Projects

Todd finished the purgola over the deck on the back of the house :-) It is covered with lattice so we can get maximum shade without sacrificing a nice breeze. It is wonderful and makes such a difference in the temperature out there!!


... and I am almost finished working on a rock "border" for my garden area.

We had a couple dozen odd rocks and boulders piled in the back yard (from various creek trips) that needed a home. Evan was not happy about me invading his rock pile, but in the end he helped out... see his dump truck there? Cute. I still need more so we'll have to revisit the creek.

Did I mention that every plant in my garden is still alive too ;-) Amazing!

We also made a project list here to start focusing where we want to save and then spend money.
*I want to fix up my scrapbook space so it is more inviting and usable... better lighting, some wall shelves for supplies and possibly a different table.

*Todd wants to finish up the kitchen project, do two window replacements and then it is on to sprucing up the outside of the house... We are going to paint the aluminum siding instead of waiting 3 more years to do it over in vinyl. (!!!!) I am soooo excited.

Any suggestions for a house color? (Anything will be an improvement over pea green.) We have a few ideas but would love any thoughts :-)

Posted by Bree

Evidence

Evan Was Here

In the midst of all that truck play,
there is still the love of his kitten family :-)

Posted by Bree

To Liz

Thank you for your friendship.

We loved spending today with your family :-)

Evan, within a minute of leaving tonight, said,
"I'm so thankful for this day with our friends."

Posted by Bree

Walnut Creek

Last night we went out to the creek by my Dad's house. Chloe had never been "in" the creek yet so she was excited to get wet.

Chloe wanted to stand on this rock like a big kid, but right after Todd let go of her hand it was a different story: "Help me Daddy! I scared! Hold my hand!"

Swimming in the "deep spots" was the highlight of the adventure. The water was so shallow, we were lucky to find anything at all to swim in!

I didn't put a swimmy diaper on Chloe (as Todd suggested before we left) and by the end of this swim time her regular diaper weighed easily 5 pounds... I have never seen such a water-logged diaper! Man, those things can hold a lot! Should've listened to Todd.

Posted by Bree

Before & After

Before Chloe gets really frustrated, she is really really excited:
"Wook ah me Mom! I wearin' Buddy's gwasses!"


Then the glasses instantly make her really really mad , and she throws them:
"I can't do it! Iss too hawd fo meeee! I so ang-gweeeee"

If she weren't so cute it might be really annoying.

(The red glasses on the floor are from the fit she had moments before I grabbed the camera. She had both pair of glasses on at the same time, then hers came loose and she tossed them with a mild amount of rage. That's where the story picked up. Oh, and she's sporting her new mud boots too!)

**Following up from yesterday's post about my sister -- false alarm... crazy story. Anyway she had Landon Scott this morning with an intense and quick delivery :-) He is healthy and perfect!

Posted by Bree

What's New

1 -- My garden is finally in the ground and thriving. It took me almost a month to finish it.... I had a nasty cold that is finally dissipating after almost 3 weeks. (Great timing.)


On every walk we MUST stop and explore other people's gardens. This one had a sign in it that said "Grandma's Garden" so I knew no one would mind :-)


2 -- Todd is building us a deck cover called a pergola. We might finally be able to use our deck now -- with the sun beating down on it all day long it is not a comfortable place to be. Should be done in a few days :-)


3 -- This morning Evan (and Chloe) helped me make cookies called Magic Middles. I didn't burn any of them and they actually taste good. With helpers it took me two hours from start to finish to be done making cookies.... what a project. Evan did almost all of the measuring and dumping.

Chloe helped with stirring when she could. Basically she ended up playing in the sink "washing" the dishes as we were done with them.

4 -- And today my sister Brook is in labor, delivering her fourth (and last) baby!!!

Posted by Bree

So Big!

So proud of herself.

She can reach the sides, just like Evan.
She's been trying for months now :-)

Posted by Bree

The Start of Something New

Play-doh time is back on the daily agenda these days, so what could be new about that?

