Grow Garden, Grow!!

So this year is my first attempt at a backyard garden. A friend and I have gone in on it together, sharing the cost and planting/weeding responsibilities, and so far things are going pretty well!! We have planted tomatoes (two varieties - slicing and roma), green beans, broccoli, green onions, spinach, bell pepper, onions, lettuce, and potatoes. I am hoping to do some canning this fall, as well as make spaghetti sauce from scratch. We have already harvested some lettuce, and it made a wonderful salad!! Our tomato plants, bell peppers, and green beans are starting to flower, so those plants should be producing some yummy fresh veggies soon!

The left side of the garden.

The right side of the garden.

Tomato plant.

Green bean plants.

Spinach plants.

Onion plants.

Lettuce.

Brocolli.

A Birthday Party!!

Well, I can't believe Charlie is one year old already... Where does the time go? She is growing and changing so fast, and is such a ray of sunshine in our lives. She has taken a few steps, and is bacoming a better walker day by day. Soon, she will be running circles around me I'm sure!!

We had Charlie's first birthday party this weekend, and it was so much fun. We had some severe weather on Friday, and I was nervous about how I was going to fit 30+ people in my living room if it rained during the party. But, the weather on Saturday was PERFECT!! Warm and sunny, with a little breeze. Charlie really seemed to enjoy her special day - playing with her friends, and visiting with Grandpa and Uncle Christopher. She seemed to have fun with the pinata, enjoyed her birthday cake - though she did get off on a slow and dainty start, she finally gave into the yumminess of the pink frosting!! Overall, her party was a great success, and we can't wait to do it all over again in California this August!!

The house before everybody arrived.

Taking a break mid-party to play with my blocks.

Waiting for my birthday cake.

Daddy helped me blow out the candles.

Getting a little bit of direction...

Figuring out what to do with the cake.

Now I get it!!

This is YUMMY!!

Taking my turn at the pinata. I got to go first!

Okay, okay. I know I have been horrible about keeping up with my blog. But I am going to do better, I promise!!

Things here in the Pinoski Family have been crazy as usual!! In April, we got a new fence around the backyard. It was long over due, and we have really enjoyed it since it has been finished. Whiskey and Kahlua are also enjoying it imensely, as they can now play in the backyard without being tied up!!

In addition to a new fence, we also had all the windows replaced throughout the house. I can't even begin to explain my joy. Our old windows were probably original to the house, single pane, with rotting wood frames, and let in every chilly breeze. Our new windows are white vinyl, duble hung, and wonderfully draft free. I haven't even put the blinds back up yet, because I still like to look at them!!



The living Room window before

The Living Room window after

The Kitchen window before

The Kitchen window after

As if that isn't enough excitement, we enjoyed a fantastic visit frm Grandma CoCo, Auntie Michelle, and cousin Mckenna!! We had such a wonderful time, and are already looking forward to the next visit!! We played at the park, and went for walks. They got to meet all of Charlie's friends at our weekly playgroups, and we had a great trip into the city. We ate yummy deep dish pizza, and walked along Lake Michigan. We saw the pirates at the Field Museum, and had tons of fun on the train - it was Mckenna and Charlie's first time! (They both did great!) The weather was pretty good during the visit, and we only had a few days of rain.

As for our normal daily happenings, they've been pretty busy as well. Mike has started his summer baseball leauge, and we spend at least one day during the weekend at the park, watching him play. Charlie loves to be outside and play, and really seems to enjoy going to the games.

Happy Easter!! We had a great holiday, with beautiful weather, finally! It was in the 60's and sunny all day. I think that Spring might actually be arriving soon. I was begining to think it was never going to get here!!

Our Easter Sunday was a quiet one. We went to church in the morning and then just hung out at home in the afternoon. Mike watched baseball, and I hung wallpaper. Charlie took a long nap - she wasn't feeling that well. (I think her top teeth are finally getting ready to make an appearance.) Later that night, we had a great dinner with one of my girlfriends from church, and her daughter. (Her husband and son were at the Cubs game!)

On Saturday, we took the baby to the local park for a city run Easter Egg hunt. She had a great time. We saw some of her friends (and mine) from church, and spent a great morning at the park playing and hunting for eggs. Charlie was completely uninterested in the actual Easter eggs, she just crawled around on the grass in search of leaves and twings that she could put into her mouth.

There was a special apperance made by the Easter Bunny, and Charlie seemed to enjoyed their first meeting!!

Here we are getting ready to hunt for some eggs (or sticks and leaves, depending).

