IT'S SUMMER!!
And as we all know, here in Atlanta, summer means swimming! Eli's been hitting pools all around town.

Here's Eli and Daddy swimming at Grandmaman and Bumpus' house. (Grumpy got a new name, "Bumpus", which Eli can pronounce and my dad is much fonder of.)

I've been getting back into running (again). Our daily schedule is so tight that it is hard to find the time to run between waking up with his highness the little rooster at the crack of dawn and when we collapse into bed in the evening. Seems like something is always in the way. Ah well, I'm doing my best.

To motivate me, I've put some new running songs on my ipod. It is so funny to think about what kind of music I listen to when I exercise, it isn't the kind of stuff I listen to at any other time in my life. A lot of hip hop, actually and not the most savory kind. But it has a good beat and makes me feel tough... both are necessary to keep me going!

So here are some of the songs on my list.
Lose Yourself by Eminem
Hey Ya! by Outkast
Let's Get it Started by The Black Eyed Peas
Jackson by Johnny and June Carter Cash
Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix
Supernova by Liz Phair
Lady Marmalade by Labelle
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

There's more, but those are some of the highlights. Any ideas to add? I could use the help!

Welcome to the world, Madelynn!
We've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this little petunia. Madelynn's mother, Elizabeth, is a colleague and friend of mine. Eli's surrounded by cute girls these days.

Eli, master of Jedi mind tricks, says...
Happy Birthday Alison!!

In other food news, Eli and I planted a garden. I built some raised beds and filled one with dirt. Last weekend we put in a few tomatoes and peppers. We're keeping it small this first year and we'll get a bit bigger next year. My composter is nearly full, so soon I'll be able to start to fill the other garden bed to get it ready for next year's crops. Please ignore the lack of landscaping around the bed... baby steps.

This evening after dinner, Eli and I watered the plants. And I watered Eli. I couldn't resist!

One legacy that Kevin and I have in both our families is that of good cooking and good eating. Kevin's mother, Linda, was a remarkable southern cook in the old tradition. Her chicken and dumplings... whoa. There are many things I miss about her and one of them is that I never had a chance to learn her kitchen secrets.

My dad is a great cook of the gourmet variety. He's a foodie. we can be assured at any given family gathering that there will be three times as much food as we can eat and it will all be delicious.

Why am I talking about food?

Because our CSA (community supported agriculture) just started up a couple of weeks ago. We are awash in green leafies, kale, collards, redleaf, beautiful garlic, kohlrabi, beets, vidalias. The strawberries are amazing! If you haven't heard of it, a CSA is a neighborhood co-op that buys shares of produce from a local organic farm. Every week, we pick up a big box of yummies from a neighbor's house and start cooking!

This week's box was so delish. If my kitchen could do a happy dance, it would. Tonight we had a beet and egg salad and sauteed beet greens.

In case you're interested, here's the beet and egg salad recipe, surprisingly delicious:

a couple of beets, boiled and peeled, cut into bite sized peices
a couple of hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut into pieces
some mayo
salt and pepper

Mix and eat. Yum.

We haven't been at the beach since February but we were able to get enough time off over Memorial Day weekend to take a family trip. One of the cool things about going to the beach every three or four months is that it is a great way of marking Eli's growth. He has a different reaction every time we are there because he is in a different developmental place each time.

This trip was marked by his fascination with the ocean at the same time he was sort of overwhelmed. Trips down to the water were very serious for him. He spent a lot of time thinking very hard about the sand, the shells, the water, the birds. I think he was enjoying himself. It is a toddler's job, after all, to organize the world. He was working hard!