Landscaping the Backyard Part 1

Well, four years after we moved here, we are finally getting around to doing our backyard! You can see from the pictures that it's pretty much a weedy wasteland back there, but not for long! Thanks to my grandparents, we are putting the sprinkler system and lawn in with leftovers from their yard that they are putting in right now. So I'll keep you updated on the progress, but here is what's up so far!


Who knew that utility trailers made such great play-pens?! Georgia spent over an hour in ours just playing in the dirt. Doesn't she look like a little farm-girl?


Gibson and I hanging out while Lu does all the hard work with the trencher.


This was the hardest job - getting the trenching done. At least now it's over, and we can move on to the fun part!

Our beautiful new tree - the first (intentional) sign of life back there!

Our gigantic back patio (there used to be a swimming pool there that's been filled in). We have some great plants that I'm trying to keep alive that are leftover from G&G's yard. Gibson has loved having his tractor - he is getting 5 cents for every rock he hauls out of the yard.

I Love My Sister

I really do!! I am sitting here reflecting on my day, which I spent almost entirely with her, and am feeling like the luckiest little sister in the world! Here is a list of the highlights of this fun and productive day...

9:00am - I call Jenell and see if she wants to go to Lowes to look at tile. YES!! she replies so I should pick her up from the elem. school where she just dropped of Jerik
9:20am - Jenell calls - where are you? that was 20 minutes ago! I'm coming, I just had to get Georgia dressed after I dropped Gibson off at Joy School
9:30am - Lowes: we look at tile and Jenell (the color expert) steers me in the perfect direction for my new kitchen floor, countertops, and backsplash. She is so smart, I'm so excited! Then on the way out, she just reaches out and grabs the perfect paint colors. She is SO smart, I'm SO excited!
10:45am - pick up Gibson, run to Albertson's to get Jackson some diapers (this is the last pack, she swears - he'll be potty trained before these run out)
11:00am - car full of whiny kids. We need a Diet Coke. Why not just get lunch? Wendy's. Park.
11:45am - 2 FULL days of preschool? let's go get information RIGHT NOW.
12:00pm - back at Jenell's house, why not plant a gazillion pansies? Jenell digs the hole, Brittney places the flowers (Britt's a wimp, can't use the tool). Jersey (the dog) eats the flowers. 7 times. Put her on a leash, she breaks her collar. What a pain. Why does she have a dog?!
1:30pm - let's go to the Home Depot and look at plants. We're going to have the best yards EVER!! This plant is only $5 - we spent more than that on lunch! Next time I need Wendy's, I'm going to Home Depot. This one or this one? That one. Definitely.
2:30pm - many many tired and cranky kids in the car. drop off Jenell and Jackson at home. let's go to the nursery tomorrow to look at more plants for our rockin' yards. see you in the morning?
3:30 pm - can I go to Jenell's house and meet the girl that's buying the book? Just go through the gate (push hard, there's a log behind it). The book is in the bedroom (ignore the mess). Don't take less than $25.00 (she's already getting a deal). Drive to find Jenell, give her $25.00. Dog's collar is broken again. Needs a new collar. Dogs are too expensive, maybe she'll get rid of the dog.
7:30pm - Jenell calls, but I miss it because Gibson sharted and made a caca mess that of course, I had to clean up because Lu was dry-heaving. (ok, he didn't dry-heave, or get mad - way to be strong, babe!)
9:30pm - I finally call Jenell back. She wants to know if Lu likes the tile. Are we still on for tomorrow? see you in the morning!
11:00pm - It hits me how grateful I am for Jenell and the amazing and talented person she is - she is my sister, but more importantly she's my friend. What a fun day we had!

I love you, Jenell!!

A little reminder

This post is entirely for my own benefit, and for use as a public confession and reminder to myself why I love my kids. So here goes...

I'm having a particulary challenging morning with my kids, and to be honest (warning - weak mother moment coming) I'm having a hard time liking them right now. So, because I have given myself a mommy time-out, I am going to make a list of the things my kids do that I love. And I'm going to keep writing until I have enough love to leave this room and deal with them again!

Gibson
1. Knows how to spell his first name, and spells it all the time.
2. Will insist he didn't eat the cookie even though his face is smeared with chocolate.
3. Loves to draw and read books.
4. Always says he's sorry.
5. Has the cutest smile and laugh.
6. Wants to learn how to cook, and loves being in the kitchen.
7. Asks his daddy every day how work was, and if he made any sales.
8. Says the cutest prayers and blesses every single person in our entire family. Individually.
9. Tries hard to be quiet when I'm working.
10. He dances - but only when he's "in the mood."
11. He's a big boy, but he still wants me to kiss his owies.
12. He tells me I look pretty, even when I don't.
13. He says things like "What the..." and "That was awkward."
14. He wants to be a drummer like Uncle Dill, muscle-y like his cousin Ephraim, and a salesman like his dad.

Georgia
1. She has great hair - if it's down, she shakes her head back and forth so it touches her face.
2. She is an amazing sleeper - she sleeps all the time.
3. When I go to get her out of her crib, she pretends she's still sleeping. Then when I get really close she smiles and then laughs. She thinks she has me fooled every time.
4. Sometimes when she's in trouble she doesn't cry she just pouts. She closes her eyes and every now and then looks at you very sadly. She's very still, but then snaps out of it like nothing ever happened.
5. She loves wearing shoes, especially the ones that tap when she walks.
6. She has the funniest run - she trots and bounces and flails her arms - it's hilarious.
7. She's obsessed with M&Ms.
8. She closes her eyes for prayers whenever food is put in front of her, so we have to pray - even at restaurants. She won't eat until we pray.
9. She dances all the time, and loves the music turned up in the car.
10. She loves giving kisses.
11. She likes to jump off the couch, play with big dogs, wrestle, drink out of a straw, go down slides by herself, jump on the trampoline, climb onto high furniture, and ride motorcycles.

