Botanical Gardens

This past Saturday we went to the Botanical Gardens. Rachel said that its the largest botanical garden in the nation? The world? I can't remember, but I was not disappointed! The gardens were huge, and beautifully manicured.

There were several different themes that the garden featured, such as a Chinese garden, an English woodland garden, an Ottoman garden, Japanese garden, and many others. We didn't have time for them all, but we got to see most of it. Being a resident of the county, we get in free on Saturday mornings, so we'll definitely go back soon to see the rest.

First we went to the children's garden. Annalyn wasn't thrilled at first when we got there. Traffic was a nightmare all over the city (surely a result of everyone wanting to get out and enjoy the incredible weather we've been enjoying) and Annalyn was already fed up with it. But once we made it to the children's garden she had completely changed. She got to ride the 'sheep', which is hopefully a precursor to an interest in mutton busting when she gets a little older. Plenty of inter-connecting playgrounds with different garden themes for her to play on, and she even got to plant her very own cabbage plant that she got to take home with her - we just have to get it in our vegetable garden now. There was also a sand box that was apparently a new experience for Annalyn. She's been to the beach before, but she must not have remembered it; the sand was such a wondrous new thing to her and she simply loved the texture and flow of the sand. She didn't care about the toys, she just wanted to feel the sand. Eventually, she want to feel all she could -

Took us several minutes to clean all the sand off her, and Rachel found and extra helping the next time her diaper got changed. Silly girl! Can't help but wanna keep her!

The way out of the children's garden that we decided to take proved to be challenging for not only our wee 2 year-old, but for her 6-month pregnant mother as well. Nonetheless, climbing up a rope bridge ended up being quite fun for all of us.

We went to the Chinese garden next and saw some incredible flowers there. They also had a small roughcut stone table and stone benches just right for Annalyn that reminded her of a book of hers that tells a story of a fairy table.

The boxleaf bush garden was absolutely stunning! I've never seen so many ornamental chili peppers used before! Yellows and reds and purples.....okay now I sound obsessed.... But it was still really cool to see!

Next was the English woodland garden, which was more of a forest than a garden, but there were several ground covers and a stream that sounded very relaxing. It was a really nice day, but it felt good to get out of the sun for a bit. It was about the only part of the entire place that had enough trees (that you could walk under) to give plenty of shade.

The maze was a lot of fun too. Annalyn and I chased each other around for a while. It wasn't a real challenge, but it was still a pretty good maze. 

The last area that we visited was the Ottoman garden. It had some very interesting architecture with the garden. There was a fairly elaborate sundial, but not too many markings to explain how it worked, apparently as a yearly calendar as well. Also, a neat throne and pergola at the head of the garden.

It was a fantastic outing on one of the most beautiful days we've had all summer! And we didn't even get to see everything. We'll definitely be coming back to enjoy more.

After the Ultrasound

The ultrasound was a few weeks ago where we found out that our new addition is going to be a healthy, active little boy! The due date is still confirmed for October 29th, and we've decided to name him Declan Matthew Peck.

Declan, as we've looked up, is a Celtic name meaning 'man of goodness' and certainly hope and pray that we can help him turn out to be such a man. His middle name, obviously named for me, should hopefully instill in him the importance of his ancestry.

Having a boy will certainly be different then having a girl. Admittedly, when Annalyn was on the way, I was hoping for a boy - what brand new father wouldn't? But once Annalyn came (the story of her birth is a beautiful one in and of itself) and I got to know her, I came to the conclusion that I wanted at least one boy, and I didn't care how many girls! So with our second, I knew we still wouldn't be done, and if we had another girl, that would be just as exciting!

But we are having a boy now, and since it will be our first boy, I'm sure there are lots of things we just haven't experienced yet that will make me want another boy too. Going to the ultrasound was an experience I was looking forward to, and I wasn't disappointed. I loved seeing him for the first time. It was exhilarating to find out it's going to be a boy, but as time has gone on, I do think more and more about roughhousing with him, helping him make his first putt, and teaching all kinds of manly things he'll need to know to be a decent, provident husband and father. As a result, I get more excited by the day.

