Backyard of Awesomeness

Our backyard was ugly. It made me shut all the blinds that overlooked the back of our home. I only caught glimpses of it when I let the dog out to go potty.  It came with an in ground trampoline, some curbing and sprinklers and  a swing set.  We didn't use any of the fun parts of our yard because that required looking at it and seeing how overwhelmingly ugly it really was. 

Now, we could have tried fixing it one piece at a time ourselves, but that would have required sweating and planning and patience.  We aren't really all about those three things. So we hired a landscape designer and she hired a bunch of other people and three weeks later.......the ugly was gone.

Before......

After......

 We are so happy with it. It's full of trees and shrubs and grass that will only get better.  We could have saved half of the money we spent if we did it ourselves, but then we wouldn't have been able to use it for another four or five years because we are slow. And we don't like sweating. Or planning. Or being patient.

 We have places to sit and enjoy the yard now.  The garden is even happier, even though it didnt' change. I think it just likes being in a prettier setting. ( I did learn this year that birds eat tomatillos so I have to figure out how to protect the garden from not only the dog, the kids, the moles and my lack of consistent care, I also need to shield it from my avian enemies.)

 The patio turned out great. I love the planting bed in front of my back family room windows. Now I can open those blinds, see the gorgeous Japanese maple and watch my children try to kill each other play in the new backyard.

 We have a real patio set for the first time in the almost 11 years we've been homeowners. And it was for Mother's Day so it's even more special.

 (My favorite tree)

 The yard is pretty now. The boys enjoy being out there.  The dog enjoys us being out there. We BBQ now and have specific plates just for outdoor dining (I've always wanted a set of dishes just for use on our patio. Weird, right? I may have spent tons of money on my yard just to justify my desire to own some plates.)

Now all I have to do is make a frozen dessert from my Food Network Magazine and throw a party!

Who's in?!!

Jake's Birthday

I'm writing this post months after his birthday in April because I am lazy. I also couldn't get my computer to upload any photos for a while there. Jake had his party at Classic Skating again (one of his favorite places on earth). Grandaddy, Shilo, our friends Anthany, RaNea, Lola and Miya along with Jenny, all came to celebrate. 

 As you can see, Jake enjoyed his gifts and the cake his Auntie was nice enough to get since his Mommy was a crappy organizer.

Don't you just love the expression on his face?

Part of the package deal we got at Classic included these awesome shades.

Jealous?


We love having a four year old around here. So far, it is marginally easier  than having a three year old. Jake's favorite things include opening his bedroom window and yelling at the neighbors when he's supposed to be napping,  eating cottage cheese right out of the container, playing with bubbles, complementing his parents when he thinks they look pretty/handsome, playing Minecraft with his brother, and forcing Mommy to play Zuma over and over again.

My Children Are Funny

I have to write down some of the stuff my kids say to me before I forget.

Jake doesn't enjoy going to bed. He has a few stalling routines up his sleeve. Every night, after he is all settled into bed, he tells us "something's missing." When we ask him what that might be he replies, in a little sing-song voice, "Juice!" (Don't worry, he doesn't drink juice at bedtime)

He pointed to my chin the other day and asked me what it was.

Me: That's my chin.

Jake: No, what's that?

Me: Dude, it's my chin

Jake: No, THAT! (still just pointing to my chin)

Me: Jake, it's my CHIN!

Jake: (now touching my chin) Your chin has a butt. There's a butt on your chin.

Me: (hand to forehead)

The cleft in my chin is now referred to as a butt, apparently.

Because Jake doesn't allow for time alone, he was in my room while I got dressed one day. He poked my behind and said, "Mom, your buns are big, they are really big. You have big buns!" It's a good thing he told me, I suppose, since my butt is behind me and therefore difficult to see. I may have never known the size of my butt before he explained it to me. He's so freaking thoughtful.

All the boys met me for my lunch break at work yesterday. While Jake was eating a nugget, he said, "I love my Mom and Dad."

I told him,"Awww, I love you too Jakie."

To which he replied, "I love you toosie too. I love you super too."

Almost makes up for the buns comment.

Hayden, before I went to work yesterday, explained to me why I shouldn't leave.

Hayden: Mom, it may be dangerous for you to go to work today.

Me: Why?

Hayden: There is a pressure plate under your parking space at work

and when you get out of your car, the building would explode.

Me: So, to save all the customers and employees,

I should stay home, is that it?

Hayden:Exactly. It's for their safety.

Christmas 2011

Another Christmas has come and gone and my house looks like a toy store/daycare with all the new presents. But that's okay, especially since that's what my house basically is anyway. Hayden, age 10, had decided this year to stop following our tradition of wearing new pajamas for Christmas morning. We had an entire discussion on Christmas Eve about how he would like to open just one gift that day and have it NOT be pajamas. Too bad, it was pajamas anyway, so in protest he wouldn't wear them (and he still has not worn them).

