Gardening

Ever since we moved into this house, I've always thought this part of the yard, that nobody see's, would be a great place for a garden. It gets plenty of sun. However, we have tackled a nasty tree every year that we finally killed because it was threatening to drive it's roots right into our house. We have also tackled countless amounts of weeds that LOVE to grow in this spot. So, I just never bothered. Seemed like too much work. Well, one day, I was in the mood for hard work and a project so this is where I began.

After a couple hours, it looked like this and I was exhausted!!

However, I was not finished. I noticed my neighbor had a rototiller and I asked if I could borrow it.

Super excited to try out this giant tool of a thing, I went to town in my dirt, got a good arm workout in the process and my garden bed was ready for veggies!!!

We knew our garden would need a little fence to keep the neighbors dog out so we went to Lowes and found this cute white fence and it works perfectly. Nate helped me plant our garden and it's growing like crazy!! We planted tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, Anaheim peppers, red and green bell peppers (can you tell we like salsa?) and two other peppers that are insanely hot peppers. Apparently, they are some of the hottest peppers in the world. Nate started growing them at work just for fun and they really like him because they are growing wonderfully in our garden. They are called Trinidad Scorpion Peppers and the other plant I can't remember.  We also planted basil, chives, red and yellow onions, carrots, green onions, cucumber, strawberries and zucchini.

I'm super excited because we've already been able to try some jalapenos from our own garden!!!

Summertime Sisters

With Nate's schedule, there are times when he has to work on Sundays. I hate this. But, we are SO grateful for his job and if that's what has to be, then so be it. On this particular Sunday, I decided we needed to just get outside and enjoy the sunshine. So, before heading up to grandmas house for Sunday Dinner, I took the girls to a park and we had a little fun with my camera, and my phone camera. I LOVE the shots I got.  Hailey and Addy each played around with my camera which I usually DO NOT let them do, but today, we were all feeling adventurous and sometimes, that's when the best artistry arises. I love our adventures and I'm so grateful I have my two buddies to share these moments with.

I'm A Big Girl Now!!

It's so funny how kids can get so determined at times.

One day while I was doing yard work, fixing sprinklers to be exact, Addy was out playing on her bike. I had taken the training wheels off her bike to force her to learn to ride without them. She was terrified. However, after a few times of me running along side her and holding on to the back of the bike, I let go and there she went. It was an immediate understanding of how to do it and that she would never go back to needing training  wheels again. She was so excited to ride her bike like her big sister and i'm seriously so impressed that she learned at 4 years old! Hailey was 5 1/2 when she learned  and THAT's even impressive.

Way To Go Addy!!!

Now, I can't get her off her bike. 

One thing about summer around our house is, we go through band-aids like no other. Bruises and skinned knees are a sign of a good time!

Busted Sprinkler Line

Last fall, Nate and I noticed that the grass was really squishy in one spot. We kept saying "we need to get that fixed" or "We need to find out what's causing this" only, we never did.

So, this spring, when we turned the sprinklers back on after the winter season, I noticed the spot getting 'squishy' again.  So, one morning while Nate was at work, I realized it was getting pretty bad so something needed to be done. I decided to just tackle the project myself so I turned off the water supply, grabbed a shovel, then carefully started digging. I had to find where the leak was coming from and once I did that, it was off to home depot to grab what I needed.  I called my dad and he walked me through the things I would need to purchase.  I was super excited to buy pipe cutters. Any excuse to buy new tools and I'm a happy camper. I get just as excited buying new tools as I do buying new clothes. It's weird. There was this guy at home depot looking at me funny and asked, "what project are you doing?" I told him I was fixing a busted sprinkler line.  He then responded "ahhh.. fun Saturday project for your husband, huh?" When I told him that I was actually the one fixing it, he kind of cough/laughed in his hand and pretty much walked away after that. I really get so annoyed when macho men think women are incapable of fixing things and such.

Well, HAHAHAHA to him, I say because a couple hours later, I tested the water line and NO LEAKS! I put the grass back together and there you have it.. FIXED!

Softball Season

I love this time of year.

This time of year means fresh cut grass, tons of laundry, dirt everywhere, hot dogs, nachos, sno cones and lots of fun.  I love softball season. First of all, Nate is amazing to watch. No matter what position he plays, he is unbelievable good at it.

This year, he's been playing pitcher because of his shoulder surgery.

He kills it, as usual. 

There have been a few hits that seem to end up right back in his mitt. It scares the crap out of me and I really think he should be wearing head gear.

He knows the game well. He plays the game well.

And he looks good doing it.

This year has been extra fun because Damon is playing on the Orem league and that means lots of cousin play time at the ball fields.  

This guy hits homeruns like they are nothin'! I'm always so impressed watching him play.

Nothing better than ice cream on a hot summer day at the softball games.

I got to hold this little week old gem one night at the games.

While Hailey is off making friends at the games, this little one is perfectly happy hanging out with mom in the stands.

He's super hot, there's nothing more to say. Go #22!!!

Preschool Graduation for Addy

Little Miss Addy surprised us a lot this year. We started her in the same preschool Hailey had the opportunity to go to. Kids Village has been nothing but impressive to us. Our family has definitely benefited from our children attending this school.

It was a bit of a rocky start. Anxiety played a very big role in the beginning of the year. I was very worried about her. I just kept telling myself that it was what she needed and she would, eventually, be fine.

A couple weeks into school, she broke her arm and that was an awful story. Her anxiety got even worse for a few weeks. However, the teachers at this school are amazing and some of them are my friends now so I had faith that she was in good hands when she wasn't with me.  After a while, she started getting more and more familiar and finally the day came when she was comfortable enough for me to just drop her off without taking her inside. WOW! Huge big girl step for her. By the end of the year, she had made many friends in her class and was very comfortable with her school. At her graduation, she was eager to show us all the things she had learned that year and to introduce us to some people she had grown close to. Her teacher Miss Kathleen was nothing shy of perfect for Addy. Addy absolutely fell in love with her.

Addy learned so much this year and we are so grateful that it ended up being an amazing experience for her.

She's so lucky to have had both her grandparents here to congratulate her that day.

These are two of her little friends from her class.

Bella & Rachel

Getting ready to toss their hats

Congratulations Addy! We are so proud of you!

Addy's Dance Recital

The big day had come and this little 4 year old was SO excited for her chance to be on stage.

She had rehearsal earlier that afternoon and then it was show time!

Mommy got to hang out backstage with her the entire time and help her get her costumes on. We got a little bored at times, hence the awesome silly face backstage picture.

She had 4 dances she performed in and she did an absolute amazing job. Nate and I were quite impressed with how well she did.  I ran off to rehearsal with Addy and left Nate in charge of a million things to do and bring to the performance and he forgot the camera. Impressively though, he remembered everything else. :-)

Thank goodness for phones with cameras.

Her dances consisted of Animal Crackers, Bedtime, Butterflies & Rubber Ducky.

She also got her formal pictures back:

Way to go Addy!!! You were amazing!