House Spruce Up

As much as we adored the duct tape holding some of our stair ballisters together, we decided it was time for a change.  The kids were absolutely thrilled when I told them what I wanted them to do -- kick out a ballister.  I assured them this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  :)

So, even though these have broken numerous times at the slightest bump, they kicked,

they pulled,

 and then Ted kicked and made one hit my dining room table which caused them to laugh and me to glare so he quickly ran away while the kids continued to laugh,

 and kick,

 until everyone successfully took out a ballister. 

 Then the staircase transformed to this.

 Then to this.

 Until it looked like this.  Now if only the walls were painted a different color.......  :)

 Soon after we began working on our backyard.  This is how it started.

 Then came the destruction of which Sam was happy to be a part.

 And this is where we are now.  Man oh man.  Those beginning pictures don't look so bad to me anymore.  :) 

I decided to document this transformation because it has really been a pain having our backyard out of commission.  The plan is to sink the trampoline, flatten the grass, cover the patio, and add some trees for some increased shade and privacy from the bluff and the trail.  So far we have a lot of dirt, dust, intense heat, and a rock chuck living in the water feature.  Not quite the dream we had in mind yet, but we still are hoping for the best.  Oh, and if you want a rock chuck of your very own in YOUR yard, let us know.  The trap is set and we will deliver.  :)

And we're off! Summer officially begins!

We are off and running.  Sam is running races, starting with the Capital Classic which is a one mile race.  He finished in 7:54.  He was pretty pumped and is now actively training for any race I will let him run.  He begs me every day to let him go running on the treadmill, the track at the school, or just through the  neighborhood.  Yeah, I can't believe he begs for that either. 

Tessa begs every day to have a lemonade stand.  It is so cute to see how serious she is about this production.  She wants it to be fairly profitable too - she wanted to charge $1.50 per glass, but I talked her into lowering her price just a bit.  :)  Now if they could resist drinking their own product, we might break even. 

Meanwhile, Lincoln is busy at tennis camp every day, and is quick to point out that summer time means sleeping in should be an option.  I guess leaving for camp at 7:40 every morning didn't sound so bad during the school year. 

Emma is also enjoying school during the summer.  If she wants to take seminary during the day, then something else had to give, so she is taking PE during the summer time.  The one up side to all of this is that she is able to DRIVE HERSELF!  Woohoo!!!!  That is right -- Emma got her license!!!  And it wasn't just Emma doing the happy dance about that fact.  This means no more driving to and from the school dragging everyone else with me.  This is no small treat for this mama. 

However, in order to keep things real around here Emma did have one other event happen that she isn't as thrilled about.  She got braces - again.  She only has to wear them for a few months, and maybe this time she'll be sure to wear her retainer.  

Yep, summer is bustling right along and I am loving it.