Summer!

Oh, we love summer! I cannot believe it's been about a month since I updated, but it's been a whirlwind of events here! School has ended and we are a few weeks into our summer vacation! Just spent a week visiting my dad (Opa) in LaPorte, TX. The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves. I plan on spending the next few weeks taking a class (boo) and relaxing by the pool (yay). I also need to get into my classroom and do a little sorting through and cleaning up for the fall. I got a brand new classroom starting in the fall and I need to figure out where I want to put everything. So I will probably spend a few days there working on that as well! My garden is slowly recovering from a major hailstorm that damaged my peppers and tomatos. I will post pics soon! The corn in almost knee-high! I should have planted more of that, but oh well, time escaped me!

One thing I love about TX, the wild flowers:
The "Texas Star" aka Swamp Hibiscus


And one thing I don't like, the BIG spiders (think as big as my hand!)
Banana spider female (larger) and male


The kids on the airplane, ready to go!


One of their professional pictures! To see them all go to:
http://www.holdmymemories.com/robertjones


Evan by the pool!




And Avery at the pool/eating a popsicle!



Thanks for looking!

Picking Strawberries

One of my favorite things to do each spring is go to Baugher's in Westminster and pick strawberries. I believe they have the BEST strawberries I've ever tasted, but maybe they just taste better when I've picked them by my own hand. This year I think we were a little early, last year there were many more ripe ones, so we spent about an hour out there picking the best ones!

Avery and I on the tractor ride to the field:


Evan in the field, don't pick up that one!


Avery last year and yesterday, for comparison:


Our berries:


We had lots of fun, and for once we remembered the sun screen!

We also went to the first carnival of the summer last night, Gamber's. It was crowded, but the lines were short!


And for fun, this morning in the pool! Only two weeks left of school and then it's summertime!

Updates...

I will make this update mostly photos since I have been lazy and not posting very often! Lazy=living life with two toddlers haha. Let's see in the past month we have been to OC, Penn State, Harper's Ferry, and Skyline Caverns. I'll just start with pictures and explain when needed.

The first president of Penn State...Evan Pugh (PU--haha)


Pictures of the kids and I on Skyline Drive, WV:




Harper's Ferry:



Where John Brown was captured:


Harper's Ferry, where the Potomac meets the Shenandoah:



My friend Derek and I on the bus...

Evan on the bus:


Avery chowing at Don Pablo's Mexican Restaurant!


Evan chowing at his friend Roland's Birthday party!

Today...

28 years ago I came into this world! I cannot believe how fast time has flown since high school. Life seemed like it would go on forever then and now it's just flying past before my eyes! I would never have imagined that at 28 I would already have 2 beautiful children, a job I love, great friends and loved ones, and of course I never expected to have to deal with a divorce. In the last year I have learned a lot about myself. The biggest thing is that I am resilient. I never thought I would bounce back this fast. My own strength and ambition surprises me sometimes, I am not sure where it comes from, maybe my grandmother? She was one of the strongest people I know! I am trying to make the most light of the hardest situation I have ever been in. I've realized what real love is through this and what I am deserving of and capable of giving.

I have been bad at updating lately, just have been really busy finishing up grad school for the semester and spending time with those I love! Last weekend I took the kids to Ocean City, it was a blast. I will add a picture post soon! Update on my garden: still planning to plant my seeds, SOON! And I HATE RABBITS! Lol, they look so furry and innocent but no broccoli/strawberry plant is safe with little bunny foo foo around! Guess I will be replanting those as well! My tomato plants are small, but doing well!

Kids are doing pretty well. Avery has this awful rash all over and the doctor thinks it just most likely an allergic reaction, but the poor thing has been itching for days! Evan has been one temper tantrum after another! His little world must be so confusing for him with all that is going on. I am trying my best to provide routine and structure to help him, but it's proved a challenge! Pray for me!

Well, pics later, I promise!

Happy Birthday to me!

Garden

It's a little bit of a late start but we started the garden this weekend! This is something I have been thinking of doing for the past few years but I haven't gotten around to it and my mom isn't doing her gardening anymore. Derek was sweet enough to bring down his Grandfather's tiller and till the ground. He did a nice job! He also helped my start the seedlings. Today we got all of the plants into the ground. We planted tomatoes, broccoli, and strawberries. I think I will be getting a couple more potato plants. On a warm night this week I will be planting the seeds. I am planting zucchini, corn, snap beans, peppers, carrots and maybe a few pumpkin seeds for fun! I really hope we have a good growing season and it isn't too dry this summer! Wish me luck! Here I am with some of my helpers...

