My Garden - A Posting for Mom!

This is infront of the top shed. To the right of the photo is jasmin, but the Cote Bank wild rose is going crazy so I'm going to move the jasmin to a tub on the deck (if my hips hold out today!) and train it around our bedroom door. I also need to move the stones edging the bed forward now the roses are growing so I don't mow over the rose branches. In the middle is what I think you said was the American pillar rose. It's doing well but not blooming yet, the Cote Bank rose has about 10 flowers. There are also a couple of lilies in with the coral bells and varigated grass and honeysuckle.

The huge "triffids" are lilies and the pink is the knockout rose. The winter flowering jasmin is going crazy on the end. Basically this bed is fine, apart from the jasmin and moving the stones forward.
The azaleas love it in front of the kitchen window so I need Dad to dig me a hole (through the gravel-sorry!) on the left of the picture, right in front of the window. I planted some irises there, but I have an azalea which would be much better and still provide access and shade for Leo in summer. Everything else is doing great, including the butterfly bush, at the back on the right, but depending on how big it gets, I may plant some more things under it as there are lots of weeds and exposed soil. The lace hydrangea loves it infront of the BBQ and there is a gardenia at the corner of the BBQ.
This shot shows how the grass is growing, but is still patchy. I'm very happy with it as it's a dream to mow now and we can just keep reseeding it in Autumn. I may need to move the wood forward as the plants expand, but mainly I just need another sunny bed (probably in front of the bottom shed) to move some of the plants to. At least I know what does really well now.

This bit in particular needs thinning out as I have all kinds of things growing on top of each other.
The yarrow and verbena are great and I will definately divide/buy more next year. This is also a great spot for my lilies. I cut the ones in the photo at the end of the blog from here.
The tall stuff on the left is beebalm. The label calls it Monarda "Jacob Kline" if that helps you know what it is, and it's just too tall for the bed. Also on the right is the sage thing that doesn't seem to do much. If it doesn't flower I'll move it to a tall bed as filler and fill this bed with shorter plants. The irises and ice plant love it here and are doing great.
This is more beebalm and daisies. Again it needs moving and replacing with something shorter. The lilies love it here and I'm hoping the lily in the photo lasts until Saturday to be the center piece for my shower. The little plant bottom left is a heather like flower with varigated leaves which adds a bit of interest in a green bed.

This section is doing great with hostas, coral bells, azaleas and hydrangeas. It all just needs thinning out when we make a new bed under the bottom tree - sorry Dad, more digging!!

These were the lilies from the garden with some yarrow mixed in. I definately want to plant more lilies for next year. I've made a plan for what I think would work in each new bed we make, but when you come we may only be able to do some prep work as it will be too hot to move plants. You can give me your input ready for Autumn planting.

Nicolas Wants to be Grown Up!

Now Nicolas has mastered the art of climbing, he climbs on the dining chairs and then on to the stools at the counter. So far he hasn't fallen off and I watch him carefully, so I let him because all he want is to be like Jaden and Kirsten and sit at the counter and draw, which is rather sweet.

His drawing skills are definately improving but he would still rather eat the crayons than color with them!
I don't feel like I spend a lot of time on the phone, but I must, because Nicolas' new thing is to walk around with anything phone-like pressed to his ear. His favorite is Jaden's gameboy or the remote for the TV. I won't let him have the real phone as he keep deleting my numbers by accident!

Nicolas' First Time at the Beach

We were about an hours drive from the beach, so we only went once. We drove up the coast a bit, which was pretty unspoilt but there was no way to get onto the beach because there were houses built right up to the water. We were both very glad that Woody didn't decide to settle in Atlantic, NC because there was NOTHING there!! We had lunch by the dock in a town called Beaufort which was really pretty but the food wasn't so good. All Adam and I wanted was to eat amazing sea food by the ocean, but the only really good meal we had the whole week was when we met Adam's Mom at Ruby Tuesday's to treat her to dinner for her birthday!!



In the afternoon we drove down the coast a bit to find a beach for Nicolas. He wasn't very impressed with the beach or the sea and just wanted to climb on the stairs to the beach, so we only stayed there for about 30 minutes. Adam and I didn't want to get covered in sand and the sea was freezing. We'll wait until we have Jaden and Kirsten with us before we do a proper beach vacation.



Nicolas' first look at the sea.

The beach was very pretty and the sea was very clear.
The love of my life! It was so wonderful spending a whole week with Adam, I really miss him now he's working so much. Part of me wishes I could go back to working for him so I could spend everyday with him, but I know Nicolas needs me more now, and being with Nicolas is like having a miniture, blue eyed Adam with me anyway. Looking fat, but not pregnant on the beach!

North Carolina Vacation

Adam and I took our first EVER vacation together last week in North Carolina. Obviously we've had vacations to England before and we went to the Dominican Republic for our friends Rich and Angie's wedding, but this was the first time it was just us, and Nicolas of course! We couldn't get a week at our timeshare over summer, so unfortunately Jaden and Kirsten didn't get to go with us, but they would have been very bored. It was an 8 1/2 hour drive and Nicolas was an angel. I put together a box of toys and lots of books for the drive and he slept for a couple of hours, but he just seemed to accept that he had to sit in his car seat.


Our condo was great and it was right next to a lake for Adam to fish in - his only request for the vaction.

The condos were all built around the lake and we were less than a 1/4 mile from a huge river with yachts moored in the dock and there was a very cold pool on site and everything we could have needed. Luckily Nicolas was entertained by watching squirrels, geese and ducks and just running around the lake or playing on one of the four flights of stairs in the condo. He only fell down the stairs a couple of times (head first unfortunately), but he quickly realised to be careful after that!

