Growing Like a Weed: 15 Months

Sam is 15 months! We went to the doctor for a checkup and here are his measurements:

Head: Ginormous! (85th percentile)
Height: 32.5 inches (67th percentile)
Weight: 23.5 lbs. (33rd percentile)

The doctor said that these measurements were great because he is keeping on the same growth curve according to her chart. It's nice to see his weight jump a bit because he eats more than me! I'm not sure we could feed him any more than we do now!

One of the fascinating things about kids is how they learn. It has been a lot of fun to watch Sam learn as he gets older. For example, he has somehow learned that keys open doors. He loves to take mine or Kimberly's keys, walk to the different doors in our house and see if he can open them. So, we made him his own set of keys. If you ask him to get his keys and unlock the door, he will find his keys and try to open a door in the house. Amazing! Of course, this makes me wonder what else we're teaching him that we're not even aware of!

Sam apparently also has a very active imagination. He is the new chef in the house. My neighbor recently gave me a toolbox that sort of looks like a rolling suitcase. I brought it inside and put it just inside the back door in the kitchen. Before too long, Sam began to use it as his own personal stove. He went to the tupperware drawer and put some "pots and pans" on top of Sam's Stove. Then, he went to the pantry and pulled out the Rice-A-Roni and pretended to pour it out into the "pots and pans." He even went so far as to get a spoon out to stir it all up! I have to say that it wouldn't be a bad deal to have a chef for a son! [For some reason our camera connection is not working, so we'll have to post pictures later. Sorry.]

He is learning all the time. Sometimes I find myself sitting back and watching him, just wondering what he'll do and learn next.

Showing Some Resolve

This year I've made three New Year's resolutions.

1. Run another half marathon

I ran the Wicked Half Marathon in Salem, MA in September of 2009, although using the word "ran" may be stretching the term a bit. I lost 40 lbs. training for that half marathon, going from 235 lbs. to 195 lbs. I have gained back 25 lbs, weighing in at 220. It's time to start training again! Below are a few pics from the first half-marathon.

2. Be more organinzed

This one sounds a little vague, but I need to be more organized with every area of my life (including the covers, according to Kimberly!). So, I am making a concerted effort to structure my schedule very carefully, mainly so I can be a better husband and father. One of the projects we have been working on around the house will help with structure and organization. We own a small building that used to be a store, which is on our property. We have been working to make this building into usable space for an office/craft room/play room/man cave. Below are some pics of the remodeling.

3. Communicate more with friends and family who do not live nearby 

I could always do a better job of staying in touch with friends and family who do live near us. I think many of you could provide ample evidence of my lack of communication. Part of the solution will be posting on this blog once every two weeks. I haven't posted anything to the blog since July 27! You'll notice that it's January 13th, which means two things. First, I'm cutting it close on breaking this New Year's resolution. Second, it's Granny and Mom's birthday today! Happy birthday Granny! Happy birthday mom! To catch you up on just a bit of what's been going on at Catlin Farms, I've provided some pics below.

Happy New Year!

4th of July Extravaganza

It's a little late, but must be noted.  We had an excellent 4th of July celebration with our awesome neighbors, Jane and Daniel (I just realized we don't have any pictures of them!).  First, we went by Daniel's farm that he grew up on, and then went to Jane's family's lake house for the rest of the weekend.  It was a really rough weekend of eating food fresh off the farm, riding jet skis (as well as a Super Mable), and soaking in the rays by the lake.  Below are some pics from the extravaganza.



I have to admit that I was tempted to post the pics of Daniel's farm to pretend that they were new developments to Catlin Farms.  On second (or maybe third) thought, however, I voted against it for one main reason: Forcing Daniel's farm to pose as Catlin Farms would be a grievous insult to Daniel's farm.  Their farm is actually a farm and needs to be honored as such. Well, that and the fact that you would see about three pictures and figure out that we did not suddenly jump into cattle farming (or suddenly buy several hundred acres of land)!

Sam is 9 months old!

Catlin Farms is busy this time of year. We could tell you stories of vine borers, Catawba worms, tomatoes as big as basketballs, Mickey Mouse in the garden, or even a Big Foot sighting. But more importantly, we must update you on Sam. Sam is already 9 months old! Time is going by quickly and it seems like he is learning how to do new things every day. The doctor is happy with Sam's development in height and weight, too, which is a relief. The pediatrician is also happy that Sam enjoys eating so many different foods. The harvest from the garden is beginning to provide enough food to be able to feed Sam squash and carrots straight from the farm! Sam has now mastered crawling on his hands and knees, and even stood on his own for a few seconds.  Most people do not think he is going to walk soon - they think he will run.  Hopefully we'll figure out how to get some videos on here soon.  Until then, these pics will have to do. . . 

Summer Garden Update!

Hello everyone! Here's just a quick update on how the summer garden is growing. I looked at some of the old blog pictures and realized that I've not been keeping you updated on how everything looks.  I finally figured out how to put the pics into a slideshow so you don't have to scroll for miles.  Enjoy!

Said on the Farm: I must not look like a farmer

If you ever want to experience southern hospitality to the billionth degree, you should just sit out on our front porch for about 30 minutes.  As people drive, run, walk, bike, scoot, or stroll by, they almost always wave or actually say hello.  If you doubt this, just ask my dad.  Or, you could just come work in the garden with me one day.  On top of the fact that people 'round here are nice is the fact that they have to slow down as they drive by because our house is situated between two speed bumps.  Occasionally when people drive by as I'm working in the yard, they will yell something out the window like, "Dat's real purdy right there!" or one of my favorites, "Git it boy" (said by a man at least 70 years old in an equally-as-old pick-up truck - classic).

So far, though, it was a guy walking by that provided the most fitting statement for the blog.  I'm not sure how long he'd been standing there, but when I looked up from working in the yard he was standing by the side of the street looking at the farm.  So, I figured I'd break the ice with "Hi."  He just stood there for a while until he finally said, "Well, you don't remind me of a farmer, but yer doin' pretty good with yer garden there, boy."  I wasn't really sure how to take that, so I just said, "Thanks!" He then continued to walk down the street without saying another word.  Strange? Yes.  But a fitting comment for a wannabe farmer.

Here are a few pics of the view of the farm from the street and of the street from the farm.

P.S. I'm gonna stop trying to predict what I'll post next, because it's never right.

New Design

I just changed the design of the blog! Let me know what you think.