No, really - the kids think Grandpa and I are the greatest thing since sliced bread - I swear!
17 June 2012
16 June 2012
Julia Jane
Today I replaced a few boxwood in our planter bed that were struggling or almost dead. It's been three years since I planted these guys, and since half of them are doing great, we decided to make a few minor modifications and try again with the other half.
Friday we had a department offsite, so I was already a little bit tired from playing laser tag and bowling out of my mind. I bowled three sets and averaged 150 points in each game (high of 154), a remarkably high and consistent performance considering my past performances. Although I was active during the day, I picked up some soil and a Red Bull and had the old bushes pulled and wood chips completely removed from all areas by Friday night. I'm officially wood chip free, which is a good thing since they blow away and create a mess.
Leading up to this project I just assumed that the bushes died because they weren't the best of the lot (we put the nicest looking in the front), they didn't get enough water, and possibly had a bad winter. After I pulled them up I noticed that they were sitting in a lot of heavy clay. I had amended the soil, but these guys don't like to get their feet wet, so the soil had probably contributed to their decline.
I removed a ton of clay soil and used a soil amendment for clay, in addition to planting them a little higher then soil level and digging a channel and filling it with gravel for the water to run off. We'll see if it works. We bought the replacement bushes from a nursery this time, instead of where we got them all last time (Home Depot). All these positives give me hope that they will last longer then three years.
Jonathan and I took my truck to Pioneer Sand and picked up some gorilla hair mulch. He loves going because he gets to see the big trucks in action. It was probably the highlight of his day to watch the loader dump mulch into the bed of my truck. As it stands right now, I'm done with the major outdoor projects that I wanted to accomplish this summer. Time to have some fun!
Friday we had a department offsite, so I was already a little bit tired from playing laser tag and bowling out of my mind. I bowled three sets and averaged 150 points in each game (high of 154), a remarkably high and consistent performance considering my past performances. Although I was active during the day, I picked up some soil and a Red Bull and had the old bushes pulled and wood chips completely removed from all areas by Friday night. I'm officially wood chip free, which is a good thing since they blow away and create a mess.
Leading up to this project I just assumed that the bushes died because they weren't the best of the lot (we put the nicest looking in the front), they didn't get enough water, and possibly had a bad winter. After I pulled them up I noticed that they were sitting in a lot of heavy clay. I had amended the soil, but these guys don't like to get their feet wet, so the soil had probably contributed to their decline.
I removed a ton of clay soil and used a soil amendment for clay, in addition to planting them a little higher then soil level and digging a channel and filling it with gravel for the water to run off. We'll see if it works. We bought the replacement bushes from a nursery this time, instead of where we got them all last time (Home Depot). All these positives give me hope that they will last longer then three years.
Jonathan and I took my truck to Pioneer Sand and picked up some gorilla hair mulch. He loves going because he gets to see the big trucks in action. It was probably the highlight of his day to watch the loader dump mulch into the bed of my truck. As it stands right now, I'm done with the major outdoor projects that I wanted to accomplish this summer. Time to have some fun!
13 June 2012
Cupcake King
My favorite part is watching him blow out the candles and attempt to figure out how to eat a cupcake without getting his fingers dirty from the frosting...
12 June 2012
Yard Work
Reminds me of the video when I was little and pushed a red car all around the yard in San Francisco...
11 June 2012
10 June 2012
Jonathan's Second Birthday Party
This afternoon both grandparents showed up to celebrate Jonathan's birthday. Technically speaking, we were celebrating both John's and Jonathan's birthday, but you can guess who received all of the gifts and attention.
Julia kept the party rolling, making sure we opened presents as soon as possible. Jonathan opened his play lawnmower first...after that, he wasn't interested in opening any of his other gifts. He played with it for awhile, pushing it back and forth around the basement. Stacey and Julia had to open the rest of his presents for him while he played with his new toy. When we brought down his Little Tikes Truck, he quickly shifted gears and played with that and his lawnmower the rest of the day.
Jonathan took a few bites of cupcake after figuring out how to pick it up without getting frosting on his hands. It was funny to watch him try to pick it up, get his hands dirty with frosting, then want the napkin. Once we cut it up for him so that he could eat the cake portion, he did pretty well.
You could tell that loved the attention, the party, and his new toys. We loved watching him having fun and being the center of attention. His sweet little personality and hilarious characteristics were on full display.
07 June 2012
06 June 2012
Happy 2nd Birthday Jonathan!
Party to follow this weekend...
I took the day off to be at home with the family on Jonathan's second birthday. We spent some time together, ran some errands, and enjoyed a two hour thunderstorm in the evening. I can't help but think how good looking the kids are. We are blessed that they are just as intelligent and good natured as well.
Here's to a great third year of life, wild man.
05 June 2012
Scrapper
Jonathan is at such a fun, yet tough age. He's stubborn and strong-willed, yet that same passion means he gets excited about everything. Some of his favorite things to get excited about are big trucks and construction equipment. Nowadays, whenever we take him in the car, we can count on him pointing and yelling "Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" over and over again, until we can get his attention and acknowledge the big truck, moving van, or crane he saw. Since Powers boulevard is currently under construction, he gets to see everything that his little heart desires each trip out. At first it was cute, but after a few times of non-stop excitement and constantly hearing my name, I'm considering taking alternate routes to get to where we're going. It's hard to avoid the common pickup truck though.
He is so different then Julia in so many ways. He really is a handful. He'll go right up to the line you've told him not to cross (for example, the street), and seemingly intentionally, just hang his toes over it. He never listens, although he knows what we're saying. Sometimes we have to tell him three times or physically pick him up if he's not ready to do something and we need to move on. On the flip side, he's all about anything that makes a loud noise, like a lawnmower, motorcycle, the vacuum, etc. Did I mention that he climbs INTO his cribs and UP the changing table. Anything that site higher then the floor is an excuse to catch some air. His little legs have the scrapes and scuffs to prove it.
Even though his energy is sometimes exhausting, those days when you're ready to play he's been great to have around. He's only turning two this week, but for months he's always been up for a good wrestling match. He's small, but he's a scrapper. I guess his Dad and Mom are too...
03 June 2012
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