A new word!

Just last week, Jeffery surprised us by learning a new word, one that we were sure would NOT be one of his first besides Mama, Dada, and bye-bye.

From early on, we have made sure to tell him to say please and thank you, repeating them ourselves when he wants or is given something. We knew eventually this would help with manners, but when he started saying "please" last week (and in the correct context even!), we were shocked!

Granted, it is still not a clear form of the word, but he uses it correctly, and it is just SO DARN CUTE! So here is my video evidence, taken just today at his lunch time:

Jeffery's Birthday photos and details!

Since we couldn't have the big birthday bash with family/friends, here's a recap of Jeffery's day:





Such a tall boy (no idea where he gets that, by the way)




Playing with the See and Say Mom and Dad got him (he didn't really care for the Jack in the Box, apparently that needs to wait a few months)




He loves to ham it up for the camera, but you have to be quick or he starts walking toward you




Mom making his cake




Chilling on the couch, watching football with Dad, while Mom decorates his cake




He caught me!




It's been a while, but I remembered how to decorate a cake




The finished product




Dad teaching him early




"Why's Mom got the camera for this?"




"Oh Wow! Maybe I like that!"




"What is this?"




"This isn't bad stuff!"




He didn't want to get his fingers dirty at first




"That's really good!"




Rockin' his new UT jersey from Grammy and Granddaddy P!




"I know I'm cute!"




Daddy's proud of his little Volunteer!




UT Football, here I come!




"Oh, I'm supposed to hold onto it?"




UT's quarterback for the 2026 year!




Finally figured out how to pick it up




"Mom, it's messy!"




"Eh, who cares? I'll just lick it off my arm!"




"What?!?"




Jeffery had a great day, and thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! There will be more pictures of his new toys in the days to come. And I will try to upload a video or two of his day as soon as I can.

It was a bittersweet day for Neal and me, as we were constantly reminding each other where we were, and what we were doing this time last year. It was a memorable day for sure, as well as a very special one. We just can't believe how fast this past year has gone!

One good part of that, however, is that we are that much closer to coming home! We will keep you all updated on our next set of orders, which should be determined in the next couple of weeks at most.

We love you all!

One year ago today ...

... We met this handsome guy ...



The very first picture we have of Jeffery, about 3 minutes old!




His first picture with Daddy




His first picture with Mommy




The most beautiful sight to our weary eyes!


And now, for a trip through the past year ...


One month (10/27/08)





Two months (Thanksgiving Day - 11/27/08)




Three months (12/25/08)





Four months (1/27/09)





Five months (2/28/09)





Six months (3/28/09)





Seven months (4/21/09)




Eight months (5/27/09)





Nine months (6/27/09)





Ten months (7/27/09)





Eleven months (8/30/09)





One year! (9/27/09)

We have a WALKER!!!

After several weeks of pulling up on various things, and walking around with help, someone decided to just bite the bullet and try it out!

Check out the video here:




We are in TROUBLE!!!

-

Urgent Prayer Request for a friend ...

I had intended to post about Jeffery's 10 month birthday today, but that will have to wait:

I just wanted to post a quick request for as many prayers as possible. Stellan is an 8 month-old little man who was born with a damaged heart. For more info on him, you can check out his mom's blog here.

I found her blog through a mutual friend when I was still pregnant last year, and have followed their family ever since. Stellan is an amazing baby, and is just that much more special to me because he and Jeffery are only weeks apart in age. It breaks my heart to see a family going through this, and I hold my own little boy closer today knowing that it could be anyone's child.

Please take a moment today to pray for this most precious little guy. It seems he could really use it. Also, please pray for his parents' comfort, and the doctors' wisdom and leading.

Nine months old!

Man, I can't believe that Jeffery's already nine months old! It seems like he's been a part of our family forever, but then again, it seems like yesterday that we were in the Stork's Nest, waiting for labor to start!

He really is an awesome baby, and getting more and more fun (and exhausting) by the day! He's hitting milestone after milestone. As soon I write something down that he did, he does something else! Last Friday (the 19th), I went to check on him after his nap because he woke up crying (he usually wakes up happy). I walked into the room to find him with both hands on the rails of his crib, and just in time to see him pull up to his feet and grin at me! I'm in trouble!

He's pulling himself up on everything he can now, especially on us when he's tired and wants to be held. He's eating big boy food and snacks, and has even mastered the sippy cup! He says "Mama" and "Dada," and will sometimes say "bye-bye" while waving. He learned peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake while we were home in May, and he loves Blue's Clues! He's really becoming a little boy.

Today we went for his 9 month checkup, and he is doing great! He weighs 24 pounds, and is 29 inches tall now! We knew he had grown (we recently had to move his exersaucer up a level), but were shocked at just how much! Anyway, luckily there were no shots again until his 1 year appointment, and today was nothing but good news! He even showed Dr. Moore his "petunia" side, as Mom likes to call it.

I'm posting some pictures of him here, but as usual, all of our pictures are on the photobucket site (I'll try to put the link in a sidebar). I'll try to post a video or two in the days to come as well. We love and miss you all!


Playing "got your nose" with Mom



Uh oh! Time to put the bouncy seat away!



"Hey, what's in here?"



Empty boxes make great toys!



He loves his new exersaucer!



He also loves destroying his new foam floor ABC pad



In his baby pool with Dad on the back patio



"Please, no photos!"



Working the sippy cup on a hot day



"Um, Mom? It's empty!"



Giggling at the mess he made on the bottom of his exersaucer



Watching Pooh



He caught me



He just couldn't take it any more

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from The Phillips family!



By the way, the link below is where we add pictures as we take them. We're in the process of adding our Easter pictures now, but they should all be up by the end of the day.

Also, if you want to be automatically notified of new blog updates, go to the very bottom of the page here. There is a line that says, "Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)" that you can click on. It will open a new page that will ask you for your email, or to add our blog to Google Reader, if you use it.

There is also a link on the left-hand column of the blog with a link that says, "Follow." Then you can follow the blog through AOL, Google, or Yahoo. I believe it will send you emails of our blog posts. Let me know if anyone has any trouble!

Pictures are up!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I finally got all of the birth pictures up. They are at http://photobucket.com/nealandjanie. Let us know if you have problems viewing/finding them!

Jeffery O'Neal Phillips is here!!!

Jeffery O'Neal Phillips was born on Saturday, September 27, at 5:47pm local time (11:47am Eastern). He weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and measured 21 1/4 inches long.

