Our Plantation

May has been a busy and very dirty month around here. We decided a while back that we wanted to grow our garden a bit larger this year....this was a busy task and required lots of dirty hands.
Our kids thought they were the luckiest kids in the world with his huge mountain of dirt to climb and play on. It entertained them for hours.
Then they pretended they were in the parade and waved at all the cars that drove by. It was pretty funny to see people notice them and smile and wave.
Emmett was a great trooper through the many days of gardening work. It was still pretty chilly out so he hung out inside on his blanket and practiced rolling over, and back, over and back to the tunes of Taylor Swift. He has it made.
Adelle grabbed Braxton's shovel whenever he was out of sight. The Easter Bunny brought her a cute little princess pink shovel but she doesn't ever use it. Braxton's is way cooler.
O.k, not a fashion statement people! Just a workin' girl in her garden getting a nice ab workout while shoveling dirt.
When people ask, "what's your favorite flower.." I never know what to say but every spring when these beautiful lillies bloom I remember they are my absolute favorite. At least, in my own flowerbeds. You can always send roses if you want...
We got some good one-on-one time with Braxton while Adelle was napping. He is a bit of a perfectionist and wants to know just how to do everything. It's fun talking to him while we work. I love watching him work with his dad. Good bonding right there!
Have you ever gotten hailed on while gardening?? I had to take a picture. We were all busy working and then all of a sudden hail. We ran for cover. You can't see the hail but I promise it was there. It didn't stop Braxton. The blue skies in the background prove my point. All blue except for the black cloud right above us, dumping. Only lasted a few minutes. Makes for a good memory.
The kids have a new and improved digging area in the backyard. Hopefully this will work as it is our plan to keep them from digging in the actual garden.
Strawberries. I potted them this year because last year they were in the actual garden and the slugs got all of them. Hopefully the pots will scare the slugs away...what do you think?
Blueberries. Yum! Our freezer stash from last year is officially gone, as of last week. I can't wait for blueberry season. We have never grown our own but with a little hinting around (from me) my aunt Angela brought these over for us to plant. I'm spoiled.
The stakes in our garden warm my heart when I read them because Braxton wrote on them. It helps me remember that my garden right now isn't about perfect rows and pest-less veggies, it's about teaching my children, working with them, and helping them to appreciate and understand nature. I'm working on this still and this whole planting with a mischievous almost 2 year old and an independent 4 year old was very testing on my patience.
Here it is. The finished product. Lots of raspberries in the back and rows and rows of veggies and herbs.
Welcome to our plantation.