Backyard Makeover

What a difference two weeks can make! (and a tax return).

For the whole story, check out the slideshow. There are some similar shots but it shows you all the stages as I didn't always take a picture of every step from every angle.

So, here's what we did. The ($) means we paid other people to do it, not because we couldn't (at least, in some cases) but because we were realistic about what we could accomplish. Eric doesn't have the time around his work schedule and I don't have the energy after taking care of the kids, so it was totally worth the money. If you want to know what certain things cost, you can ask us and I'll tell you, I'm just not going to post it all here.

From start:

1. Cleared out weeds ($)
2. Removed the palm trees that grew after falling from our neighbor's giant palm ($)
3. Hauled off and dumped nearly 10 tons of debris ($)
4. Extended the pipes from the spigot in front around to the back ($)
5. Trenched out sprinkler system and drip line for the entire back yard, laid piping and connected wiring for an electronic timer box in the garage ($)
6. Leveled area for sod, brought in topsoil and prepared dirt ($)
7. Designed and laid decorative concrete border ($)
8. Laid sod (all a labor of love!)
9. Bought and planted 2 hibiscus (love!)
10. Pruned lemon and tangelo tree (love! well, all Eric, while I supervised with a cold drink on the patio)

To Finish!

Now it's just making sure the timer is set right to keep the sod properly watered, and buying a few more plants and connected them to the drip system. It's paradise here, people, so come visit!

A series of firsts

Alyssa had lots of firsts on our recent trip to Utah:
FIRST airplane ride
FIRST time meeting grammy, great grandpa, grandma gould, grandpa gould (all four of my parents' parents are still alive and living in Utah)
FIRST time meeting a decent amount of my aunts and uncles on both sides
FIRST giggles! Grammy has the magic touch. Scotty is also good and getting her to laugh. Videos to come once I get them edited for length.
FIRST time meeting what remains of our Provo friends. So fun to see you!

Scotty had a few firsts of his own:
FIRST airplane ride in his own seat
FIRST stitches! We were hoping to avoid that one but honestly I'm surprised he lasted this long. Special thanks to my Uncle Roark for stitching him up for free on a rainy Sunday night. Scotty was pretty upset at the idea of "pokies" so we tried to calm him down by explaining what Dr. Roark was going to do. Papa said: "Do you trust Uncle Roark?" Scotty, after looking him up and down firmly declared: "No! Don't cut my head off!" I later realized that he picked that phrase up from our scripture reading....guess I picked a bad week to cover the story of Laban and the brass plates! Ah the blessings of scripture study... It was heartbreaking to hear him pleading with me not to hurt him, but he really handled it well and was back to his usual happy self almost instantly. And I managed not to pass out by wisely sitting down on the bench for a little rest :o)

My firsts?
FIRST time traveling with both kids without Eric along to help....though both my mom and dad came with me so I had plenty of help :o)
FIRST time holding a sleeping baby while on an airplane. Makes me remember how anti-cuddling Scotty was as an infant.
FIRST time cross-country skiing in over a decade.

Overall it was a fabulous trip.

California Fun!

 

 

 

It's become a fun family tradition to spend a week on the beach in California. This year we headed to Oceanside and got amazing waves, nice sandy beach, and a little less sun than usual. The public beach by our rented condo even had a playground, so Scotty was in heaven. Eric had to work most of the week but was able to take a few days off to come join the fun. Scotty LOVED the ocean this year and got a little too brave about jumping waves. Even in my current pregnant state I was able to conjure up some good boogie boarding :o) Eric was also kind enough to dig me a belly whole so I could do something I've been dreaming of for months--lay on my stomach. Of all the things I miss during pregnancy, sleeping on my stomach tops the list!

We also got to take Scotty to Disneyland (they're free till they're 3!). We knew he would love it but we fully expected at least a few meltdowns over waiting in lines, not napping, not getting to buy all the cool toys, or just general confusion. Instead he was seriously the happiest kid all day! What a treat for all of us :o) He even stayed awake for fireworks at the end--though he was asleep before we ever left the park.

Of course I have WAY too many pictures to even begin posting, so if you're interested, check out the slideshow. Thanks to my dad for lugging his good camera around! And yes, my solution to maternity swimwear is to just let it all hang out.

Uncle Brent and Aunt Carlissa

We had a wonderful weekend! Eric had Friday and Monday off from work and his brother Brent and his fiance, Carlissa, came to visit. Scotty LOVED the extra attention and it was nice to get out of the house and see fun things. Friday we were to the Science Center downtown (thank you, Culture Pass!) and had a good time gawking at the people attending the Phoenix Comicon convention. Hey, if you dress up like this and walk around downtown, you deserve a little extra attention:

Saturday we headed down to Tucson to the Titan Missile Museum, home of the last Titan II missile which was decommissioned in 1982 after the Cold War. They call the program "Peace Through Deterrence." I got the be the captain and launch the missile--my second time! I must be nuclear missile material.

Sunday was my birthday and it was a great day. My primary kids sang Happy Birthday, I got to take a nice long nap after church, Eric made a fabulous dinner, and Brent and Carlissa designed this awesome Death Star birthday cake, complete with destruction and fire.

Today Eric and the crew headed off to WalMart to buy fishing gear and head to our local park. I got to sleep in a bit and join them later. Scotty LOVES his Lightning Mcqueen fishing pole and we liked getting a little silly.

