Eli had an amazing trip in Louisiana. While we missed him terribly, he enjoyed himself so much! I love that Eli is getting to experience many of the same things I experienced when I was his age....fishing, farming, and great fun! Thanks to my awesome mom and cousin clayton for taking care of our little man.
hanging out on the ditch witch
Every boy needs a deere.
Collecting eggs
see all the eggs I found
His first fish!! Just ask him how big it was...he's already a great fisherman with his exaggerated stories
While Eli was away with Gigi, Ben and I tackled one of our many
landscaping projects. Ben and I have gardened for the last 8 years. We could not imagine a year without enjoying our "homemade" tomatoes and squash. So on Friday evening we set out to begin the back breaking work of transforming the corner of our backyard into a lush vegetable garden. It took us about 4 days, but it was worth it. At least I think so...then again I wasn't the one doing most of the heavy lifting. Here are photos of the project.
This is what the garden looked like before...oh lovely weeds (this is actually the opposite side of the yard because I forgot to take a picture before starting)
Saturday: The garden is edged, the black plastic is partially installed, and the cardboard is down in the bottom of the planters. Adi is supervising our work from the corner
Saturday/Sunday: All this dirt was hauled to the backyard and put into the planters...that is after we got 1.5 inches of rain. That meant for a muddy back yard and bags that were double the weight when we bought them.
Sunday Afternoon: The beds are all full of dirt...lots of really heavy dirt.
My awesome hubby looking nice and dirty from hauling countless bags of dirt in the muddy yard
Monday: Ben hauled 4 yards of granite from the front yard to the backyard on our little lawn trailer.
Tuesday: The crushed granite is in and the plants are in the beds.
Notice the table in the back corner? That is the table Ben made for our wedding altar almost 10 years ago. I love it in the garden, it will be a great planting station.
My rock star hubby!! Thanks for your hard work babe...I love it!!
Next up...a little wrought iron fence around the whole thing with some lovely vines growing on. This year I in addition to my typical veggies (tomatoes, squash, peppers, herbs, okra), I also planted a small cut garden--so excited about that. Can't wait for the goodies that will come my hubby's labor of love!
So what has the boy been up to lately...he's been honing his skills as a farm hand. Ben and I finally let Gigi take Eli to Louisiana to visit my Uncle Marion and Aunt Mary Ann. While Ben and I have been busy getting our garden ready and working on the yard (another post on that in the next few days), Eli has been trying his hand as the cutest little farm hand ever. My Aunt and Uncle have quite a spread in Northeastern Louisiana, complete with chickens (lots of chickens), guineas, dogs, cats, and mules oh my. From what I can tell from the pictures my mom sends, Eli is having a blast and not missing home at all (sniffle, sniffle). I can't wait to hear the stories of his adventures in his own words...till then here are some precious pictures from his first two days on the farm...
It's feeding time...pajamas and rubber boots are a neccessity
Here chickens...have some food
Loving on uncle Clayton
The boys in the field
Riding the big tractor with Uncle Clayton
Checking out the corn rows with Grumps
Looking so handsome after church...in his "favorite" shirt (i can't ever get him to wear a button down, but somehow Gigi did)
Helping trim Little Man's Spurs (Little Man is the Rooster that sleeps in the house)...notice Eli is sharing Binkdie (his blanket) with him. Eli has the most compassionate heart, even for Roosters.
Happy 6 months Adiya Grace Blevins (Feb 22)!! We love you so very much. At six months, you are chunk of love! You have the most beautiful smile that starts with your eyes and extends to your open mouth smile. While you smile all the time, you make your mom and dad really work for your laughs. But you laugh at your brother all the time. It is precious to see the way your big, beautiful, blue eyes look at your bubba. You love him so much and love it when he gets right up in your face.
You have been sitting up on your own for over a month now and you are really quite skilled, bending over to pick up toys or play with your toes. You can roll over, but you don't do this much because you prefer to sit up all the time. You love the exersaucer and spend lots of time playing with the toys on it. You love to talk to them and tell them all about life.
You are a healthy girl. Your cheeks are pleasantly plump, so plump that they cause your bottom
eyelashes to push into your eyes. You don't seem to mind this though! You have beautiful ruffles (otherwise known as your gushy rolls), which are a result of your great love for momma's milk. In regards to other foods, you have quite an opinion...YOU DON'T LIKE THEM (just see the video below). We've tried oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, carrots, and mashed potatoes...and you are having none of it. Momma thought you would love food since you stare at and reach for my food every time I eat. So we are still trying to figure that out.
You are a pretty good sleeper, although you are still working on sleeping through the night. Sometimes you want to visit with mom once a night, other times it's 2-3 times. Good news is, you go right back to sleep after a little snack. You turn into a pumpkin around 7:15 and are ready for bed. You wake up around 7:30a and are so so happy. When I walk into your room you give me the brightest smile...it makes me so happy.
Right now you have a double ear infection...only discovered during your 6 month checkup. You are a happy baby, so we had no idea your ears were hurting you. Now you get to take that awesome pink stuff. Did I mention you don't like anything except momma's milk--which means you HATE the antibiotics. I am sorry if you are scarred by the fact that I have to hold you down to get you to take it. In addition to discovering your double ear infection, we are also taking you for an ultrasound of your head. Yes, my sweet chunk of love, the doctor is concerned about the size of your head and the fact that it continues to jump up on the growth curve (96% now). We are fairly confident this is just genetics...I mean have you seen your brother's noggin. I mean you need a big noggin to hold that amazing brain.
You are an amazing joy and I am honored to be your mother. You are growing way too fast, so I spend lots of time just admiring you and enjoying the present. After having your brother, I realize how quickly you will grow up. You truly are living into your name as a treasure of God. Thank you for teaching and loving your momma so much.
Weight: 17lb 2oz (75%)
Height: 25in (25%)
Head: Big (96%)
(this means you are about 2lbs heavier and 1/2 in shorter than your brother was at 6 months).
