SPRING UPDATE

It's been far too long since I posted, so I'll try to do a quick catch-up of events. In January, we had a fun snow storm. Here are pictures:

At the end of January my mom, Julie, came to visit. In February, we permanently installed the play structure the boys had gotten for Christmas. Jeremy did as much work as he could on our side yard using the tractor. In March, we sold the tractor and Jeremy's bus project. Talk about spring cleaning! We also had a visit from Jeremy's dad. The boys had fun reading and playing many games of memory with him!

At the end of March, the boys and I went on a hike to an old fire tower. They were great troopers and happily hiked up and down a big hill for over 2 miles!

Now it's definitely springtime! The flowers have been in bloom for quite a while and we're enjoying the balmy weather (it's in the 70s!!!). Yesterday we got out and Taylor worked on his bike riding skills (actually, he's got riding down. It's the stopping that needs practice!) and Aric zoomed around on the scooter. He is a crazy driver! Even at two, he definitely loves speed. He goes as fast as his little legs can push him, and NEARLY wipes out every time. He's perfected a heart-stopping save. Then he grins and says "That FUN!"

We also have fun practicing our baseball skills. Taylor just finished a 10-week class that covered baseball, soccer, and basketball. He is a lefty, but is quite proficient at batting both left- and right-handed. He really seems to have his dad's reflexes and ability...it amazes me how good he is at so many different things. Aric already seems quite talented at physical activities, too. (I'm not a proud mama or anything :-)

We are looking forward to Easter and plan to celebrate our Lord's resurrection with a representative of our extended family present for the first time in many years! Jeremy's mom is coming out for a few days over the holiday, and then the boys and I are headed back over the mountains. The boys are gonna go to Montana and spend time with Grammy and Grumpy, and I'm gonna go to Idaho to visit a dear friend. I'll zip over to MT to pick the boys up and say hello to "the fam," then we'll head back to Oregon, so it's gonna be a busy few weeks.

The other big thing we've been working on is the transformation of our side yard. Here are some before and after pics (and keep in mind, we're still not done):

This is the boys' swingset area and our new sod.

This is the same area of side yard, pictured last August, this February, and now in April. We have more sod to lay and a lot more bark dust to haul, but it's definitely improved. I wish we had taken true "before pictures," because it looked even worse than in the August picture when we first moved here. We are pleased with the progress and enjoying the fun of having a project together. Or at least, that's what we try to tell ourselves! :-) The work is finally at the stage where it's feeling pretty rewarding.