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New Backyard

We just put new sod in our backyard.

When we moved in last year, the backyard was a hot mess. The previous tenants had pets that really ripped it up. Not only that, but a few tenants before that planted a tree… in the MIDDLE of the yard. Seriously. People have some awesome quirks.

This picture of when Brian and Chance did a summer campout shows what the grass actually looked like.

Anyway. We asked our landlord if he wouldn’t mind funding the re-landscaping of the backyard if we did all the labor. He agreed if it was within $500. So, we made it happen.

Last fall, we killed off the grass and weeds. Everything dried up and died. It was actually kind of sad.

But then, this spring, Brian tilled up EVERYTHING and built a garden box for me. While he was “tilling” we found that grass had overgrown into a walkway… but the walkway was set up kind of strange. So, we pulled all the stepping stone pieces out and I puzzled them together into a pathway to my garden.

As of yesterday… it looks like this:

Made me think: In life… we’re given a plot of land… who we ARE. Our upbringings, our experiences, our life. We can choose to just “exist” with what we’ve got, or we can put some work into our “land” and make it into something beautiful. We can put in new soil, new grass, rearrange old stones to create a place people want to spend time in.

I want to do that with my life. I don’t want to stop at “just this” because it’s just “who I am”. I want to be better. I want to make ME better. I choose to see past the “ugly” and make things new.

Below are all the photos from beginning to end. It wasn’t easy… but it was worth it.

As my garden grows, I’ll post pictures too. It’s gonna be a fun summer!

So… who wants to come over for a BBQ?

Music is in the Blood

Sorry I haven’t posted since Exponential. Once I came home, I just wanted to breathe in being home with my family.

I’ll be back soon… especially since God’s been stirring up quite a bit in my heart as of late… but for now, I’ll just leave you with a cute video of my boys.

This video is a few weeks old. I FINALLY got around to loading it onto YouTube. Better late than never, right?

What is YOUR family “thing”?

March Madness

It’s been a crazy month… but SO awesome.

Chance and Paxton are growing SO fast, I find myself asking God to slow time down just a bit sometimes.

  1. Chance & Pax sharing jammies in the morning?
  2. Brian, Helen, Jesse & Chance playing Chutes & Ladders.
  3. Paxton stealing the spinner for the game.
  4. Paxton’s just cute.
  5. More Paxton being cute.
  6. Scrabble board from one of my two wins.
  7. Jesse & Helen.
  8. Me & Helen
  9. Jesse & Paxton… who seems to be painting on his MBP.
  10. Chance helping Jesse with the dishes.
  11. Pax
  12. Pax
  13. Pax
  14. Helen… and Chance, the warrior?
  15. Paxton. He’s really quite amazing!
  16. Pax & Chance with homemade Pedialyte popsicles
  17. Pedialyte Popsicles – Pax judging Chance?
  18. Mmmm…
  19. Paxton is potty training #2.
  20. He’s flashing gang signs.
  21. I just like this picture of Paxton.
  22. Paxton… not liking the mess he made of his noodles.
  23. Picking up Jesse at the airport. Helen is happy.
  24. Paxton’s first time in Crocs.

Time is flying by so I’m taking it in.

Under The Sink

In my house, the cabinet under the kitchen sink is the most opened and closed cabinet in my whole kitchen.

It’s not where I store my garbage can, but it’s where I keep my recycling, dish cleaning agents, clorox wipes and garbage bags. I have a use for most of these multiple times a day. My messes don’t usually happen overnight.

This morning, I finally realized it was time to re-organize this cabinet.

BEFORE:

I know! It was crazy looking. Over time, we just ended up tossing our bags in there after grocery shopping because we were in a hurry to put stuff away and tend to the kids. We keep the bags though. We reuse the plastic ones for those stinky diapers and reuse the paper ones for our recycling.

Anyway… I put some order to our chaos.

AFTER:

Everything in it’s place… just as I’m sure God intended from the beginning of time.

There’s so much more storage space behind this stuff now for my “not-so-toddler-friendly” household cleaners.

Ok… your turn.
What’s the cabinet under YOUR kitchen sink look like?

Re-Arranging

Brian and I had decided to re-arrange our living room and office a while back.

We finally got it done today in less than two hours.

Here’s the BEFORE:

office1

living room1

And now… the AFTER:

living room2

living room into office

office2

We just swapped the rooms.  Before, when you came in the house, the first thing you saw was our home office.  Not all that welcoming.  Now, the first thing you see when you come in is the living room… comfort.  HOME.

It’s just a little change for us. A small change… but it was change we decided on together. Every little thing like this feels good now… because Brian and I are doing it TOGETHER.

Sometimes you just gotta re-arrange stuff to make it YOURS.

Labor Day in La Grande Photos

I just realized I didn’t post the rest of our La Grande photos. So… here they are.

Most of them are from our trip to the playground.

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