I told Josh this weekend... if we're going to stay in our house longer than initially expected (we were formerly on the 3-year-plan to leave Phoenix after I finished nursing school, but with the current economy, we're thinking more like 5+)... I need another raised bed for planting fruits and veggies!  I hate to rip things out to plant new things, think I need two beds so I can rotate crops seasonally and work a bit better with planting times.  I planted tons of lettuce and red chard this fall, and it went crazy, taking over the whole bed.  How nice to have fresh lettuce each evening!  I am also growing cilantro, parsley, green onions, and some potatoes I recently planted.  I felt terrible ripping out perfectly good greens to plant new things, but if I don't get my tomatoes and basil and melons in before too long, it will be too hot for them to grow big enough to tough out the summer heat!  Last night I harvested tons of chard, some lettuce, and a bunch of cilantro.  I cooked up the chard and froze it, think I will freeze the cilantro also (thinking about using my dryer instead), and we will have to eat the lettuce up.  Today Brie helped me sift a bunch of compost, turn the garden with it, and plant tomatoes (4 types), melons, two kinds of basil, and some peppers.  I left one line of lettuce to keep us going for a few more weeks.  And, some cilantro and parsley along the edges.  Oh, and the potatoes and green onions also at the edges.  Ah, to have more space!

Had a great weekend in Mexico... and the kids appeared to have had fun with Granny and Grandpa (my dad and his wife) in Tucson.  Don't know about Granny and Grandpa - think they need some relaxing time now. :)  It's hard work having to watch two little ones when it's been so long since you had your own!  Only two little mishaps - Josh got pulled over for speeding twice - once in the US and once in Mexico.  I blame my dad's little red convertible sportscar that we had borrowed.  We had some great alone time, drank some beers, layed on the beach, had some yummy food, enjoyed the fire pit at our rental condo, and had fun with the aforementioned convertible.  Now it's back to "real life" and two little kids waking us up at all hours!  Posting some pictures.

Everyone always says... when you have a second baby, you wonder if you can love it as much as you loved the first.  For me, it was wondering if I would love a little boy as much as my little girl.  I really didn't know what it would be like to have a baby boy, as opposed to my little girl who was like a little me.  Silly to wonder... I love him just as much, in different ways.  It's no different to have a boy, or a girl... they are both your babies and you love them just as much one as the other... so much you wonder sometimes if you might burst from all the loving inside.  Brianna, my little baby girl, I love you for being like me, for cuddling reading books, hugs when you are sad, being my first, my girl, my cutest little girly-girl.  Finley, I love you for being such an easy-going, cuddly, fat, warm little ball of hugginess.  I just want to kiss and hug you all the time.  I feel like my lap isn't big enough to hold both of you and cuddle you together as much as I would like to!  Brie, you are like one of those big dogs that thinks they are a lap dog - always wanting to pretend to be a baby, but you're so big already!  I can't wait to see what both of you are like in 5, 10, 15, 20 years.  I can't believe that before I know it, you will be all grown up and have your own kids!  It's so rewarding to be a mom and I can't wait to follow this road with you both.  My heart is overflowing with such pleasure in having a wonderful, complete, perfect family.

Posting various pictures from the last few weeks... enjoy!