Farmer Joshua

It's been really cute to see how excited the boys have been about our garden this Summer. Last year I hastily planted an in-ground garden in the back corner of our yard, and while the boys helped me water it occasionally, it didn't hold their interest quite as much because the plants didn't yield much fruit, and it wasn't in the area of the yard where they normally play. In light of last Summer's meager harvest, I decided to switch gears and give container gardening a try. It seems silly since we have such a huge yard, but being able to keep all of the plants in pots on the deck by the pool has made tending and watering more convenient, and in-between dips in the pool, the boys like to monitor their growth. Granted, the plants probably drank a little more chlorinated water than they would have otherwise!

Moses loves to pick cherry tomatoes and eat them straight off the plant. Not a single cherry tomato has made its way inside of our house all Summer, and they usually don't even get a chance to fully turn red before Moses plucks them. Joshua is our avid cucumber harvester. Every morning he wakes up and asks if we can go check on them, and gets very excited when a cucumber is ready to be picked. I think he takes after his Papa, who has always been an avid vegetable gardener. Since cucumbers are our most prolific crop, the boys have been eating a lot of them lately. Caleb still insists that he doesn't like the taste and pinches his nose while eating them, which has prompted Moses, who actually likes cucumbers, to do the same. The funny thing is that Moses doesn't hold his nose tight enough to have any effect on his ability to taste.

Yesterday we picked our first bell peppers, which Joshua decided that we should use as a pizza topping. When we picked our first zucchini, the boys were so excited to help me make zucchini bread. I'm so glad that they have this opportunity to grow and eat their own food.

And a few unrelated quotes:

Me: "If we get a pet bunny, what color would you want it to be?"
Moses: "Brown."
Me: "Why?"
Moses: "Because I am brown."

Moses: "Mom, I need more salad. And more Catawina dressing."

Joshua, observing my messy hair: "Mommy, you look like a porcupine."
Moses: "You look like a squirrel."

Moses: "I don't need mama anymore." (That's right, Moses is officially no longer drinking "mama" as of last week! Of course it took me a while to convince him that he didn't need it anymore.)