Despite my complete and utter neglect of my dear garden, it keeps producing! Such an odd assortment of things, though. Like a bowl full of grape tomatoes, only two or three romas, a zucchini or two each week, and cucumbers...more than I would like. Not that we don't love cucumbers, but these are baby ones, meant for pickling. Normally, that would be great, if I felt like pickling them. I'm doing good getting laundry and dishes done- no energy left for the poor cucumbers. I feel soo bad about that. (Never grew a baby and a garden at the same time, so I'm learning).

I guess it wouldn't be so bad if the cucumbers were the right size. Almost all of them are too big, which taste bitter if you just slice and eat them, and can cause 'soggy' pickles if you pickle them. And I can't figure out for the life of me why they're so big! I'll go out there every few days and see if there's anything needing picked (there always is). The cucumbers are either itty bitty, or huge. I just can never seem to pick them at just the right size. I can understand when I'm really lazy and don't go out there for a week or so, but it just seems like these huge cucumbers were just and inch long when I was out there last! Oh, well. I still think I'm going to make soggy pickles anyway. At least I hope to find the energy to one of these days...soon.

I shredded and froze some zucchini today. I felt so accomplished!

I also made a decent dinner! Meat- from a recipe- lots of veggies. It was very yummy, and again I felt so accomplished.

Sam is so cute lately!!! I'm finding that he's playing more and less clingy to me. He is talking more. He'll repeat a lot, and is putting two words together more and more. He does great at saying meal prayers with us (only about 25% of the words, but he follows with us saying them!). The same is true for other routine prayers, like tonight it was the Angel of God. We ended up saying it three times, and he said it with us each time. Yeah! So cute how he says all his words.

He's also really good at following directions. He's the first of all my kids to respond when I say something: 'get your shoes on.' Within minutes, he's bringing me his shoes, while the others aren't even aware I'm talking. 'Let's have lunch.' He'll go in the kitchen and sit at the table, waiting for me.

Yesterday we were cleaning up the living room, a job my kiddos are just not very good at. There were toys all over the floor. I told Sam he had to pick up the little people, since he got them out. He sat there and filled his whole box with people...all by himself! It was so cool! DD helped him cram the lid on, and once in place, he lugged this box, which was big for him, all the way down the hall to put it away. I wish I had a picture of that little kid, leaning and walking, carrying this big rubbermaid box by the handle, as he trudged down the hall. What a trooper. Need more like that one. Except the clingy, tantrum part. And the inherent messes he creates.

Hey, he's two. What can I say. I'll definitely take the good with the bad. The good is just sooo good. It far outweighs the tantrums and messes!