Progress!

In just a couple of nights after work Cory has been able to accomplish A LOT on the play place.

Winter is 4!

Cory had the camera for this party, so hey look that's me! Yes, I wear a flower bra at my 4-year-olds birthday party, it was Luau themed.
Winter enjoyed having a few of her friends and Cory's family all around her. She loved that she got to pick out the theme of her party and that most people played along.

Aunt Kami and Baby Joshua.

Cory's dad put this on his head just for a second, but I got the shot :) This was Winter's gift picked up from Seattle's Pike Place from her aunt Shaylee and uncle Justin.

Happy Birthday Winnie!

Are we done yet?

Should read is Cory done yet? Cause I don't really do too much.

Now that we have a nice flat place for the play place we have to prepare for building it.

Step 1: Dig some holes and put posts in
Step 2: Lots of posts...and they need to be in a straight line.
Step 3: Prepare outside boards for screwing.
Step 4: Screw boards

Step 5: Keep things straight (this is pretty much the only step I was able to help on...I held the board for screwing)
Step 6: Put boards all around
Step 7: Take a break and finish later cause it's hard work!
It's coming along. Soon Cory can actually start building the play place.

Yard Projects

This is the view of our house from the corn of our drive way. Nothing too special. With the kids toys on the front porch and the garage open, its down right messing looking. The trees are too close to the house and there is nothing but a small hill all the way to the curb. Cory has been dying to give our home some curb appeal. This spring we started.

Yeah baby! We rented a sod cutter and took out a large spot of the grass.
A simple edging for now.We thought a lot about what kind of trees we wanted, what kind of grasses should be added, and which accent plants would make things look really nice. In the end, I knew I wanted a purple robed locus and didn't really care about the rest. We went to J&J nursery and just picked out what we liked and what wouldn't get too big. It wasn't until we got home that we even really knew what we had picked out. Lots of planning, turns out can be too much planning.
We put everything out, moved a couple of them around a few time, then decided we wanted it too look good from all sides, not just the front. Trees in first...
This is a weeping white cherry blossom tree.
This is called Hollandia Broom and in my opinion one of the best finds.
It is a very hardy plant that has the most beautiful flowers that sprout all over the stems. We have had is for a few weeks and it is still flowering.
Miniature lilac. It won't get all huge like the regular plant. One of Cory's favorite smells in lilac. It use to grow all around his home where he grew up.
I don't remember what this one is called, but the leaves change color all through out the season. From a deep brown to a red, then orange-ish.
This tall beauty is my Purple Robed Locus. Last year I fell in love with this kind of tree when we were picnicking in the park behind Lagoon. Their fragrance is intoxicating and the blossoms are bright clusters. I think having this tree the proper distance from our home right there in the front will be amazing. I can't wait to see it in full bloom everyday when I drive up to our house.
She's not much to look at now, but in a couple of years, amazing!

THE PLAY PLACE
This is the backyards project. I had more photos of the labor intensive beginning but have miss placed them. First we measured everything out. Then Cory cut out all the sod and moved it to out field of weeds. Hopefully covering it with sod will tame some of the weeds. Here he is rototilling so we can move the dirt around and make a nice flat spot.

Winter decided she wanted to help Cory move the dirt.
She's a better helper than I am :)
As the projects progress, I'll post more.

Having children is FUN!

This is my boy. He is getting very big. He is just as smart as his sister and even more aware of when mom and dad are busy and he can get into things he should not. Here he is smiling at me because his sister Winter just colored on him with a marker. When I asked him what happened to him, he just laughed, like "wouldn't you like to know." It was a good look into the future when he comes in late at night. I'll ask "where have you been?" He'll just laugh that knowing laugh.
While Ledger got colored on a little, it was nothing compared to what Winter did to herself. Anyone ever heard of Tammy Fae Baker? Winter is reclaiming her style for her own. I didn't tell her she was in trouble or anything. I just told her I wanted to take her picture, but she still wouldn't look at the camera.
These are her legs. I call it, camo a la Winter. She was just getting ready for hunting with her Grandpa Jones.
Yes, I realize this means she was unsupervised long enough to have done this to herself and her brother. I am a working mom and at times having a minute to get something done is nice. I was fairly certain she knew the markers where for only on paper.
This is the look I got when I reminded her she isn't supposed to color on herself and Ledger.
And this is her face when I told her she'd be in big trouble if she did it again. Who thinks that face says, you can't stop me?! or "I can't hear you."