Summer Haircuts

I can't stop rubbing their heads...

First Visit to Hull Spring/Summer 2016

Went to my dad's for a cookout yesterday.  First we went to the carousel.  Darth Vader had mixed feelings about it because it went "super fast."

Adi, on the other hand, loved it.

Next we hit the beach.  The boys got their feet and legs soaked--despite what must have been freezing cold water.

Finally, we had lobster roll, steak, asparagus, rice, noodles, salad, ice cream, brownies, and cake.  Yummy.  We were stuffed!  Can't wait for many more days at the beach.  And we hope to spend a few nights down there this season, too!

My Babies Are Growing!

No, not Adrian and Sebastian!  (Although, they certainly are growing, too!)  I'm talking about my plant babies, as the boys refer to them.  Now I'm the crazy plant lady who rushes home to check on her "babies."

First, over my spring break, I ordered a composter.  I've been wanting one since we moved to Easton.  Finally can get one started.

I have grow lights and am growing a ton of seeds indoors:  cucumbers, dill, basil, a few types of chili peppers and tomatoes, broccoli, nasturtium, chard, eggplant, and surely some other things I'm forgetting about.  Here's my set up.

Now I'm hardening off some that can go out in the garden before May 1, the last frost date.  This weekend, I'll start hardening off everything since it's already the end of April.

Over the March break, I also ordered loam/compost for some new raised beds.  I continue to have 2 4x4 beds in the back, but they are too shady to grow vegetables.  They work only for herbs, lettuce, kale, and peas.  I'm keeping those going, but I really wanted to grow peppers and tomatoes and experiment with other stuff, too.

Finally, last weekend (and thanks for a Monday off for Patriot's Day), I moved 2 cubic yards of dirt, finished my two raised beds, made the grids, and built the cages.  Phew.  Then I planted some bee balm, lamb's ear, garlic, onions, carrots, spinach, peas, beets, and radishes.  I also put in 3 raspberry bushes and a blueberry bush.  Those will probably need to be moved from there, but I needed to plant them somewhere for now.  Still to direct sow: epazote (common in Mexican cooking), squash and some other stuff I'm not recalling right now.  I also have potatoes going in buckets with Adi (it's his project with me) and strawberries and a fig tree.  I would LOVE to have some fruit growing in the yard!!

The next big project is to renovate the lawn.  Bought this stuff because it's worked miracles for my mom and brother.  Still waiting for appropriate weather to apply it!

Lego Discovery Land, Easter, Alice's Birthday

During my March break from Milton, the boys continued going to school.  I had a highly productive and enjoyable two weeks.  I got so much done and it felt so good.  I did keep the boys home one day for us to have an adventure.  I took them to Medford to the Lego Discovery Center at Assembly Square.  They loved the Lego place.  They keep asking to go back, this time with Papa, so that they can show him all the Legos.  There was a big indoor playground that they especially liked!  After playing with Legos, we had dinner at the Burger Dive there.  They were the best hamburgers and fries I've had in a long time--I keep dreaming about them.  It's worth the drive up to Medford through traffic just for one of those burgers...

This is one of my favorite pictures ever.  We took it in honor of Papa.

The boys loved the Lego Boston set up.  You could push buttons to play sounds and make things move.

I love Sebastian's pose.  Crazy kid.

 My phone's storage is almost full, so I hardly ever take pictures anymore with it.  Which means I never have anything to put on the blog.  I didn't take any family pictures at Easter, which was a mistake.  We had brunch at our house.  Auntie Mimi got sick and couldn't come--we missed her.

As usual, the Easter Bunny was very generous to our boys.  They got coloring books and crayons, a fire truck Lego set and some smaller Lego sets, a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD (Gene Wilder, not Johnny Dep), gardening gloves, some chocolate, and some books.

Alice's first birthday was a blast--it was at an indoor gym.  The boys have been to these parties before, but this was the first time they really enjoyed all the equipment.  They are finally big enough to appreciate it.

 Random last picture:  Sebastian loves to play guitar.  I asked him if he wants to take lessons when he's bigger and he said, "No mama! I already know how to play!"  Duh, Mama!