Opposites Attract

Sam was very intrigued when he met our friend, Stephen. He absolutely fell in love with him. This picture cracks me up - the only way they could be more opposite is if Sam were a girl.

Stephen and Karen used to rent our basement apartment when they were newlyweds. They now have one of the prettiest babies I've ever seen. She's going to model some of our gowns for us, and with her beautiful hair and kissy lips, she should sell a bundle.

Sometimes, we're lucky enough to be invited over to their house for dinner. Stephen is from Ghana, and he is a great cook. He always makes enough for an army (which is almost what my family is). I think our favorite is the peanut butter soup and rice balls. Someday, when I feel like cooking again, I'll get him to teach me how to make it and will share the recipe. For now, though, it's good he cooks for an army, because we get to take home leftovers.

All It Takes is the Right Inspiration

Sam has two cousins who are 1 and 2 months older than him (Sammie and Lily). They both talk almost non-stop, and you can even understand what they are saying. Sammie even speaks some Spanish.

I know boys are OFTEN slower than girls with their language, but I couldn't help wishing Sam would speed it up a little. His cousins were leaving him in the dust. Then my good friend, Michele, read him this tractor book. That very day, he started saying:

TA-TOR (TRACTOR)

 

 

 

 

WO-WER (ROLLER)

 

 

 

 

 

BAT-BOE (BACKHOE)

 

 

 

 

 

O-I pronounced with a long o and short i (FORKLIFT)

 

 

 

WODER (LOADER)

He'll even tell you which part of a combination vehicle is the loader and which part is the backhoe.

 

 

We've also introduced him to the words for:

COO-BA pronounced like tuba (SCHOOLBUS)

 

 

 

DUH-TRUCK (DUMP TRUCK)

 

 

 

HIO-TRUCK (FIRETRUCK)

 

 

 

Apparently, all it took was the right inspiration because ever since that day, it's like the language lightbulb has turned on for him. He's so excited to say his new words and that we can understand him. He's constantly trying new words now and will mimic almost anything we say. It's so fun.

The one drawback about his passion for motorized vehicles is that he will no longer sleep in the car - it's just too exciting out there on the road. He spends hours pointing and growling (truck noises) and telling us what all the different vehicles are. He can tell them apart like you can tell apart a giraffe and an elephant. I always thought a tractor is a tractor is a tractor . . . it would appear that there is more to it than that, and Sam has now left me in the dust.

About a Garden

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides. ~ W.E. Johns

A few years ago, I got Steve to build some raised bed planter boxes for a garden. I gave him fairly specific instructions which he followed halfway. But instead of putting good soil into them, he found fill dirt from somewhere (it was cheaper). It was typical Utah clay and was full of weed seeds. We planted a garden for three years in a row, but for various reasons, we have had limited success - in part because I got sick of fighting with the weeds that didn't need to be there.

I finally put one of my new favorite books, Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, on Steve's pillow after I told him that Mel Bartholomew teaches a class at BYU Education Week (that gave him some credibility). He actually read it!!! His conversion was so profound that he even built a few planter boxes for his mom. He put bottoms on the boxes and set them up on saw horses so that his mom can garden without having to stoop over. What a good, kind son. These are our preliminary results.

We now have excellent weed free soil mix that is one part peat moss, one part vermiculite, and one part compost (the compost is a mixture of 5 different types).

All of the kids helped mix soil and load it into our 3 big planter boxes.

Sarah helped the most by keeping Sam out of Steve's car where the Sharpie is and by keeping him from removing every last stitch of clothing (although he got very close).

We were only able to get two of the three planter boxes finished that first evening, so the next day, naked Sam helped Steve finish up. I had less success than Sarah did at keeping Sam dressed that day. But at least if he's naked outside, it doesn't matter so much where he pees.

The next step, planting, will happen on Saturday, more fondly known by me as Slave Labor Day. I'll post more pictures as soon as we see some results.