Living Room Progress

Today I finally started the painting process in the living room.  I primed the ugly brown out...yay!  And I started painting the edges, although it's not showing it very well in the picture.  I had the hardest time deciding on a color...what's new there, right?  I went with green this time.  Oh goodness, I hope it will look okay...I'm kinda stressing over it.  But, here's my vision....a light green on the walls, white slip covered Pottery Barn sofa, a new big comfy chair, window treatments, fun orange accents around the room (pillows, and maybe in the window treatments).  What do you think?  I also have visions of painting the brick fireplace white...but, Ryan is having trouble seeing that vision.  Maybe in time he will.

And of course, like with any project I start on...the rest of the house goes to crap.  But I guess that will happen when I decide to paint and let a 3 and 1 year old have free reign of the house.

So with that...I better get back to it!

Weekend Review

We were able to get half the garden planted this last weekend!  The corn, lettuce and carrots are in!  I'm going to hold off planting our tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers until around May 15th, that apparently is the "safe time" for planting those.  I really hope we get a good crop this year!

The weather was amazing and the girls spent hours and hours playing outside, which I love!  Them tracking  mud and dirt into the house ...I don't love so much.

Haley has read both Sarah, Plain and Tall and the sequel, Skylark recently.  So on Saturday we hit up the library for books and checked out the movies for a family movie night...more like movie weekend.  Saturday night we watched the first one.  Sunday afternoon we watched the second.  

It's been years since I've watched these movies...and years later I still love them!  In Skylark the family endures a major drought and nearly have to leave the farm in search of water.  For most of the movie the family is always dripping with sweat, baking in the sun.  Haley says during the show, "This movie just makes me thirsty!"

Today is in the 70's!!  Just beautiful!  Happy Monday!

Super Baby!!

Rory being super baby with the help from her Uncle Matt.

The sun is out in full force today...it's beautiful!  I went for a walk with my mom this morning and I was able to break quite a sweat pushing the double stroller up and down these hills!  

These are the days that I love walking to the school to pick up the girls.  I hang out and bask in the sun while the kids play on the playground...it's great.

The weather is going to continue to improve...70's coming our way!!  I think this weekend it's all about getting our garden planted and the yard in order!  Wish us luck...we'll need it.

Sick Day

Haley chillin' in Piper's tent last week.

Today Haley is home sick...sick with a fever.  Actually, as I write this she's out in the backyard with the dogs playing...yes, with a fever.  She has been BEGGING me to let her go outside since this morning.  I held her off for as long as I could...I was able to keep her inside until 1:30...I can't do it anymore.  I figure a little vitamin D couldn't hurt as it's a beautiful day!  Isn't it funny how kids can still run around with a fever?  How is that possible?

I hope this little fever is short lived and we'll be back to normal tomorrow.

I've been feeling a little discouraged lately.  I feel like laundry has become my life...seriously.  The past three days I've done probably more than 10 loads of laundry and there are baskets that are STILL full!  How is that?!!  This morning I made waffles, did two loads of laundry, made a dessert for a funeral lunch in our ward, did some dinner prep, cleaned the kitchen, scrubbed the floors and I'm still surrounded by messes.  I feel as though I clean all day and yet no one can see that I've done anything.  Do you feel like that sometimes?  And now finally I just want to sit and turn a blind eye to it all!  All I want to do is take a nap.

Anyway, enough complaining!  Gotta keep on keepin' on!

Laundry Room Progress

My dad with measuring tape in hand doing some major brain work.

Let's face it...my dad is the brains behind this project!  My job is to hold boards while he saws, hammer some nails, I used the jigsaw a little, and I fork over the money when it's time to buy materials.  We made quite a bit of progress last week...the bench is in!  However, we ran into a road block when we discovered that a lot of the remaining pieces for the trim and molding needs to be special ordered because of the wonky custom sizes we need.  Plus, my dad flew back to LB today for a couple of weeks.  So the project is on hold for a bit.  

Perhaps I can get the living room painted in the meantime?

We had a great weekend...yoga, birthday party for my nephew, church, and bike riding.  I'm looking forward to this week with the warmer temps!

Happy Monday!

Laundry Room Makeover

You are now entering my laundry room...all the not so good, bad and the ugly. 