Labor started at 2am local time, and around 9am we had to have some Pitocin to make my contractions more regular. Things were progressing smoothly until around 3pm, when Jeffery's heart rate started dropping with the contractions, due to the Pitocin. It was turned off and he went back to normal, but unfortunately that meant my contractions were sporadic again. Given that, and the fact that the doctor thought he was going to be a bit big for me to deliver normally, the decision was made to perform a C-section.

The C-section went picture-perfect, and within minutes of starting, we got the news, "It's a boy," and we got to hear his first cries. Neal was able to be with me in the operating room, and got to cut the cord. He also got to be the first to see our little man, who did end up being a big boy. But he let me be the first to kiss him, and held him for me to see. They then followed the nurse to go get him cleaned up. It took what seemed like forever for the doctor to stitch me up and for the anesthesia to wear off so that I could go see my boys, but it was worth it.

We were able to go home Tuesday, and have really enjoyed having some family time. Neal took time off to be with us, and it's been great to have him home. Unfortunately, my recovery is a bit slower given the C-section, but I'm healing nicely, and already up and getting around on my own. Jeffery is a great baby, eats and sleeps well, and is super sweet and cuddly. He has been great at night, usually sleeping at least 3-4 hours at a time, which makes life much easier for us. He had his first check-up on Thursday, and is already gaining weight from when we left the hospital, so he's doing really well. We're taking tons and tons of pictures, and will hopefully get them all posted online within the next few days or so.

Warning: There are tons of pictures posted here, and even more I'll be posting on Shutterfly as soon as possible. I'll put the link here once they're up.


Daddy, after cutting the cord:


8 pounds, 10 ounces:


Daddy's first few moments with his son:


Mommy's first chance to hold her little man:


Sleeping like a champ!


Go vols!


Daddy's quote for this one: "What, UT lost?!?"


"You mean they're keeping Fulmer?!?"


Mama's little Vol:


Jeffery's model look:


Pure sweetness:


All decked out:




Aunt Mikel Lauren's first visit:


Proud Papa:


Just precious:


Checking things out:


Mommy's in love:


The new family:


Daddy holding his little man back at home:


Mommy holding Jeffery at home:

Hello from Naples!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give an update that we are all settled in (as much as is possible) in our hotel room in "The Stork's Nest" in Naples. We are literally right across the street from the hospital, and have access to the gym, exchange and commissary, and everything we could possibly need here. Though a bit tight, the room has a little kitchenette, so we are able to eat in most meals, which is nice. We also have a theater, bowling alley, and plenty of walking trails here, so we have plenty to keep us busy. Neal is still commuting back to Gaeta this week, but he will be able to be down here with me full time until the baby comes starting Saturday.

We had a doctor's appointment on Monday, which went well. We have a new female OB, so we got to meet her, and we both loved her! My blood pressure is still very low, so they are very happy with me (thank Mom for good genetics!). I am doing well on all my vitals, and the baby's heart rate was 144 - right on target. The baby is still very active these days, though it has settled into a favorite spot with legs/feet usually poking out of my left side. It's a funny sight to see the little bulges when it squirms. They verified at an earlier appointment that the head is down, so we are good there. And Monday, we got the good news that my body is already starting to prepare itself for delivery, so it could literally be any day now!

We have our list of phone numbers to call, and will get word out as soon as we can when the big day arrives. And if possible, Neal will try to find a computer to post a blog update once the baby makes its appearance. I will try to post every few days just so everyone is kept in the loop. We love you all, and can't wait to show off our little one!

Garden pictures!

As I haven't updated info about the garden, I thought maybe I should.

As of now, we've pulled all the tomatoes except the cherries (they're still producing like crazy), and I managed to get about a dozen cans of diced tomatoes out of them, as well as some really good salsa. The zucchini had slowed down, so we pulled them as well. The cucumber plant only gave us three cucumbers and then died, so we'll have to figure out what happened there. Unfortunately, even though we had friends checking in on our garden in July while we were home for a quick visit, it seemed to have a hard time while we were gone. But we knew it was a possibility.

We left the bell peppers to grow for now, as we think they were getting crowded by the zucchini. We may have been right, as they have started blooming again now. We've definitely learned for next year to give the plants about 2-3 times as much space as we think they will need, as overcrowding seemed to be the story to this year.

We have six basil plants left, and they are doing fairly well. I have to keep an eye on them, pick leaves regularly, and snip the blooms off. But they are still growing strong, and they smell great!

Lastly, Neal's butter beans are just about ready to start picking. We're still waiting on them to get just a little bit bigger. And this past weekend, we were finally able to pull the first dozen or so pods of purple-hulled peas! They look great, and we are just waiting to get enough to cook up and have a real southern dinner! We've found we have to check them every 2-3 days, as they are all starting to pop like crazy!

And here are some pictures of Neal's babies! I'll try and get more soon, as they're even bigger now!


The butter beans:

The purple-hulled peas:

A baby update!

Sorry it's been a while. After a July trip to the US for a wedding and last-chance visit with family before the baby arrives, things started to kick into high gear for us. Anyway, several people have been asking for pictures, and though I've been horrible about taking them regularly, I wanted to post a few.

As for life right now, we're steadily working on making way for this baby! We've begun clearing out our second bedroom (currently Trajan's bedroom and extra storage space), and should be getting a call on our baby furniture any day now. I've started washing baby clothes, and can't wait to have a dresser to put them all in! In doing so, I realized that this child has a ton of clothes! We may not even make it to wear everything by the time it grows out of them all! But there are some adorable ones, and some stuff I can't wait to use. Now I just have to decide what to pack in our hospital bags.

We'll be heading down to stay at a temporary lodging facility on base in Naples around mid-month. The OB likes the women who live far away (we're at least an hour from the hospital) to stay there starting at least two weeks before the due date, just in case. Neal will be commuting up to Gaeta for a week, but the last week he'll be given some time off. We will have access to a phone while there, and hopefully it will be on a military line so we can call out via a U.S. number. But either way, definitely know that we will get word out when the time comes! As for updating the blog, I'm not exactly sure when that will happen, but we'll get an email out with pictures to everyone asap!

One of the Navy spouses here is throwing us a shower Sunday, so I'll probably have more pictures to post from that. But for now, here are some of the latest:


Me, back on the 4th of July, at a local BBQ (27 weeks) ...


