Project No. 2, 3, & 4

This post is long overdue. School is making my life just a tad more complicated and I am finding less and less time to blog, even though there have been many things I have wanted to blog about. Oh, and be prepared, this is a long one...

This year, our summer has been full of projects to improve our backyard. Most of these projects were due to my "visions" and they all required quite a bit of manual labor, meaning that Brian was going to be busy! Brian took this all in stride, got to work, and has done an amazing job! I wish I could say that our yard is complete, but believe me, I have more things planned for Brian to do next year!

Our first project was the fire pit patio that I previously posted. Our next three projects were all about making our backyard more kid-friendly.

Me: Hey Brian, I want to put a play area in the backyard for Ashlyn.
Brian: Okay, where?
Me: In the back corner of the yard...you know, where the shed is.
Brian: Where is the shed going to go?
Me: To the side of the house.
Brian: That's not a bad idea, but how am I going to move the shed?
Me: I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Here is what the back corner of the yard looked like before:

I wanted the play area to go here for a couple reasons. First, this is the view right outside our back door and the shed is ugly. Second, since this is the view right outside our back door, I figured it would be a great spot for a play area because I could keep an eye on Ashlyn.

This is where the shed needed to be moved to:

This is by the side of the house and the area is pretty hidden, making it empty and wasted space. We never used the area, it was just a space that collected leaves, snails, and dog poop. So, how was Brian going to move the shed? He came up with a brilliant plan to jack up the shed, put large pipes underneath, and then roll it across the lawn.

Sounds easy, right? That what Brian said, but I didn't think so. I imagined the process taking at least all of one day, maybe two. But I was wrong and Brian was right (that never happens!). With the help of my dad, Aaron, Jake, and Steve, the whole process took less than one hour! I think the hardest part of the big move, was finding the pipes, which we ended up borrowing from my dad's employer. Actually, I guess the hardest part was probably prepping the new shed area. Brian had to clear everything out and haul in some gravel.

Once the area was ready, the rest of the process was a breeze. I can say that because I just had to stand around and take the pictures :)

After the shed was in it's new home, Brian got to work on the new play area. One good thing about the new play area was that it already had a nice boarder in place. The bad thing was that since we planned on putting in a few inches of wood chips, Brian had to dig and haul out a bunch of dirt.

I wish I had taken a picture of the mountain of dirt we had in our driveway. Brian placed an ad for "free dirt" and we had three trucks come and fill up their beds with our dirt, but there is still more in our driveway! So, if you need any dirt, you know where to find it. Then Brian put down a plastic barrier to keep the play area weed-free. We got that brilliant idea from my dad.

Then Brian assembled Ashlyn's new play house and put it in place on top of pavers.

Brian also built Ashlyn a sand box and I found a couple of slides on ksl for killer deals. Here is "Ashlyn's Play Land":

The final project was getting rid of a kidney-shaped flower bed in the middle of the yard. It was too much maintainance, plus Ashlyn liked to play in it and get all muddy, and it really was just right in the middle of the yard and we wanted the kids to have more runnin' around room.

This project was actually Brian's idea and it ended up being more work than he bargained for. There were rocks lining the bed which were embedded into the ground at least 8 inches. We had no idea they were so large!

Brian dug them all out, filled in the holes, leveled the ground, did some transplanting, and laid some sod. Getting rid of the kidney really opened up the back yard - it seems so much bigger now.

Since summer is officially over, I guess that is all for this year. Don't tell Brian, but I have lots of indoor projects to keep him busy this winter!

Can I Get A Woot Woot?!

Okay, so I am only posting this because it may be the ONLY time during my college career that it actually happens to me. In fact, if it happens again, I just might fall over dead. I took my first Biology test on Tuesday and we got the results back today. Before the professor passed out the results, she told us that the high score in the class was a 98%, the low was 56%, and the average was 75%. After I had taken the test I had a good feeling about it, so I was thinking that I most likely had gotten above the average. Well, I was completely blown away to find out that I was the one who got the 98%! I was the class high! Woot Woot!! My hours and hours of studying actually paid off. I really don't mean to brag, I'm just feeling pretty good right now and wanted to spread a little of my joy. What a good day.