 That door lead to the garage so this room is our main thoroughfare.  This is where shoes are thrown off, backpacks dumped and jackets thrown.  It becomes quite a mess as this is probably one of the most non user friendly rooms EVER!

This room also shares my pantry behind those accordion doors.

There are a ton of cabinets which is good.  However, each cabinet has a divider (I should have taken a picture) in the middle making them extremely frustrating to fit large objects or boxes.  I'm so ready to rip those cabinets doors off, tear out the divider thing and just have open shelving with baskets and such.  Of course I'm also dreaming of painting all the cabinets white!

On the other side of the cabinets is another closet which houses random odds and ends.  

This is where the first project will begin!

I've decided (with the help of my dad) to rip out all the shelving in this closet to create a "mud room"!

Yesterday we took off the doors and started cleaning it out.  I also bought the wood to get started!

The plan is to build a bench that will fit in there with storage under it.  There will be a row of big hooks to hang things and storage above.  It will be wonderful!!  I can't wait!

Can you see my beloved coffee maker.  *sniff, sniff*  I still can't part with it.

This room needs a ton of work, so this is just the beginning!

Stay tuned!

Piper's Party

We celebrated Piper's 3rd birthday Saturday evening.  It was a low key affair just with family...grandparents,  aunt, uncles, and of course little Jett.  It was a really nice night!  

Just for the record, I put Piper in a cute dress.  And then at some point in the day she got in trouble so I put her in her room for a few minutes.  When I went to get her again this was the outfit she was wearing...I figured since she did all that work herself I'll leave her in it.  I think the skirt she's wearing is really for a 12 month old...whatever.

Presents!

Piper had been using one of Haley and Morgan's old scooter for quite a while...that thing was in bad shape.  So one of the things she got was her very own brand new scooter!  She was thrilled!

I made her a rainbow cake, but she didn't touch it.  She's an ice cream girl!

Happy Birthday Piper!!

We love you!

Deer Valley

Jeffy, Ryan, Me, and my dad on the lift.

We scored some free tickets for Deer Valley in Park City from some pretty awesome friends.  Thank you, thank you...as we couldn't afford that place any other way!  For the record, I have never been to any other resort besides Sundance in Utah.  And of course Sundance has a little special place in my heart...it's our home away from home in the winter.  But, oh my goodness, Deer Valley is HUGE!!  We had such a great day!  Everything was perfect...the weather, the food, the company...we had a blast!  

My mom watched the little ones (thank you mom, you are a hero) and the older two ended up walking home with friends after school and stayed with them for the afternoon.  It worked out great!

Today we are gearing up for Piper's little Birthday party this evening!  

Happy Weekend!

Vikings

Is anyone watching the History Channel show Vikings?  I'm pretty much hooked.  It's a bit violent...I mean, they are Vikings after all.  But, can I just say what a Bad @ss Legertha is?  Seriously.  She's Ragnar's wife and the mother of two.  She's loving and kind with her family and extremely loyal, but don't cross her or she will totally kill you.

Her feistiness reminds me a little bit of me.  I think I could totally rock this look too!  What do you think...Halloween costume?

Happy Birthday Piper!

Piper in April 2010, just a couple weeks old.

Happy Birthday to our little Piper!

Today you are 3!!

Oh, how we love you!

My kids are giving me gray hairs.

We had a pretty big scare Friday afternoon.

I was on the driveway watching Piper scooter around and ride her bike...no biggie.  Then Ryan came home and I helped him unload the car bringing things into the house.  We got distracted inside for a minute.  Okay, truth be told, I went ballistic when Ryan told me how much we owe for taxes.  The joys of working for yourself.  We were inside for literally 5 to 10 minutes tops!  We go back outside and Piper is nowhere to be found.  GONE...just like that!  We start yelling her name looking all over the house and yard...nowhere.  We  look in the irrigation canal, neighbor's yards, and up and down the street...nowhere.  We check the house over and over yelling her name all the while.  By this point I'm in tears, Ryan is on his bike racing all over the 'hood, neighbors are coming outside to help us.  I run to our good friends' house (Piper has ran over there on two different occasions by herself without me knowing), I pretty much barged in, hysterical, racing past their teenage daughter to look in their backyard.  Piper wasn't there.  Their daughter hops on her bike to help, her dad gets in his car to scan the neighborhood.  I was so scared.  I thought for sure someone scooped her up and stole her from me.