This adventure marks a big "check" off Eric's list of important fatherly duties. He's been looking at mini fishing poles since the day we found out we were having a little boy!

For more pictures of the fun and randomness, check out the slideshow.

Finally.

I title this post "Finally" both because I spent nearly every weekend of four months and plenty of days in between looking at houses and also because we bought one at the end of December and I am FINALLY getting around to posting pictures! I still have to take a final set now that my kitchen is put together and we are ready to start actually living there.

Roll over the image to see the caption. Completely missing from any picture is the fourth bedroom, which we plan to use as an office... The house is in Chandler, AZ and a 15 minute drive from my parents.

Overall the house was in great shape and we spent a few days painting (and having the bedrooms wired for ceiling fans and overhead lights!) before packing up the truck and moving in. Eric has been working long days (and is out of town this week) so I've been relying on my mom to help get things done. With a toddler and the stress of life it's taken longer than anticipated!

We love our new ward and feel very welcomed there. Scotty loves the nursery (of course) and has already won over all the new leaders. Eric and I have already been called to teach the CTR 4 class in primary. He's the only guy serving in primary and I can already tell that I'm going to need his help for a few specific reasons :o) I love the idea of team teaching and actually getting to see my husband at least one day a week!

Cali vacation

My parents rented a condo on the beach in Encinitas, California and we had a wonderful trip! We spent 2 days at Sea World and lots of time eating great food and playing on the beach. My brother couldn't make it (we missed you Drew!) but it was good to see his wife Misty and their two boys, Adien (almost 6!) and Max (10 months).

Here are some highlights!

My favorite moments:
1. Sitting on the patio as a family, eating dinner, with the sounds of the waves and the cool breeze from the ocean...and looking out into the water to see dolphins swimming with the surfers and riding the waves!

2. Watching Scotty at Sea World--he was fascinated by the shows the first day and cheered and waved the second :o)

More adventures!

We've had some fun adventures in the past week! Thursday we went to the pool for the first time this summer (swim lessons were indoors). Scotty is so much bigger!

I couldn't help but notice that he can now walk anywhere he wants in the kid area, whereas last year he was limited by how long he could hold his breath while crawling under water. He especially loved the slide, though it was a little chilly and he was getting goosebumps. He didn't seem to mind, or even notice, and I finally had to tear him away.


Even better, Eric got to take a few hours off work and come with us! This swimsuit was my birthday present--custom fit to handle toddler abuse.


Friday afternoon we went to the Oquirrh Mountain temple open house. Despite the huge wind/sandstorm, we had a really nice time. Scotty loved to point out Jesus in all the pictures, which was touching for me.

My mom is a picture fanatic and always gets great, artistic temple shots. The sky was grey from the storm and I couldn't walk very far holding my skirt tight around my legs (skirts and winds are not a good combination!) But hey, I tried.

We also got to eat at Sweet Tomatoes, which is a family favorite. It will be nice to have one down the street and not have to drive to Sandy every time I'm craving cornbread!

Saturday Eric had class in Salt Lake all day preparing for the CPA exam, so Scotty and I did fun things around the house like water our "lawn" (though to our credit there are a few bits of green grass coming up!) and refinish the kitchen floor. He was such a good helper :o) We went to the Discovery Gateway museum in Salt Lake for a few hours before picking Eric up. After he got past the tantrum of having to wear something on his wrist, Scotty had a good time.

Scroll the mouse over the pictures to see the captions.

Gould trip to UT

Meg's family came to UT this holiday weekend! Mom, Dad, brother Andrew, his wife Misty, and their two boys, Adien and Max. Thanks for coming to visit :o) Check out the slideshow at the bottom of this post for more great pictures!Friday we met up for the Draper Temple open house. It was beautiful, particularly the celestial room, and we had a wonderful experience being there all together as a family. It was the first time my mom had all of her kids together in the celestial room! Someday I know we'll all be there together again.

Friday night we went to a family party with my dad's side. Two of my cousins on that side are pregnant! Both due the same week in July.

Saturday, we all went to the Treehouse Museum in Ogden. If I lived closer, I would totally buy a membership--hours of endless entertainment for Scotty and the adults had a good time as well. Scotty's favorite was the bridge, especially when his Papa Brian found hand puppets that made tremendous bridge monsters.

Eric, Scotty and I came back to Provo on Saturday night for the ward activity at Spring Haven. I don't have any pictures because we were way too busy having a blast! We played Guitar Hero world tour, volleyball, pool (in the dark...?), Wii sports, and hung out on the slides. Ok, Scotty did most of the sliding, but he also played a bit of ping pong (aka he carried around a paddle for about an hour).

We missed the family get together on Sunday at my grandpa's nursing home, but we did stop by to see him. Scotty loves the duck-themed room! I'm also hearing that my cousin is pregnant...congrats! We had babies together last time around but sorry--no fetus here :o) Her sister Cali is due in March.


On Monday the whole crew came down here and we went to the Bean museum north of campus. "It's just like a zoo--only all the animals are dead." Scotty had the most fun he's ever had there as he is now old/big enough to run around without a stroller.

We love you! Come back soon!

All picture SlideShow

If you want the highlights and the stories, check out the post below.

Happy 2009, everyone!