Picking blueberries with Mom C and the girls while in Knoxville (Karen's beside Mom, Sarah was the event photographer) ...



At the wedding in Chattanooga (July 26th, 30 weeks) ...


The belly at almost 35 weeks ...


A close-up ...

The fabric that we just had to get for a baby quilt so we can start Wee P off right!


The Navy gives new parents a gift ...


This is what was in it (including a hand-knit afghan!) ...


Our diaper bag (orange, of course) ...


Gifts from the May baby shower in the U.S. ...



More baby clothes (I'm having so much fun!) ...


Mom and Sarah's "faith" outfit, for that girl they really want! ...


And finally, our hospital/take-home outfit for Wee P ...

New garden pictures!

We finally took some new garden pictures, and I wanted to post them while I had the chance. The weeds really got crazy while I was home for a visit. Neal was transitioning into his new position, so it's taken us a while to really dig in and take care of things. Here are a few pics of what we were/are dealing with:

The "before" pic of all the weeds (it's like playing "Where's Waldo" to find the plants) ...



In progress ...


More progress ...


Hey! There are plants in there!



Here are some of the Roma tomatoes already coming in ...


Our massive zucchini plants ...


We have one cucumber vine (just got our first one Saturday) and four bell pepper plants beside the zucchini plants ...


The garden from the top, all cleaned up and staked ...


A close-up of the staked cherry tomato plants ...


We planted some butter beans this past weekend. Can't wait to see how they do ...


Our other newbies, purple-hulled peas, freshly planted ...


Our marigolds that have taken over ...


And some of the "fruits" of our labor ...




This is what we saw on the way to Rome a couple of weeks ago. We decided to take the scenic route (by accident), and found a lake!


Neal, thinking of all the fishing he could be doing ...


Me, at about 25 weeks, and with a new haircut (it keeps getting shorter!) ...


More updates to come, as we get more and more from the garden!

Hello again!

Well, Janie just got back last week from another trip home to the States for a relaxing beach vacation with the Carcello family! The annual trip to Kiawah Island, South Carolina was great fun, though I was a little disappointed that bike riding was a no-go for me this year. The doctor was a little concerned with the possibility of balance issues and me falling off, even from a beach cruiser. But overall, the beach was awesome! It was so nice to be on a U.S. beach again, where you have more than a foot between you and the next person, with tons of sand to play in, and no worries about seeing more skin than you really wanted to!

After the beach, it was back to Knoxville for a few days before I came home again. The Carcello's got a new puppy (a yellow labrador) that they named "Pearl." She's super sweet and smart, and already was doing really well with potty training before I left. She seemed so big to me though, after having Trajan who was eleven pounds at his four-month checkup! She was seventeen pounds when they got her at ten weeks!

Also while I was home, Mom was super awesome and planned a surprise baby shower for me! She had gotten all of our registry info from Neal without my knowing, and had managed to keep it all a secret! Later, everyone started telling stories of the time they "almost" let the cat out of the bag! Of course, we joke that I'm the most oblivious person around, so it probably wasn't all that difficult, but it was super sweet, and I loved it! The best part was that she made sure to invite several family members and girlfriends that I was sure I wouldn't have time to even call, much less visit with while I was home, so that was awesome! It was so great to see everyone, and I felt so blessed to have such great friends and family! And we all had tons of fun looking at the little baby clothes and toys and bedding! It's becoming more and more of a reality!

I've been back home for just over a week now, and am getting back into the swing of things. Jet lag wasn't quite as horrible this time, so that's good. Neal was promoted at work, so now he has a regular Monday through Friday schedule, and gets home most days at a reasonable hour. This has done wonders in regards to eating dinner at a normal time, and being able to spend some time together before going to bed each night. It also means that he now gets holidays off, and we have better planning ability if we want to go somewhere for fun. It's been a bit rough the first week while he's getting things settled in the new position, but this week is looking a little better, and hopefully he'll get it running smoothly. In the meantime, everyone I talk to is so glad he's in the new position, knowing that means they'll get taken care of as well, and that the department will run as efficiently as possible. Luckily, his troops love him, which makes his job so much easier!

The pregnancy is going well! No problems, nothing big to report, other than the fact that we have a very active baby coming soon! Sarah got to be the first one to feel it kick, which she is extremely proud of! Karen and Mom got to feel it immediately after her. Neal finally got to feel it the night I got back home, and several times since. It also has become more and more sensitive to outside noises now. It's kicked in response to Trajan's barking a few times before, but now it really gets moving at night when Neal and Trajan like to play. Also, last night, Neal was teasing and raspberrying my belly and it would kick in response each time.

It definitely has its favorite positions, as I always tend to get kicked in the same places, especially the sides. Most of the time, I carry it relatively low, but at night, it likes to curl up behind my belly button to sleep. And every time I readjust in the night, I feel it doing the same. It also likes to kick me first thing in the morning when Neal's getting up and ready, and I'm trying to get just a few more minutes of sleep. I used to be able to sleep in after he left for work, but now I wake up so hungry, it's hard to do.

We had another checkup last week, and all is going well and on the mark. We heard the heartbeat again, and got my belly and weight measured. The doctors say everything looks great, and I'm feeling awesome! These are apparently the "easy" appointments, with not much to do other than measure our progress and stay updated. In July, I will have to do the glucose screening test that checks for gestational diabetes, and then just a regular checkup again.

We are trying hard to keep up with the garden! The weeds went crazy while I was gone, and I'm doing a little bit each day to try and get them back under control. We also already have some zucchini babies growing, as well as a few cherry tomatoes. The basil and bell pepper plants are growing tall and strong, as are the rest of the tomatoes. We have some pea and bean seeds that we're putting out this weekend, and that should just about do it. I may pick up some more herbs here and there, but I think we'll have enough to keep up with in what we've got for now. I'll post pictures after we clean up a bit more this weekend.

And now, for some pictures:

Janie on the boardwalk at Kiawah Island on our last day there (Sarah took this picture!) ...



Karen and Sarah and their newest family member ...



Neal, on a recent golfing day we took with Steve and Mikelauren ...



On the putting green ...



The biggest zucchini I've ever seen (it came from a friend's garden, not ours) ...

New sonogram pictures!

So Wednesday was our "big" sonogram at 19 weeks. We decided not to find out the sex of the baby (it will remain Wee P until birth), but we saw plenty of other cool things! Unfortunately, the baby is now too big for the entire body to fit in the picture, but we have lots of pictures of hands, feet, etc.