After tilling, before planting:


Planting:

Happy Easter

We had a pretty good Easter over here! I think the most exciting part for me was putting together the kids baskets late Saturday night. I decided not to hide them since they are both still so small, maybe in a few years. We did hide some eggs in the yard this morning for them to find. Their "big" gifts were bikes. Evan got a Spiderman bike with training wheels and Avery got a Dora hot wheels trike.




Avery discovering her basket...


Evan checking out his loot...


I decided to take the kids pictures informally in the old peach chair. I used it last year and thought it would be neat to see a comparison of the two years side-by-side.
2009

2008

2007 for kicks (Avery was 5 days old)


And how cute is this one?

“He that cannot ask cannot live”

I consider this my little self-awareness project. Every day, for the next 75 days I am going to seriously take 5 minutes to reflect on one of these questions and write my most honest thoughts in a notebook. I figure it can't hurt to take an in-depth look at my life and feelings and who knows, maybe I will learn something new about myself! Depending on how personal my answers are, I may or may not share them here! I borrowed my questions from here.

1. Why not me?

2. Am I nice?

3. Am I doing what I really want to do?

4. What am I grateful for?

5. What’s missing in my life?

6. Am I honest?

7. Do I listen to others?

8. Do I work hard?

9. Do I help others?

10. What do I need to change about myself?

11. Have I hurt others?

12. Do I complain?

13. What’s next for me?

14. Do I have fun?

15. Have I seized opportunities?

16. Do I care about others?

17. Do I spend enough time with my family?

18. Am I open-minded?

19. Have I seen enough of the world?

20. Do I judge others?

21. Do I take risks?

22. What is my purpose?

23. What is my biggest fear?

24. How can I conquer that fear?

25. Do I thank people enough?

26. Am I successful?

27. What am I ashamed of?

28. Do I annoy others?

29. What are my dreams?

30. Am I positive?

31. Am I negative?

32. Is there an afterlife?

33. Does everything happen for a reason?

34. What can I do to change the world?

35. What is the most foolish thing I’ve ever done?

36. Am I cheap?

37. Am I greedy?

38. Who do I love?

39. Who do I want to meet?

40. Where do I want to go?

41. What am I most proud of?

42. Do I care what others think about me?

43. What are my talents?

44. Do I utilize those talents?

45. What makes me happy?

46. What makes me sad?

47. What makes me angry?

48. Am I satisfied with my appearance?

49. Am I healthy?

50. What was the toughest time in my life?

51. What was the easiest time in my life?

52. Am I selfish?

53. What was the craziest thing I did?

54. What is the craziest thing I want to do?

55. Do I procrastinate?

56. What is my greatest regret?

57. What has had the greatest impact on my life?

58. Who has had the greatest impact on my life?

59. Do I stand up for myself?

60. Have I settled for mediocrity?

61. Do I hold grudges?

62. Do I read enough?

63. Do I listen to my heart?

64. Do I donate enough to the less fortunate?

65. Do I pray only when I want something?

66. Do I constantly dwell on the past?

67. Do I let other people’s negativity affect me?

68. Do I forgive myself?

69. When I help someone do I think “What’s in it for me”?

70. Am I aware that someone always has it worse than me?

71. Do I smile more than I frown?

72. Do I surround myself with good people?

73. Do I take time out for myself?

74. Do I ask enough questions?

75. What other questions do I have?

Lots of updates!

Sorry I am a little later updating than I would like! I have a paper due for class tomorrow and I have been amazingly busy!

On Friday, my little bug turned 2! I cannot believe that just two years ago she looked like this:

And now she looks like this:


I seriously cannot believe I now officially have two toddlers! I'm outnumbered two to one sometimes haha! On Avery's birthday we went out to dinner and had a little cake for her here at home. We didn't do anything big, she was shy enough when we sang to her. Look at the face she made!

She must have loved it though, because ever since she has been playing with her Dora cake and singing "Happy....to youuuu." I'll have to upload some video of that, it's adorable. Some pictures from her party...
Shoes, you are never too young to love them!


Her Dora cake set


Bathtub for her baby dolls


Purse, she loves this! She walks around "chatting" on her cell phone.


Evan blowing out her candles:


In her birthday dress...riding her new toy from Mom-Mom.


On Sunday I took the kids to the zoo with a friend and we met Shelley and Noah there. The kids did a little bit of Easter egg hunting (if you can call it that!). Here are some pictures...





I tried to get a picture with the Easter bunny, but that was NOT happening!


Coming up this week: Dying Easter Eggs, More hunts, and Easter of course! Stay tuned!

Love ya all! XOXO