Dear Mr. Credit Card Man...

Dear Mr. Big-Wig, So-Wealthy-I-Don't-Care-How-Many-Trees-I-Kill-As-Long-As-It-Makes-Me-More-Money Credit Card Man...

I love getting mail. The more, the merrier. Well, except for those pesky bills, that is. But those aside, I love the surprise of never knowing what's going to be inside that little grey box in my front yard around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. And while I never know what's going to be awaiting me there, I can always count on there being some piece of junk mail. And guess who it's usually from...? You. Yes, that's right. Your mail is the only piece I loathe. Every day. But today, wow... You went way above and beyond to try to get my attention! I must say that I am impressed with your ignorant, careless determination. Not only did you send me one credit card application (of which you have sent me every day, for the last three years), but you sent me three! You know, you're starting to seem a little desperate there. But maybe, since you haven't "caught my drift" yet that I am not interested, I'm going to make it quite clear so there will be no question. Below are some pictures of what you will be receiving in your mailbox...
In case you don't recognize them, they're your applications torn up and returned to you in your very own, prepaid envelope. That was very kind of you, by the way, to pay for the return of your own junk.
And just so that you know who to take off your list, I carefully tore my name off the paper you enclosed and stuck it nicely right in front for you to see.
Oh, and by the way... did you know that paper comes from trees? You must own a lot of property in South America...

Sincerely,
-Annoyed

Messes, Frowns, Laundry, and Spoons!

What does it all mean? It means... we've introduced solids! 5 and 1/2 months brought about two teeth for Paisley, and curiousity on the part of her parents as to how she would respond to foods that we were eating. She'd been showing more and more interest in our food, so one day, Scott decided to let her try his yogurt. Let's just say that I thought she was going to cry! Our trusting little Pun'kin had a look on her face that clearly said, "What did you just give me?!" and "How could you?!" And in the seconds to follow, she promptly downed two more bite-fulls. Goofy girl...

And that began our adventure into introducing solids...

So far, nectarines are a favorite, followed by bananas and yogurt.

On the not-so-favorite list are peas and avocados. We're not giving up, though... I mean, come on kid... who doesn't like fresh peas and avocados?

Scott and I are quite enjoying this new "introducing foods" adventure. Yes, it means lots of bibs to wash and lots of mess to clean up, but the looks we get from our captive kiddo just leave us belly-laughing. When she takes a first bite of something - whether she likes it or not - her face automatically contorts into that sour-pucker look as she's trying to make sense of what she's tasting. Then, she'll work on the swallow, and either smack her lips in enjoyment or give a half choke/sneeze/shudder that emphatically lets us know that she's not too thrilled about the taste. And then there's her cheering section (all two of us), who, with every bite of whatever (especially those foods she doesn't have an instant liking of), let out a, "Yeaaaah!" and put our best, biggest smiley faces on, hoping to convince her to leave that little bite in her mouth. Yeah, we're quite the scene around here come meal times....

A Sneak Peek...

And for those of you who just can't wait long enough for the online photo albums to load, here's a sampling of some of the photos you'll find there, and some little stories about our favorite Six-Month-Old and what she's up to these days...

Every week, I take a picture of Paisley on a different fabric (a fun project to mark her growth through her first year), and every week when we're done with the *photo shoot*, Paisley just loves to roll around with the fabric, talking up a storm. This is the typical look of Paisley enjoying figuring out her vocal cords. And boy does she ever enjoy it!

Scott's Caption: "Aww... two Sweet Babies."

Liz's Caption: "Atta girl! Read those food labels!"

One of those moments you hope you can remember forever... She has so much trust, confidence, and such a sense of security in us... May it be that way always!

Her new favorite thing: Tucker! If she even just hears his collar make noise, she gets a big grin on her face, and starts to look around for him. When she spots him? All smiles. When Papa and Tucker wrestle? Happy feet as she looks on. When he comes up to her? Giggles. Too cute.

Halibut fishing on Father's Day weekend! Aww... I must say that I rather enjoy having 3 in our family photos these days!

Her last toothless smile! And would you look at that? I'd say she pulls off the camo quite nicely! Wouldn't you?

Happy First Father's Day, Papa! Here... let me chew on your card since I can't write in it just yet!