The techs said the baby is looking great, all body parts accounted for and healthy, and weighs about 13 ounces now! They updated our due date to be September 25th, so we're now 20 weeks as of yesterday (Thursday)! We're halfway there! The baby was really cooperative, only moving around a little bit during the 1.5 hour procedure!

And here are the pictures!:

Pictures are up!

I finally posted our pictures on our Shutterfly website: http://nealandjaniephillips.shutterfly.com. I've emailed the password out in our blog email, but if you don't get it, email me at janiephillips@gmail.com, and I'll send it to you and add you to the blog list. Enjoy!

Another trip to the Amalfi Coast

Last week, we got to have Tiffany, one of my best friends from back home, stay with us! We had tons of fun, did lots of walking, and lots of catching up! It was a great visit, and she got to see Rome, Pompei, the Amalfi Coast, and a few local spots. It was great to have a friend visiting again, and we had fun showing her around. We even spent three days in Rome, shopping and sight-seeing. The weather cooperated for the most part, as there were only a couple of rainy days, and we had planned to be down on those days anyway.

We got lots of pictures of the Amalfi Coast again, and this time Neal got to come too, so we had loads of fun! We drove through Maiori, Amalfi, and Positano, but didn't make it to Sorrento. Neal and I are planning on hitting Sorrento on one of his days off soon.

On the pregnancy front, we are now at 18 weeks as of this past Monday - almost halfway! Wee P started making his/her presence known last week while Tiffany was here, and has not stopped since! Not a day goes by that I don't feel the bubbles of movement. S/he is especially active first thing in the morning and after I eat. But I joke that I must have swallowed a goldfish because it feels like I have one swimming around in my belly!

We've now had our third doctor's appointment, and everything is going smoothly! My blood pressure is excellent, the baby's heart rate is strong, and I've only gained a net of about 2 pounds overall, so we're right on track. Our next sonogram is next week, and we'll definitely post pictures from that one. We're very impatient to see our little one again, although we have finally decided that we're not going to find out the sex before the birth. We really look forward to finding out the day of the birth, and hearing the "It's a ... !" As so many have said, there are so few good surprises in life, and this is definitely one that we'll love! So bets are on now as to what we're having, weight, dates, etc. lol! Mom Carcello said knowing the genes on both sides, we could even take bets on hair color, as there's just no telling with brunettes, blondes, and redheads in the family!

Neal has this weekend off, so we'll be doing lots of playing in the garden! Janie's carrots finally came up this last week, so we can finally till it all up to start planting. We're already planning out what we want to grow, and how we're going to do it. At this point, we definitely want to do tomatoes, basil, peppers, cucumbers, beans, lettuce, onions, and some herbs. We'll definitely be busy, but it's so much fun! We also still have some cilantro and parsley in planters already growing strong, as well as some baby tomato slicers started and ready to transplant.

Anyway, here are some pictures from this last week:


Janie's carrots, ready to be cleaned, cut, and canned.


Sleepy Trajan, in his favorite place, sleeping beside Daddy as he works on school.


Springtime at the Spanish steps in Rome


Look what we saw on the way home from Rome! Neal almost lost it!


A little fruit stand on the Amalfi Coast


This is actually a restaurant that we ate at while driving around Amalfi



This was the view from lunch!


And on Tiff's side...


The baby bump, at 17 weeks, in Positano...


One of the local artists, painting on the beach of Positano



I'll post all of the pictures, and post the link later!

15 weeks and the belly's already expanding!

Updates abound!

I'm sure everyone's been waiting for some back-story here, since the last post came out of nowhere. Yes, we are pregnant. Wee P, as we're calling him/her temporarily, is due to make a debut around September 29th. It was a surprise, though a nice one. We were planning on waiting a couple of months, but as we've come to say, "God trumped us." We're super excited, as you can imagine, as are both families. This will be the first grand-baby on Neal's side, and the third on mine. Needless to say, this is going to be one spoiled child!

The pregnancy has gone very well thus far, and I can't complain at all. I only had a touch of nausea here and there, a little indigestion, and a few headaches. Nothing like what some women have, and I know how blessed I am. We're starting our 13th week today, which is the last of the first trimester. I'm already mostly over the little bit of morning sickness I've had, and though I still get tired easily, I'm feeling almost 100%.

We've seen our little one twice now. Our first doctor's appointment was on Valentine's Day, which is where we got to see and hear its little beating heart for the first time. The baby was barely over 1 centimeter long from head to bottom! We were both beyond ourselves, and Neal was nothing but grins. Our second appointment was just this last week, and though we weren't scheduled for another sonogram, it's still a little early to pick up the heartbeat without one, so they went ahead and did another. This time, we got to see our little one moving! And was it moving! The doctor had a hard time getting good pictures because of all the gyrations! At one point, we finally got a few good pictures, and Wee P decided to turn completely around away from us. I think s/he was done with being poked at that point. It was really neat to see though. S/he is now about 3 inches long. You could see the joints forming in between the bones, as well as the eyes and nose. The first picture we saw, an arm was up around the head, and you could see all the little bones inside the hand! Our next appointment will be at the end of April, and we have until then to decide if we want to know the sex, or if we want to be surprised.


This was the best picture from our last sonogram...



Sorry about leaving that last post for so long. I wanted to make sure we got the announcement on there before I left for the US again. That's right, I went back home to visit for a month, while poor Neal had to stay behind for work. He didn't like being a bachelor again, even temporarily, but he managed, and was extremely happy to have me back home again.

It was a great visit. I got to spend much more time with the families, and got to spend Stephen's birthday with him. I did some house-hunting while in Knoxville, but alas, the housing market there has unfortunately not come down from its bubble at all, and we decided against buying right now. I also researched Obstetricians while there, because it looks like I'm going to be moving back home to have the baby. We're concerned about driving around here, as well as several other safety factors, and are working on the process of getting me moved back to the US at some point this summer, so that I can be back home and around family to have the baby. Unfortunately, Neal will have to stay behind, but he will get 30 days of leave to be with me at the birth, and a couple weeks afterward.

