Monday, May 27, 2013

Yard Redo - Before and After

Way back in February we started a project to completely redo our backyard.  We had a very large, seldom used swimming pool, taking up about two-thirds of our yard.  We had a small patch of grass to play in, which really wasn't even big enough to throw a ball in.
 
It's May.  My dear husband promised me a couple of months ago that we would have a grassy backyard by May.  And did he ever deliver!  See for yourself:
 
{before}
 
The grass patch:
 The swimming pool, sans water and pool fence:
 The destruction process begins:


 And then there was dirt:
 At this point, I think it appropriate to tell you that just having this much space, though it was just dirt (and a very powdery, dusty dirt it was) made us all very happy and my floors inside very dirty.  There was just no way to contain all the dirt that came in as a cloud as soon as any child opened the door.

Then, because we had the space and because we found an amazing deal we got a play-set.  Dan tore down the old sand-box and rebuilt it around the set:
 We were unsure if we wanted to lay down grass seed or sod, and in the end we decided on sod.  Of course first my dear husband had the task of installing a sprinkler system.  And the ground here is super hard to dig in, but with the help of a trencher and moral support and lemonade from his large pregnant wife, he got the job done. 

The dirt had gotten nice and packed down, so before we could lay the grass down, it needed to be tilled up.  Again, this was all my husband's doing.  I did use the hose to try to keep some of the dust down though.

And then came the day the grass was delivered.  Beautiful green grass!  The yard before grass:
 Here comes the grass!
 Unrolling the sod:
 Ladybug is working hard:
 So is Sunflower:
 Finally, finally!  We have grass!  Beautiful green grass that we can walk barefoot in

{after}

 Our favorite activity has become watching the sprinklers.  And though it is already triple digits here, we are now (myself included) outside WAY more than we were before.  And my awesome husband gets to enjoy the fruit of his labor.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

{pretty, happy, funny, real} - The Mish Mash Edition

This unrelated mish mash of pictures and ideas brought to you by postpartum foggy brain. 
 
{pretty}
These are flowers from good friends of our here to help welcome baby J.  (Still trying to come up with a blog name for him.)  Aren't they lovely?  And we have been told that we can plant the lilies outside and as long as I give them water they should thrive.  (insert ominous music here).
 

 Ladybug had her little end of the year dance recital on Monday.  Can I just say that little girls in pink and tap shoes are very pretty?




 
{happy}
 
Fritter is incredibly happy to have a little brother.  I am incredibly happy to have my two book-end boys.  This is also a good place to add that we are all adjusting to newborn-dom very well.  Baby J is a great nurser (he keeps up with my oversupply, which is saying something) and a great sleeper.  These two things combined make for a less tired and more happy mama.  Plus I feel amazing compared to how I felt two weeks ago.
 {funny}
 
We got our cat shaved for the summer.  Every time she goes outside I imagine the other cats laughing at her.  But not having to clean up giant amounts of hair?  Totally worth it.

{real}
What would my blog be without me periodically showing you pictures of my laundry?  Not my blog, that's what!  One laundry basket, you ask?  Well, this is just the one I've committed to cycling through today.  I'm just trying to hang around the perimeter of Mt. Washmore, not scale it.
 It's May.  It's 9am.  It's almost 90 degrees outside in the shade.  This does not bode well for the summer.  If you need me, I'll be drinking endless amounts of iced tea and sitting in front of the air conditioning vent whispering sweet nothings until the end of October.
Go visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more contentment.
round button chicken

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Thursday, May 9, 2013

{pretty, happy, funny, real} - It's A....

BOY!!  Our little (big actually he was 8lb 7oz) Joseph was born Tuesday morning.  It was long.  It was hard.  It was so worth it.  We couldn't be more thrilled.
 
{happy}
 




More details...at some point.
 
Go visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more contentment.
 

round button chicken

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Prayer Request For A Kind But Sad Stranger

Today I had a doctor's appointment and decided to take advantage of my babysitter's extra free time, so I also scheduled in a prenatal massage.  While standing in line to check-in the woman behind me noticed (as if it was possible not to) we are expecting.  She asked the usual questions, when are you due, is this your first (I love the reaction I almost always get when I say it's our fourth), ect.  And then asked me the unusual question, "Are you going to keep it?"  I didn't know how else to respond besides, "Um, of course."  She then told me she really wanted children, but she didn't have that perfect job yet, and she needed to buy a house first, and dreaded the idea of driving a minivan.  And then she said that she wasn't sure it was going to happen because she was already 30.  The woman behind her started telling her how she had her two children at 32 and 36 and that she had time.  So the two of them started talking to each other, and it was my turn to check-in and off I went to enjoy a wonderful hour massage.

Afterwards, while checking out and getting ready to pay, I was informed that the "Woman behind you who told you she wanted to have children," paid for half of my massage!  She didn't leave behind a name or anything.  I was dumbfounded.

Most importantly, I realized I had almost completely forgotten about her and that I had told myself I was going to pray for her.  I know nothing else about her except what I gleaned from our short conversation and that she seemed sad. 

So since I have no other way to thank her, would you all join me in saying a little prayer for the intentions of this woman?