Healthy and Happy Harvest

This is a few weeks late, but here goes....

Happy September 1st Everyone!
 A new month, a new season getting ready to honor us with its glory....an school has started!
This past week has been crazy busy with getting a routine down with new schools and new sleep schedules! After a summer of staying up and waking up even later...this whole school schedule has been really put through the test!

But I think it's finally coming together! Here is the annual first day of school picture. The first year, ever that the kids aren't dawning crisp white, blue or brown uniforms. It's public school for this bunch (followed by PSR classes). There are likes and dislikes to this year, but I'm sure we'll all get used to our new routine.

As the kids are at school, I've taken a day to can pickles!  

Decorating for fall is exactly what i invisioned this house to look like! there is still so much i would love to do, but life is hectic and i have to step back and decide from wants and needs. I've also finally found a place for my SpookyTown village that I've been collecting for years, with no place to set it up! Woot woot for fall and halloween...and especially this new amazing house

A NICU reunion

Its been over seven years since Kenny spent 129 days in the NICU...sure, he's been hospitalized several thousand times since, but to spend a few hours with these wonderful doctors and nurses that have taken special care of our little guy...who basically kept him alive...after all these years, I am so grateful to them. Even after all these years, I basically consider them family! They loved Kenny (and Nick) so much, they cared for him...kept his little lungs breathing, saved him from numerous infections and fed him when I couldn't....I am forever and deeply grateful.

So.much.fun!

 

Gina was in Heaven with a Nertle Turtle aka: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

 

 

 This is one of Kenny's old nurses...

 Kenny holding up a preemie diaper...which btw...was HUGE on him!

 Mommy and Kenny (don't look so thrilled Ken...haahaaahaa)

 crafts!

 the welcome table...

 

 

 decorating cupcakes!

 

 

 props for the photo booth

 Kenny and Dr.Collin

So thank you again MetroHealth Medical Center and all the wonderful doctors and nurses...for everything you've done and continue to do for Kenny and our family!  

Cant wait for next years reunion!!!

Wordless Wednesday...

Mid Summer fun!

As we get settled into our home this summer, not too much has been happening in terms of sickness or issues with Kenny (thank God). We've been trying to keep the summer going with a trip to Alabama to see family and the home days for our new city...which just so happen to be right at the end of the street of ours...literally...in our side yard.

Here is my hubby and our nephew who owns a Kettle Corn/chocolate factory...

 The four younger kids going on rides...

 Kenny and Kay...

 Kenny was a little scared at first, but then enjoyed the ride...

 Kenny and Gina. Believe it or not, this ride went fast! Poor Kenny held Gina's arm the whole ride!

 The fun house is always fun...

 ok...another one of Kenny's favorites that went a little bit too fast for him...he was holding onto Gina for dear life!

 

 Kenny and his Grandpa...unbeknown to eachother...put on the same type of shirt for the day.

So that was the fun filled Home Days, since then, we have been visiting cousins and making the most of the rain we've been getting and welcoming home my nephew who came home on leave from the Army...

Here is my oldest getting ready to go on the makeshift slip & slide...

 the little ones even got in on the action...

 

 They all thought it would help with the sliding...garbage bags with dish soap on them... 

 haahaa...maybe this should be Pintrested under "fun times in the rain...or in the hills ;) )

We all had a really fun time. Great food and lots of laughs..its always fun with our family!

 

And finally, I've been working really hard on the gardens...veggie and flower...around the house. Believe it or not, after 19 years of trying my hardest to grow zucchini at our old house, I am finally growing them here at our new house!!! I am beyond ecstatic!

 

We are going to be having more tomatoes than we'll know what to do with...yummmmmy...

 

 Our broccoli has small heads on them...woot woot!

 The cabbage as well...we started to have a little issue with bugs and critters eating them...but with some pest control spray and some netting...I think were good... 

 

 

 our brussel sprouts have teenie tiny brussel sprouts emerging

...hopefully we'll have a good amount of them for Thanksgiving dinner...

Peppers are growing...

we'll have an over abundant amount of tomatoes of all kinds...

all the cool weather crops are really starting to take off...

 some flowers from the front yard. Forget-me-nots and purple daisies...

 

 the front yard perennials are really starting to fill out...

 

 

 And for todays harvest...our first crop of beans and come gourmet cucumbers along with regular salad ones...

 

I've always loved to garden...thanks to my Grandpa and my dad. So to teach my kids how to get their hands dirty and to reap the benefits of the hard work of planting...seeing their eyes when they come running in the house with a cucumber or tomato, really makes me smile. Life is good.