Well, I came upstairs to this scene on the table the other day:
I tried to take they yellow roller out of the hole in the red building, and here is what happened:

Evan: "Mom! No!
Me: "What?"
Evan: "Put that back."
Me: "In the hole? Ok.... why?"
Evan: "It's the gun."
Me: ".......... the gun? What do they need a gun for?"
Evan: "To protect them from mean people. If a mean person comes, I'll shoot them."
Me: "What mean people?"
Evan: "Like Big Al [from Toy Story 2]. They don't want anyone to steal them."
(Big Al steals Woody from Andy's house in the movie and Evan hates that part)
Me: (putting the "gun" back) "Alrighty then... there you go."
Evan: "Thanks."

Weird. I have no idea how he connected guns with protection or the shooting of "mean" people, seriously, no idea.... but boys will be boys.... he figured it out!

Posted by Bree

Question

Are any of you readers having trouble with the comments section? My mom has not been able to post comments lately and I wondered if this is happening to anyone else. If it is, would you please email me? breemonde2004@hotmail.com

Post to come later today :-)

New Toys!!

Sort of.

I love the idea of toy-rotation. We have three big totes full of toys that aren't the current favorites. On a "We're so bored we just want to fight with each other" day, we pull one of these big boxes out and I get to watch them find "new toys" that are so interesting!!

They just grab and play and dump and spread it all out... they run back and forth from their room to the living room getting new stuff to add to this stuff and playing together...

This is my kind of mess.

While they played, and didn't fight, I flipped through a magazine (Cottage Living) and made a list for a scrapbook idea I have been tossing around. I think it was about an hour of peace... maybe more.... it was so nice.

Posted by Bree

Work Day

We have so many really great opportunities to do things as a family that not many families get to do. Todd's flexible work schedule is the main reason. :-) He has a thriving and successful business that he runs and we reap such benefits from it -- mainly TIME together.

Todd called me from work this morning to say it was truck day on his current job site. All kinds of trucks were coming to get the pole barn floor done and get a trench dug for electrical stuff. Let's see... a skid steer, a dump truck, a mini-excavator and a cement mixer..... Hey kids -- wanna go see huge trucks?

Ready to leave in 20 minutes flat. Evan dresses himself these days :-) and thhe 30 minute drive out to North East was suprisingly pleasant in anticipation of the fun!!

The skidsteer stole the show.


Evan drove it. By himself. Up and down the driveway and even turned it in a "donut" once (that was his favorite part).


Chloe LOVES skidsteers too, although she didn't get to ride in it. She used to call them "digga-deers" now it's "stick-steers" and one of her favorite toys at home is our little die-cast metal one.

Since we are friends with the folks Todd is working for, Miss Linda said Evan could check out some of the big bikes in the garage. Sit on a real dirt bike??? Yeah, he liked that idea. He kept caressing the nubby tires too ;-)


The mini-excavator dug a trench that Evan wanted to climb into...

... he just ran along giggling to himself and jumped back out. Funny guy.


We got to see the dump truck unload the gravel too but that was nothing new (dump trucks are always around where we live). So, what to do next... ???

Off we go over the hill in Miss Linda's beautiful backyard to the cool playground :-)


Oh, wait! Gotta stop to check out the burrow. Cool!


Evan stuck his entire leg and then his entire arm in it... then he sat in it.

Ok, back to that playground.



This teeter-totter swing thing was great. Freedom found for a boy who refuses to "pump" his legs on swings -- we are in a battle over it. I won't push him on swings anymore, so this was the ultimate fun for him!


And finally, check out just one of the amazing views on this property. It was soooo peaceful even with all the work noise going on.


How many families get to spend a "work" day together like this? We are really blessed! (or as Napolean Dynamite would say: "Lucky.")

Posted by Bree

Night at the Lake

Posted by Bree

A Really Good Book

Posted by Bree

God Made Dirt

And dirt don't hurt.

My favorite outfit on her
(not usually considered "play clothes" to me)
cleaned up just fine ;-)

Posted by Bree