Our latest projects, inside and out:

This week has been Spring Break. But not much of a break for Jim- more like Spring Yardwork Projects Week for him! He tore down the playhouse tower we had on the back patio, which I am grateful for- I worried every time a little toddler would climb up the side of that thing. It really opened up the space on the patio too, so we have a better view of the mountains.

The play tower is gone! And the new awning is really nice. It keeps the kitchen cooler.

A shot of the yard, pre-sandbox. That is my niece Elizabeth playing with Aspen on the swing.

Jim rented a mini-excavator to dig out the "pokey bush" and make a spot for the sandbox. He had so much fun with it, he decided to keep going & tore out several bushes along the front and side of the house. 

 Then he bought some railroad ties and squared off the sandbox, and a nice garden box next to it. The garden box follows the fence in an L-shape. Hopefully I will be able to get something besides weeds to grow this year!

 We took a break from yardwork for a bit, to celebrate a major victory in the family: Tysen won the March Madness bracket competition, and I daresay, he won it SOUNDly (and with a whole lotta LUCK!). Who would have guessed, Connecticut made it all the way to the championship game- and then won the whole thing!! 

 True to her word, Karissa drove all the way down from Idaho to deliver a special batch of ooey, gooey, delicious Smore's bars!

Aspen could hardly contain her ravaging appetite for deliciousness! 

Blake, my nephew, spent the next day with us while his mom, Karissa, went to a funeral- and was able to help the kids break in the new sandbox!  

If there would have been a competition for the best sand castle, I believe Aspen would have been the sound winner! 

We love having a yard to send the kids to play in! And I love my handy-dandy husband for taking time off work and out of his busy schedule to build the sandbox and my garden box.

  Here is a picture of the completed project, although I believe it may actually show more of the lawn damage from the excavator... oh well! The lawn is a project for another day. There always seems to be another project!

Thought I'd throw a few more random pictures in. Aspen participated in the Knowledge Bowl competition. She met with her team twice a week before school for 3 months, studying Utah Geography. This was a multi-school competition. Her team did really well, I was so proud of her for getting up all those mornings to go to practice- and I believe she had all the Counties & County Seats in Utah memorized better than anyone else in the competition!

This is her team, getting ready to use the buzzers. 

A little out of order here... Madi had a Colonoscopy/Endoscopy performed in January to try to solve some bowel issues. They didn't find anything, which was good. She is such a trooper for all the procedures she has to have done! Going back next week to have Oral Surgery. 

 She's still as flexible as ever... Here she is in one of her favorite positions. Folded in half.

The kids loved playing on the swings at the park! 

Madi decided to touch the stove, when it was hot one day. Those were some nasty burns. Funny that she turned her hand over and touched it with the back, rather than her palm. I was grateful for that, though! Especially since she would NOT tolerate any type of bandage on it. 

 

Aspen, on top of the world!

And our latest surprise... a little re-arranging of the family photos, among other things, will soon be DUE! October 24th to be exact. 

This is why we must have a yard sale. We have no idea where to put another kid...

BIG surprise?? Totally unexpected and unplanned?? You better believe it!! Karissa (Jim's brother Scott's wife) and I are due 9 days apart! And our babies, Kyson and Brysen, are only 5 weeks apart. It's almost as if we planned it, right? (Ya, not hardly! But it sure was fun when we both found out about the other!! Now we just have to come up with some more rhyming baby names, ha ha!)