Landscaping Our Home!

This house was on the market for more than a year and a half.  There were renters in it for a bit, but really, it had been neglected for several years.  Jason and I love projects and being in the yard, in particularly.  Here are some pictures of our home just to show a little of what we've done in the front.  The before ones are from the original listing because I wasn't quick enough to take some myself so sorry for the poor quality and coloring!

After.  We trimmed all the trees and have cut a few dead ones out.  Added a flowerbed on the far right,  and ripped out all but a few nandinas (which we transplanted) and a three other small shrubs.  

The bare stone wall.

The new stuff!  There is now a trellis between the short tree and rock sculpture which we hope to grow something up on (I have since forgotten what it was I was going to buy!)  ha.

all of this is gone except the tree.  The holly on the far left we transplanted to a different area where we hope we won't have to trim it!  Most of the stuff we planted is perennial and no/not much trimming involved.

New blue atlas, boxwoods (trimming needed but not often), new front porch flowerpots and bench, and the door has since been repainted since these pictures!

Indian hawthorne and nandinas

There were dead shrubs all in front of the gray siding so I must have taken this picture after we ripped them out.  There were two huge dead trees in front of the stone wall as well.  We got rid of all of this in the fall as we preferred it to be bare rather than dead. 

Lilac bush and deodora cedar.  

Photinias and boxwoods, and our favorite Arts Festival purchase - our metal flowers!  Fun pop of color.

This bed was overgrown.  We cleared out and transplanted the nandinas out here.  

This was when we were building the flowerbed.  Reid just wanted to be like Daddy, hopping on the shovel and digging up grass!  :)

We've done a lot.... and I haven't even let you peek at the backyard mess yet!  We had said we would just wait on the backyard until the fall or next spring and just "let it be" for now.... until we found FIVE snakes back there last weekend.  It's now becoming more of a priority!  icky eww eww.

Zoo Day

While Jason spent his birthday golfing, we took the built-in snow day in our school district that we didn't use to take a trip to the zoo.  We had a great day planned with several friends, but due to a poor forecast and sick kids, it ended up just being our family and Emily's family.  Emily has been my friend for 32 years, was my maid of honor, has lived around the world, and now resides where we grew up! So I can see her and her fun family more!

The animals.  Baby elephant, funny giraffe, Koi, and two brown bears (by far, these were Reid's favorite part).  

Here is the sunshine picture I sent my friends who bailed due to weather!  

It sprinkled one time on us for about 2 minutes so it was a great day!

the boys!  2, 8, 4, 1, 6

Reid found a steering wheel (Kyle's brother, anyone?!?!)

This is how our kids travel - with books in their laps.  

L-O-V-E it!

Thirty Four and counting!

My loverboy had another birthday yesterday!  He had a bit of a problem with this completely "mid 30s" birthday... "how are we THIS old already?!?"  We still expect the candles to be around the 27 or 28 mark!  :)  

He had a great birthday!  Sleeping late, golfing and an event with friends at Karsten Creek for 8 hours, attempting to eat a late dinner with his family at Coney Island only to be told they were OUT OF BURGERS (on a Friday night (of dead week, mind you!) at 7:30!) so we went next door to Fuzzys and grabbed a few tacos. 

GG and Bubba came over and gave him his presents - a sturdy wheelbarrow and a rake!  Can you tell he expects more yard work in our next 20 years?!?!  He loved that he got what he asked for and took two boys for a late-night wheelbarrow ride!

We bought his first pair of boots a few weeks ago and he had to wait until his birthday to get them!  He still loved them!  The boys loved helping him open his gift and many cards from family and friends!

We love this dessert as we can justify it being healthy because it has strawberries in it... that counts, right?!?  You can tell how much Reid loved the candle in the picture below.  He is just preparing for the big T-W-O in a few weeks!

Modeling his boots and presents!

Reid hamming it up, and then having a seat in the boots' box!

Here is Reid as he discovers Cool Whip!  

1. The finger dive

2. The finger exploring of "hum, what's this white stuff?"

3. Taste test!

4.  VICTORY!  loved it.

Happiest of birthdays to my wonderful, amazing man!  I love you more now than 13 years ago, and have loved all of our memories, good and bad, as they have made us who and what we are today.  This next year has some exciting and goal-oriented things in store for you, and I am so glad to be along to celebrate!  Happy 34th, Jason Dean!

Cheers, my love!

A few poems from my recent Bible study!

We flatter those we scarcely know,
And please the fleeting guest.
And yet, deal many a thoughtless blow
To those we love the best.


I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.
I believe in love, even when I do not feel it.
I believe in God, even when He is silent.


We as parents are the bows that send
Our children as living arrows off in to the world;
The stronger the bow,
The further and straighter the arrow will go.

All in a Stillwater weekend...

We had play time on the trampoline....

