We have had a glorious weekend spending almost all of it outside in the sun....we set the firepit in a temporary home, finished the trailer, built the sandbox frame, set all the holes for the canopy (now just need cement filling and the anchors placed), moved the firewood to its new box, tilled up the ground for the watermelon, corn, blueberries and cucumber garden box and lounged in the swimming pool.

Ethan is a big helper!

Many years ago when Jeff and I lived in Hillsboro we purchased this trailer from a neighbor for something like $80.  Jeff told me he bought it one afternoon as he and the neighbor were pulling it across the street into our yard and I looked at him will a very confused look on my face of..."you did what?"  It needed to be completely overhauled down to the frame.  We did some minor work to it to make it function but not much more than that.  A couple of weeks ago we went to dispose of some yard debris so that we could get started on the many trips to get rocks and since we have had nonstop rain, when Jeff stepped on it to get rid of the debris his foot went through the floor and so we came home with a completely bare trailer taking off everything and leaving it at the dump.  Last weekend we painted the frame and this weekend we painted the new boards and put it all together.  Next weekend we will be doing many, many trips to the gravel yard for sand and rocks.  

Ethan is going to love his sandbox!!

Lounging in the pool...

Daddy needed to cool off after a long, hot day in the sun...guess we need a bigger pool!

Summer.....oh how glad we are to see you!!!

We have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting to trade in our jackets and rain boors for shorts and sandals and finally the time has arrived.  Yesterday and today we spent some of our day at two different parks playing with friends and having so much fun being outside.  Yesterday Ethan also helped me weed the garden and water all the plants and this weekend we will be once again working in the yard getting the sandbox frame ready as well as cementing in the forms for the canopy.

  Ethan, Jen & Rubie (our neighbors) playing on the swings on Tuesday.  Rubie will be 2 in October and Ethan will be 3 next week, but they are both about the same size.

Today we met Hunter and Petyon at Happy Valley Park.  

All three boys have such a good time together.

Playing in the sandbox with Hunter.

Ethan and Peyton both really like the slide.

Then we went for 99 cent waffle cones at TCBY.

A fun day was had by all and we are looking forward to spending much more time outdoors.

Lets Celebrate!!!

First of all, I am so glad to have such wonderful men in my life...

Jeff, You are my best friend and I love you so much, thank you for being the best dad ever to Ethan.

Dad, Words can never express how much I love you, you are the best daddy ever and I am so glad to be the only daddy's girl in your life.

Papa Hadley, Thank you so much for the love you give your family, we are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Also celebrating today....

Ellie Beth turned 5 today...she is quite a princess and has a contagious smile...Happy Birthday Bell.

And a Happy 61st Birthday to Ann, Jeff's mom.

So sad that we have to miss all the celebrations today but so glad to have all of you in our lives.

Toy Story 3

Ethan has been so excited to see this movie for what seems like months and today was the day...it was a really cute show and a great farewell to the story.

What can we say...the boy loves his cackcorn (popcorn to the rest of us).

Last summer Ethan, Copper and I stayed 6 weeks in Utah visiting our family and while we were staying with G&G Hadley, Ethan found the strawberry patch in front of their house and ate probably every strawberry he could find.  This year we bought some strawberry plants and today we picked our first little taste....I think I am going to have a problem on my hands with this one.

We have also picked some radishes from our garden and the peas, beets, spinach and carrots are coming up nicely, now if I could just keep the snails/slugs away.

This summer (if it every gets here) we are working on redoing the whole back yard.  We replaced our sinking cement patio with a wood deck a few years ago and last week we replaced the broken cement slab just off the garage.  We have moved several trees/bushes from around the yard to the back fence to help block the neighbors house as best as possible and currently we are working on tilling up the yard so we can put in a sandbox for Ethan, new grass, and also a rocked area to house our covered canopy for the 4wheeler and yard tools and our newly painted trailer (pictures of the trailer to come when it is finished).

The tree right in the center of the picture will be moving south about 5 feet to help shade the new cement pad and the fire pit to come. 
Ethan's sandbox will be in the corner of the yard (the left corner of this picture).

Here is where the covered canopy and trailer will be housed just behind the garage.

Hit & Run....If I don't get you karma will!

Last evening Jeff, Ethan and I were heading over to pick up our friend, Chiyo, to go to dinner and were hit & run a couple blocks from her house.  Everyone is fine and there is actually very minimal damage to my awesome car, not so much luck for the hit & run driver though. 

We were slowing to a stop for a red light and in my rearview mirror I could see her weaving in an out of traffic and screwing off, she then slammed into the back of me, backed up, went around my car in the turn lane long enough to stare me down and me get a good look at her while yelling at her and then drove off.  Jeff and I were both out of the car and got the description of the car and her license plate number while other drivers around us drove by and yelled for us to get out of the way....thanks for the help people, glad we were okay...some people!  She did, however, hit me hard enough to wrap her front license plate around my trailer hitch cover leaving it at the scene as well as a paper cover of the dealer she purchased the car from so I am crossing my fingers that they will be able to find her and she will have to pay for her crime.

   There is just a few scrapes and paint from her car, which was black primer over red paint, but there is a cut in the bumper on the left-hand side.

One of the policemen that came jokingly said he would have hit my trailer hitch too as he graduated from BYU, the rival school to U of U. 

Daddy's off work for 10 days...what can we get done!?!

First, this past weekend mommy went off with the girls for a fun-filled, relaxing girls weekend with 7 wonderful women.  Daddy and Ethan had a great time themselves staying up late, making cookies and a gingerbread house and even finding a new game on Xbox for Ethan, Snoopy Airplane, which E thinks is the funniest thing ever to crash snoopy into the mountains....wierd.

Amy #1, myself & Amy #2...love these girls!!

Amy #2, Gentry & Jill

Today we started working on the back yard.  This is a project that has been in the works for many years and still has a long way to go but hopefully soon we will have an awesome backyard to play in. Memorial Day weekend we moved 3 trees to the back fence so that we can somewhat block the house behind us.  Today Ben & Chuck came to remove and replaced the cement and move some dirt around for us.  

Thanks so much guys, we really appreciate it!

Before....crappy broken deck.

After...wonderful, level, nonbroken, larger cement pad.

Ethan was LOVING his long ride with Ben.

Then off for a ride in the dump truck.

Happy 40th Birthday Jeff, we love you!!!

(This picture is close to 12 years old, it was Shadow's first birthday)