ready to swim

sweet million

The tomatoes are exploding in the garden, and the anticipation of the first ripe red bite is killing me. While I was watering today I counted over 170 green tomatoes – and there are hundreds more flowers! Granted, most of those are on our Sweet Million plants, so the fruit won’t get over 2 inches, but that is just perfect for the kids to eat right off the vine. Over the past 2 summers, I don’t think a single cherry tomato has made it inside the house – Fletcher eats them as quickly as they ripen!

We are also growing Cherokee Purple heirlooms and those plants, while much smaller than our 6 foot tall Sweet Million and Better Boys, are covered in flowers as well!

Bring it on, summer. Bring. It. On.

corn!

Don’t even try to tell this boy he can’t eat corn on the cob without 3 front teeth! Miss out on the first sweet taste of summer just because of a few missing teeth? Never! Where there is a will, there is a way!

violin concert

Fletcher had his end of the year violin concert on Thursday night, and he was sooooooo proud to be able to show off for NayNay and Grandaddy. For some reason the beginning strings were at the end of the concert, so he had to wait a very long time for his turn to play . . . and got in trouble a few times along the way. I wish I had the video camera on when he strings teacher, Ms. Malfatti, had to call him over to sit on the piano bench with her instead of next to his buddy Henry! She lovingly but firmly put her arm around him to keep him still, but he continued to make faces like he was in physical pain or about to be sick! It was pretty cute, actually, but don’t tell him that.

I tried my best to edit these videos in iMovie, put the clips together and add a title and credits . . . but I must be doing something wrong. The quality of the video was really low once I started editing. I opted instead for unedited footage and higher quality video. Maybe I’ll figure out this editing thing eventually . . .

This is Ms. Malfatti’s last year teaching violin at JGS. I hope they are able to continue the program without her, and hope they find someone wonderful to take her place. I have to say, it is hard for me to see exactly why Fletcher is so in love with her. . .  But he is. He cried when he told me she was retiring. Such a tenderhearted kid.

Whirlwind

It was another whirlwind weekend, with Lola Gray’s ballet recital, Fletcher’s violin concert, a pre-K fieldtrip to Tybee, and NayNay and Grandaddy in town to join all the fun! Saturday was a hot one, and we spent the morning downtown shopping and splashing in the fountains at Ellis Square, then wrapped up the day with a Sand Gnats game! Lola Gray was soooooo excited to share nachos with Grandaddy. Both kids managed to score a game ball, which of course they had to get signed by Gnate the Gnat. There were fireworks after the game, and then the inevitable tears at saying goodbye. But tears or no, it was a wonderful weekend and we are so happy that NayNay and Grandaddy were able to share it with us.

Ballerina

I think the photos say it all. She might complain about going to ballet class from time to time, but when recital night comes those weeks of practice always pay off. Despite being a year younger than the other girls in her class, Lola Gray stole the show last night! OK. I might be a little biased . . . but she was seriously amazing. Poised and graceful and right on the mark. And absolutely glowing with the excitement of it all! Oh, to be a five year old ballerina again!

24 hours till showtime!

Bikes and bouncing

Our Saturday kicked off with a Bike Carnival (sponsored by The Savannah Bicycle Campaign) where Lola Gray developed a sudden and intense love of biking on the street – hopefully this new confidence and speed will bring along with it a desire to get off the training wheels before too long. Her new pink bike helmet and being able to ride her bike inside the school certainly helped boost her enthusiasm!

Then the afternoon was spent bouncing and laughing with good friends. What more can you ask of a Saturday? (Thanks, Ginger, for a wonderful afternoon and the fabulous photographs!)

growing

There are loads and loads of flowers on the cucumber and tomato plants in our garden, and it makes me happier than you could imagine. We decided to keep it simple this summer (after a disappointing garden last year) and only planted those 2 veggies – but of course we couldn’t settle on just one type of tomato and wound up with 4 varieties, something like 16 plants! I am hoping and praying that I will have tomatoes coming out of my ears in a few weeks! Standing in the garden, the rich clean green tomato smell is truly heady, and as I water the plants I dream of tomato salads and fresh salsas and pasta sauces . . . but also of being able to put up tomatoes to last us through the winter.

And then, of course, there are the figs! Our little tree is growing and might actually yield some figs this year – if we can get them before the birds!

the Tooth Fairy is going broke!

Three teeth out in a row across the top of Fletcher’s mouth right now, and the 2 on either side of the gap are also wiggly! We might be eating a lot of mashed potatoes and apple sauce for the next few weeks!