Friend Party

While our backyard was all torn up, we appeased the kids by promising a big "friend party" when the yard was put back together. We set up the swimming pool and the slip and slide. We handed out yummy treats and let them play to their hearts' content. Although I did not get any pics in the backyard, I could not resist posting the few I did snap, especially the one of Zac and his friend. I am so glad my kids have fun friends.



And although Brook did not get to invite a friend, she had a great time on her pink towel, stuffing her mouth full of Oreos; and she didn't even have to share.

The Great Wall of Anson

Our big project for the summer was putting a new retaining wall in our backyard. When we moved into this house nine years ago, there was a nice wall made from red cedar beams. It made a nice elevated garden spot, but it also grew a ton of weeds. Over time, the ties broke and in one spot the wall started to fall down. We thought of all different ways to fix it and even dreamed of tearing down the wall and building a new one further back, giving us more yard to play in. This spring and summer we were finally in the position to do just that.

We hired our neighbor to tear down the wall, excavate the dirt and haul it off. That was a huge project. We had toyed with the idea of renting equipment and doing it ourselves. I am so glad we didn't . He brought in a Bobcat and had it all done in a day. It would have taken us forever. Sometimes it is worth paying for the expertise of a professional. The kids liked watching the machine dig out the dirt, although they did not like watching their backyard disappear.


Believe it or not, we found these old tires buried in all the dirt. Maybe I should be surprised that this is all we found.

The next phase of the project was to build a new wall. We hired our neighbor to do that, too. Once he got the first layer set and level, it went up pretty fast. Each of the blocks weighs 80 lbs. Again, it was a lot of work that went much faster in the hands of an experienced professional.


After the wall was built, we took over. We leveled the ground and ordered the sod. We called Grandpa and he came over for a "sod" party. They worked hard and had it done in one evening.
Of course, they had a few "helpers."




This is the picture that tells it all. Joseph and Dad were exhausted at the end of the evening. We ordered pizza and Dad took his with a few Ibuprofen. They were too tired to bother with sitting at the table. Thanks for all your hard work. After the sod was down, we had to water and wait. It was so hard for the kids to see the new green grass and not be able to play on it. They were very patient. And where was I during this whole project, you may ask? Most of the time I was feeding a baby. However, I did make a contribution. I spent a great deal of time online searching classifieds for a used swing set to put in our new backyard. (Joseph teases me that I was obsessed with my search. I probably was. It was almost addicting.) Our old set was breaking anyway and now we had much more room. In fact, moving the wall almost doubled our space. After weeks of looking, my efforts paid off. Thanks to some amazing friends with a flat-bed truck, we were able to pick up a swing set, haul it to our house, and have it set up, all in one day. The kids love it and Joseph was thrilled that it was already put together.





The best part? It even has a picnic table that Mom lets them eat lunch on. Could life be any better? I am so glad they have a fun place to play. I love to hear the swings going and the giggles. They have already had great adventures and I look forward to many more in the summers to come.

Bunny Day

As per tradition, all the cousins gathered at Grandma's house for the Bunny Day Easter egg hunt. This is a greatly anticipated event that is always fun.

All the kids waited upstairs while Grandpa and the big boys hid the eggs. While we waited, Grandma had Easter jewelry for the girls and lizards for the boys. They loved them.


When the eggs were ready, the kids got to take off in waves. First up, Brook and Benjamin. Can't you see the uncontainable excitement?

Then came the girls; they at least knew what was going on.

Last up, the Easter ninja. It is a good thing we gave the others a head start. In the end they all came away with plenty of candy and all of Grandpa's pocket change. He likes to hide both in the eggs. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa for another great Bunny Day. I love this tradition. It lets us do all the Easter basket fun and leaves Sunday for us to focus on the Savior.

On Sunday the girls were adorable in their new dresses. Thanks to my sewing skills, which are quite limited, I turned Sariah's jumper (which was too short) into a skirt so they could all match.

Joesph and Zac had fun in their matching ties. I am grateful to know that Easter is more than new clothes and baskets filled with candy. One of my favorite Easter thoughts says, "There would be no Christmas had their not been Easter." How true. We celebrate His birth at Christmas because we know the significance of His life, a life that He gave for us so we might all live again.

Brook's Big Day

Finally, I am getting around to playing catch up on the blog. Brook turned 3 at the end of April. It was a big day at our house. I was especially excited since that morning I had a doctor's appointment where I got to schedule my induction for Sam. The end was in sight and Brook and Sam would each get their own birthday. Whew!

Poor Brook waited all day for her party, hence the beautiful hairdo. It was cute in the morning. She insisted on wearing her pony dress that is a little too small, but hey, it was her birthday. She also wanted a Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake. Thanks to my amazing sisters, it turned out fabulous and Brook was thrilled. Laura and Katy were here for a visit and she volunteered to try out her new found fondant skills. It took us all day but we had fun (despite a few mishaps and "frosting words.") We worked so hard it was a bit depressing to cut it and eat it all up in the same day. Thanks, Laura and Emily. On a side note, we loved having Laura and Katy here. I wish we would have taken pictures of the kids together. They loved their cousin time. The only thing that could have made the visit better was if Sam had cooperated. Laura dearly wanted to be here for his arrival. We all thought she would be, but as it turned out, she missed it by one day! She seriously considered changing her tickets so she could stay. Her wonderful husband, Donny, even told her she could. (That is not a typo. I called Donny wonderful, and I meant it. Thanks for taking such good care of my sister.) In the end, she needed to get back home. We understand and can't wait for her to meet Sam in person.




So, back to Brook. She got some fun presents including a pink bat from her brother, a Strawberry Shortcake coloring book from Sariah, a Hot Wheels car from Ally, a Polly Pocket from us (the exact same one Ally has, now they don't fight over it. For some reason, they named her Noni. Beats me), and lots of other good stuff. Laura, Katy, Emily and Chris were all there to help us celebrate. We celebrated with the Ansons a little early since Grandma and Grandpa were out of town on her birthday. It was a long, but good day for all of us. I love my blondie girl and look forward to another year full of adventures. Happy Birthday, Brookie Cookie!