We’ve been plagued with many rainy days, which is wreaking havoc on our backyard schedule. But they are still making progress.
No stairs for now. Currently, it's just a big drop into a muddy mess.
No more planting bed. We can finally see how big the new patio will be.
Since I took this picture 3 days ago, I think this dirt pile has doubled.
The hard demo work is almost done. Now let the re-building begin!
Every kid has his/her favorite thing. Whether it be a blanket or a stuffed animal or even a drumstick, the kid is attached to it. Mason and Cooper each have their own favorite thing. For Cooper, it is his doggie. Not even a drumstick, a lacrosse stick or a hockey stick (are we seeing a pattern here?) hold a candle to doggie. It used to go everywhere with us, but we eventually had to relegate it to bedtime only. Doggie has a nice dark drawer to call home when Cooper is not sleeping. But as soon as we mention nap time or bedtime, out comes doggie and into Cooper’s mouth he goes. Jeremy thinks doggie is gross, even though I wash it constantly. Personally, I love the smell of doggie. It just smells like Cooper, and I love it.
For Mason, that favorite thing is Hippo. She got Hippo as a baby, and he has been a mainstay in her life since then. He goes on trips with us, to school for show and tell, and of course, into bed with her. Emma, Dolly, Caroline… none of her dolls can hold a candle to Hippo.
You can see the love in his worn fur.
It was no surprise that Mason wanted to bring Hippo in the car with us to go on some errands last week. He’s a good companion. But sadly this decision would bruise him forever. It was a nice day, so the windows in the car were left open. Before Mason got in the car, she threw Hippo in first. Then, when she went to open the sliding doors, Hippo fell down between the door and the car. You can only guess what happened then… Yup… oil/grease from the sliding door got all over him. Mason started crying. Heck, I wanted to cry too! I put him on the floor of the car while we went on errands. It was like I was shunning him for being dirty. Poor Hippo. When we got home, I put him up on a shelf unsure of how to handle his stains. There, he sat, looking down on us like a forgotten toy. (It’s times like these that I really do believe Toy Story holds some truth to it!) He sat there for 2 more days while I tried to figure out what to do with him.
Poor Hippo - he'll never be the same... or will he?
Mason kept asking for Hippo, and I kept denying her her favorite thing afraid that he would spread the oil/grease onto her or her bed. She slept with Emma those couple of nights, and Hippo slept alone on the shelf. Finally, I knew I had to do something. All I could think to do was to at least get most of the extra oil/grease residue off of him so that when he was hugged again, the oil/grease would not get all over Mason. It seemed to work, but he’s still dirty. Jeremy says he has bruises. Yes, he has “bruises” on his body, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had bruises on his heart for how I treated him for those 3 days. Hopefully the love that Mason has given him since he was “cleaned” will make up for the banishment. She could care less that he is dirty. He is still her favorite, and for that, I am grateful. Thank you, Hippo, for bringing joy and love to my daughter. And thank you to Mason for teaching me that our favorite things are always worth loving, bruises or not.
FINALLY!!!! After living in our house for 6 years and doing almost every upgrade we could to our living spaces and front yard, we have FINALLY made it to the backyard. Many of you may have never even seen our backyard – mostly because we never wanted anyone to see it. There are only a few redeeming things back there.
1. A hand-built shed that is probably 2 weekends away from being finished. (and has been 2 weekends away from being finished for 2 years after originally being constructed over the 2 years prior)
2. My first hydrangea plant in all it’s periwinkle glory!
3. My second hydrangea plant in all it’s “limelight” glory!
Yes, that’s about it for redeeming qualities of our backyard. You think I’m being a bit harsh, don’t you? I’ll let you decide for yourself with this rare offer. That’s right… for a limited time only, I am offering you the chance to see our backyard through our camera lens. (It’s much safer than actually seeing it with your own eyes.) These “before” shots were taken the night before demolition began.
Ok, that’s enough. As the demo continues and then the rebuilding begins, I will update you with photos so you can see the transformation as we are seeing it. And then when it is done, the celebration begins! I can’t wait to have this whole new world in our backyard ready for great new memories.
Wow, I’ve been quite the slacker in the blog posts recently, haven’t I? Honestly, daily life has taken over, and little time has been left for myself recently. But I’m taking what time I can get today to show off some of the fun we’ve had over the past couple of weeks.
Thanks, Aunt Kristin!
Cooper and Mason got a new toy from Kristin. It’s a huge hit! Literally huge too… it can knock Cooper down in one fell swoop. But then again, Cooper spends more time on the ground than he does standing up. I’m still trying to figure that one out. He’s very coordinated, but somehow gravity keeps pulling him down.
Get up, Coop!
Mason and Luka have been enjoying their last days as “sisters” together. Once school ends on June 16th, Luka will no longer be spending the afternoons with us. I have a feeling Mason will enjoy the solitude for the first week or so, but then the reality will set in that she doesn’t have a playmate and is relegated to hanging out with Mommy who often has to work. We’ll have to set up regular playdates with Luka and her brother so we can get our fix.
BFWTWTB (Best Friends When They Want To Be)
Cooper’s life has been changed by sports recently. First of all, let me say that this kid is a sports fanatic. We have every type of ball known to man, and he knows the name of many sports. I think that’s a separate post all on its own, though. The Cooper Chronicles or something…
But last week this “stick” was put in his hands, and everything changed. (Daddy is so proud!)
And finally, most recently, we celebrated Mother’s Day! The cold and windy weather forced us to change our plans of a picnic and paddleboat rides, but we made the best out of it and had a wonderful day. Meema, Nana, Papa and Kristin all came over to our house to celebrate. We had a delicious meal, as always, and enjoyed some fun outside time. It’s always a special day when we can all get together.
Come and get 'em! Brownie pillow chocolate chip cookies - that's a mouthful. A delicious mouthful!
I’m honored to be the mother of Mason and Cooper. May they continue to look at me with the love and adoration they’ve shown me over the past 4 and a half years. They can always put a smile on my face and joy in my heart.
Find Good In Every Day 