Finally, we have a fourth addition to our family now: an eleven week-old beagle puppy named Trajan. I got him while I was visiting in Memphis, and he's been a great little guy. He's a beautiful puppy, and has a great personality. He's definitely full of energy, but is also very smart, playful, and loving. He loves to cuddle, and fits right into our family. We got him eleven days ago, and he's already learned to sit, knows "no" and "down" well, and is working on using the bathroom outside. Luckily, we have tile floors. He sleeps mostly through the night now, and is just adorable and fun in general. He's a great companion.

Unfortunately, his eyes got messed up, but here's little Trajan at home in Italy...



I believe that is all the updating that I needed to do. We love and miss you all, and hope everyone's doing well! We'll keep you updated!

...and baby makes three!

Meet our "wee P" ... making an arrival around the first of October!

We are alive, I promise!

(Back in Memphis, relaxing and loving being home again!)


I'm so sorry it's been forever since I updated the blog! We went home earlier this month, and it seemed like I got nothing done the entire month of December, leading up to our leaving. Since we got back, I've been having a hard time adjusting to the time change, and Neal's had a sinus infection, so needless to say, I've not really been able to update. But here goes!

We left for the US on Dec 28th, but hit a snag with our first flight. We got to the airport 45 minutes before the flight, but due to horrible Italian security, we got to the gate literally 2 minutes late, and the plane was already gone. Who knew leaving the house at 6am wouldn't give us time to catch a 10:45am flight?!? Travel is seriously interesting over here, that's for sure.

Fortunately, we were able to grab another flight to Amsterdam, but we weren't able to catch one from Amsterdam to the US until the next day, so we got an overnight vacation in Amsterdam. We thoroughly enjoyed the Dutch people; they are extremely pleasant, helpful, and almost everyone speaks English - a real plus after living in Italy. We ate dinner at an Argentinian steakhouse, then walked around the city center. We were also able to do some last-minute Christmas shopping for our families while we were there.

The next morning, we were able to catch another flight out to Memphis, and arrived around 6pm local time. We had belated Christmas dinner with the Phillips parents, and really enjoyed all the hugs and kisses and time together. We brought Mom and Dad P a couple of mugs and some chocolates from Amsterdam, as well as some of our canned tomatoes and dried basil from the garden, which was really fun!

Because we wanted to visit the Carcello family while Stephen and the girls were out of school, we left the next morning, and drove to Knoxville for the first half of the visit. We were so excited to see everyone again, and the hugs and kisses started all over again!

The first night we were there, we all exchanged gifts (the flight over was supposed to be our Christmas gift, but nobody sticks to that, including us!). Mama C loved her tomatoes and basil too, and we brought some blue and white wooden ornaments for the Carcello Christmas tree. We also were able to surprise Karen and Sarah big-time! Back in January of last year, before we left for Italy, they said that all they wanted from Europe were "some of those wooden shoes." We weren't sure at the time whether we'd ever get to Amsterdam, but we told them we'd try to get some by the time we moved back. Given our overnight trip there, we were able to find some adorably painted authentic shoes, and the girls were so excited! We had them close their eyes, and even Mom gasped when she saw them! They had completely forgotten about asking for them, and were walking around the house in them the entire time we were home (which we didn't think about Mom and Dad having wood floors - sorry guys!). Overall, they were definitely a hit.

While we were in Knoxville, which wasn't long enough at all, we also got to have New Years' Eve dinner with some of our college friends. We watched the UT bowl game on New Years' Day. And we went outlet shopping with Mom and the girls. Dad made his famous ribs on the grill, which were very quickly devoured. We finally got to see "Facing the Giants." And Karen and Sarah got to tell us all about the labrador puppy they're going to get! It was so nice to be back at home, and we really hated leaving again.

Back in Memphis, we had more shopping to do (there are tons of things we can't get over here, or are ridiculously expensive). We also got to just spend some time with the Herman and Peggy, which was nice. Daddy P took us out to eat one night at a local steakhouse, and we were served HUGE steaks! I also got to cook for Mama P one night while we were there (Chicken Marsala!), and we had a great time overall, though WAY too short!

Our trip back was not nearly as eventful, which was fine with us. After our flight into Rome, we still had a couple hours of train rides to get home. We got back just in time for Neal to get some dinner and get ready for work. Neither of us were ready to leave home again; it was much harder this time. But we're already planning our next trip home to be much longer and much more calm!

Unfortunately, as soon as we got back, Neal started having sinus problems. With being on nights, and the horrible sleep schedule that causes, it's really been kicking his tail. This past weekend he was coughing so much that he lost his voice. Luckily he seems to at least be feeling better, and with some rest of his voice, it seems to be (slowly) coming back. We're hoping that he can take the long weekend he has this week to rest and finish healing up.

Other than adjusting to getting back into our groove here, there's not much going on. It rained the first week or two after we got home, but it's been sunny now for a couple of days, and it's supposed to stay that way for the next week. Though it's recently been very windy, the temperature here is around 35-45 at night and 45-55 during the day, so we can't complain at all. Hopefully it will stay like this well into Spring.

Our baby garden grew by leaps and bounds while we were gone! The boxes really protected them from the elements, and they're doing really well! Unfortunately, so were the weeds, but I was able to get out there on one of the sunny days and tilled up the weeds, and babied the plants some. Here are some pictures:


The entire area, with our boxes open for some sun.


The box below has some parsley and chervil thriving well. The thyme is finally trying to peek out. There is basil as well, and I counted three sprigs today that are trying to break the surface. I'm afraid the oregano and mint that I also planted in here may be DOA's. The big bushy plant there right in the middle is a cilantro plant (I finally found cilantro for salsa!) that I keep in the box for the still cold nights. I have a second plant that I planted outside of the box just to see how it fares.

Behind the box, almost out of the picture, are three extra rows of carrots (on the right and center), and the one row on the left is more of the larger scallions. Those were extra seeds that wouldn't fit in the boxes, so I planted them outside to see if they survived. They're doing great, and are just growing a little slower than the box herbs/veggies. But that way, we'll have a second harvest of herbs/veggies.


The second box (below) contains two rows of carrots (on the right), as well as one row of two types of scallions! The bottom half contains the bigger scallions, which seem to be doing better, and the more sparse top half is the smaller ones we Americans are used to.

Back behind the box in the big square patch is where I threw the rest of the parsley seeds I had left, and they're doing very well! The row in the middle is another row of chervil. And the one small plant on the right is the second cilantro plant.


