Growing our Garden

One of the things we were most excited about when we moved into a house with a yard was to grow a garden. Since we were already well in to the growing season when we moved, getting the garden planted was one of the first things on our list.

Sarah helped Daddy mix up all the dirt.

Sarah thought planting the seeds was intriguing. Her job was planting the popsicle stick labels. 

 Planting gardens is fun! 

In fact, it deserves some dancing!

 It was so exciting to see all of our seeds come up! Sarah liked to crouch down and stare at the little plants just like she saw Mom and Dad doing. I have a feeling she thought we were a little crazy. 

Our garden was pretty much a Miracle Grow commercial. The bed below was there when we moved in. It was filled with old soil with some fertilizer added. The above bed was one that we built and filled with Miracle grow soil. The seeds were planted on the same day. Check out the difference in the plants after 2 weeks, especially the radishes! 

The radishes were the first veggies to be ready. So yummy!

 Soon we were eating whole salads!

We have some unusual things, including purple peppers and purple tomatoes.

 Baby beans!

 Soon, we had a whole forest! We had a 12 inch pumpkin by the beginning of June! We have harvested piles of zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, lettuce, peas, strawberries, and radishes. Coming later we will have sweet potatoes, peanuts, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cantaloupe, and watermelon. 

Growing a garden is so rewarding! We have had some trouble with the amazingly abundant water supply here drowning our garden, so we are going to pull some things out and start over for a fall crop. Even with a few failures, we are having fun learning!

Walt Disney World Day 4: Hollywood Studios

The last day of our Disney vacation came all too quickly. The final park on our list was Disney's Hollywood Studios.

 We took the plunge on the Tower of Terror. Kelson doesn't like falling things, but he was brave.

Just enjoying a little more bread.

 Forward, Daddy! Ready for the stunt show.

In front of Graumann's Chinese Theater (by the way, this was much more fun than the time we visited the real thing. The real Chinese theater is in a super sketchy neighborhood.)

We finished a little early and went back to the Magic Kingdom to soak up a little last minute magic and get some pictures that we missed out on the first day..

Baby slightly grumpy and missing one shoe. Still Magical. (By the way, did you know that the professional Disney photographers are happy to take pictures for you with your camera? Good tip.)

One of the things I really wanted to do at the Magic Kingdom, which I was glad we had time to go back for, was listen to the ragtime piano player. He was awesome! You could request just about anything, and he would play it for you all while staying in character. That would be such a fun job!

We ended the evening back at Hollywood Studios for the Fantasmic show. It was such a great finale for our vacation. 

 The next morning, we got up early, packed up, and lined up for the magical express to take us back to the airport. Sarah and Daddy had some fun while we were waiting.

I am so grateful for the chance we had to go on this family vacation. We made some wonderful memories, and I know we will have to go back some day.

Walt Disney World Day 3: Epcot

When we were planning our trip to Disney World, I will admit that Epcot wasn't really one of the parks I was most excited about. From my previous visit in high school I remembered it being fun, but I thought I would probably enjoy the other parks more. I was very pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be one of our favorite days of the whole trip.

One of the awesome things about our visit to Epcot was that we were there during the flower & garden festival. There were amazing flower sculptures of Disney characters all over the park. 

 We spent the morning taking turns going on rides. Sarah and I hung out with some awesome ducks while we waited for Daddy. It was her favorite part of the day. Apparently she would have been just as happy staying home and going to the park as going to Disney World.

Such pretty flowers!

 This tent-covered butterfly garden was full of butterflies. Fun!

In the afternoon, Sarah was sleeping, so Kelson and I had a few hours to stroll leisurely through the World Showcase. I didn't make it there on my last trip to Disney World, so I had no idea it was such a big deal. It is huge! Exploring all of the different countries was one of our favorite things we did on our trip.

We decided to try a taste of everything for lunch as we went from country to country. We started at a French bakery. We got an awesome roll-it was like a cinnamon roll, but full of cheese and bacon instead. We also had a nutella-filled beignet. Yum! The French had the best food. 

While we were in France, we also had an ice cream-topped crepe. So good! One of the fun things about the world showcase was that the workers in each place were actually from the country they were representing. You really felt like you were traveling around the world.

In the next country, Kelson tried some ceviche. I'm not big on uncooked seafood, but he said it was delicious.

 On to Morocco!

 In Morocco, we had baklava and chicken souvlaki with couscous. Mmmm...

Sarah woke up about the time we got to Japan. Kitties everywhere! Kitty is one of Sarah's favorite words to say right now.

Italy!

We had to wait in Africa while they raised and lowered a drawbridge, so Sarah took some time to play the drums.

She is pretty much a natural. Also, I promise she was wearing pants when the day started. We will just pretend that is a very short dress.

Overlooking the World Showcase

In China, we watched a neat 360 degree movie. Then Kelson sat down on a chair and fell asleep for half an hour while Sarah and I chased birds.

We found a troll in Norway. Sarah didn't want to be a viking.

I got the most amazing cream puff in the world at the bakery in Norway. Kelson should have known if he sent me in to the restaurants I would always come out with dessert :)

The last stop on our trip around the world was Mexico, where we went on the 3 Caballeros ride. It was a lot like Its a Small World, and Sarah liked it a lot. Sadly, Small World is closed right now, so I was glad we got to take her on this one.

We had some time before dinner, so we went on a few more rides, ending with the Finding Nemo ride, which ends at an aquarium. Sarah really likes fishies. (Another of her favorite words to say.)

 Sharks! (Way cooler and less scary than princesses.)

 For the most part we were pretty frugal with our meals at Disney World. However, the food at Epcot was so good that we decided to splurge on dinner that night. We wanted to try something new and interesting, so we chose a Moroccan restaurant.

 We started with a salad platter. We had no idea what the stuff in the middle was when we started eating it, but it was delicious! It was kind of like Moroccan salsa-peppers, tomatoes, spices, olives, etc. There was also an olive salad, a cucumber salad, pickled carrots, and a potato salad.

Sarah survived almost solely on bread during the month that we were eating most of our meals at restaurants. Luckily for her, this restaurant had delicious bread.

 Kelson had lamb and a rice dish.

I had braised beef roast served over couscous. Sarah couldn't get enough of the couscous. We have a cultured baby. I was just excited to find a new food she would eat.

Dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh was so fun! Not only was the food incredible, but the staff was also super friendly and there was a floor show during dinner.

After dinner, Sarah got in her jammies and went right to sleep in the baby carrier while we enjoyed the night show. It was pouring down rain, so she got to hide inside of Daddy's poncho. I promise she had a breathing hole. She slept through all of the fireworks and the bus ride home and we just put her in bed when we got home. It was a great day!