"If you want to stop people from becoming like me, don't burn Catcher in the Rye…
…burn Hustler."
…burn Hustler."
- Ted Bundy, as quoted by agent David Rossi in Criminal Minds
10.14.2009
10.13.2009
10.09.2009
Guess what, guys?!?
This morning I found out that
I won the Nobel Peace Prize!
What? They're handing 'em out like candy anymore.
It's totally possible.
It's totally possible.
10.08.2009
As the Little Children
"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye...become as the little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:1-4
What do you think of when you read this scripture? Do you think of becoming meek, teachable, innocent, and filled with child-like awe? Do you think about being less jaded, sarcastic and pessimistic? Do you think about showing your affection for others more openly? When was the last time you ran up to someone you loved and, with total abandon, threw your arms around them and said, "I'm so glad to see you!"?
I was observing Addie the other day when this scripture came to mind. "Become like a child" I thought. I almost started screaming and crying and pulling at my pants and demanding juice, but figured that wasn't really what the Lord was trying to convey so I put that idea quickly to rest. As I watched Addie, I noticed something else about children that the Lord values greatly, but we parents often find completely annoying.
Addie loves the TV remote. She idolizes it. She craves it. She wants to bite the little buttons right off of the front of it. I hold it, she goes for it. I move it, she goes for it. I move it again, and she tries to climb up the couch to get it. I hide it in the console and she bends herself in half to try and figure out where in the heck did it go!?! She is relentless. She is determined. She has perseverance and persistence. She does not stop until her goal is achieved.
When we are baptized into the LDS church, we covenant to endure to the end. The end is a long, long, long, long, long time away, people. Life can be exhausting. Our physical bodies don't always seem to hold up their end of the bargain and we get tired. Emotionally, we get tired. Spiritually, we can feel vacant. The daily grind is exactly that - grinding. It can wear a person down. But, in the face of all of these mortal tests, we are to have hope. We are to be optimistic. Find faith in the Lord to overcome our weaknesses, our stresses, the low points. With his help, we can overcome this all.
Even with his help, the promise is never made that it will be easy. The promise is made that it will be possible. Not easy, but possible. And so, I think of Addie. She falls down. She gets up. She falls on her bottom. She gets up. She runs head first into the couch. She gets up. She knows what she wants and she's gonna get it.
When I think of the scripture from Matthew in which the Lord tells us very clearly how to become the elect in Heaven, I think of not only becoming teachable and humble and meek and loving. I think of the good fight. Of getting up. Again. And again. And again. As many times as it takes to reach the goal. I know that I will likely fall short many times along the way. My friend once said to me, "If you forget to brush your teeth one night, do you just give it up forever?" Um, no. That is ridiculous. Rather, you brush and gargle and floss the next day to make up for the night before. And the next night, you brush. You get back on the band wagon. It's the same with almost everything in life. If you don't do it right or perfect (or even at all sometimes), you don't just throw up your hands. You get yourself set to rights and try again. And again. And again. As many times as it takes.
When Addie finally gets a hold of that remote, the joy is evident in her eyes. She glows. She laughs. And she is totally content. Doesn't that sound good? Even with all of the bumps along the way, the reward is always worth the effort.
What do you think of when you read this scripture? Do you think of becoming meek, teachable, innocent, and filled with child-like awe? Do you think about being less jaded, sarcastic and pessimistic? Do you think about showing your affection for others more openly? When was the last time you ran up to someone you loved and, with total abandon, threw your arms around them and said, "I'm so glad to see you!"?
I was observing Addie the other day when this scripture came to mind. "Become like a child" I thought. I almost started screaming and crying and pulling at my pants and demanding juice, but figured that wasn't really what the Lord was trying to convey so I put that idea quickly to rest. As I watched Addie, I noticed something else about children that the Lord values greatly, but we parents often find completely annoying.
