? The kid screams and cries if we don't let him out of the room. And when we do have to take him out, its no fun for him, or us. He's not allowed to run the halls or to run around a room. Its in the carseat by himself or in a secluded room. He just doesn't seem to get it!
But for all the frustrations with him, he is also very sweet. There's nothing quite like a hug from Caleb. He'll sit and watch a basketball game with me and give me high-fives. And he loves to shoot hoops and throw balls. When he smiles, it just seems to beam right through his eyes and melts your heart!
So even though the laundry never seems to end; and the house just never seems to stay clean; and for all the good meals that get cooked and not eaten -- its all worth the effort in the end.

I'm going to be in trouble for this one

..... But it is something I just had to share.

How many of you have talked for so long with someone that your battery actually died?
Here's the scoop - I had just finished with scouts last night (a little orienteering and treasure hunting at the park next to our house). After I sucessfully corraled the kids back into the house with a little bribery, "Hailey, lets go set-up your new swimming pool! - PSYKE!", Tammy remembered she needed to drop off her visiting teaching report to her supervisor or whatever. It was about 8:45 by the time she left, and I figured she'd be right back (her VT supervisor doesn't seem to be the chatty type). By the time 10PM rolled around, the kids in bed and Tammy still not back, I started to get a little worried. I tried calling her phone. Nope, she left it at home. So I threw on a shirt with my sweat pants and hopped in the truck to peruse the neighborhood. She wasn't at the the VT supervisors house, so where could she be? After continuing thru the neighborhood a little more, I see her in the van chatting in front of the house of one of the nicer ladies in the ward. I pulled over to see what was up. Just lost track of time, I guess. ... Oh, and, "why won't the van start up again? Must have ran the battery out, while I was talking all this time. But the engine wasn't on .... how could?" I guess the key must have been in "accessory position". Anyways, good thing the lady's husband had jumper cables because I just don't have any at the moment. Guess I'd better get some before the next time this happens.
Note to all women who are prone to chat: Turn the key to 'Off' before you chat with another woman, or take the key out and put it in the purse. Or better yet, wear pants with pockets and put them in there. That way you won't lock them inside the car when you leave your purse there. Oh, and take your phone with you when you go somewhere. Comes in handy when you need to call for help or your husband needs to find out where you are.

I hope the couch is comfortable tonight!

Another note (off topic): If you are interested in going up to Brigham City and watching us in the bike tour, they are looking for volunteers and providing a free lunch and T-shirt to anyone that can volunteer for 4 hours. Just a thought.

Ride for Diabetes

I just figured I'd take a page out of Kristins last blog and put a plug in to our little family fund raising summer bike escapade. Click on this link www.tour.diabetes.org to be taken to the main page. From there you can click on 'Donate' and select the rider you want to sponsor. Both Jeffrey and I are riding (but Jeffrey still needs more donations in order to qualify for the ride). Any amount you donate is appreciated and tax deductable. The event we are participating in is on June 13th in Brigham City.
I know we've already sent emails to most of you that read our blog (unless there are more blog-stalkers I'm not aware of).
As I'm sure you all know, Jeffrey has had Type 1 diabetes for 6 1/2 years now. As you can all understand, its a very time-consuming and emotionally draining disease to live with. But, what can one do, but to suck it up and move forward with faith. We have been fortunate to have the support system that we have to help Jeffrey. We couldn't ask for better family, friends and doctors than we have been blessed with. Unfortunately, many others don't have the same support.
The American Diabetes Association is a great organization that has come through for us to get us the support we needed in the time of our greatest need. With the many advances in diabetes care over the last few decades, living with diabetes is certainly much more manageable than it has been in the past. Yet there are more and more people being diagnosed with the disease everyday. We appreciate the work they do and feel a certain responsibility to advocate and give back within our sphere.

Hailey's Preschool Graduation

Hailey recently had her graduation from preschool. She is so sad to be no longer going to Ms. Kari's school any more. The ceremony was really cute and a lot of fun. You could certainly tell that they put a lot of effort into their school. All the kids had to perform a poem that they memorized during the year. They also sang several songs, including a very touching rendition of God Bless the USA. The gowns were fabulous (garbage bags). Hailey wore a spring dress, but I felt bad that I didn't realize that they were showing off their tumbling, (so we got to see her panties). Any guesses on how long it will be that Ms. Kari, Grandma, and Norman (the dog), are tops in Hailey's prayers? Scott and I want to get back into her prayers some day.

Tasty Leaves?

Is that the secret? Really?
You all know the drill; try to get the kids to eat their veggies (or anything healthy for that matter). I just never thought all it would take was to change what to call it, but it worked. For the grown-ups, its affectionately referred to as spinach. When we were kids, it was the idea that you could be strong like Popeye if you ate your spinach. That was a little bit of an exaggeration (for most people, not me - I'm built just like Popeye).
Its a pretty simple food, spinach. Some like it raw, like Tammy; some will endure it cooked, like Jeffrey. I'll have it either way. Hailey, well if its not chips and chocolate milk, its painful. So tonight we tried a little reverse psychology.
So this is how it went: "No, these tasty leaves are only for big people, not little girls." After a few minutes, Hailey says "I want some tasty leaves like Jeffrey!"
The FDA recommends 5 servings of veggies a month, right? Thought so.
At least apples aren't that tricky, after you figure out what everyone likes. For my kids its red apples, who cares what variety. For Tammy, its Granny Smith. For me, its Golden Delicious.
Sometimes, you can combine the greens with the apples and come up with something good. Like spinach salad with diced apples, craisins and candied almonds, yummy! (especially if there are leftover candied almonds to snack on later)