Okay, so we've got the reverse thing down just fine, but we have yet to figure out how the forward part works!

Barefoot in the grass on a beautiful, sunny Alaskan summer day!

We were trying to keep her awake to ensure an on-time bedtime, but to no avail...

Lil' Pea Update...

Six Months? Can it be? Surely it can't.

But with another scheduled photo session (thanks to the wonderful gals at my work), solid foods being introduced, and a little munchkin rolling all over our living room... it must be. Half a year has gone by since the world as we knew it overflowed with more love than we ever thought possible; since our daughter decided she was finally ready to come out and meet us!

...Oh, to be able to remember and treasure every precious moment we've had with our Little Pea, our little Petunia, our Pickle, our Pun'kin, our Paisley Spring. There simply isn't enough brain capacity to hold it all! Maybe that's why God gave some genius the idea to create online photo albums? (Like that segue?)

Anyways! Two more albums to follow of our little munchkin, who's not so little anymore!

Paisley Spring - 5-6 Months

Paisley Spring - 5-6 Months Continued

Enjoy!

Holy Asparagus!...

So, every year it seems that I get the itch to try something crazy in our garden (crazy to me, at least...) or something that I know is relatively hard to grow. One year it was a pepper plant, another it was tomoatoes and beans from seed (will someone please help this poor soul!), last year it was brussel sprouts and blueberries (which actually did fairly well!), and this year... drum roll please... I'm growing asparagus! (The post title didn't give it away, did it?) And... miracle of all miracles... it's growing! Don't tell my hubby, but I was a bit skeptical that it would hardly survive the trip home from the greenhouse, let alone grow! But... we love it, and it's not cheap up here, so I decided to take a stab at it anyways... It started with just a couple shoots, and now there are a few more poking their way through the soil. You can not imagine my excitement! Well, maybe you can - I'm blogging about asparagus, for cryin' out loud...



Anyways... among the other "experiments" on this year's list are: red and black currants, a cherry tree (all three of which are growing great at the moment!), and Jerusalem artichokes (they're acutally a tubor, not an artichoke like you would think... ). And due to a makeshift greenhouse my handyman-hubby has built, we're bringing back the brussel sprouts and corn this year for another go.

Wish us luck!

Here Goes Nothin'...

So, for those of you reading this blog simply for the Paisley updates or stories of our Alaskan Adventures, you might want to stop reading right now. For those of you still reading, consider this a warning... You may start to notice more posts that have nothing to do with the above mentioned things, and more to do with food, nutrition, a little bit of food politics, etc. No, I don't want to post rants and raves or "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts," but I do see this blog as an opportunity to get information out to the masses (ha - "masses"... that's funny... ) of some things that people may not be aware of, or things that I am learning in my attempt to find healthier ways of eating good food.

For those of you who don't know, I have been a student of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (based out of New York) for almost a year now, and will graduate later this summer as a Holistic Health Counselor. I have learned a great deal over the last year, and am passionate about sharing what I'm learning with people who want to hear.

So, if anyone is interested, I stumbled across a program last night that I'd never heard of, and was actually quite shocked that it found its way on to basic television (we don't have cable). Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution. Ever seen it? Well, for someone who doesn't hardly watch TV, I watched two hour-long episodes back to back, and was beside-myself-excited about what this guy is doing... He's passionate about people knowing where their food comes from, what's mixed in with their "food," and eating organically and locally when possible (among other things, I'm sure - heck, I only saw two epidoes!). Anyways... seems he's on basic television on Friday nights, and would definitely be worth the watch (kid friendly, too, it seemed) if this itches your ear at all...

Roll-y Poly...

No, not as in chubby. As in, my 5 month-old little girl is rolling back and forth across our living room like a mad woman, er.. baby! I was just getting to really enjoy this stage where she can entertain herself and I can go get things done and not have to worry about her. That stage sure came and went quickly! I really don't know how she does it so fast. When I'm watching or playing with her, she's content to just play near me or make faces with me. But as soon as I jump up to do something, it's as if she gets bored and says, "Okay... time to move!" And off she goes - from one corner of the rug to the other! Makes me laugh every time...

Tucker, watch out! And baby-proofing here we come!