Addie loves the TV remote. She idolizes it. She craves it. She wants to bite the little buttons right off of the front of it. I hold it, she goes for it. I move it, she goes for it. I move it again, and she tries to climb up the couch to get it. I hide it in the console and she bends herself in half to try and figure out where in the heck did it go!?! She is relentless. She is determined. She has perseverance and persistence. She does not stop until her goal is achieved.
When we are baptized into the LDS church, we covenant to endure to the end. The end is a long, long, long, long, long time away, people. Life can be exhausting. Our physical bodies don't always seem to hold up their end of the bargain and we get tired. Emotionally, we get tired. Spiritually, we can feel vacant. The daily grind is exactly that - grinding. It can wear a person down. But, in the face of all of these mortal tests, we are to have hope. We are to be optimistic. Find faith in the Lord to overcome our weaknesses, our stresses, the low points. With his help, we can overcome this all.
Even with his help, the promise is never made that it will be easy. The promise is made that it will be possible. Not easy, but possible. And so, I think of Addie. She falls down. She gets up. She falls on her bottom. She gets up. She runs head first into the couch. She gets up. She knows what she wants and she's gonna get it.
When I think of the scripture from Matthew in which the Lord tells us very clearly how to become the elect in Heaven, I think of not only becoming teachable and humble and meek and loving. I think of the good fight. Of getting up. Again. And again. And again. As many times as it takes to reach the goal. I know that I will likely fall short many times along the way. My friend once said to me, "If you forget to brush your teeth one night, do you just give it up forever?" Um, no. That is ridiculous. Rather, you brush and gargle and floss the next day to make up for the night before. And the next night, you brush. You get back on the band wagon. It's the same with almost everything in life. If you don't do it right or perfect (or even at all sometimes), you don't just throw up your hands. You get yourself set to rights and try again. And again. And again. As many times as it takes.
When Addie finally gets a hold of that remote, the joy is evident in her eyes. She glows. She laughs. And she is totally content. Doesn't that sound good? Even with all of the bumps along the way, the reward is always worth the effort.
10.01.2009
Addie - 9 months
Well, she's actually a smidge closer to 10 months at this point but whatever. She weighs 21.8 lbs and is in the 90th percentile for weight, the 80th for height. Those are the numbers, but here's what Addie's really like.
I think her favorite part of the day is when Allen comes home. As soon as she hears the door handle click, she starts screaming and squealing and hustling to the door to greet him. From what Allen says, it's his favorite part of the day, too.
This is my least favorite age (of all the ages we've experienced). Kids this age want to be in everything, do everything, touch everything, eat EVERYthing, get up on everything but don't have the motor skills to do anything. Addie is no exception. She is always pulling herself up on me, clawing at me, pulling up on furniture, and then falling down. Thankfully, though, she doesn't get flustered. She seems to take it in stride. She is extremely interested in whatever Lexi is doing so we've come up with some creative ways to prevent frustration and maximize sharing. Most of the time, the kids do really well together. Lexi takes the grabbing and pulling like a champ. Addie is quickly learning how to walk, too. She makes it a few steps, falls down and tries, tries, tries again. If she's in a hurry, she prefers to crawl, but she usually makes a go at walking first.
Addie is still on elemental formula and will be until she is at least 18 months old. That means she will also be on a bottle until then, too. I was hoping to get her off of the bottle earlier, but her GI doctor doesn't think she'll resolve her current allergies until 18 months or so. She still aspirates thin liquids so feeding her formula out of sippy cup isn't an option for us. I guess if that's the worst thing we're looking at dealing with, we're doing pretty well. Because we still thicken her formula, she gets Mylanta twice daily to help with gas and constipation. Addie has finally learned to poop on her own too! I know that may seem weird to say, but if you remember, we were giving her up to 12 suppositories a day (not all at once, gosh people) when she was younger because of delayed gastric emptying from the Prevacid and her formula. It's been a very slow process, but now she can take care of business on her own. We have weaned her off of one dose of Prevacid, as well, and she has done great.
