Backyard Projects

That single swing hanging from the tree in our backyard recently got a new friend/neighbor.  A rope had been attached to a bolt in the tree and Shawn suggested we use that bolt for a much more grand purpose.  And the above picture shows the joy Shawn created upon completion of our tire swing.  It was hard work for Daddy putting the chains, S links, and bolts in place.  But it has been worth it!

We've also been putting together a few square foot gardening boxes from remnants the previous tenants left behind.  They weren't much for gardening and had used the kits as borders for flowerbeds.  The flowerbeds didn't have anything growing in them...so I've recycled them back to their original designs.  We are hoping to get some fresh veggies out of the boxes come March and April.  There's still a lot of research we need to do to prepare ourselves for the different Texas growing seasons.

And finally, the patio.  When we moved in, we got a back step as the patio.  Since then, we moved pavers from the front yard (which were being used for a non-existent flowerbed) to the backyard and added a few more.  Voila!  C'est magnifique!  We now have a much more usable patio space.  Nothing glamorous but definitely much better than before.  Perhaps in the future we'll fill in the other space with matching pavers and finish it off the right way.  I can hardly wait!

Bekah's First Day of Pre-K

Bekah has been trying to be big just like her older siblings for so long, it's sometimes a surprise to realize she's still only 4.  Crazy!  But the elementary school that John and Kelsey attend have a morning/afternoon pre-K class that Bekah has joined.  The bus comes to pick her up around lunchtime and then I pick all three kids up after school!  Naptime has been a bit quieter with only the boys around.

And Bekah has learned so much.  She'll be playing with her dolls or coloring singing songs she's learned at school.  She can sing you a song about how to spell the color green or purple.  Way to go, Bekah!

Looking Back...

Nostalgic moment.  I found some pictures on my phone from the time when Shawn had my laptop in Texas.  Remember those summer field trips we took?  Well, we decided one evening to escape the pervasive smoke that filled Utah Valley all summer long.  We hiked up Rock Canyon just above the Provo Temple.  It was a bit strenuous for little legs (not to mention Mommy who was carrying Joe on her back).  But we breathed deeply of clean, canyon air.

The kids all drank the water in their water bottles and were only too excited to start the downhill hike back to the truck.  But every photo op they could get, they were ready to pose.  We sent a few photos off to Daddy in Texas, but failed to get an accurate picture of the cloudy mess that hung over the valley.

Hutto Hippo

For the past month and a half (for some of the family), the kids have been gaga about all of the concrete hippos in Hutto, Texas.  It is the town mascot.  All of the schools (from elementary to high school) have the exact same mascot:  a hippo.  I believe the colors are all the same too...but whatever.  It seems a little strange to me.  But it works here.

Anyway, we finally got the picture of the kids on the hippo outside John and Kelsey's elementary school.  Granted, it's a week before we pulled them out of the school to enroll them in a school closer to our new home.  But whatever!  They got to ride the hippo they'd been dreaming of since they first saw it.  Thought I'd share something you don't see everyday.

Our Little Piece of Texas

This has been a long time coming but maybe that makes it all the better.  We finally have a home!  Cedar Park, Texas is where we're at!  And we are so excited!  Here's some pictures from our moving adventure.  The kids have joined in the moving brigade and I'm impressed at what John, Bekah, and Kelsey can lift when they work together.  We got our couch inside with just three kids and Mommy!  So awesome! That left minimal work for the tough strong men.  Don't get me wrong, we appreciate all that they do too!  But it was impressive to see our little guys/girls helping move their stuff into the house/garage.

 

So, here's the details for anyone who's been on the edge of their seat waiting for us to get a new mailing address.  It's a four bedroom, two bath house with a large backyard.  The previous tenants left a swing in one of the many trees (I love the oaks!) and even a small square foot garden plot.

Shawn has his own office.  The kids share their bedrooms (boys in one...girls in another) and there's room in the closets for them to store their toys.  Hoorah!  That means very little toy mess in the living room.  That would be nice!

It's not an impressively large home, but it's ours.  And I'm looking forward to the memories we're going to make here.  It'll be wonderful to have our own place again.  Our friends have been more than gracious to let us stay with them while we looked for a permanent home.  We are truly blessed!

Oh, and I had to put this one in.  It my one successful attempt to back the trailer into the garage.  Eeek!  I'm not good at that but it made unloading much safer.