...while Daddy finished hauling the load of dirt from our driveway, literally wheelbarrow load by wheelbarrow load, to various locations in the yard.  Reid may have hitched a few rides in there, too!

Our friend was able to come, play, and stay for a 24 hour playdate!  He is the youngest of three brothers (sound familiar?!?) and his older brothers and parents were at various sporting events around the state.  

We had a quick visit with my college roommate and her family!  Here are the "cherries on top" to our families.  Erryn's baby is TWO but I still have a ONE year old for a few more weeks!

The kiddos!

8, 7, 6, 5, 2, and 1

We then were able to go to the Pistol Pete Partners' baseball game.

We played with Pete for a bit...

 ... and braved the wind (you can see Mom grabbing her hat!)

Saving the best for last!
Mister found himself in his first time-out today after taking a hard hit at me.

I set the time for 1:00 and he sat there pretty still.

When the timer went off and I said he could get up, he walked over to me and gently rubbed my face (!!!) so I think he understood why he was in the corner!

Size 8

Good parenting memory!

Reid and I went shoe shopping for some new tennis shoes for me yesterday.  While there, I asked the attendant to please measure Reid's feet "just to make sure" on his shoes.  The shoes he was wearing were a size 6; he measured a size 7.5 or 8.

No wonder he always kicks his shoes off!  :)

I then went and tried a few different pairs on his feet.  With each shoe I put on his foot, he looked right at me and did the sign language "thank you" sign he uses multiple times.  precious.

duh, Mommy.

We had a family golf outing this weekend.  We were (able to play 9 holes).  I have that in parenthesis because I should say "we traveled 9 holes on the course."  I only finished one hole start to finish (Reid was in my cart), and the nice course marshall asked us to speed up, too, even though we had been waiting on people in front of us!  Overall, the big boys did much better that I expected!  Consistent, straight and very happy playing!

Jason and I went to a crawfish boil while the boys were at a birthday party!  Neither of us have much experience with this type of food, but we were brave!  :)  Here I am playing with my food before it was boiled right in front of me (ewww).

Jason (smiling for the camera, but he wasn't really too happy actually eating).  

Reiders has discovered how to stack Eskimo Joes cups!  And very prettily, I might add!

He continues to melt our hearts.

EVERY night at dinner, Reid will start his jabbering and stick out his hands because he wants to say the family prayer.  He loves to do it!  He loves to shout AMEN at the end and clap!

This was while we were having a snack, and he wanted to say a prayer (I cheated while talking to snap this priceless photo!)

Another keeper!  

Booktime at bedtime!  Kyle wanted to help read this night, and Reid loved his big bro time!

This morning all ready for school!  The big boys were neon and under armor clad!  Reid already had his cars in his hands by 8 a.m.  They're his new obsession (Kyle Jr!)

ahhhhh.....

and here it is.  The very end of the scaffolding in our home (hopefully).  

We now have our living room back and love, love, love, love the finished product!

There are about 5 posts today!  Reid is napping; Jason is planting his vegetables; Grant is reading; Kyle is playing legos!  I am blogging!

See what I mean about his camera smile?!?!  Jason sent me these after he woke up from his nap when I was up at school working.  I guess his hair was really crazy, which was the main reason he was taking the pictures, but the grin is just nearly too much....

Most of our projects around our house are things that Jason and I have (or will) do with our own hands.  However, we are beginners learning about a Koi pond and we hired the professionals to come clean it out for us this week.  

What a difference it has made - we can actually see the fish!!!

Here is a picture as they were nearing the end of draining the pond.  Ponds are suggested to get cleaned every 1-2 years, and at most, 3 years.  They thought it had been about 7 years based on the junk at the bottom.  There was nearly a foot of dirty muck - fish poop, leaves that had sunk, old food, whatever.  ICK!  You can see the muck at the bottom.

We discovered the pond is 4 feet deep, and double the size of the average Koi pond (still trying to decide if that is a good or bad thing!).  It took about 11 hours with one water hose to fill back up!

ta da!  Here are a few of our fish friends.  We ended up with 43 goldfish and 16 koi fish.  Three of those Koi are pregnant and will lay eggs in May!  Of all the eggs that are laid, he predicts at most 12 fish will actually survive.  The brighter yellow one in the picture is our MVF (Most Valuable Fish) and is pregnant.  Her name is Sunshine!  We have had fun sitting and watching them the last few days.

Hall's Easter

 We also went to GG and Bubba's for an Easter egg hunt and yummy lunch with Chase.

Reiders loves teather ball

Grant, Kyle and Reid all looking for their treasures!  

I think they found some!

Walker's Easter

We went to see Nana and Papa for Easter weekend.  

We had a yummy meal and Uncle Wayne joined in on the fun.

Reiders discovered the motorcycle helmet and rarely took it off.

The boys had an egg hunt in the backyard

Happy Easter!