One of the most difficult things when it comes to feeding Addie is finding solid foods she can enjoy. Most commercial baby foods add Absorbic Acid (vitamin C) to all of their fruits - to help prevent browning - and some of their other meals. Well, for a reflux baby, that's no good. The acid exacerbates the reflux. When we first started Addie on solids, we had to special order (no, I did not make her baby food from scratch) single ingredient foods online. Now that she's outgrowing her reflux, the standard Gerber and Beechnut foods work. Of course, I have to read all of the ingredients to make sure there is no milk or soy added. That means no cheese, either. Lots and lots of the later stage foods have milk and soy as binders so Addie's menu is still pretty limited. But, she has a great appetite and is obviously thriving.
Right now, Addie is a terrific sleeper. She takes a relatively short morning nap (about an hour) and then a longer nap in the afternoon. She sleeps 12 hours a night. I can count on one hand the number of times she has been up in the middle of the night since she started sleeping through the night. Very rarely, do changes in our activities disrupt her schedule. If she takes a cat nap in the car, she almost always goes down at her regular time and takes a full nap anyways. The only frustration I have about Addie's sleep is that she still cries when I put her down. Every. single. time. After a couple of minutes, she starts playing and then puts herself to sleep, but she has to cry. Kind of drives me nuts.
Everyone who meets Addie says this, "She's the easiest baby ever!" Aside from her tummy issues, that statement is totally true. There are only two reasons Addie gets fussy: she's hungry or tired. In between those times, she entertains herself, amuses herself, doesn't cause problems (the exception was the vaseline incident), plays well with her sister, laughs easily, babbles constantly, and loves to play. She understands "no" (and cries every time you tell her that) but usually listens.
All in all, Addie is just a really fun kid to be around. She is usually smiling which makes us smile. She has an exuberance for life that will not be easily matched. As usual, we can't wait to see how she grows and watch her personality unfold.
I think her favorite part of the day is when Allen comes home. As soon as she hears the door handle click, she starts screaming and squealing and hustling to the door to greet him. From what Allen says, it's his favorite part of the day, too.
This is my least favorite age (of all the ages we've experienced). Kids this age want to be in everything, do everything, touch everything, eat EVERYthing, get up on everything but don't have the motor skills to do anything. Addie is no exception. She is always pulling herself up on me, clawing at me, pulling up on furniture, and then falling down. Thankfully, though, she doesn't get flustered. She seems to take it in stride. She is extremely interested in whatever Lexi is doing so we've come up with some creative ways to prevent frustration and maximize sharing. Most of the time, the kids do really well together. Lexi takes the grabbing and pulling like a champ. Addie is quickly learning how to walk, too. She makes it a few steps, falls down and tries, tries, tries again. If she's in a hurry, she prefers to crawl, but she usually makes a go at walking first.
Addie is still on elemental formula and will be until she is at least 18 months old. That means she will also be on a bottle until then, too. I was hoping to get her off of the bottle earlier, but her GI doctor doesn't think she'll resolve her current allergies until 18 months or so. She still aspirates thin liquids so feeding her formula out of sippy cup isn't an option for us. I guess if that's the worst thing we're looking at dealing with, we're doing pretty well. Because we still thicken her formula, she gets Mylanta twice daily to help with gas and constipation. Addie has finally learned to poop on her own too! I know that may seem weird to say, but if you remember, we were giving her up to 12 suppositories a day (not all at once, gosh people) when she was younger because of delayed gastric emptying from the Prevacid and her formula. It's been a very slow process, but now she can take care of business on her own. We have weaned her off of one dose of Prevacid, as well, and she has done great.