So far, every appointment with the midwife has shown a healthy pregnancy and Rachel is taking excellent care of Declan and herself. And yes, she is planning on having this one naturally as well, and we are going to have the added experience of this one being a home birth. We're both looking forward to that.

100 days till due date! He's kicking and fighting his older sister already when she's on Momma's lap...I think we're going to have to buckle up for the ride of our lives while these two grow up together.

Grass Isn't Just Grass

When we first moved into our new home it was early spring, and the lawn was still fairly dormant. Now that summer is in full swing, we can now see how much work both the front and the back yards need.

We were told by our next door neighbor Emilio that the elderly couple that lived here before us spent a lot of time outside. The lady, he said, would be out twice a day everyday, morning and evening, down on her hands and knees trimming the grass by hand with lawn shears. I guess he thought that meant they were meticulous and sentimental about their landscaping. Well we certainly didn't care for how overgrown all the bushes had become, and wanted to do something about the major weed problems. 

To date I've ripped out two truckloads worth of bushes and have at least one more truck load still to uproot. Lots of bare ground is now our motif in the front. In back it hasn't been quite as major, but bushes have come out of there as well. We have a maple and I think a sweet gum tree out back that are perfectly positioned to tie up a hammock between, so I've backed off the grass and mulched around them. Out front we have a large oak, and we've recently done the same to it. To our dismay, the squirrels here love to dig, eat, and bathe in the mulch. Every so often I have to clean up the edges of the scattered mulch chips. 

As spring came on we got to see some of the bushes and plants blossom, so we decided from that too which ones we wanted to keep. Most of the blossoms that we like are gone now, so it'll be next spring before I can post some pictures of them. We did have to take out some of the flowers though, like some day lilies that were in the perfect spot for a vegetable garden. Right now we've got zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes planted. the sugar peas and the lettuce didn't survive the severe rainstorms and tornadoes that we've had this year. 

With so much bare ground out front I tried getting some grass seed down to fill it in. From the picture above you can see the pathetic result from my sad attempt at getting grass to grow mid summer. Oh well. I did get something to grow! We'll just have to wait for fall when we can get some sod. It's nice to have several nurseries close by; we have several sod options available and I'm excited to see the lawn get to where I'd like it to be. 

We also have been fighting a mole problem that looks like its already starting to curb with the treatment we gave the lawn in getting rid of the grubs that they are apparently after. I hope we can keep them away. Moles are so devastating to the lawn! If the lawn isn't full of weeds somewhere, then its thin from all the destroyed roots from the moles. 

Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming with everything I want to get done in the yard. But at the same time I love working in it! Being raised doing yard work I'm surprised how much I've learned now that I'm a homeowner, especially about lawn care. I've got a fertilization coming up in two weeks, a weed treatment a month later, then dethatching, aerating, sod and overseeding just a month or two after that. This weekend I plan on finishing up the flagstone landing area in front of our porch with creeping thyme as a gap filler. I'll grab some pictures now to post some before-and-after shots. Too bad I didn't get them when we first started out with a quarter acre of hideous bushes!

Taking the Plunge...Maybe the Plunger Too

This week is already starting to prove eventful. The studying hiatus is over and I've placed on a rigid schedule in hopes of taking the exam again Sept. 28th, which means 12 weeks of review. My goal is to get in a minimum of 100 hours of study in before then. Fingers crossed (but not holding my breath - c'mon, 12 weeks?) that this last bit - working hundreds of problems - is all I need now to pass.

Rachel is finally over her cold that she had and is now ambitiously attempting two major tasks with Annalyn: potty training (or housebreaking as I like to call it) and getting rid of the pacifier. To her credit, she has stuck to her guns and Annalyn is already starting to make excellent progress. I don't know how Rachel has the patience to potty train. Come to think of it as I'm writing this, I don't know how my mom had the patience to train me! I'm glad Rachel's willing though. I couldn't handle sitting in the bathroom for 20 minutes at a time waiting, waiting...waiting... Or cleaning up the accidents. She's a trooper to see that it gets done.

