Blueberries

While we were down in Charlotte, we went blueberry picking in the middle of a neighborhood in Rock Hill, where Brian and Monica live. Monica and I stayed with the babies in the shade while the rest of the crew got busy picking 4 quarts of blueberries. The owner of this gem of a garden only waters his bushes and plants rye grass in the fall to fertilize.

This man has a huge backyard that he has filled with several fruit and vegetable plants as well as a large number of blueberry and blackberry bushes (are they bushes? I'm not sure). He and his wife were so sweet and told some fantastic stories.

The kids enjoyed their time, and we all enjoyed some incredible fruit for the rest of the weekend....well, almost all of us.

Meet My Niece

I would like you all to meet my littlest niece, Anna Elizabeth Judd. She was born three weeks ago, and Paul, Avery and I had the privelege of going down to Charlotte to meet her for the first time. She has such a sweet spirit and seems perfectly content with her life. We had a great time with Brian, Monica, their kids, and Papa and Nana Judd. Avery was a little unsure at first, sucking her thumb and hanging on pretty tightly to my arm, but she soon warmed up to the crowd and was babbling and playing with the cousins in no time. We were sad Mark and Heather's family were not able to come down due to Carter feeling a little under the weather.

Mary Scott and Avery sharing some Cheerios. Mary Scott loved helping to feed Avery.

Papa and Avery checking out a cell phone.

The Girls (Avery, who couldn't keep her hands off the baby, Catherine, Anna, and Mary Scott)

Two Budding Musicians

Raspberries

Motor boats, lip trills, zerberts...whatever you call them, Avery loves them. She is always discovering the many sounds she can make with her lips, but not always at the most opportune times. She has made some crazy sounds at church, at bridal showers, and at Barnes and Noble, while Paul and I are trying to read. I caught her in a lip moment the other day, so of course I had to take a number of pictures.

A Happy Fourth

We had a great day celebrating the birth of our nation. I had this vision of Avery waving two flags in one of her patriotic dresses (yes, she has more than one). But soon-to-be-9-month olds don't always cooperate in photo shoots. She ended up eating more than waving the flag. Maybe next year...

But the highlight of Avery's first July 4th happened to be her first baby pool experience. Her cousin Carter, an expert in the realm of baby pools, was happy to assist Avery as she splashed her way through several moments of enjoyment. I wasn't able to get many pictures of Carter, because that boy is always on the move.

We capped off the evening with a view of the Mt. Trashmore fireworks from Mark and Heather's deck. Avery sucked her thumb through it all, so I can only imagine she enjoyed it.

The Fruits (and Vegetables) of My Labor

My mom planted some tomato and pepper plants while she was here in April. I'm not exactly the best gardener, so I was a little nervous. But lo and behold, I went to check on my plants today, and look what I found:

Pretty impressive, huh? There's nothing that a little camera trickery can't do. Let me give you some perspective.

The yellow pepper is courtesy of Harris Teeter. The good thing is that this fruit is a strong correlation to my labor...I've probably watered these plants five times since April. But at least I didn't kill the plants. Paul and I will enjoy a very tiny pasta salad with these beauties.