One of the most difficult things when it comes to feeding Addie is finding solid foods she can enjoy. Most commercial baby foods add Absorbic Acid (vitamin C) to all of their fruits - to help prevent browning - and some of their other meals. Well, for a reflux baby, that's no good. The acid exacerbates the reflux. When we first started Addie on solids, we had to special order (no, I did not make her baby food from scratch) single ingredient foods online. Now that she's outgrowing her reflux, the standard Gerber and Beechnut foods work. Of course, I have to read all of the ingredients to make sure there is no milk or soy added. That means no cheese, either. Lots and lots of the later stage foods have milk and soy as binders so Addie's menu is still pretty limited. But, she has a great appetite and is obviously thriving.
Right now, Addie is a terrific sleeper. She takes a relatively short morning nap (about an hour) and then a longer nap in the afternoon. She sleeps 12 hours a night. I can count on one hand the number of times she has been up in the middle of the night since she started sleeping through the night. Very rarely, do changes in our activities disrupt her schedule. If she takes a cat nap in the car, she almost always goes down at her regular time and takes a full nap anyways. The only frustration I have about Addie's sleep is that she still cries when I put her down. Every. single. time. After a couple of minutes, she starts playing and then puts herself to sleep, but she has to cry. Kind of drives me nuts.
Everyone who meets Addie says this, "She's the easiest baby ever!" Aside from her tummy issues, that statement is totally true. There are only two reasons Addie gets fussy: she's hungry or tired. In between those times, she entertains herself, amuses herself, doesn't cause problems (the exception was the vaseline incident), plays well with her sister, laughs easily, babbles constantly, and loves to play. She understands "no" (and cries every time you tell her that) but usually listens.
All in all, Addie is just a really fun kid to be around. She is usually smiling which makes us smile. She has an exuberance for life that will not be easily matched. As usual, we can't wait to see how she grows and watch her personality unfold.
9.30.2009
Actual Correspondence
Actual email to Allen.
Subject: today
So far:
Subject: today
So far:
Lexi sh*t her pants
Addie got into vaseline and smeared it all over herself and her clean clothes - all while I'm getting Lexi changed and clean from her sh*t-capade so I had to change Addie - again - before we could leave
and then we waited 45 minutes just to get into the exam room
and when we got home
Lexi peed in front of the toilet
so she needed a bath -
it isn't even naptime yet.
If your day has been worse than mine, don't even bother coming home. I'll sell the kids to the first bidder and meet you Mexico.
9.29.2009
9.28.2009
WHAT is That?
We were cleaning the kitchen and I noticed Lexi was eating something. But, I hadn't given her anything to eat. So, we made her spit it out. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't an approved food item.
Upon further investigation, we discovered this:
Nice.
Upon further investigation, we discovered this:
Nice.Chicken Enchilada Soup
A couple of years ago, I had a craving for tortilla soup. The kind we used to get in Mazatlan, Mexico. I haven't seen anything quite like it here in the good ol' US. So, I put this soup together to try and capture those flavors. While it won't ever be genuine Mexican tortilla soup, it's really, really good.
Ingredients (for 4 people):
Lime
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Cooking instructions:
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- 4 Frozen chicken breasts (really, you may use any kind of shredded chicken meat you prefer such as chicken thighs or a rotisserie chicken)
- 2 small cans Old El Paso mild RED enchilada sauce (or more if you like it hot)
- Chicken broth (this is where you can make the soup as spicy or mild as you like. More broth = less spice. I add enough broth to at least cover the chicken. Then, I take a sniff of the soup mix. If it smells really spicy, I add water to help dilute. Remember, too, you want enough liquid to actually have soup when you're done. So, you've got to add enough water and broth to have lots left after all of the boiling. Trust me, it's easy. Just eyeball it. After you make this one time, you'll know exactly what you like and it'll get easier every time.)
- Corn starch
- Shredded cheese (whatever you like - Jack, jack/cheddar mix, pepper jack or smoked mozzarella work well)
- Tortilla chips
Lime
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Cooking instructions:
- Put the frozen chicken in the pot, add enchilada sauce, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Boil until chicken is really, really tender (I throw it in there and let it simmer all afternoon sometimes. If you cook away too much broth, just add some more of whatever you want to bring the volume back up.)
