my god, gardening is hard work. i have been scrambling to get plants in the ground for the last week or so, and every night i am literally paralyzed -- my lower back/hips/legs are screaming in pain. it took me a while, but i finally figured it out. holding carter while i do all of the watering is not helping either.

but it looks nice, and is looking nicer. but i swear, if we ever leave this house, these perennials are coming with me! they are part of the family now. next i am going to tackle planting a shrub or two.

ava has been a good helper, other than watering the zucchini mounds to such an extent that they washed away (see mom and dad? i told you we would need at least seven!). her favorite activity has been making mud. and we have a spot where 40,000 pansies are coming up in a 4 square inch plot. spreading the seeds is not her forte.

we are all so glad that it is summer. i think i can handle anything as long it is summer.

carter is getting more and more confident with the standing/cruising thing. he even let go and stayed standing for a moment while he shifted his hands--i think he forgot that he was not holding on. and he LOVES the little 3-inch step beteween the living room and the porch. back and forth, back and forth, back and forth....

i have decided that i am going to learn to sew, and then fashion a little suit out of swiffer thingamajigs, put it on carter, and let him clean the floor. the pollen is so bad, i swept it up 4 times today before i gave up. i cannot describe this. it comes off the trees in a yellow green cloud, and covers everything. everywhere. when you are in the midst of it, you start to wonder if your eyesight is failing. it has settled on every conceivable surface, and our house is basically green. inside and out. it almost obscures the view out the window. i have never experienced this. last year was bad, but nothing like this.

but the good part is that neither ava nor carter are sniffling/sneezing/coughing or anything. so much for allergies. (?!) though they have been eaten alive by the bugs. we all have. ava destroys her bug bites, just like me. i have not told her, but she has figured out that if you scratch them enough, they will stop itching. instead, they just hurt. which is preferable. to nip this in the bud, i have been hauling out the hydrocortisone for the worst offenders. but she still seems to find one to dig into oblivion. usually on the nape of her neck.

at least we will be able to swim soon. looking forward to the beach.