We're planning on getting some more tomato plants going soon (mid-February we'll be starting seeds), as well as some peas, bell peppers, squash, eggplant (maybe), and whatever else tickles our fancy. We're really looking forward to our garden this year, since we know how well the tomatoes did last year. We can't wait to start playing with it all. We're going to take pretty much the entire side of the yard here for a veggie/herb garden. Also, our landlords are letting us use some of the space behind the house for more tomatoes! We've already used most of our canned tomatoes, so we're looking to can even more next year. I'm going to be a busy bee this fall!

Last, but not least, we have some bulbs that we potted back in the fall that are starting to come up. We'll post more pictures as they start blooming.


I will try and update a little more often. We love you all and miss you dearly! Feel free to email us, or put comments on the page. We love hearing from everyone!

Italian driving rules...

Neal likes to joke that when it comes to driving in Italy, everyone is related to Mario Andretti. We joke about the driving here constantly because it really is laughable. Here is a satirical look at driving in Italy...


The rules of the road are as follows:

1. GET OUT OF MY WAY
2. Anyone can do anything at any given time
3. Those lines painted on the roads are purely cosmetic, there is no purpose for them whatsoever
4. The person who pulls the furthest into the intersection first has the right of way
5. There is no such thing as a crosswalk, the entire road is a viable option for crossing
6. You MUST go at least double the speed limit
7. You MUST slam on your brakes and come almost to a complete stop when Polizia are spotted
8. Seat belts are purely optional. In fact, children are not allowed to use them. They are required to be up and about the cabin of the car at all times, smiling and waving at other drivers.
9. It is illegal to have any less than 6 inches between you and the next car, this is reduced to 2 inches when stopped
10. While you must be 18 years old to drive a car, simply being able to breathe is the only requirement for driving a motorino
11. Helmets on motorinos are only fashion accessories, and need not be worn. It is highly unnecessary to wear anything more than a tee shirt, cut off shorts, and sandals for men; and a bathing suit, miniskirt, and heels for women.

More to come I'm sure!

Our First Thanksgiving (together)...

Neal and I thoroughly enjoyed our Thanksgiving Day together. It was just the two of us, with loads of food, but it was nice and relaxing. We had a wonderful day, and we loved every minute of spending the holiday together this year. I really enjoyed the time we got alone, him helping me cook, sitting at the table and nibbling on what was left on our plates after we filled up, and enjoying a glass of wine and a game of cards together. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect, romantic, or special Thanksgiving.

I think we're both getting more and more anxious to get back home for a visit, as we were talking all day yesterday about what we want to do when we get there, things we want to take home with us, and what we can only get at home. We're both very weary of being so far away, and overly ready for a trip back home. This assignment will really test our patience, I think.

I was really happy for Neal to finally have a normal holiday. Given how many holidays he's missed out on from being deployed or working and not able to get home, I was so happy that this year, even though we’re not at home with family, we could at least have our own special dinner. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long, as he’ll be working this weekend, but we were both so grateful for him being able to be home to have a special day, and for all the ways that God has blessed the two of us.

Here are some pictures from our dinner:

...Trying to reheat the casseroles that I made up on Wednesday, while keeping the turkey and mashed potatoes warm. Thank you Brian and Melanie for our casserole dishes! You can tell they've come in handy!

...I just had to set out my snowman dish that the Pritchard's gave us at my bridal shower in Memphis. It's adorable! I told Neal I needed something to put in it, and he said I would just have to make cookies to fill it, hahaha!

...the spread (turkey breast with stuffing, corn pudding, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, and steamed broccoli), and the cook...



...Our desserts, Apple Crisp and Pumpkin pie (already a casualty)...


We love you all, and hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving!

Just having fun...

I found a link for some seasonal fun the other day, and thought that everyone would enjoy seeing this...http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9555628610 (P.S. Neal hates me now, lol!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

More garden pictures

Here are some more recent pictures of the garden and other stuff. Some of them were taken at night, so they're not all that great, but they're just so everyone gets an idea.


These are the cold frames that Neal made for us. We put carrots, onions, and various herbs in them, and still had enough seeds that we decided to plant them in the back half of the garden.


This was our way of labeling what we planted. We had a few pieces of wood left over and had to use something so we didn't walk all over the seeds.


Here's Neal fighting our new tiller. Luckily it's just a bitty little one instead of a monster one, but it was eagerly eating up that ground. It was jumping and bouncing all over the place at first because the ground was so hard, but once it softened up, we got some gorgeous dirt!


This was the ground, after we burned off the "grass" (read: weeds and rocks), and before we started tilling it.


This is for comparison. The far end was the area with the hardest ground, and in the foreground is the area that had been tilled once over.


My hunny doing the hard work for me!


Another view of the garden, and my guard duck!


My Guard Duck - we're still trying to come up with a name for him. (Neal doesn't like Howard)


We took this picture about two houses down the street. There was a gorgeous sunset the other night, but we had the hardest time getting good pictures. This one's even a bit blurry. But it's beautiful, and you get the idea.


The same night, this was the view from the back of the upper deck of the house. (There's actually snow on those mountains now, it literally happened over the course of about two nights.)


I was nice and didn't post the picture I took of Neal, but he got a serious giggle out of my choice of color coordination. I told him I was just trying to blend in here in Italy. Note the bright yellow garden shoes, lol!


Not much going on here. The weather's turned bitter cold, and it's been rainy for the past few days. We're waiting for the rain to stop, and for things to dry out a bit, so that we can till again and plant our fall bulbs. We're having a really quiet Thanksgiving this year, just the two of us. We're planning on getting a little turkey breast and making our own little feast.

We hope everyone's doing well, and enjoys the upcoming week with family, friends, and food! We love and miss you all, and can't wait to see everyone!

Pictures

Well, we've taken a few more pictures since the concert, and I've tried to upload them to Shutterfly, but didn't realize that I had a limit. So I'll be doing some rearranging of albums and such, and I'll let everyone know when I've finished putting them all up. For now, I'll post a few pictures of the cold frame that Neal made this past weekend. He's making another on his next day off. We've already put it in the garden, and I'll be doing some serious planting this week. We've already got seeds for lettuce, spinach, carrots, various herbs, and some Spring flowers. I'll be planting them throughout the winter to make sure we get several crops out of them. The flowers will be planted closer to February, then moved to another bed. We also bought a bag off 100 Spring bulbs that we're looking to plant in the bed where the impatiens used to live. We're going to try and find some stepping stones, then plant the bulbs around those.

