Our New Backyard!!!

This has been so much work, but so worth the effort.  We started this project mid March when the company that we hired came to grade the yard, remove the weeds that had taken over, install sprinklers, and enlarge our patio.  Jesse and I came up with the design and did the rest of the work on our own.  All I have left to do is plant the Rose of Sharon that I have been waiting for, and start my garden.  I am so happy with how this turned out.  It will definitely be a place filled with good memories in the following years.

This is how it looked when we moved in 1 year ago.  It was full of weeds, rocks, sand, pallets, and eight full "containers" of that crumbled red brick that the previous owner stole from the old grain mill in Windsor after the tornado destroyed it :

This is after the company that we hired brought in 22 tons of dirt and did the grading:

We had our patio enlarged:

Added trees and edging:

Jesse and Aydin built planter boxes for my garden:

And then we added rock and mulch to the border, and raked for hours to get rid of about ten tons of rock, dirt, and clay chunks to get ready for the sod:

And the grass came:

We're going to put a flagstone path from the door to the grass.

I can't wait to see it in bloom next spring!!  I have a white flowering lilac, red feisty roses, an ornamental pear tree, a snow flower whipping cherry tree, peonies, and I will have a rose of sharon soon.  Aydin requested cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and carrots in her garden.  I plan to plant cilantro, basil, rosemary, and thyme in the planter next to the red chair.  It is going to be so beautiful!

*pecial

Aydin does not often say her s's at the beginning of many words. It is very endearing and I don't necessarily want to see it go. She says thinks like, "oooh that's a *cary *pider", and can I please have a *poon." And we have trouble with the -ed endings as well. For example, "that really *parkleded(sparkled)." Jesse mentioned yesterday that maybe we should start trying to correct her pronunciation. I had her saying all of her s words correctly and mentioned that while it was really cute when she said them the wrong way, she sounded very smart when she said them the right way. I left the room for a bit while she practiced saying her s words to Rykin and popped back in to hear her say, "Ssspecial! It is so cute when I say it the wrong way."

Quotes

I burped at the table today without thinking. So, I decided to make an example of myself. "Oh, that was so rude! I shouldn't have done that at the dinner table. Excuse me!" Aydin say, "Yeah, you should do that in the living room!"

Made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. They may be more done than usual. Aydin says, "Mine isn't supposed to be like that." I say, "Yeah it is, it's toasty." She replies, "No, it's burned and too crunchy."

8/25

8/25/10

Jesse get up early for work and I remember that he asked me if I thought he could stay home. I was feeling very ready for this guy to be here, but we had already had two false alarms. We had even asked my parents to come over one night because we thought for sure he was coming. I had a couple of mild contractions, but I sent Jesse to work, a bit disappointed. I was beginning to think that I would go to my due date this time.

My dad had a business trip to leave for that afternoon. I was having a few more really mild contractions, so when he called to see if he could come visit before he left for his trip, I asked if he would like to go for a walk. We walked together with Aydin in the stroller for a while. My dad asked if I was having any contractions, because he couldn't tell. They were a bit more regular, but still really mild.

Jesse came home at lunch, as usual and asked if I thought maybe we could go to the hospital. He really didn't want to go back to work, but my contractions were still 5-7 minutes apart and fairly mild. We called the midwife who said, "Well why don't you just come in after lunch and we'll check you out."

We got to the midwife's office at 1. They checked me and were excited to report that I was 8 cen. dilated! The office was connected to the hospital, and we were told that I would be able to go straight to my room ("in a wheelchair!," they said.) Patty, my midwife, came bubbling into our room as soon as we got there. She greeted us, very excited, and then excused herself so that the nurses could do what they needed to do. As soon as I was ready she came back into the room (and never left again until after Rykin checked out okay) and talked over everything with me. She was so comforting and supportive. That was a little before three. Jesse sat behind me in the bed, supporting me the whole time and Rykin was born shortly after at 3:35 PM. I held him briefly while Jesse cut the cord, but he was having trouble breathing so they whisked him away to make sure he was okay. He was perfect! An 8# 11 oz., 20 1/2 " baby old man. He was so wrinkly!

The whole experience at the hospital could not have gone more perfectly. I loved Patty, a wonderful Christian woman, who has heart for the work that she does! Having an amazing birthing experience made Rykin's arrival all the more wonderful! I was so glad to finally have him here with us! And as excited as I was to meet our little guy, I was even more excited to introduce him to his big sister.

8/25/11

Rykin is one year old now! The year went by so quickly. He grew up way to fast for my taste, but it has been a fantastic year; watching him grow, his personality blossom, and his relationship with his sister become more obviously playful. The boy in him has come out, and adds a fun little twist to the daily routine of these two girls. He likes playing with cars, attacking pillows, and walking around house with his walker (little old man.) He is very determined, if not a tad stubborn. And he is a charmer. He loves to socialize, always sitting backwards in his highchair so that he can see all of the people around him. He will be the class clown I think. He is confident, but at the same time quite a mama's boy. He has completed our family! What a blessing!!!

Reading about God

I had a "The Way to God" booklet sitting on the computer desk. Aydin found it, asked what it was and started "reading" it. I came out of the kitchen and heard, "...and mama says Jesus is nice! I love Jesus, she is my best friend. I love Mary too." Ha, ha. We're getting there!

Before and After!

We have been VERY busy this summer working on things around the house. We decided to put the back yard on the back burner, so to speak, this year since it is going to be such a beast to tackle. Instead, we decided to redo the front yard. The rocks were mismatched and the bushes were blah.