(Opening the gift of weapons)


( Jake, in the middle of the Christmas carnage, wearing touchable bubbles on his head)

(My paperwhites that I had to give to Mom because I forgot my kid has pollen allergies)

(My Mom's awesome milk bottle chandelier)

(My parent's new dog, Sid Vicious)

(Jen and Ron attempting to keep Jake and Kerrick from breaking their necks while they wrestled on the bed)

(These three boys are the best part of the holiday)

My favorite shot

Reasons to love it

1. 
   
   It shows the fireplace I'm so envious of


2. 
   
   It sums up the happy chaos of the holiday season


3. 
   
   Hayden's face in the middle (zoom in so you get the full effect)


4. 
   
   Photographic evidence of my parent's addiction to recliners

He's Not Like Anyone Else.........

...........so I dress him accordingly.

Eggs Gone Wrong

Okay, I like to buy As Seen On TV merchandise. I do. Even though I'm made fun of, I still enjoy my pajama jeans. Every day I've worked for the last month I've looked at the "Eggies". I thought about them all the time. I do love a good hard boiled egg. But I hate peeling them. "Eggies" are supposed to solve this problem by boiling the egg after it's already been cracked out of it's shell. It eliminates the need to rip out chunks of egg white as you dig into the shell bits. So even though the "Eggies" started as an impulse buy kind of feeling, it turned into reality when I got a coupon. Coupons are evil. They can make me buy anything. Fiber One bars with coconut? Sure I'll buy them even though I hate coconut. It doesn't matter because I have a coupon. So I brought the "Eggies" home and tried them out.

Jake kept looking at the box, telling me, "But we'll miss the eggs Mom!" I still have no idea what he was talking about. So they are basically four pieces of plastic, that when assembled, look like an egg suit of armor. The last piece, a tiny cap, screws on top last after you crack the egg into it. Now, the hole is tiny where you put the egg in. Some of the egg didn't make it in. So far it was not going so well. Oh! And I forgot to tell you the best part! You have to shoot some cooking spray onto a paper towel and wipe it around the inside of the egg armor. Between the oil spraying, assembling, cleaning up spilled egg white and telling Jake we won't miss the eggs, it took me 20 minutes to get the darn things into the water.

They are a little disturbing to watch float.....mesmerizing..........the yolk keeps changing location..........
Sorry, I'll snap out of it.





The half blob on the right is what they look like when they come out. Wha...?! I didn't spill that much raw egg on the counter! Why does that egg look amputated? I used large eggs. What the hell would a small egg look like?
Anyway. I'll spend a moment being positive.
I only like the whites of the boiled egg unless it is getting mashed with mayonnaise and going on wheat bread, then it better be the whole darn thing. So if I wanted, I could make egg white only hard boiled eggs. Or I could just boil an egg and toss the damn yolk. Oops, I forgot to be positive again. You can also season them before you cook them.....or put salt on them after. Damn, more negativity. On one more happy, positive note, decorating them with Halloween candies makes them pretty cute. Slimy, but cute.

(*wink wink* I think amputated, 45 minute egg likes you.............)

They are going back.

I don't have 45 minutes to boil an egg. I'm too busy keeping Jake from putting belts around the dog's neck.

I'm Supposed To Live Near the Water

A couple of weeks ago, my sister Jen and I flew to California to surprise another of our sisters, Shelly. It was my first grown up trip without Brandon. I was quite proud of us. We flew into LAX by ourselves, rented a car, and drove the LA freeways BY OURSELVES. For those who do not know, it took Jen and I years to drive on freeways, so this was a big freaking deal. I know it doesn't sound like a major event to you, but trust me, I'm sheltered and lazy so this was huge.

We had a great time driving to different cities along the coast. We even drove 2 1/2 hours from Ventura County to San Diego at 5 in the morning to visit my nephew for the day, driving home at 10 at night. Oh yeah, we kick butt. We had a great time too. If you are in San Diego anytime soon, you must go to Phil's BBQ. Get the macaroni salad as your side- trust me. And if you enjoy people watching as much as I do, the dog park at the gorgeous Balboa Park is the best. It's fun matching up dogs to owners. It's also easier to stare at people because they assume you are just staring at their dog. But I AM staring at you-dude with the jean mini skirt and tank top-I'm staring hard!

Every time I go to California I look forward to seeing the ocean. I moved to land-locked Utah, from that area when I was six. You know how scent is the sense most strongly tied to memory? Well, the smell of the ocean always brings happy, peaceful memories. So I always look forward to driving toward the ocean, seeing nothing but flat land meeting sky in the distance, knowing I'm getting closer. I roll down the windows to smell the ocean before I see it. Love it, love it, love it.

Not that I don't also miss my family, but I miss the beach. I'm telling you it is where I'm supposed to be. Because the LA freeway system is so scary though, I've decided I want to live in Oregon. I know I've said it before, but I still mean it. It also suits my reluctance to wearing bathing suits at the beach. It's colder there and being on the beach clothed is common. Best of both worlds.

So, if I can just figure out how to convince my parents to move with me, I'll be on my way!