This was the finished product before we moved it out to the garden.



In the garden, with the lid open.



From about halfway up the patch of yard on the side of the house. That's my little basil plant. The fencing is for the cats. We're going to just use the two cold frames during the winter, then use this whole area for tomatoes next year. We're working on another area on the other side that will be a little smaller. That's where we'll put the herbs and other summer veggies next year.



This is from July, just to show you that this is the little spot that we've widened, and are planning to put the stepping stones and bulbs in. I'll post a couple more updated pictures of this spot soon.



For right now, the only thing we have growing is my last basil plant (he's staying strong and thriving though), and the Wisteria tree that the landlady likes. If it were up to us, we'd remove it (Wisteria's not meant to climb a 2D wall, so it keeps growing out over the garden). But the landlady babies it, so we have to leave it.

Neal is back on nights now, and will be nocturnal for a few months again. But it works out well, as he's still busy taking classes. I'm back to working out daily, and Mikelauren is really doing a number on me! But it's all good. I'm running again, and I've actually gotten back to it even better than before the ankle sprain!

The weather is still really nice during the day. It's usually in the upper 50's to mid 60's during the day, and in the mid 40's at night, so very bearable. Most days are sunny and cloudless too, which I guess makes up for the late Winter/early Spring rainy days.

I'm in the process of making some curtains for the house windows, and will post pictures of the inside, as I've had requests numerous times (*hanging my head in shame*). Neal took a few this past weekend, so I'll take more and post them here soon too.

Enjoy the pictures!

Rome!

Hi everyone! We just wanted to upload a few pictures and update you all on our most recent trip to Rome! We had heard that Michael Buble was coming to Italy, and since we're both such huge fans, we decided to do an overnight trip to Rome to see him there as an anniversary get away. It was loads of fun! We got there Wednesday afternoon and checked into the hotel, which was about a block away from The Vatican. We then did a little shopping (mostly window shopping, Rome can be expensive!), and had dinner at a little cafe that we've eaten at before. It's quickly becoming a favorite, and it just happened to be right beside our hotel, and we didn't even know it!

The concert was at 9pm, and it was packed! Michael is definitely a favorite here in Italy. They play his music on the radio all the time, and the crowd was singing his songs (in English even!) throughout the night. It was a very fun concert. He is a great showman, and you can really tell that he enjoys himself on the stage. He has a great voice, and there was one point at the end that he cut all the music, put down his microphone, and belted out a few lines of the current song! We were both amazed that even with the not-so-great acoustics in the building, we were able to hear him crystal clear up in the "nose bleed" seats! Amazing!

The group that opened for him was called Naturally 7, an American a-capella band of seven guys who have gotten to be fairly popular here in Europe. They are described as a gospel, R&B, and pop "band" that has covered songs like "In the Air Tonight" and "Broken Wings." They are amazing, and even though neither of us are fans of the genre, we couldn't help but be amazed at the "beatbox" style of music they performed. Every sound was done by their mouths and/or bodies, and it was amazing.

Here's a teenie taste of Michael:




On Thursday, we went to Saint Peter's Basilica, took loads of pictures, ooh'd and aah'd and generally had a great time. We spent two hours in the basilica, and Neal, the resident shutterbug (and people thought I was bad), took almost 200 pictures! Of course, not all of them turned out, but he was very pleased with the ones that did, and I'll be uploading those very soon.


Neal at Saint Peter's Basilica...beside a massive marble "thingie" for a former Pope. A lot of the Popes were buried there, and there were these huge pieces all over! We just kept gawking at the massive amounts of gorgeous marble!


This is me before we left for the concert, in our hotel room. It was tiny (probably about 10x12, including the bathroom), but for one night, it worked fine. I even slept really well! And the bed didn't have a huge gap in the middle (Italians will put two twin beds together and call it a King)!


Neal is working this weekend, but we have been told about a store near Naples that we can get lumber at, so we have plans next week to go and get the materials to make a cold frame or two for the garden. We're planning next weekend for our stay at home/gardening weekend.

The weather was bitter cold last weekend, mainly because we had wind gusting up to 25 mph (I think Neal was wondering if he was back in Whidbey Island, lol!). It was around 45 at night and 55 during the days. But yesterday it perked back up, and we're back in the 60's again, so it's really pleasant.


P.S. This is what we saw from our back patio last weekend, in the middle of 25 mph winds!


A close-up:


The Italians like to burn everything: grass clippings, trash, and apparently the mountainside! Amazingly though, it ended up burning a complete circle, then going out as quickly as it started. We asked one of the ladies on base what the purpose of this was (we see random fires on the hills regularly, although not usually that big and close), and she said the shepherds burn all the dead brush and weeds from their pasture land to allow for new stuff in the Spring. Although it is technically illegal, they don't really police it (surprise!), and she said there's never been a problem with one getting out of hand! But with all of the wildfires in California right now, that was just a little bit of a nerve-wrecking sight to see when you walk out to get firewood from your back patio!


We did have fun with the colder weather over the weekend though:



I am back to working out now, so the warmer weather is definitely welcome now that I'm traveling to base daily as well. I have plans next week to start personal training with Mikelauren (the Navy wife I mentioned from Easter Mass), so I'm really going to be busting my rear end back into shape hopefully. The two months off from my ankle sprain were no fun, and I really missed it. Luckily, it seems I haven't lost too much stamina, as I've managed to run three times this week already, and I only had to limit myself because the physical therapist said to do so. Otherwise, I could've kept going, so that's encouraging. Mikelauren is going to help me with weight training, and I'm going to keep running too, so I should be a hot mama in no time! Just kidding, I've got a personal goal to meet by my birthday next year, so Mikelauren's going to be keeping me in line. She's good like that.

Neal has his biannual physical readiness training (PRT) next month, so he's been running again as well. He told me yesterday he ran it easily with only a minute to shave off his time, so I'm not concerned for him at all. I'm sure he'll do fine.

So that's what's going on in our little world! We love keeping up with everyone, and hope you all are doing great! We love you!

Minor update and pictures

I know I just updated, but I wanted to post some pictures now that Blogger is back and working. I still had tons of tomatoes left, so I talked to a couple of the Italian women who work on base, and they told me how best to can them for use later. So here are pictures of the process. Overall, I ended up with 15 cans of diced tomatoes, 4 (now 3) of sauce, and 2 of what I call "guts"(basically crushed tomatoes). So I think we're pretty good for the winter.