And recently, while Jesse and I were on a date night, we came home to a little flood in the bathroom. We had been planning on replacing the linoleum eventually, but were now in the position to have to move it up on the to do list. The old linoleum was not well installed and was bubbling up and peeling off the floors, so we replaced all of it in the kitchen, kid's bathroom, and entry way. We'll probably do our bathroom and the laundry room at Christmas break. So, here are some before and after pictures of our "little" projects:

(below is the only "before" bathroom picture that I could find.)

Aydin's 3rd Birthday

Three years old now. She keeps mentioning how big she is. So big, with big arms, and big long hair. This past year has been extrodinary. I can't call it the year of terrible two, because although we have had our share of tantrums (both of us) we have learned so much about each other. We have both grown so much this past year. She is an amazing girl. Strong, independent, and unshakable. Love, love, love!

The quilt and book are our birthday gift to her this year.

She requested a black and white birthday so...

On eating...

Aydin: "My oatmeal goes down my neck, and down to my tummy, and down my knees, all the way to my big toe. And some of my oatmeal goes down my arms, and to my elbows."

She hasn't taken a bite in a while so I ask if her elbows are getting full.

Aydin: "Yeah, and they are getting BIG (making "big arms"). Let me show you how big I am."

Me: "Well don't stand up. What if we measure you after you're done eating?"

Aydin: "Yeah, 'cause I don't want to be little anymore."

Update

We have been busy this summer. We have been spending a lot of time outside shoveling rock this past week, so Aydin has been getting creative about finding things to do on the driveway. She is really good at washing toys!

Jesse brought the tractor out to help take out the bushes and save me a few hours of shoveling time.
After I had already spent hours shoveling rock into piles, I decided to put an ad on Craigslist for the rock in the front and three people responded and came to pick it up. The first two took about one ton each. The third lady that came brought a few guys with her and they cleared out all of the rest of the rock so fast. We are ready to start landscaping now. This is so exciting!! While it would have been nice to have pretty landscaping when we bought the house, this way it is more "ours." As it stands now we have dirt...
Rykin is growing up so fast! The difference between a boy and a girl is so funny. I've heard it before, but I just hadn't experienced it until now. He is old enough now that his "boyness" is really starting to come out. We don't really treat him any differently than we did Aydin when she was a baby, but there is no questioning that there is a natural difference there. He thinks it is funny to be rough with people. He was hitting Aunt Michelle the other day and just cracking up. He likes to growl a lot. And now when Aydin is a little too in his face he will yell at her, and then head butt her or push her face away, sending her crying and leaving him with a smile on his face. We tell him no, but it is a little funny to watch. I would maybe be a little more protective of Aydin if she wasn't asking for it so much, but she really picks on him sometimes. And at ten months he is starting to walk!! He has been pulling up on everything and moving from one peice of furniture to the next, but last night he stood up on his walker and just took off. I don't know if I'm ready for this quite yet. ( :

Rykin had a "spot" show up on the white of his right eye two Sundays ago. This picture is the best one I have of it. I took him to the doctor, two Mondays ago, who thought it looked like a scratch and should go away on its own in less than a week. By this past Sunday it still hadn't cleared up, but had actually gotten worse. And there was a new spot on his left eye.

We went to see the eye doctor yesterday and found out that it is actually eczema. If the eczema gets worse or is not treated it can scar his eye. And if it spreads over the iris it can affect his vision. Also, this is a recurring condition, just like the eczema on his skin. He has mild eczema on his skin, and it flares up with the changing of the seasons, but I have never heard of eczema on the eye. The eye doctor asked if we have any pets at home...and when I think back, the spot on his eye appeared after the week that Abel started losing his coat. Jesse had mowed the lawn for the first time the week before as well. This eye eczema is caused by allergies, and whether it is seasonal allergies or an allergy to Abel, I am sure it is exaggerated by Abel either losing his coat or bringing clippings of weeds and grass in on his paws. The treatment, steroid eye ointment and removing the allergens as best as we can.

If Abel was healthy, I am sure this would be reason to find him a new home. However, we have been on the fence about whether it is time to say goodbye to Abel. He has gotten to where he has to lay down even to eat his food. So, I guess this situation has made a hard decision a little easier. Abel went to stay with Jesse's mom last night, and Jesse will make an appointment for Friday to take Abel in. I can't make the appointment. Abel is a very calm dog, so when he was in the house it was still pretty quite, but last night I noticed that there is just "something" missing when he's not there. This is going to be a rough week!

Quotes

Aydin was sitting on my bathroom counter yesterday while I was getting ready for church. She started playing with my perfume and I was worried about her dropping it and breaking the bottle. I explained that what was in the bottle was special to me because it made me smell pretty and feel like a lady. She helped me spray it on and said, "Now you look like a lady!"

Quotes

I was working in the basement today, while the kids napped. I could hear that Aydin was up, and she headed down to see me. When she got to where she could peek around the corner she looked at me and said, "oh mama, I just almost lost you!"

Quotes

I just decided a second ago that I am going to start posting cute things my kids say. I always think I should write things down in her baby book so that I'll remember them when she is older, but I never do. I am thinking that it will just be easier to keep a record here and then some day when I have a lot of time (when will that be?!?) I can write them all down on paper. Anyway, this will be the first of what I am sure will be many quote posts.

Aydin (after giving me a big hug)- "You are my best friend."

Aydin- "Awww, you are so cute with yours purple shirt." She has been saying this a lot lately, obviously not about the shirt. I think she gets it from our church nursery attendant.

Favorites

Just finished decorating the living room. A picture for Sherry as requested.

My two new favorite decor items. Above is a wool felt, woven pillow.