- Once the chicken is cooked through, use a slotted spoon to remove from pot, shred. Just so you know, it takes me about 10-15 minutes to finish the soup from this point so it really isn't as hard as it may sound.
- You'll have broth in the pot. Bring it back up to a rolling boil. In a small container or measuring cup, mix a couple of tablespoons of corn starch with cold water to use to thicken. Make sure to whisk well with a fork so you don't get any lumps.
- Slowly add thickening mixture to boiling broth. Add a little bit at a time to avoid making it too thick. Add some, let boil for a minute, see if it's thick enough, then add more if you need. You can add as much or as little as you like without altering the flavor. (I usually add about a 1/4 cups worth or less of this mixture so like, 3-4 tablespoons corn starch and enough water to thin.)
- Once it's as thick as you like, add chicken back in. I don't usually add all of the chicken. It just depends on how meaty you want your soup. I save some chicken for burritos, salad, chimichangas, etc.
- Put crushed tortilla chips (or you can use those strip things) and cheese in the bottom of bowl.
- Pour soup on top. Add a little more cheese, squeeze a little lime juice on top, garnish with some finely chopped cilantro and sour cream and eat! (Um, I don't like sour cream and I didn't have lime or cilantro for the pics so sorry. Still tasted awesome.)
9.24.2009
9.22.2009
7!
One thing you definitely come to learn as you age and live a little life is that some years are over-the-top awesome, some are hum-drum and others just plain suck. This year has been pretty hum-drum. And really, since we've had lots of just plain sucky times, we're taking the hum-drumness with smiles on our faces.
We've been married 7 years. I woke up to a note written on the grocery list paper that said, "Happy Lucky 7. ACR" and the R was falling off the page like Allen was running out the door as he remembered, "Oh shiz! I got married 7 years ago today and better pretend I remembered."
I got Allen a card. It gets kind of irritating to find the card that really says what I feel. I'm not like, "Oh, the love of my life, I cry at every thought of you because I'm so overwhelmed with the love I feel. I'm sure we'll live in wedded bliss forever and ever and die holding hands." I'm more like, "Well, we've been wearing this old ball and chain long enough that it's getting rusty. Think we'll get lucky and it'll fall apart soon? Love ya!" Because I'm so tactful to boot, I have to find a card that accurately represents our relationship or Allen will 1) wonder if I'm ready for the crazy ward or 2) know I'm a big, fat liar. So, this year's card said we have a "special kind of love" - you know - "special" like the kind of folks who wear helmets on a daily basis. Anyhow, I wrote in some words of my own to show Allen just how much I had pondered our relationship: "I'm really not sure what to say. I'm kind of shell shocked. I guess we just keep putting one foot in front of the other - things will get better or at least we'll finally get to die." I'm a hopeless romantic, huh?
I made homemade pizza. It was awful. Addie screamed while Allen pretended to love it. Lexi took one bite and said, "Mom? I don't like this pizza...". I took one bite and told her I agreed. I then said, "this sucks" and we all bust up laughing because we were already sick of crying. So, Allen took Addie outside to play and Lexi and I got McDonald's. We did enjoy a nice picnic of sorts outside. Later, Allen read a book and I laid on the couch. He went to bed and two hours later I followed suit. I did have to punch him in the neck a few times for snoring and grinding his teeth so he did get a little action. It's only fair on such a special night and all.
I mean really, what do I say? We've managed to fight our way through lots of unpleasant experiences. We've also been incredibly blessed. Sometimes, we're super close and on the same page. Other times, we're on different planets. Together, we've laughed so hard we've cried. We've made some great choices, some poor. When I've been weak, Allen's been strong. I've been strong when he is weak. Sometimes, we're both weak at the same time and then life is horrible and terrible and we wonder why in the hell we ever thought this was the better part. Then, we'll climb out of the trenches and figure we can make it another year. We try to live the gospel in our home, try to forgive, try to empathize, try to create wholesome family memories, and try to be good examples. Most of the time, tryin' ain't doin, but that's never stopped us before so why quit now?