We are excited about the upcoming visit from Grandma Co Co and Auntie Michelle aand cousin Mckenna!! We should have great weather all week. We are planning a trip into the city where we will visit the Field Museum and the Pirate Exhibit, and eat yummy deep dish pizza!! Then on Sunday is Mike's first baseball game of the season!!

Charlie is growing like crazy, and learning lots and lots of new things. She is pulling herself up onto EVERYTHING, and she also waves bye bye, and plays ball with you. She is a chatterbox, and talks to me all day long. She says mommy, daddy, hi, bye, all done, yummy, and doggie. We are looking forward to her first birthday in a few months, and have a party planned for her here, as well as one in California. (Mark your calenders - Sunday Aug 2nd!!)

So, it's been a while. Things here have been busy, busy, busy. We are making our plans for our trip to Cali in Aug. We have actually purchased our plane tickets!! Woo Hoo!! I will be flying in on Tues the 28th of July. And Mike will follow a few days later - Friday the 31st of July. We are planning to celebrate Charlie's first birthday on Sunday Aug 2!! (Save the Date cards to be arriving in the mail soon!). Mike is thrilled to make it to an Angel's game. And better yet, we are planning on going with good friends Andy and Becky Short, and Kim and Dustin Funk! We will be in town until Tuesday, Aug 11. We are so looking forward to the family reunion on the 8th!! Mike has not attentended the festivities since before entering the Army, and I have only been once in my 4 years as a "Modugno." It will be so much fun to introduce our new little "Modugno" to la Famiglia!!

Charlie is doing wonderfully!! She is crawling like a pro now. I spend my days telling her "no!" and picking her up to move her away from the dog's water bowl. She actually had her very first time out today. She hates the baby gate, and was very upset that I was in the kitchen, and she was not. After a tantrum that lasted several minutes, she ended up in her crib. She is going to grow up into a very strong willed little girl!! She had her 9 month check up yesterday and she looks great!! She is now 15 lbs and 6 oz (still the bottom of the growth chart) and 26 inches long. She is growing so fast!! Still waiting on those two top teeth, but as of last night, she started sleeping again (yeah!). I just hope that it continues!!

We are putting new windows in throughout the house. They should be installed in the next 6 - 8 weeks. We are so excited - it really going to make a difference in our heating/cooling bills, as our windows now are currently about 40 years old. Also on our home improvement agenda is a new fence in the yard. That will be wonderful, because our dogs are currently escaping several times a day!! We have actually taken to tying the dogs up while outside, just to keep them in the yard. We are hoping to have it finished before the rainy season really starts (although we had over four inches of rain on Tuesday!), because it will include an automatic gate opener!! I can't wait!! Not quite finished with the bedroom upstairs yet, but hopefully by the end of the week. Pictures of a finished room will be posted soon!!

Doing my daily leg exercises!!

Climbing on Daddy!!

After her doctor's appointment (where they drew

blood from her arm) she fell asleep holding the

bottle in her mouth!!

She did NOT like the feel of the grass on her hands at all!!




Feeding her face (and making a mess!)

Well - it's official. Charlie has started crawling. She is still pretty slow, and you can see the serious concentration on her face. It's really cute. I'm sure that in a few short days she will have crawling mastered, and will be zipping all over the house, making me crazy!! As of right now, only two things will motivate her to crawl across the room - either the remote control, or Kahlua.

Things here are busy as usual!!

We went to the Children's Museum in Rock ford today. I don't know who had more fun - Mike or Charlie. :)

Charlie is growing like crazy. She is very close to crawling, but not quite there yet. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth, then she gets annoyed and starts yelling, because she can't figure out how to move. It's actually pretty funny. Hopefully she figures it out before Grandma CoCo and Auntie Michelle and Mckenna come out to visit next month. She is also learning how to feed herself, which basically translates to double the laundry for mom. Her two bottom teeth have come in, and she is working on the top two. I hope they come in soon - I miss sleeping through the night!!

We are painting the upstairs bedroom in preperation for our visitors, so that is taking up quite a bit of time. Mostly just prep work (removing wallpaper, sanding, taping, etc.). We should be done by the end of the week. I'll post picture when it's finished. I also am getting ready to start my garden. I have a few things started indoors (tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalepenos). Once the weather gts a bit warmer, I will move them outside, and then also plant onions, spinich, lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, green beans, and carrots. Yum!!

Learning how to feed myself!

SUCH a MESS!!

Playing at the museum with daddy.
(He might be having more fun than I am!)

Going into the "nail wall" at the museum.

The imprint of my backside... How do I look??