Summer Harvest

The garden is doing really well and we enjoy checking on its growth daily. The green beans we started inside have been producing beans for a couple of weeks. When we go outside, Gwen always wants "two beans", one for each hand. She will either eat them, chew them up and spit them out, or just hold onto them as she goes about her business.

Today we got our first summer squash and zucchini from the garden. Gwen was going to bring them inside, but then she said they were hurting her hands and she threw them on the ground. They must have been a little bristly. However, this experience didn't deter her from eating them for lunch. That's as fresh as it gets!

Happy Davvy Day!

Gwen got a special shirt (she calls it her "Davvy shirt") to celebrate Dad's day, and she was pretty serious about her job helping Mom make a card and a scavenger hunt for Dad to enjoy, along with a special dinner on his special day.

Gwen has a great Dad!
-She calls him "Davvy" (and sometimes Bubby...we're not sure why).
-For about the last month, Gwen no longer prefers "Jesus songs" at bedtime, she requests "Davvy songs" like "Daddy's Homecoming", "Happy Family", and "My Dad." The cutest is when Mom sings, at the end of "My Dad", "I'm very glad that he's my...", Gwen will yell "DAVVY!" It defeats the rhyme, but she just doesn't say Dad!
-Dad keeps that yard in tip-top shape which makes for lots of fun outside.
-When she feels whiskers on Dad's face, she reminds him that he needs to shave by always saying "need shave, need shave."
-When Dad leaves the room, Gwen immediately asks, "Where Davvy go?" even if she saw him go down the stairs to the basement or down the hall. When he leaves the house for the day, she may ask where he is over twenty times. Mom eventually gives up answering and tries to change the subject. Gwen misses her Davvy when he's not around!
-Dad has mastered the art of cloth diapers and is now moving on to potty training Gwen. Gwen gets the most "Hurrays!" and treats from Dad when she is successful on the potty.
-Gwen likes to go in the basement and sit with Dad when he's watching something on television. There is a big afghan she likes to sit with and she calls it "Davvy's blanket."
-While Gwen is sometimes very loving towards Daddy, sometimes she won't give him hugs or kisses. This makes Daddy very sad. Gwen usually gives in after a little while of playing hard to get.
-Gwen always asks Dad, but never Mom, if she can "Watch Dora?"
-Dad likes to read with Gwen, but when Gwen gets stuck on reading the same book over and over for days, the book mysteriously disappears. It is usually recovered a few weeks later behind the couch.
-Dad thinks Gwen is the cutest kid ever and loves her very much!

Mom and Gwen think Davvy is the cutest Dad ever, and they love him very much!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Outside with Gwen

Today I'd like to tell you about some of my favorite things to do outside.

This is my swing. I like to swing, and I tell Mom or Dad to push me "high!" Sometimes I swing my little people...or my hat!

This is my newest trick. It's hard to tell, but my feet are off the ground!

And lately I love to hug whatever I can wrap my arms around!

I also love to "play chalk" on the driveway. See those little lines to my right? That is my signature chalk masterpiece. I like it when Mom draws cupcakes and then a fork to eat them with! Did you want to play chalk with me?

WAIT! Before you go I have to show you the garden!

It's already grown a lot!

Gwen the Square Foot Gardener

Hi! With the kind guidance of some friends, Mom decided our family would try a square foot garden this year. I'm excited to get this garden going! Let me tell you how it' s done.

Dad used his tools and put the frame together. Our garden is 4 feet by 4 feet...that makes 16 squares to plant in.

Now grab a shovel because it's time to mix the special garden dirt.

The recipe is 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost (we're using cow manure and some organic compost stuff).

Mix it up really well.

If it gets too dusty while it's being mixed, spray it down.

Wow, the dirt feels nice. This is looking really good!

And I guess Mom stopped taking pictures, so I'll have to explain the rest. There is a ground covering, then the frame on top, then the dirt inside, and then the plants inside the dirt. We planted quite a few of the vegetables we started from seed. They look a little spindly, but with some sun and rain, we're hoping for the best. By the end of the summer we want to eat beans, tomatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, onions, bell peppers and cucumbers from the garden. Yum! I'll keep you posted on the progress of the garden.