Deck "Up"date

While I am watching the cemetery out the front window, Eric and Amos are putting in some serious manual labor in the back yard.  They've been out there every night this week digging holes and pouring cement.  Today they finally got to start on the fun part: the structure.

Eric is putting up the massive 6x6 beams all by himself.  I occasionally help guide the laser level, and Amos provides a never-ending, relentless soundtrack.

From earlier this week:

They work until dark almost every night, which is getting later and later these days.

At any given moment, this is my view from the kitchen window:

I love it, and am going to be really sad when Eric goes back to work tomorrow.

I'll leave you with a rare appearance by Maggie in the back yard, for the most part, she's inside watching "My Little Pony" (that's my girl!).

Let Us Remember

The view from my porch:

and just beyond:

 Evergreen Cemetery is all abuzz today (and has been all weekend).  I am so very grateful.

We love "Sunday Morning" in this house, and I really enjoyed this piece yesterday:



Happy Memorial Day.

Deckless

After my weekend in Idaho Falls, I came home to a house in chaos.  The main culprit: Eric's weekend project.

We'd pretty much decided to leave our crummy and unsightly deck alone, until Eric noticed that it was pulling away from the house and would eventually fall off.  With all of us on it.

So, Eric and Amos got to work making room for a new deck:

And video:



This is the view from the kitchen:

It's highly likely that I won't be in the back yard until the new deck is completed.  That ladder does not look understanding to me.

Eric has dug the footing holes, and he'll pour them this week:

I am so anxious for it to be done!  And it's not just because I want to buy patio furniture ;)

Shaggy Dog Sleeping Bags

*not my children, in case that was unclear ;)

I have wanted these sleeping bags for the kids FOREVER (seriously, like 2 years).  At $89/each I could just never bring myself to do it.  I'd finally given up and was going to make something similar I found on Pinterest with Anna last weekend.  When we went to the fabric store, I noticed a Downeast Home close.  Since I know DEH gets pbkids rejects, I thought maybe we should stop there first, just in case.  I wasn't wrong.  There were SO many Shaggy Dog sleeping bags, and they were on clearance! 

Being "rejects" they were all embroidered, so I was a little bit leery.  Anna checked them out though, and said with a seam ripper it could be undone.  So, we picked up a little "Parker" (which was for some reason $17 when all the others were $22) and a "Gabi" (because it was the least to undo). 

We took them home, and seam ripped away.  Shawn actually proved to be the best seam ripper of all.  If I'd known they'd be so easy and that I'd have so many helpers I'd have bought more.  The embroidery came out cleanly, and no one will ever know it was there (except for all of you). 

The kids are in total heaven:

They're begging for a sleepover now.  Any takers?

*and I might have gone back and bought a third one.  I couldn't leave Auds out.

Maggie after hours

Last night Maggie was up and at 'em long after the other kids (and Eric had gone to bed).  She was playing out in the living room and I could hear lots of singing, squeaky voices, and the occasional stool sliding across the kitchen floor. 

About midnight I decided I couldn't make it anymore, so I went out to get her for bed.  I was greeted by this:

"Oh, hi mom.  I am making hot chocolate.  You want some?"

Who can turn down an offer like that?

I even contributed marshmallows to the cause.

I loved finding the little line of people she'd been playing with (which I can only assume accompanied the squeaky voices):

We're super tired today, but it was worth it for a little alone time with Maggie.

Anna's Baby Shower

This weekend I was able to go up to Idaho Falls for Anna's baby shower.  Her mother & sisters-in-law threw it, and they did a great job.  Everything was so cute and spot on.  I have to admit, I didn't know owls were Anna's "thing" until the shower, but there were lots of owls there...

Anna had lots of friends to come shower her, it was fun to get to see another part of her life that we've had very little exposure to...

Baby Iva made out well...

There were lots and lots of preggos there, but only these two were brave enough to show it off:

And the Hostesses with the Mostess:

Thanks Catmulls for a great weekend for Anna (and me)!

Preschool Playdate

Two Saturdays ago we got a good, albeit toned down, glimpse of our future.  T-Ball game in the morning, t-ball parade after, Relief Society Activity in the afternoon, and then a preschool "event" with Amos in the evening.  It was a crazy Saturday, and once it was over I think both Eric and I thought we could use a Saturday to recover from our Saturday (don't even get me started on Sundays). 

It was all a lot of fun though, and the highlight for me was Amos' preschool playdate. For their end of the year program they invited the parents for a playdate with the kids.  We had a great time just Eric, Amos, and I doing puzzles, digging for treasure, and making a craft.  After the playing the kids put on the cutest little pirate show.

"Yo-ho! It's time for the show!"

I cried through the whole performance.  Eric thinks I am batty.  Something about the way Amos was watching me watch him was so overwhelming.  He adores me, and I can't imagine what I did to deserve it.

It was a great time, and Amos did a great job.