The tomatoes in the plastic bag were about half of what was originally in there. The ones that were already diced at this point were what I'd already taken out.


Even more, besides the ones in the bag. In all, over 25 pounds!


This was fresh basil that I'd just picked off our own plant. I put a few basil leaves, as well as some garlic in each of the jars with the tomatoes. So they are about 90% home-grown (the garlic wasn't ours).


The first batch, about to be sealed up and then boiled.


Doesn't that just look yum?!


This was the first batch, ready for boiling. The cans are about 24 ounces maybe, so we've definitely got plenty of tomatoes for chili, spaghetti sauce, salsa, marinara, pizza sauce, etc...


On another note, I had a couple of people ask how to post comments on the blog because they were having issues. I did some research and realized that when I set it up, Blogger automatically only allows fellow Blogger members to post comments. However, I've changed it now so that anyone can comment. I still moderate them, so they won't show up until I've approved them, but it emails me anytime someone comments, so it shouldn't take me long to get to them.

Thanks for looking!

Hello again!

Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. Somehow, I manage to let the pictures get all stacked up on me before I sit down to post again. But I'm loving the Shutterfly website, as I've posted all of our pictures there, and everyone can scroll through them at their leisure. I'll still post a few here, but I'll put the link below for the whole set.

Note: when I posted this, the Blogger site was having issues uploading pictures, so I couldn't add any here. But you can still check the link below, and you should get access to all of our pics there.

Well, it's been a crazy few weeks around here. We cleaned up the garden with the exception of a plant or two before we had two guests from Knoxville. One of Neal's college buddies, Chris Brown, and a friend of his from church, also Chris, came to visit for a week. We very quickly took to calling them Thing One and Thing Two, and though it was a whirlwind of a tour, we had loads of fun! I got to take them around the area for the first two days while Neal was working, then Neal had three days off and we all went carousing around the area. They had been in Scotland before coming to Italy, then were heading out to Germany and Spain, then back home to Knoxville.

The first day we went to Pompeii, then on the second we went to Positano on the Amalfi Coast. Unfortunately, Neal wasn't able to do either of those with us since he was working, but we decided that he and I will have to take a long weekend to Positano on our own soon. You'll understand when you see the pictures! On our way back from Positano, we missed the last train to Naples, and thus ensued a hilarious comedy of errors for the night, during which we argued with train conductors, I learned I know more Italian than I thought I did, and poor Neal had to drive to the Naples base around 2am to pick us up after working all day. We ended up getting in bed that night around 4am, but were able to laugh about it the next day, so all went well. It was quite the frustrating situation, but all-in-all we learned alot from it, and are much more comfortable with transportation in the area.

Friday, the third day they were here, we slept in and just chilled. That afternoon, we walked around a local historic site, Minturnae, and then went to a WWII War Memorial near the house. It really was the most beautifully kept area we've seen in Italy. The Italians aren't all that big on landscaping and keeping grass healthy and weeds under control, but this area would've rivaled many golf courses back home, and was immaculately kept.

Saturday and Sunday we toured Rome, including all the big tourist spots. We saw the Colloseum, Palantine Hill, Saint Peter's Square and the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. We took loads of pictures, and really enjoyed all the sights of Rome. Having friends visiting was really nice, especially being able to talk about friends and family back home and how everyone is doing there. The house was definitely not as quiet as usual, and it was really nice. They left to finish their tour of Europe before heading back home before the UT-Georgia game.

After they left, Neal and I both managed to get allergy/sinus colds, so we've been taking it easy for a week or two. We had been noticing the yellow pollen everywhere, but even through allergy medication, still managed to eventually succumb to it. We're doing better now though, and looking forward to Neal's next few days off.

We're already planning our winter garden, and we've got big plans for a couple of cold frames with lettuce, spinach, onions, carrots, and whatever else we come up with before then. The garden is really looking great. This past week, we took down the fencing and expanded it for the winter garden. Neal's got plans in his head for landscaping the rest of the grassy area back there, and we're just waiting for him to get the time to be able to do it. He's enjoying playing back there, and it's making a huge difference. It's definitely relaxing, and has been a great way for us to do something constructive together.

Neal has just finished a couple of his business classes, and is finishing up week two of his next batch. They're keeping him busy, but he's really excited to be back on track with his degree. His estimate is to finish up the degree, including a real estate certificate by Spring of 2009. He's doing really well, and while the material isn't always the most thrilling, he's sticking to it!

I finally made it to see a physical therapist about my ankle. The news wasn't thrilling, but it was good overall. He informed me that I somehow managed to pull two of the three tendons in the ankle (go figure). But he did say they were healing well. He gave me the okay to ride a bike (Neal had just gotten me one the day before), get back to working out 100%, and only limited me on running. He said that I could use the elliptical, but the treadmill is definitely a no-go, at least until after Christmas, or he re-evaluates the ankle. I'm definitely at about 99% now, as I can walk/run as needed, and rarely feel any kind of soreness or swelling, so that's good. But I'm really ready to start running again, so we'll see how that goes. I have another appointment later this month, so maybe he'll clear me to at least run on the track. I can at least hope!

Other than that, there's not much else to update on. We have a couple of minor trips in the works, and we'll definitely update on those as we do them. There's a few classes and field trips that are being offered on base, as well as an Italian language program starting next week, so it looks like the Fall will definitely be busy.

We love you all, and miss you dearly! We are really looking forward to making a trip back home as soon as we can, and can't wait to catch up with everyone!

You can view the pictures at this site: http://nealandjaniephillips.shutterfly.com. You'll need a password, which I have already sent out in the blog email. If you don't have it, please email me at janiephillips@gmail.com, and I'll give it to you. Sorry for the hassle, but no need to deal with all the crazies on the internet. Thanks!

WE HAVE COLOR!

I had finally decided to seek out some advice from one of my food science professors on why our tomatoes were frozen in time, and wouldn't you know it, the very next day we got a ripe tomato!

We were out staking up one of our baby seedlings, and I just happened to look over and see a spot of red. I walked over, and it was a tomato that had finally started ripening! I poked at it to see if it was ready, and it fell off into my hand. The neighbors probably thought we were crazy because we were so happy over one silly tomato!

So we have our first successful tomato from the garden! Apparently, we are doing things right, we just need to be patient!




P.S. Here's a bit of a better pic of my new haircut!