Strawberries and Spring

Spring is here at last!! Hallelujah!

The first order of business this spring was to uncover the strawberries...which we were finally able to do on a beautiful Saturday afternoon before the rain came in again. As always, this was a family affair. Since last fall was wet, and we were busy moving...we didn't get as much done in the berry patch last fall as we had hoped. But better late than never. Nick ran the tiller while Mel and I pulled the straw off. Nancy came by later and attempted to stomp down the straw between the rows, with limited success.

The strawberries came through the winter well. Unfortunately, so did the weeds! It's ok. We don't have much else going on anyway so we have plenty of time to weed out the berries!

Professional Advice

This is what was waiting for me on my desk after lunch and my doctor's appointment today. Gross. It's growing on someone's driveway. She wants to know what it is and how to get rid of it.

Since I don't know the answer to either...I sent it out to my co-workers to ask for their professional opinions. One of the first responses I got back was from Shaun Casteel, our Extension Soybean Specialist- and good college friend. He suggested I check the following link for help.

Very helpful Shaun. Thank you.

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!!

Kaylee Grace Estes, March 8, 2010, 6lbs. 11oz., 21 inches long

Welcome to the world, Kaylee Grace! Way to keep your parents on their toes from the very start! I guess the baby shower was just so much fun that Kaylee didn't want to miss out on any more excitement. Despite being a month early, Kaylee is just as cute as she can be! Congratulations Kelly and Ron!!

Kelly's Baby Shower

What a weekend! Saturday was a busy day filled with the usual hum drum chores and some time outside enjoying the sunshine. We then all headed to the Owensboro Orchestra Concert, featuring the music of John Williams, complete with Star Wars characters and Indiana Jones. It was just the thing to get everyone in the mood for the Oscars. Too bad I didn't watch them...

My good friend Kelly is expecting a little girl in April. So, Sunday, Peanut and I headed to IL to help shower her with baby gear. As expected, I had a great time and was able to catch up with some good friends while I was there. Since Kelly knows she's having a girl- when I saw this at Kohl's, I just couldn't help myself!! It has a strawberry on the butt! :)

Sondra, Lily, and Bella were there and Lily did a great job of assisting Kelly with the gift opening. It's very important to have good help! Jamie came and I gained a wealth of new-mom-must know information...her little boy, Carter, is 4 months. I'm not sure what was in the water for us Illini gals, but there has been a bit of a baby boom recently!

Kel- Can't wait to meet your little girl in a month or so!!

Nothing That Can Top The Previous Post

So I know it's been awhile since I've blogged... but honestly, I can't quite think of anything that tops the last post!!
Nick and I had the 22 week check-up with Dr. Ott. Peanut seems to be doing just fine and as always, the heartbeat was great. After the appointment, Nick and I headed to Target and Babies 'R Us to register. Talk about an overwhelming experience! We are still undecided on what will work best on some of the larger items, but thankfully we have 4 months to figure it out!
Because I didn't get enough shopping on on Friday, Saturday I met up with Nikki to do some more! We had a great time! We stopped in a JoAnn Fabrics, where one could easily spend their entire paycheck. I didn't -but thought about it! I did buy some fleece to make Peanut a blanket from Mommy. It has bees on it. Nikki approved of my fabric choice! We ate a wonderful lunch at Macaroni Grill...then headed to the mall with the rest of the Kentuckiana population. You've never seen this much traffic at the mall! And it wasn't even Christmas! I found so many cute clothes! I purchased one girl and boy coming home outfit...and several gender neutral sets. It's probably a good thing we don't know the gender. Otherwise, I would have spent a LOT more money.
This is another busy week, but one I am looking forward to...
It's STRAWBERRY SCHOOL TIME! This year, I have no hints of a cold that will keep me stuck at home with my tissues... which is good, because I'm going to need to know what I'm doing in a few short weeks when the straw comes off and the blooms come on!
Hope Peanut likes strawberries as much as Mommy does!

Peek-A-Boo!! I See You!!

Today we had our 20 week ultrasound. I had one earlier at 8 weeks. Baby looked like a little peanut...Thus the nickname "Peanut". But MY how Peanut has grown!!

It was apparently morning naptime, because for most of the ultrasound, the thumb was in the mouth. Everything checked out healthy and the technician estimated the baby weighs about 12 oz (51% for weight).

Here's a sneak peak of Peanut. (I think baby looks like Daddy... especially in the last photo).

Profile

Thumb in Mouth

4D profile...all curled up for a nap.

I know I'm biased...but Peanut is so adorable!!

Snowy Saturday

We awoke this morning to find that it had snowed. The weatherman had been forecasting snow, but he was a little off in his prediction of 1-3 inches. We ended up with closer to 6. But since it's Saturday and I didn't have to drive to work in it, the snow was actually fun! So I put on my long underwear, grabbed the shovel, and the camera, and headed out for some fun in the snow. I had plenty of company.

Even Boots was out enjoying the snow. I love how Pepper leaves a path like a plow... and Boots daintily walks through the snow leaving perfect tracks.

Some scenes from the farm on this snowy day:

Ahh... the beautiful landscape. Wait a second... PEPPER- GET OUT OF MY STRAWBERRIES!

Our road. It's not plowed, but at least some of the traffic has made some tire tracks.

Pepper waiting by the door as if to say "Can we go in now?" You know what that means...

HOT CHOCOLATE!! Raspberry hot chocolate with marshmallows...in my Illini mug.

One must have the proper beverage to help with blogging on a snowy day!