Project 365 - Day 119

HIS FIRST TOOTH!!! I couldn't actually get a picture of the little spec that broke through his gummy smile, but it is there. Nathan got his first tooth at 10 months and Laura got her first tooth at 9 months. Noah is 7 1/2 months but he didn't get a bottom one like the other two. He didn't even get a top front tooth. His first little tooth is right where his thumb is - top left (incisor?) - I always thought the first tooth was one of the bottom two. Oh well, he is just so gosh darn cute I will have to be taking many more photos of the gummy smiles while I can. The baby thing is going by so fast. I am just trying to suck every little second of it up with my last baby.

Project 365 - Day 118

Still trying to clean my bedroom. Came across a box that had my wedding vail in it and Laura wanted to wear it. I thought she just looked too cute. Still loving the Project 365 and glad there are days and moments like this to look back on. The everyday stuff will be fun to have a record of.

Project 365 - Day 117

I am trying to jump start my original new year's resolution again and just take it one room at a time with the cleaning. After tackling the majority of the house already I have put off my room long enough. So I started. I started in one corner and the dust and clutter is so bad this is all I got to today (to my credit there is another window next to the armoire that was included in the clean so it is almost a full quarter of the room and not just a corner). I went through all of the drawers and got rid of junk and clothes and cleaned the windows and drapes and vacuumed and now I have one clean corner of my bedroom. I will let you know how the rest turns out. I am not hopeful it will be done this month. I have waaay more clutter and dust on my side than Mike's. Did I mention I started on Mike's side. I am sure he will be thrilled...

Project 365 - Day 116

Noah's hair has been sticking up a lot lately and Nathan has pointed out that he looks like he could be 'Baby Tintin'. I think it is one of those 'you had to be there moments' as the photo does not capture the look but I think you can get the idea. It had all of us laughing anyway.

Project 365 - Day 115

There have been many backyard pictures lately, but this one is my favorite. The yard is done (except for the addition of plants and flowers which I will add a little at a time), the kids are outside of the house, they actually look like they like each other, the wall and grass are a thing of beauty, they have a sly look like we are not on the grass but we are looking at it (they were told, okay threatened, they could not go on the grass for two weeks), the sun is shining but the yard is draped in shade (this will be very nice as it gets hotter) and it just all around makes me smile. I really do have a blessed life.

Project 365 - Day 114

Nathan exclaims "BBQs RULE - even in the rain Mom!"

So our first BBQ dinner was an almost rain out. We cooked out there but didn't eat in the rain. We had yummy chicken, zucchini and baked potatoes. Yes, I let my kids have cheeseburgers for lunch and again for dinner - don't judge me. We are all caught up in the newness of having this kind of lifestyle. Let me just say, that squash cooked this way is really good.

BBQ Lunch?

So the guys finished the backyard on Friday and we had said we would have a BBQ lunch for them. I was thinking an actual lunch but since they were done early we got to have lunch at 10:15 in the morning. For the guys it is not that big of a deal since most of them are up at 5 or 6 in the morning but for my kids who just finished breakfast at 8:30am I thought there was no way they would want to eat. WRONG! Yes, I let my excited kids eat a full on cheeseburger at 10:15 in the morning. Nathan ate the whole thing while little Laura just really picked at hers. I don't even think she took another bite after this picture. They were so happy and excited to be a part of the finished celebration.

Project 365 - Day 113

What a difference one day makes. I can see the finish line. It is neat to see the progress like this. I still can't believe how fast it has come together. I just love it!

Project 365 - Day 112

I can not believe how fast this whole yard thing is coming together. This is only the third day of actual work and it is well on the way to being done.

Project 365 - Day 111

I just love these little 'Sight Word Reader' books we got Nathan. He and Laura love the stories and Nathan is actually able to READ. I just kept wondering when this would happen. He has known all of his letters and sounds for quite some time and he even knows many words 'by sight'. He has been able to read some stories by memory but the time has come to call my son an actual READER.