I screamed the first time I came out of the condo because there were 3 squirrels that were always on our deck and they would always jump out at me, much to Adam's amusement. I also got chased several times by geese.
Nicolas just loves squirrels, but I'm not so keen, they are too much like rats with fluffy tails for me.
Nicolas' daily exercise was to run round the lake to try to find Daddy, or a goose if he found one first!
Nicolas is a bit too young for fishing but he liked looking in the tackle box. And the fact that he saw Adam for a whole week. It was the most time they had ever spend together. Adam got to fish for at least 3-4 hours a day and I got to sew and knit, so we were both very happy. I've not sat down for that long for years, or watched so much TV. Pumpkin really moved a lot and I was worried I might go into labor while we were there, which would have been very complicated. I just never sit down for long at home, so I don't realise how much she actually moves, but I've definately grown while we were away. I feel very pregnant now.

Nicolas also discovered the joys of being able to play with a stick by himself, without Leo running up and taking it from him. He had a stick, acorn, stone or gumball in his hand (or mouth!) at all times!

He also loved to climb all the stairs around the lake that lead to the condos. His little legs got so scratched down the back from rubbing them against the wood as he went up and down, but he is now officially very good on stairs.


My not very pregnant looking stomach - part of me really wants a big pregnant bump, but then I just think of how uncomfortable I'd be, so I'll just deal with my little bump.

Adam introduced Nicolas to oreo cookies last week. He'd never eaten cookies before but I'd bought some teddy cookies to keep him happy for the drive to NC, so Adam decided it was time to teach him about oreo cookies and milk. From an English perspective I've never seen the appeal of oreos, they always taste stale to me, and dipping them in milk doesn't seem to improve them any. As Nicolas is American it's up to Adam to introduce him to these things. I introduced Nicolas to jaffa cakes and ginger nuts, so my job is done!! Nicolas loved them, especially drinking the milk afterwards. It was very messy though.

A movie of Nicolas' first oreo and milk experience.

Nicolas and Leo Playing with Tadpoles

Jaden and Kirsten's rescued tadpoles have provided Nicolas and Leo with hours of fun, but unfortunately several have perished on the deck after being tipped out of the cup as Nicolas pours water all over himself!

Slipping and Sliding and a Message for Pam and Nic

Tadpoles and a Clean Pool!

There was great excitement on Friday afternoon when Kirsten went to check on how the grass in the back garden was growing and found tadpoles (or tad-a-poles as she likes to call them) in the pool! I had to get the fishtanks out of the shed and the quest to save as many tadpoles as possible, before Daddy sucked them out with the pool water, began.

Kirsten even recruited Eve and Skylar, our neighbour's children, to help. It's amazing how much fun children can have with some yukky water, a cup and some tadpoles.
We went to see our friends Katrina and Bryan on Friday night, so we only started pumping the water out on Saturday morning. Adam rented a pump this year, rather than spending 2 days emptying in with a hose, so by lunch time the weather was hot and the pool was empty enough for the tadpole rescue to continue.
When Jaden and Kirsten are united in a mission they are so sweet to each other, so the weekend was one of our best and made me excited about spending the summer with them. The pool really wasn't as revolting as it looks, there was just a lot of algae and leaves on the bottom, but the water was clean.
Nicolas was very sad that he couldn't be in the pool too, but unless Adam or I are next to the pool with him, he has to watch from behind the gate, which he finds very frustrating. I dread the day when he can climb over the gate as I'm terrified of him drowning.
On Sunday we were down to the last few inches of water which had to be taken out with a bucket. Jaden's friend Blake had come to help too. I tried to help as much as I could but my bending is a bit limited and brushing the algae off the sides gave me siatica, so Adam did most of the work.
Again, Nicolas had to watch from behind the gate as we were worried he'd fall into the empty pool when we weren't looking!
After his nap and a quick change of clothes, he found some rope to keep himself occupied and then as the pool was filling up, he was allowed over the gate to be part of the action.
The water was freezing, but he was just glad to be with the big kids, and of course his favorite toy, the hose pipe!
The bottom of the pool became a giant slip and slide, much to Nicolas' confusion as the kids slid past him.

So a great weekend was had by all (except Adam who did all the work!) and now the pool is 3/4 full and FREEZING! It will be at least another month until I'm brave enough to get in it, but we are ready for summer now and I'm really looking forward to hanging out by the pool with the kids and our friends and getting my bump as brown as possible.

Nicolas on the Slide

Pumpkin at 30 Weeks - Feeling Great

I feel great, I've still only gained 10lbs, thanks to Tori and Karina walking me lots, and the fact all I want to eat is fruit salad with lychees in it! I get quite a lot of acid reflux, but a couple of tums before bed seems to sort it out and I wake up at least once a night with really bad cramp in my calf.

But my biggest problem at the moment is the fact my mind races as soon as I go to bed. I lie away for at least an hour or two thinking of all kinds of things I need to do. I make lists and lists before I go to bed, but I still lie there thinking. It doesn't help that I only have a week before we go on vacation (our first EVER just the two of us, and of course Nicolas) and then I have a week before the kids come for summer and I have my shower and then Caroline's shower.

I'm having Dr visits every two weeks and I saw the Dr who delivered Nicolas on Monday and she is the first Dr to tell me to be prepared that Pumpkin may come earlier than 36 weeks. I had it at the back of my mind, but basically thought Nicolas probably came early because of his lip, but she says not. So anytime June onwards, Pumpkin may be here. I've cooked lots and frozen meals just incase and I have a meal plan for the summer to make life as easy as possible, so now all we have to do is empty and clean the pool and refill it ready for me to lie by the pool and get the brownest pregnant belly I can!!