Backyard Rehab

To sum it up, I think I would of rather had a blank slate than the mess the former owners left behind. I pretty sure I have about 5 different species of grass growing back there, none of which are the intended kind. The dogs have left it pitted and smelling fresh as a baby's bottom after a number two. Needless to say, something had to be done. So "Project Backyard Rehab" was put into action. We started out with building a nice little garden in the dog run, and cleaned it up little to make the area somewhat serene. Then we took to removing all the ugly attempts at landscaping around the perimeter. After that, the rocks, the oh so many rocks were attacked. Our backs took a kicking from those rocks. At this point our backyard wasn't so sticky anymore, and the work was starting to pay off. The next task was to kill the lawn and kill it good. Something must have been wrong with my sprayer, as it should have been good for at least 3000 sqft, and I only got through a third of my 1000 sqft lawn. So off to the store to get some more. Fast forward to the present, and we now have a beautiful lush yellow lawn just waiting to get ripped up. Still waiting on that Home Depot truck to able to pick up the sod cutter. One small step at a time and before we know it, we'll be enjoying a nice, new, enjoyable backyard. I'll keep you updated on the progress as it happens.

Kids were loving the worms during the digging.

Soccer Saturday

Well it's official, we have entered the realm of organized sports. The world's most played sport... soccer. Spencer was very excited to start learning, although we was a little confused because he "already knows how to play soccer". Nonetheless, getting out of the house and to the park was a little difficult as Spencer concentration was on playing soccer, not getting dressed.

Abigail was ready to bring her chair and be his number one fan. Spencer would be playing with his best friend Andrew from across the street, so the dynamic duo has already begun. You could see the excitement in his eyes once practice began. He listened very well to Coach Mike's instructions, and in my eyes is a natural. The next Beckham has been found. After soccer is off to the park for some more playtime. Looks like Saturdays are gonna be booked from here on in. We're very proud of our little man, and his number one fan.

Wiggly Time

It's that time of year again, or at least this year they came back again. The Wiggles that is. Spencer and Abigail were quite excited to get their wiggle on. Abigail even showed true emotion when she wouldn't budge this morning until I asked her who we were going to see, at which point she nearly jumped straight up with her answer. Once at the concert, I realized that I did better than I thought with seat selection. We were just two rows up from the main floor, which actually worked better for the kid's height disadvantage. Murray Wiggle walked right in front of us at one point. Even I got a little starstruck. Once the show started, I don't think Spencer sat down the entire time. There were a few new songs, but it didn't deter him from trying his best to keep up. Abigail was a little tired, so she sat on our laps and enjoyed the view from there. There were many fun and funny moments throughout the show, but the best for us was watching the kid's reactions to the show. Well worth the cost of the overpriced arena soda alone.

P.S. No picture were taken, as our camera is MIA right now.

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was a very busy, but very enjoyable weekend. It actually started early for Spencer and Abigail as their school had an egg hunt planned for them, and this was very exciting to them. The amazement didn't cease as they opened up consecutive eggs with the same candy in them. Saturday started with plans put in motion to begin the construction of the small garden. The kids were quite eager to "help" me in the process of breaking ground. However, they were quickly summoned over to the neighbors house for playtime, thus leaving me to finish the project alone. Abigail returned shortly after and helped place the big rocks in the wheelbarrow, but mostly just wanted to dig the dirt I had broken up. Spencer eventually followed and was determined to try and use every tool I was using. He's becoming quite the little helper and handyman. In the end we have the beginnings of a very cute little garden. Needless to say, my hands still took quite a pounding. Later that afternoon the Easter Bunny paid another visit for the kids in the neighborhood. It was very convenient of him to have organized such an event. All the kids were given there instructions and I had coached Spencer and Abigail in the art of running after the eggs, so everything was in place. Spencer took off early and quickly filled his basket, while Abigail was content in getting just enough to quit early and sneak some candy. Later they enjoyed some ice cream with all the toppings, and continued playing into the night. Afterwards, we realized that they had replaced their supper with candy and ice cream. Oh well, I guess that's allowed during Easter. Finally on Sunday we were invited, once again, to the neighbors for some brunch. IHOP doesn't have anything on what we enjoyed that morning. The food was excellent. The kids had fun digging in the dirt and chasing more Easter eggs that Mike was throwing off the fence. I think they thought it was the Easter Bunny again. After naps, we were asked to join the neighbors at their parents house for some pizza and swim time. Kudos to Andy for eating more pizza than the rest of us combined. The kids were very eager to get to swimming, and when the time came, Abigail bailed. Spencer on the other hand enjoyed himself in the heated spa, and learned to blow bubbles under the water for the first time thanks to his buddy Andrew. They love to play together, and are quite imaginative. All in all, it was a great weekend with the only downside being that time went too fast.

Spring Cleaning

The weather was nice and we have had to deal with the dog odor rocks for almost a year now. So, without much further explaining, I was off the the local Lowes store to buy some supplies. With my helpful sidekick Spencer, we left the store with rake, shovels, wheelbarrow, and gloves inhand. Once home, the kids were very eager to get to work. It's kind of sad that there shovels actually cost more than mine, but what do you do. It's the novelty of have smaller shovels I guess. Shoveling rocks must be hard work, because after a few shovels full, the kids were pretty much done, and it was up to me to finish the work. I set to work on the nasty dog run on the side of the home and had to lock myself in to prevent the kidders from getting hurt. I set to removing the almost decayed piece of plywood, and then performed a thorough trimming of the overgrown tree. It's a much nicer place for the cats to relax on those hots days now. If you look closely at the picture, it almost looks like I am forcing the kids to shovel, and you can see the fear in Abigail's eyes. In reality though, they are always willing to help, even when it's not really helpful.

Easter Egg Time

It's that time of year again, and we were all geared up for the egg decorating time again. We have bought our supplies, and only the best would do. Nothing was spared as we spent a total of $5 on supplies. The kids were very excited, and it showed with Abigail as she spilled one of the cups of dye. It's to be expected by now. Both were very careful making sure all of the egg was covered, and they were quite surprised to see the shrink wraps melt around the eggs so nicely. However, the expensive dye tended to come off in the boiling water, so we had to revise the steps after that.Here are some pictures of Abigail and Spencer adding their own personal touches with the wax crayons. Fun was had by all, and they can't wait for the "real" bunny to arrive. Speaking of which, Abigail almost sat on the bunny's lap this year. She got even closer than she had to Santa. It's all about baby steps.

Camp Whitney

A new park recently opened up in Rocklin for the kidders. They call it Camp Whitney, although I'm not really sure why. Nonetheless, it's easy to remember, and Spencer always want to know the names of things. Our friends across the street invited us to a picnic in the park, and we all decided to go check it out. The kids loved it and I can definitely see ourselves spending a lot of time at this new park.

It is a little overwhelming at first, but the park is set up so that the kids can't just take off. Spencer had a blast climbing around all the ladders, ropes, and rock walls, and Abigail tried her best to keep up to her bigger brother. Spencer also got some baseball practice in before lunch. He's quite the lil'slugger, and he's a lefty. We might just see him in the majors someday. There was more food then you knew what to do with, and it was great spending the day with all the friends from our block. The kids didn't want to leave and they can't wait to go back. Next time we're bringing the kite.