I have so enjoyed watching the world just open up to him. He gets this sly little grin on his face and I love hearing "Mom, that says ..." He just looks like he has opened up a special secret gift or something. He has even been reading to Laura at night for bedtime stories. I am so proud of how he is opening up and learning and growing and it is bittersweet because my little boy is no longer there. He is up on his way and it is moments like these that I need to appreciate how happy he is to grow up and then I don't have to be so sad about losing my little boy to a little man.

Project 365 - Day 110

I have been overwhelmed by the laundry this week and it shows. Poor Noah has had no clean pajamas to wear for the last two nights. Mike has thoughtfully informed me there is no such thing as the jammy police and that I just need to put him in clothes. Really? There is no such thing as the jammy police? I am not going to receive the worst mother of the year award because I am digging through the dirty clothes basket trying to find something that is not grossly covered in food so he can wear it until I can get my act together? Oh well, he will never remember this right? Now if I can just get over myself long enough to actually do the laundry, all will be calm.

Project 365 - Day 109

I had a pretty bad migraine headache, so Mike whipped up something for the kids to eat. He called it some sort of hot doggie cheesy sandwich and the kids thought it was one of the greatest things ever. I thought it looked pretty gross, but then again I did have a headache and I was just grateful for the break. Once again, proof that Daddy is more fun than Mommy!

Project 365 - Day 108

Garage Sale Day! My dad and I put up signs Friday afternoon so we would be ready and not have to do it in the morning and we actually had our first customer at 6:15 in the morning. I was sure glad to get rid of all of this stuff from my house. My lovely Grandma Alma and fabulous Aunt Pam came up for the day too and we had a blast spending time with them. After the sale was over we loaded up everything and took it to the cancer society store for donations. The spring cleaning bug has hit me and I am trying very hard to get organized and clutter free!

Project 365 - Day 107

Cement day! Today we will have a patio! We will not be able to walk on it until Tuesday but we will have a patio!

Project 365 - Day 106

I wondered when this day would come. The kids were so excited to see the work started on the backyard. This was a really hard decision for me and our household. I know it will be worth it, but it has been a stressful month for me. Getting all the quotes and information and finally making the decision to spend the money. It has been hard but seeing their little faces and hearing their comments has proven to be worth the wait.

Nathan watched the action very closely and while I was washing dishes after breakfast he makes sure he has my attention.

"Mom, mom, look at my face. Look at my face."

I look at his face.

"I am so happy. I am so happy to get a backyard." runs off to the nearest window to watch the activity.

I look down at the dishes and wipe my tear with my shoulder.

Nathan runs to the car after school.

"Mom, mom, are they still there? Are they still working on the backyard?"

Me: Yes, honey, they are still there working. We pull up, he darts out of the car, straight into the kitchen at his place at the sliding glass door and looks up at me.

Smiles so big I think he achieved a full on ear to ear smile "Now, this is what I call home, sweet home".

Me: Off to wipe some more tears with my shoulder.

Laura's Big Day!

So, on this random Tuesday, Laura decides she wants nothing to do with diapers and is ready to go potty for real. As previously explained in the Picture of the Day post I was ecstatic. I have been waiting for her to be ready for quite some time now and have been reassured by my pediatrician that she will just decide when she is ready and it will be a no brainer. Obviously he has not spent enough time around my darling daughter to believe that anything could be that simple.

So picture one is quite exciting - she is picking her underwear for the day (little did I know she would go through all of them by the end of the afternoon). I was so excited. She went potty with no problems or incidents. She even told me a little while after her first experience when she had to go again. Caught up in all the excitement I didn't even think of paying attention to the fact that it was a pretty short time after the first one. Yes, this is known as foreshadowing.

Picture two is quite emotional for me. She decides she wants to put her own shoes on and that she does not require any help from me whatsoever. Please note they are on the wrong feet but she didn't care. The proudness (is that a word?!) that exuded from this child was something to be captured, only she wouldn't stand still long enough for me to photograph her proud face so all I got was the crappy out of focus, overexposed shot of the shoes before she was running out the door to walk Nathan to school. We actually got to and from school without accidents. She came home and went about her day of playing.