Neither one of us felt let down or disappointed because this year just passed us by and we didn't commemorate with fanfare. I think we've matured enough to have some patience. We know there will come a time when we'll have dinners alone and go out when we want and travel and enjoy quiet solitude. We know we'll be able to take evening walks without screwing up the baby's schedule or have to change diapers or wake up at 4 a.m. to console a child's fears. Someday, it will be just us here and we'll have loads of opportunity to do whatever we want. Being ok with all of this tells me that Allen and I are right where we need to be to make it another year. And another. And another. And I bet if that old ball and chain did fall apart, we'd sit down and just weld the damn thing back on.
We've been married 7 years. I woke up to a note written on the grocery list paper that said, "Happy Lucky 7. ACR" and the R was falling off the page like Allen was running out the door as he remembered, "Oh shiz! I got married 7 years ago today and better pretend I remembered."
I got Allen a card. It gets kind of irritating to find the card that really says what I feel. I'm not like, "Oh, the love of my life, I cry at every thought of you because I'm so overwhelmed with the love I feel. I'm sure we'll live in wedded bliss forever and ever and die holding hands." I'm more like, "Well, we've been wearing this old ball and chain long enough that it's getting rusty. Think we'll get lucky and it'll fall apart soon? Love ya!" Because I'm so tactful to boot, I have to find a card that accurately represents our relationship or Allen will 1) wonder if I'm ready for the crazy ward or 2) know I'm a big, fat liar. So, this year's card said we have a "special kind of love" - you know - "special" like the kind of folks who wear helmets on a daily basis. Anyhow, I wrote in some words of my own to show Allen just how much I had pondered our relationship: "I'm really not sure what to say. I'm kind of shell shocked. I guess we just keep putting one foot in front of the other - things will get better or at least we'll finally get to die." I'm a hopeless romantic, huh?
I made homemade pizza. It was awful. Addie screamed while Allen pretended to love it. Lexi took one bite and said, "Mom? I don't like this pizza...". I took one bite and told her I agreed. I then said, "this sucks" and we all bust up laughing because we were already sick of crying. So, Allen took Addie outside to play and Lexi and I got McDonald's. We did enjoy a nice picnic of sorts outside. Later, Allen read a book and I laid on the couch. He went to bed and two hours later I followed suit. I did have to punch him in the neck a few times for snoring and grinding his teeth so he did get a little action. It's only fair on such a special night and all.
I mean really, what do I say? We've managed to fight our way through lots of unpleasant experiences. We've also been incredibly blessed. Sometimes, we're super close and on the same page. Other times, we're on different planets. Together, we've laughed so hard we've cried. We've made some great choices, some poor. When I've been weak, Allen's been strong. I've been strong when he is weak. Sometimes, we're both weak at the same time and then life is horrible and terrible and we wonder why in the hell we ever thought this was the better part. Then, we'll climb out of the trenches and figure we can make it another year. We try to live the gospel in our home, try to forgive, try to empathize, try to create wholesome family memories, and try to be good examples. Most of the time, tryin' ain't doin, but that's never stopped us before so why quit now?
Neither one of us felt let down or disappointed because this year just passed us by and we didn't commemorate with fanfare. I think we've matured enough to have some patience. We know there will come a time when we'll have dinners alone and go out when we want and travel and enjoy quiet solitude. We know we'll be able to take evening walks without screwing up the baby's schedule or have to change diapers or wake up at 4 a.m. to console a child's fears. Someday, it will be just us here and we'll have loads of opportunity to do whatever we want. Being ok with all of this tells me that Allen and I are right where we need to be to make it another year. And another. And another. And I bet if that old ball and chain did fall apart, we'd sit down and just weld the damn thing back on.
