busy day

today after work, jack and i went on a walk... when we got to dad and mom's house, they were out in the yard cleaning up stuff from fall. dad was pruning bushes and mom was weeding. pretty soon, there were piles and piles of leaves and tree/bush trimmings. jack settled right down with mom and played in the dirt. pretty soon, kelsie and abby came out with strawberries and dinner, and had jack as happy as can be. i headed over to the first pile and started to load the yellow bucket. i asked dad where he wanted it and he said he wanted it in the garden. i thought to myself, "there is no way this is going to fit in the garden". i went and got the truck instead. when i got back, load by load we put the piles in the truck bed (good call :) ). while i helped in the yard, kelsie and abby really helped me by taking jack on a bike ride and letting him eat all the strawberries he could handle. they got back just in time to help put tools away. jack was more than happy to help dad carry the yellow bucket. we had dinner with them and then headed home for icecream. jack loves to have his own bowl and has to feed himself. he needs to be hosed off by the time he is finished. it is so fun to watch him become a mess. we had a great day today!
-ash

faces of jack

jack has such an expressive face. i could sit and watch him all day. i love watching him as he figures things out, discovers something he loves, or just sits in pure concentration. he is absolutely adorable and so fun to hang out with.
-ash

jack is enjoying some french bread...a boy after my own heart :)

1 project down...1,000,000ish to go

there are so many projects that paul and i want to learn how to do, or to start. after he spends a lot of time making sure we have the right tools and ingredients, we finally start.
this project...

making our own vanilla

it was so fun. we started with vodka and madagasgar, tahitian and ugandan beans. each has their own unique flavor and i can't wait to start using them. actually, i don't want to use them because then, i won't have them any more (i know it is messed up). we shake them each day and in 6 weeks, they will be ready!
-ash