Picture three is utter disappointment. Six pairs of underwear, five pants and two pull ups later the day has completely fallen apart. My daughter is a piddler. She piddles. She goes to the bathroom only to let out enough to exclaim joy and she is done - twenty minutes later she is piddling again. This is one of the reasons I have not attempted the potty training thing with her in the first place because her diaper is always full. I swear she goes through so many a day because I could change her every 30 minutes. You would have thought armed with this knowledge I would lead her to the bathroom more frequently - but no - I would clean up one accident only to be dumbfounded that 10 minutes have passed and I am cleaning up another accident, only to be dumbfounded another 10 minutes later that she had another accident. Needless to say I was fooled into continually putting her in panties thinking she just went she should be good for a little while. But no, by 4pm I was completely exhausted and completely crest fallen that this would not be the day. Oh well, I wasn't ready for her to grow up just yet anyway, right?

Project 365 - Day 105

Mike has done this finger people thing with all the kids as babies. They sit in the high chair and he uses two fingers to make a "person" who walks all over the tray and tickles them and jumps onto different things with full on sound effects. I think this was the first time he did it with Noah and sure enough, we have another kid hooked on the giggles from the little finger people. Have I mentioned he is waay funner than me?

Project 365 - Day 104

So little Laura decides she wants to wear panties today. Hooray!!! Here she is picking out the undies she wants to wear first. Please notice I did say first. She went through all of them in one day - more on that a little later.

Project 365 - Day 103

This is what happens when a dog runs out in front of your car on the freeway doing 65 miles per hour. Poor Mike had to deal with a busted radiator this morning. You know he looks like a genius for getting the same car he had and using all the parts from the old one on the new one as needed. It still amazes me how he knows about everything. I mean the man really seems to be able to fix anything. His nickname for a long time has been "Mike-gyver" he can get out of jams like no one else I know.

The Backyard - Day 5

Day 5 is Thursday and by the end of the day they are almost done. I am so pleased with how the whole thing matches and flows together. It is simple and basic and I can't wait to start being out there and enjoying the yard!

The Backyard - Day 4

The guys came back on Monday to check the concrete and take the frames off and then quickly left. Technically Tuesday would be Day 3 but I don't seem to have any pictures of that day - I know I was not supposed to walk on the concrete until Tuesday so maybe that is why I spaced. I know they weren't here the whole day. I had to take off and run some errands mid morning and when I returned they were starting on the seating wall and working on the irrigation system.

Day 4 was Wednesday and they were out in force again - bright and early at 7am. I found my first crack in the concrete. The seating wall at the patio is almost done and then they will work on the seating wall at the lawn tomorrow. I decided I needed more moss rocks so they will bring some more on Thursday. I can't believe how fast this is going. It will be done on Friday!

The Backyard - Day 2

Friday was Day 2 of the backyard project and it was the concrete day. I made blueberry muffins and had to quickly make another batch when I saw all the guys show up (there were about 12 in all). They were done relatively early this day (around 1pm) because once the concrete is poured they can't do anything else.

Part of the design includes some boulder moss rocks and they actually poured the concrete around them to simulate that they were already there. I really loved the look of these rocks at one of their other jobs.

The Backyard - Day 1

After 8 quotes from landscaping companies, I decided to go with Fore Seasons Landscape (you can check out their website here: http://www.foreseasonslandscape.com/). They will even be on DIY networks Yard Crashers this fall (they just finished taping the episode). They were great guys and I really felt comfortable with them and that they understood where I was coming from and were going to give me what I wanted for my yard.

The kids were beyond excited. They were up first thing 7am (which is unheard of for my kiddos) to watch the construction. Day 1 went by really fast and they did so much that first day. They had to have the whole yard framed up for the concrete work to be done on Friday so they worked fast.

The Backyard - Before

I have been waay overdue to post backyard photos. Things have been more than a little crazy around here. Well, nine years have come and gone in this house without a backyard. I finally decided that this was the time to take care of it. There really is no good time to spend an obscene amount of money on it, but I really didn't want to go through another spring and summer with three kids under six in the house. So here are the before pictures...