I finally ran back to the house about ready to call the police.  As I ran past our car, I glanced over...and there she was...in the closed up car, in the way back, still with her helmet on, fast asleep.  I can't even began to tell you how relieved I was, and how good it felt to have her in my arms.  Of course she was completely oblivious to near heart attack she gave me.  And I'm sure she was confused why her mom was crying and hugging her so hard.  So glad she was okay.

Later she showed us that she got in through one of the passenger doors, closed it on her own and then climbed over the seats to the very back where she fell asleep.  That girl.

What a wonderful place we live that so many people would drop what they're doing without a second thought to help us find our little Piper.  I'm so grateful for them.

Then, if that wasn't enough for one day.  Later that afternoon I was walking with the girls back home from grandma's house.  We were at the cross walk on a neighborhood street.  A car was approaching but stopping, so Haley begins to cross ahead of us.  I have the stroller and Piper is on her scooter so I'm behind her a bit...I look up and see that the driver (a teenager) has his head down texting.  He doesn't even look up while he lifts his foot off the brake and starts to accelerate.  Haley is oblivious and is nearly in front of the car.    I scream at her stop, which she does thank goodness.  The kid had his window down and still did not even look up!!  As he's driving through the intersection I scream at him to get off his phone...still didn't even look up.  He was completely glued to his phone.

I kid you not, if that kid hit my daughter with his car because he couldn't put his phone down I would have gone ape shit on him.  Seriously.

So, that night I was especially grateful that all my children were safe and snug in their beds...and I could finally breathe.

Dinosaur National Monument

Yesterday we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and do a day trip to Dinosaur National Monument...about 3 hours away.  We caravaned with my parents and Jeff's girlfriend Jen (Jeff had class).  

We were on the fence about doing that long of a drive just for a day trip...I mean, we would be in the car for six hours!  But in the end we decided to stick with the plan and I'm so glad we did!  There is actually quite a bit to do there and we would like to go back and maybe camp next time.  The girls absolutely loved it!  In fact that could have spent hours just at one of the old homesteads pretending they were Sarah and Anna from the book Sarah, Plain and Tall.  It was cute to watch them run all over playing.  

After the Visitor Center we toured the Quarry.  It was quite fascinating really.  These bones were washed away during a massive flood and then dried up leaving behind a massive wall of fossils in one central location.  The picture doesn't do it justice, it was really impressive!

I had to snap this picture of Haley talking to the Ranger.  I love that she's not bashful and is always asking questions.

There were also tons of petroglyphs in the park from the Fremont Indians.

Hiking around the area.  I'm sure this place would look so beautiful had things been in bloom!  But it was still pretty!

We'll have to go back to do some more exploring!

Easter 2013

Saturday afternoon the girls dyed the eggs.  One slight mishap: Piper ate the pink dye tablet.  She was able spit some of it out, but that thing dissolved instantly!  So just in case you're wondering why she has a pink mouth in the picture...that's why.

Sunday morning with their baskets.

After church we headed over to grandma and grandpa's house.  My parents arrived into town Saturday night and they'll be sticking around for a while...which makes me very happy!  

 

Easter egg hunt!

The girls with cousin Jett.

Jeff's girlfriend, Jen, is also in town.

 Me with my brothers...my bearded brothers.  I love it when we can all be together!

It was a wonderful day!  My mom cooked up a great dinner and had all kinds of neat things for the kids.  They had a ball!

Andrew headed back home yesterday...it was sad to see him go.  And this week is the girls' Spring Break.  On Easter it was in the 70's!!  But unfortunately, it's been rainy since then.  I'll have to come up with some fun things for the kids to do this week!

Skiing with my bros.

Like I said before, my brother Andrew drove into town last week.  We've been having such a great time hanging out with him!  Saturday the three of us (Andrew, Jeff and me) skied at Sundance for a good chunk of the day.  Because of our warmer temps this week I'm sad to say the snow pack is pretty sad.  However, back mountain is still in pretty good shape...so it's not all bad.  I had so much fun with them!  It would have been even better had my older brother joined us, but he wasn't feeling good...darn it!

I love having my family close...it makes me so happy!

I'll be doing my Easter post tomorrow!