Some very wonderful things have quickly started to happen with ditching the pacifier, such as Annalyn eating more, and speaking more! Don't get me wrong, Annalyn is a pretty good eater, but Rachel has had a lot fewer struggles in trying to get her to eat when she isn't interested in eating. The speech has been a lot of fun too. Not only has she been saying words she knows a lot more, she's picking up new words much faster! Even though it seems she's trying to fill her empty, binky-less mouth with anything she can, be it food or words (sometimes her own arm that she sucks on), our little girl is taking her next big step toward growing up.

We went to the farmer's market again this past Saturday and I was reminded why we go. The smell of fresh produce picked after it has ripened, the lively music, the friendly farmers...it's always been worth going, and I always leave so full! Compared to the grocery store, farmer's market food is ambrosia. Rachel cooked up some of the green beans and golden potatoes on Tuesday that we got there and it was as good as any professional could conjure. It reminded me, "Oh yeah, that's right! Food can taste this good!" Rachel is already an accomplished chef, and having high quality ingredients only make each meal that much more exciting.

Happy 4th!

We had a great Fourth of July celebration this year, and thanks to Rachel's great ideas and family traditions, we enjoyed more than just fireworks and barbecue. Rachel has been missing the traditions that she was raised with when she was growing up. Now that we have our own place, we finally have the room to entertain a few of the ideas that she had for us and the friends we invited over. The Muirs and the Lewis' joined us for a fun afternoon and evening, thanks to Rachel's great planning and hosting skills.

I spent the morning getting the yard as ready as possible for when everyone came over. A word of advice: do not take out a stump with nothing more than a shovel and a mattock and then try to do the limbo in the same day. My back didn't like it, and I bet yours wouldn't either. Once the yard work was all squared away, we took care of some last minute shopping. One minor beef about St. Louis that I've recently developed is their firework laws. Legal in one county, but NOT across the river in another county!? Forget that! We'd rather enjoy life. Our neighbors enlightened us to the fact that no one really cares, and in fact, we had one of the more mild firework displays on the street. So we figured things would be alright if we bought a few kid-friendly ones to keep them and everyone else happy.

The fun began at 5 when everyone showed up. First thing's first - food. We grilled up some burgers, hot dogs and BBQ chicken breast to give everyone a variety and the sides were classic. Watermelon, chips, pasta salad, a great bean dip - everyone had their fill. The kids tried to shoo away the flies as best they could as they ate on the patio, but they must've been just as hungry. The best idea to get rid of them came when Dave Muir told his son Matthew to just wave at them. So, listening to his dad, Matthew gave the flies a friendly hello wave :)

The Piñata was a huge hit with the kids. Even Vance Lewis got in on the action once all the kids had a few turns whacking the thing. Annalyn was probably thinking something more along the lines of a drum, but once the candy flew, she figured it out!

 The limbo was a lot of fun too. Again, do not attempt if you've taken out any stumps the same day. Unfortunately the kids didnt quite seem to understand the concept, so the adults got in on the fun and enjoyed making fools of ourselves. Rachel stole the show when she made it under the stick with Annalyn in her arms and being 5 months pregnant. Quite the champ!

The fireflies that we were hoping to catch weren't nearly as plentiful as they usually are. Must've bed the crowd and the smoke from the fireworks that kept them away. But a few we're caught, and all the kids had a blast.

Finally it was dark enough to set off more than just the sparklers and snaps. We were surprised at how high they went. Utah's height limitation on fireworks definitely gave us a low expectation on how they'd look. Many of them shot more than 20 feet in the air! All in all, not a bad show.

Ultimately, everyone seemed to have an enjoyable time. Everyone was safe and well-fed. We hope to be able to have just as fun next year....but I probably won't limbo.