Ok, I feel better. Thanks for letting me vent!

We Won!!

It's official - and it's BIG!! Let me start from the beginning (it's a short story, I promise)...

Ever since we bought our house, there has only been one thing about it that has been difficult to deal with - the kitchen. It is very small, has very little counter space, and the lighting is terrible. But, we deal with it because a new kitchen would cost oodles of $ that we don't have. Whenever I get discouraged or bored, I think of ways to make our house amazing, and thanks to my dad - who is a home designer - I can really get creative. Fast forward to February...

At the end of February, I was feeling like redoing the kitchen (on paper, not in reality). My dad came over and sketched out a few possibilities, and we really REALLY got excited about the prospects of an amazing new open concept living room, dining room, kitchen area. Luckily, the home remodeling show was going on that weekend, so I got a babysitter and went with my parents. We found countertops and flooring that I love, but searched and searched for the perfect cabinet color and style. Then we turned a corner and "Aaahhhh" (that's a choir singing) there it was! The kitchen of my dreams. I took my mom over and said, "This is it! It's perfect!" The sales rep said, "Oh, you like this kitchen? Would you like to enter to win it?" I entered, of course, but left feeling defeated since I've never won anything in my life. Nothing. Fast forward to this morning...

I got a call from Gold Medallion's sales manager, and...WE WON!!!! The kitchen of my dreams - well, just the cabinets - but wooohooo! So, now we get to start tearing out walls, flooring, and the existing cabinets. It's going to be a HUGE project, but so worth it! I'm so excited!!

Easter Fun

We had a great Easter-fest filled with candy, eggs, food, and family. We spent the day at my parent's house, along with 15 other people! Along with the usual crowd, my sister-in-law's parents and brother came, my Aunt April came from Bountiful and also my Grandpa & Grandma Boss. We haven't seen the Bosses since Braden's wedding, so the kids have changed a lot! Lu had to work, which was a bummer - we missed his company :( We got some great pictures of all of the kids, although I realized that we took about 100 pictures of Georgia and hardly any of the boys! Probably because the boys were always off doing their own thing and I pretty much maintain control of Georgia's whereabouts, at least for now. It was a beautiful sunny day after a week of cold rain, and we had a great time! Hope your Easter was a special one!

Attention Fun Ship Passengers...

We survived! Our trip was amazing - too short, as usual, but really, really fun. We ate too much, stayed up too late, and laughed more than we've laughed in a long time. We had a great time with the Dean's, and can't wait for our next cruise! We're thinking Alaska next time...doesn't that sound fun?!


Lu and I in Ensenada - it was overcast, but pretty warm. We were there to see La Bufadora, a blowhole. It was pretty neat to see, and shopping at the flea market was an adventure, as always!


Peter, Allison, me & Lu at La Bufadora.


As first-time cruisers, we had to play all the games. We played Win Lose or Draw and kicked the pants off the competition. We also played 80's music trivia and won a little plastic trophy. I guess we'll have to pass that one back and forth between us!


Lu relaxing on deck - this was the only afternoon that it was warm enough to wear a bathing suit!

Me at Catalina Island - if you look closely, you can see our ship out in the ocean.

The bay at Catalina

Our beautiful ship!

Bon Voyage!

Well, tomorrow's the day! We leave on our cruise to Mexico right after church, and I can't even tell you how excited I am. I was so organized that I packed on Monday, and every day did something to prepare for the trip. Now there are only 16 things left on my To-Do list! Gibson and Georgia are spending the week at my parent's house, so I had to pack suitcases for them and us which was a total mess. Because I was uber-organized and packed so early, Gibson asked every day if it was time for our vacation. No. Is it time now? No. Will it be time after Georgia wakes up? No. It's been a long week. Luckily, he bought the idea that HE is the one going on vacation. The other day he came up to me and said, "Mom, I'm sorry you and daddy can't go on a vacation." Oh, honey - if you only knew!

In the midst of all the cruise prep, I had the opportunity to teach a mini-class at our enrichment activity today on Clutter Control & Organization. It was a really fun class and it was fun to share ideas with the sisters of our ward. We have a lot of clutter-bugs, so hopefully someone learned something! If I can figure out how to post a document link, I'll share the handouts that I made.

After the class, we went up to Bountiful to have dinner with my Aunt April. We were surprised to find my cousin Jeri and her family there for the weekend! What a fun surprise! We spent the evening catching up, which is always a noisy affair in our family. Man, we laugh a lot! Gibson and Georgia had a great time playing with their cousins - Georgia was so hyper when we left that the whole way home she was yelling and blabbering on and on. I think my mom is having second thoughts about watching them this week - good thing she keeps earplugs in her nightstand! During dinner, Jeri bugged me about not posting in 2 months, so this post is my repentance post. :o( I'm sorry all of you Gonzalez fans. I've let you down. But don't worry - I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures and lots of things to say after our trip!

Bon Voyage!