Isaac plays T-ball

This summer we signed Isaac up for T-ball.  And because of a lack of help, Brandon even got to be one of the assistant coaches.  Overall Isaac had a good time, he had good coaches, and good kids on his team.  He did have a few times of not wanting to go, but he always went. 

I think it was a good experience for him, and he did have a lot of fun going with Dad to all his practices and games.  We may try something else next year though.  We'll see...

A little catch up... Jared's 1st Birthday, and 1st haircut

I figured I should try and play catch up a little bit.  Jared turned 1 in April, and we had a little party with a few friends and family.  Jared wasn't really sure what was going on, but once he figured out there was stuff in the bags, he got a little more into it.  He did love the things he got though.

This was his cake that I made.  The other kids picked it out for him as he didn't care what he got.  If you can't tell, it is supposed to be a dinosaur. 

 He was really not sure about the candle and the fire.  He didn't blow it out...

 He did like the cake okay.  He didn't go to town on it like I thought he might.  But he ate some cake and some ice cream.  Everyone else enjoyed it, so I guess it was good enough!

Just after his first birthday, we decided it was time for him to get a hair cut.  His curls were super cute, but they were also super long.  So we attempted to cut his hair.  Brandon held him while I cut.  He was not a big fan of the clippers on his head.  It is very difficult to cut a moving target, but in the end we managed well enough and called it a success.

 This is what he looked like.  There were and still are a lot of long stray hairs, but it worked.  Now he already needs another one.  My kids just grow hair really fast I guess...

 

Family Pictures

Back on Easter we took some family pictures just with our little tripod.  This is how they turned out.

(They wanted to do a silly one...)

Deck progress

So, our deck has made some progress in the last 6 months.  The first two are of the initial clean-up.  (It was really, really cold outside!)

 Then came the fixing of the house, putting on soffit and fascia.  (I don't have a clue if those are spelled right.)

 The kids (mostly Isaac) were big helpers.

Then fast forward to now, and we are finally getting some of it taken apart.  Isaac was a huge help to Dad, taking boards to the pile. 

 Emily worked on digging up some weeds on the other side. 

 We now have a dirt pit where the deck was.  Plus we found all sorts of treasures under there. 

 This is the pile of wood that has come from this endeavor.  Anyone need some wood?

 

In the next few weeks we will be taking out the rest of the deck, tilling up the whole yard to prepare for planting grass in the fall.  It will be a big undertaking, but we will have help.  Brandon's parents are going to come out and help us while they are here.  (Thankfully)  I'm excited to have some progress!

Farewell to our deck

Well, a few months ago we had a loss in our family.  Well, I guess it's not really a loss if you didn't like it in the first place.  When we moved into this house we had this awesome deck in the backyard.  (If not noted, there is sarcasm dripping from that!)  We really didn't like the deck or covering and were planning on ripping it out and replacing it sometime in the future.  Apparently that future is now.  Due to a combination of rotten wood, poor workmanship, and a ton of snow and ice pack, the roof of our deck came down all by itself.  It was just the kids and I at home, and I was up in the bedroom with Jared and the kids were down in the living room.  At first I thought the kids had gotten into something and knocked it over, then I thought something big in the kitchen had fallen, then I thought is this thunder.  It was really loud and a little scary.  The kids didn't get too freaked out, but they were definitely scared by it.  Shoot, it shook me up a little bit.  The kids were coming up with all sorts of explanations.  The one that eventually stuck was that a giant robot stepped on the roof and made it fall.  It sure looked like it...

We were very blessed though.  No one was out there, not even the dog.  The only casualty was Brandon's grill.  And that may even be salvageable, we'll see.  Plus, now we don't have to figure out how to take the roof down!  Though we do have to figure out what to do with all the wood...

 Why yes, that is the grill.  It was the main fall breaker for the roof.

Oh the joys of home ownership!

We are not dead

Okay, I promise I have not forgotten about this blog, I think about it all the time...  I just never have time to post.  Spending time on the computer is not one of my luxuries anymore!  But I promise to update with pictures in the near future...  But we are doing well.  Brandon is still loving his job, and school is going well for him.  The kids are growing like crazy, Jared especially.  He has finally started to roll around to get toys etc.  Now we just need to work on crawling...
Life is good!

School Photo

Here is Isaac's school picture for kindergarten.  I think he looks handsome, but I am a little biased...