just for fun

Just some fun pictures from the last week.

more yard pictures

Here's a shot of our yard now without the trees or the bushes. I transplanted all my hostas from the south side of the house to the north side, split a few of them, bought & planted a few shasta daisy plants, and a couple larger hostas. It looks barren now, but I'm hoping if I did everything correctly, it should fill out more next spring. Never mind the garden gnome in the foreground.

One of my larger hostas. I can't wait till these babies grow-up!

We have greenage! We are finally getting some grass growing in the space where the trees used to be.

more soccer

petting zoo

I went with Tyler's preschool to their last field trip of the year -- the local petting zoo. I don't remember what some of these animals are, but they were cool anyway.

While we waited for the bus to pick us up the kids played some parachute games. Am I bias to think my son is just as handsome as can be?

update

Not a whole lot has been going on around here. Just the normal everyday. Tyler has his last soccer game this weekend. It's been very interesting to watch him develop as a player in just 6 short weeks. He has definitely gotten more confident on the field. We've already had a couple talks about sportsmanship. He played a team a couple weeks ago that was very aggressive -- pushing and shoving and tripping Tyler's team. On the way home Tyler told me that he tripped a couple of kids on the other team because they tripped him. A short discussion on sportsmanship followed. I'm not sure how much of that he heeded. Yesterday I signed Tyler up for swim lessons. He's excited now; we'll see how he does when he actually gets in the water. He only has 1 1/2 more weeks of preschool! I can't believe he will be in kindergarten next year! He's already starting to recognize some "sight words" and can read just about any 3 letter word you put in front of him. Our biggest challenge with him right now is the attitude he brings home with him from school. I know he behaves well in school, but I can see behavior in him at home that I know -- from observing his class -- he's learning from other kids in class. I know this is just the beginning of such things -- I just hope I'm better able to cope with it when he's older.

Adeline becomes more independent and defiant every day. As Dallin says, "She may look like me, but she acts just like you." She still has her "addie-tude" and displays it regularly. She is absolutely fearless -- although for some reason she's become afraid of the dark -- I think she has learned this fear from her brother. Last week Dallin and I were working in the yard with Addie right beside us. The next thing we know she's in the neighbor's yard on top of his 6 foot ladder -- smiles and all! She loves going to Nursery every Sunday and can now say the names of all her friends -- and calls to them loudly during Sacrament meeting. The whole ward thinks it's adorable. I just want to hide under the pew. She is also finally growing out of 18 month clothes -- well her shirts anyway. She still fits 18 month pants length wise.

Dallin is almost finished with school for the year. He has signed a contract, but the school is doing some changes next year, so he's still unsure what subject or grade he will teach next year. He's been helping out a lot around the house & especially in the yard with things that I'm not able to do right now.

I'm doing as well as can be expected when you're pregnant. I'm always tired, and now that it's warming up I'm always hot, too. I just hold down the fort and if the house is not completely trashed at the end of the day, I consider it a success. Primary is going well, although difficult at times. It has definitely been a learning experience -- and I'm grateful that I'm learning how to do this calling with a small Primary -- despite all the challenges that presents -- instead of a large overwhelming Primary.

I went to the Dr. yesterday for another appointment. It looks as though our c-section date is going to change to the 18th of June instead of the 23rd. Turns out my Dr. is going out of town the afternoon of the 18th, and because they are getting a new partner in the practice for some reason this means he can't do it on the 23rd anymore. The 18th is the earliest he can do it without compromising the health of the baby. I will know for sure at my next appointment on the 1st.

had an ultrasound, and we are having...

A BABY!!!

We had another ultrasound yesterday. This one was because at my last appointment I measured "too small." The dr. thought it was possibly because the baby has turned and is now head down. But because I'm having a c-section, he wanted to make sure everything was okay.

Turns out the baby is head down now -- which *I* could have told him as there are more kicks in my ribs now, and we were able to get a picture of the baby's face. While we were watching the baby's face on the monitor it kept putting its arm up to its mouth and sucking on it. It was very awesome! But I kept thinking, "Oh, no. Another thumb sucker." :( Perhaps this one will take to a plug better than the other 2. And we are definitely having either a boy or a girl.

"almost to a hundred"

Tyler: Mom, how old are you?

Mom: Right now I'm 29, but I will be 30 this year.

Tyler: You're going to be 30?!?! Addie, Mom's going to be 30!

A couple minutes of silence...

Tyler: Mom, you're almost to a hundred!

the bushes are gone

The missionaries came over Saturday afternoon and helped Dallin get rid of all our evergreen bushes. They even dug out the roots -- definitely back breaking work. The 3 of them worked for about 3 1/2 hours, and then the Elders went home to clean up and came back over for some pizza. We are "paying" them back with referrals and inviting investigators to our home.

All the bushes are gone and so is the random cement flower box that was the end of the front walk.

This is the next project. The hostas on this side of the house will be moved to the other side of the house -- where we just took out all those bushes. This is going to get cleaned out and my vegetable garden will go in here. It is the only side of the house that is not shaded by any trees.

check this out!