9.20.2009
9.17.2009
9.15.2009
I wanted to title this post "On the Rocks" or "Rock On". Allen suggested "Stoned" and then I felt like a total idiot for even worrying so much about the dumb title so now it is officially title-less. On to the story now.
We ordered 10 tons of rock for the back yard. As you'll see, we put it between the lawn and the back yard fence. It's called Rose Quartz and isn't as dark as lava rock but isn't the over used orange rock either. Of course, the whole family was in on the job.
Lexi waiting to help Allen put down the landscaping barrier.
Addie and Lexi having some fun during the work day.
While we were waiting to get started, Lexi picked some veggies from the garden.
Allen always mentions how much nicer it is to work when you have someone with you.
Of course, Lexi climbed up the pile of rocks and slid down, hence the lovely stain on her bum.
Addie played cheerleader while Allen and Lexi worked.
So, Allen did all of this by hand. He had moved something like 40 wheelbarrow loads of rock and was only about 1/3 of the way done. At this point, things were looking a little bleak.
Enter Larry. Allen had commenced with the back breaking task of wheelbarrowing the rock when he heard someone hollering at him. He looked around and noticed one of our back neighbors observing Allen's work. He's from Chicago, wears a Bears cap, says "Da Bears" and makes one think of the legendary SNL skit and bratwurst. Anyhow, he yells, "Looks like that might be easier with a front loader." Allen says, "Probably would!" Larry shouts back, "We'll I've got one and I can't stand watching this any longer. I'll be over in an hour." Larry's name is now sacred in our home. Thank you Larry.
Lexi took a little snack break and ate some homegrown Fugi apples from one of our neighbors.
We have 8 fruit trees on order. They go in the little wooden squares.
Thanks to Larry, the work took, like, 2 hours instead of 2 months of Saturdays. We still have a small portion of the yard to finish off, but Larry's on vacation for 3 weeks and you can bet your behinds we aren't going to be doing it before then.
We ordered 10 tons of rock for the back yard. As you'll see, we put it between the lawn and the back yard fence. It's called Rose Quartz and isn't as dark as lava rock but isn't the over used orange rock either. Of course, the whole family was in on the job.
Lexi waiting to help Allen put down the landscaping barrier.
Addie and Lexi having some fun during the work day.
While we were waiting to get started, Lexi picked some veggies from the garden.
Allen always mentions how much nicer it is to work when you have someone with you.
Of course, Lexi climbed up the pile of rocks and slid down, hence the lovely stain on her bum.
Addie played cheerleader while Allen and Lexi worked.
So, Allen did all of this by hand. He had moved something like 40 wheelbarrow loads of rock and was only about 1/3 of the way done. At this point, things were looking a little bleak.
Enter Larry. Allen had commenced with the back breaking task of wheelbarrowing the rock when he heard someone hollering at him. He looked around and noticed one of our back neighbors observing Allen's work. He's from Chicago, wears a Bears cap, says "Da Bears" and makes one think of the legendary SNL skit and bratwurst. Anyhow, he yells, "Looks like that might be easier with a front loader." Allen says, "Probably would!" Larry shouts back, "We'll I've got one and I can't stand watching this any longer. I'll be over in an hour." Larry's name is now sacred in our home. Thank you Larry.
Lexi took a little snack break and ate some homegrown Fugi apples from one of our neighbors.
We have 8 fruit trees on order. They go in the little wooden squares.
Thanks to Larry, the work took, like, 2 hours instead of 2 months of Saturdays. We still have a small portion of the yard to finish off, but Larry's on vacation for 3 weeks and you can bet your behinds we aren't going to be doing it before then.
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About Me
- Riddlez
- What started as a way to communicate with far away friends and family has become a place for this horse trainer/HR manager turned stay at home mom of 3 girls to hold on to a bit of her own identity. It's my take on the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the thoughts and feelings, the mistakes and triumphs of this family as we bumble our way to eternity.