Trenters

Sheesh! 10 months! I can't even begin to describe how much I love my little guy. He is such a joy and I have loved watching him grow and learn. Here are some things about Trent at 10 months:

1. He loves to clap.
2. He is the best eater. We have started giving him table foods, and he will eat anything we give him. I especially appreciate this because I have a very picky 2-year old.
3. He loves to walk while holding onto daddy's fingers.
4. He has 4 1/2 teeth. His top two and bottom two are in, and we noticed just yesterday that he has another one on top about to break through.

5. He thinks there is nothing better than spending time in his mom's arms - gotta love that while it lasts.
6. He is happy (almost) all of the time.
7. When he gets excited, his arms and legs go crazy!
8. When he does get mad, he throws a fit by putting his head down, sticking his bum in the air, and fussing - he doesn't scream and yell...yet.

9. He does a great bobble head imitation, which I still need to get on video.
10. He says "Mama" - we are working on more words, but that is the most important one;)
11. He pulls himself up to a standing position.
12. He loves his nightly bath.
13. He gives the best kisses. Seriously, who wouldn't want to kiss these lips? -

14. He has taken his first (and hopefully last!) tumble down the stairs - ouch!
15. He loves, loves, loves his big sister. Nobody can make him laugh like she can.
16. He always crosses his ankles; in his high chair, in his car seat, hanging out on the floor, and even while he is asleep. He has been doing this since he was born.

17. He crawls all over, and consequently is into everything!
18. Due to all the crawling, his super chunky thighs are just beginning to slim down. :(
19. He loves to open and close drawers, and consequently has smashed his little fingers on multiple occasions - so sad, but he keeps going back for more.
20. He has just learned how to wave.
21. And finally, he is just too cute!

Why I Love My Blog

Happy Anniversary! Exactly one year ago today, I took a big step and entered the blogging world. I know, I know, that sounds pretty corny. But I love my blog, my fellow bloggers, and the blogging community. Here's why...

1. I have always been a horrible journal keeper. I think this goes back to a traumatic experience I had after my mom gave me my very first journal when I was baptized. I was so excited to have my very own journal. It was a beautiful teal book with pressed flowers on the cover and hundreds of blank pages just waiting to be filled with my thoughts. However, after making several entries, I was assaulted with the realization that not everyone honors the unspoken privacy journal code. You see, I was sitting with my family in church when one of my siblings (specifics are being left out so I don't get in too much trouble for sharing this story) leaned over and began whispering in my ear the contents of my journal writings. I was mortified! And my attempts at keeping a personal journal where quickly extinguished. I did try again a few times but I was never consistent. So, the fact that I have indeed been keeping a journal (of sorts) for a year now is amazing to me - even though this time around I am allowing the whole world read, if they so choose. I was going to make a big deal about my 100th post, but I past it up without even realizing. This is my 110th post!! My entire combined lifetime of journal entries probably adds up to 30, give or take a few. I can not believe that I have recorded 110 facts/events/thoughts about my life and my family in one year! WOW.

2. I get to be so much more in touch with my family and friends who live both out of in and out of state. My aunt Merry Lynn said it best when she said it is like we are all living next door to each other rather than miles and miles apart. Even though I still get to see my family and friends on a regular basis, I would not likely know all the great stories and details of their lives that they share on their blogs.

3. I have reconnected with old friends: Ashley, Amber, Melissa, Karissa, Andrea, and Maren. I would not be in touch with these great gals if it wasn't for the wonderful world of blogging. Who knows who else I may reconnect with in the future because of blogs?!

4. The blogging community is a united force. I first heard of the Nielson tragedy through my best friend Jamie. Since she lives in AZ, she heard about the story when it first happened. And since her husband just graduated with his aviation degree, she was especially touched by their story. I then heard even more about the Nielsons through Kaila's blog. She is a long time friend of Stephanie. And then about a week ago, Brian got an email from a sister missionary that he served with to inform him that an elder from their mission had been in a plane crash. Come to find out, Christian was one of Brian's missionary companions. Isn't it amazing how connected we all are? If you have not yet heard of the Nielson's story, you really should check it out. There was a segment about them on the news the other night, stating that through the blogging community, over $100,000 has been raised to help them. So, the blogging community really is a wonderful thing.

5. I am giving my children an incredible gift. This goes back to point #1. When it comes right down to it, I am blogging for them. I want them to know my thoughts about being a mom and how grateful I am to have them. And since they won't remember this time in their lives when they grown up, I want them to be able to look back and read about it. In case you didn't know, you can publish your blog through blurb. I have not yet done it, but I plan to the first of next year.

So, there you have it. Blogging is great. Happy One Year Anniversary!