You'll want to mute my music on the side bar for this one.

Taylor Swift's Love Story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHxXaY7NR3w

Coldplay's Viva La Vida:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE

Now the 2 of them together:

pig tails

I tried to do big pigtails in Addie's hair today. Usually I just do a couple small ones. What I discovered from this is that Addie needs to learn to hold still, and Mommy needs to practice more so she can do it faster.

Not to be out done, Tyler wanted his picture taken, too.

mom and addie

tyler's first soccer game

Tyler had his first soccer game on Saturday. He did very well for not having really played before. There are 6 kids on a team and the games are 3 on 3. There is no goalie, and the goals are similar to the little backyard goals you can buy just about anywhere. They play 7 minute quarters, and switch out the 3 players each time. It was so funny to watch the kids just run after the ball in mass form! Even the teammates are fighting over possession of the ball! Most of the time Tyler was content trailing the pack, but every once in a while he'd get a good kick on the ball. One time he was the "break away" kid who took the ball down the field and he actually scored a goal! We were so excited for him, and he just nonchalantly turned around and gave us a smile and a thumbs-up sign. :-) One game down -- 5 to go!

getting ready for kick-off

tyler just did a goal kick

leading the pack

headed for the goal

just before he scored a goal

success!!

Tyler got a "big boy bike" last summer, and the last couple of weeks with the weather being nice he's been riding it around really trying to balance off of the training wheels. This was no small feat because he always favored one side. He's done very well at staying off those training wheels, and Dallin and I have been talking about taking them off his bike. The thing with Tyler though, is that you've got to do stuff like that when he's ready to do it. If we were to push him to do it before he felt ready, he'd never ride the bike again. Today while he was riding his bike I mentioned to him that he's been staying off the training wheels very well, and I said, "Maybe we should take them off today."

"No. Not today."

"Okay." Not more than a minute later:

"Mom, let's take them off." And so we did. And here he is literally minutes after we took off the training wheels.


The best part about watching my kids learn something is the excitement they get in their eyes when they realized they can do it! Tyler was so proud of himself!

easter weekend

We did our simple Easter egg hunt and goodies Saturday night. Easter is one of those holidays where I don't go all out in the secular sense. It feel like it is such a holy celebration, that I really try to avoid any association with the Easter bunny. The kids were with me when I bought the candy, eggs, hand bands, and their one toy. Only Grandma & Grandpa Ensign's gifts were surprises. And the kids knew that it was I who hid the eggs.

Here are the kids gifts pre-opening:

Tyler found an egg. The kids each had 3 eggs to find. Tyler had Spiderman eggs.

Adeline had flower eggs.

Here's Adeline with her flower head band.

Opening presents. Grandma and Grandpa Ensign gave Adeline a bunny. She has slept with it every night since.

Grandma and Grandpa gave Tyler some books on tape. We have found that is one of his favorite things ever! This week the story of choice has been The Three Little Pigs. He listens to it literally ALL THE TIME. This is probably why he also enjoys listening to old time radio with his mom and dad. His favorite radio show is Sam Spade.

Tyler and his bunny ears. When I got these head bands at the dollar spot at Target the kids were so excited they wore them throughout the store.

Sunday morning Easter outfits. I like getting the kids new summerish Sunday outfits for EAster, but Tyler didn't get a new Sunday outfit this year. I looked all over town and couldn't find a short sleeve dress shirt -- which is usually what I get him for his Easter outfit. So instead, I made him dress very well that day. Adeline's dress was given to me by a friend in Dubuque whose daughter used to wear the dress. I always commented how much I loved it, and so when my friend's daughter outgrew the dress, it was given to me. Thanks, Kim!

the trees are gone

Yesterday our 3 pine trees came down. Unfortunately, Tyler was at school, so he only got to see the very end of the project, so I took a lot of pictures so he could see what happened. We decided almost as soon as we moved in that we wanted the pine trees down. We live on a corner lot and so had a large front yard and a small backyard which is made even smaller by the large deck and tree in the middle of it. We wanted to have more yard space in the front -- and there are parts of the lawn that have been under the shadows of those trees for years. I have moss growing in areas because of all the shade! So, after getting a couple estimates from places around town, we scheduled with a company to come take them down.

Addie was fascinated! She and I stood on the front porch in the freezing morning air to watch the guys cut down the trees. I did convince her about 1/2 way through the project that it was warmer inside, and she could still watch them from either my bedroom window or the storm door. It only took about an hour and a 1/2 for the trees to cut cut down, and completely mulched. The part that took the longest was cleaning up all the landscaping stones and lava rocks that were under and around the trees. Tyler was able to see them grind the last stump just as he got home from school. And he's been watching our new patch of dirt for grass ever since!

Here is the before picture:

Addie outside to watch all the excitement.

All the in between pictures:

Addie watching through the storm door. I don't know why she decided she had to hold her nose.

Here's the after picture: