Landscape Part 2

Heavenly day!!! We are finally done with landscaping this year. Our last battle was the backyard in a corner of the house where the grass did not grow nice and it just was blah. Fortunately we have a connection with a friend who works in a greenhouse and has a way brighter green thumb than I do! Here are some before pics as we were getting started.

We started by putting a little stone border. Before there was just that pile of dirt that you can see in the corner.

Tor and I had picked up some plants here and there, returned some again and again and made many trips to the greenhouse and hardware store to redo the underground sprinkling.
But all the work was worth it(and yes I did help lay brick, spread dirt and plant and not just give my decorative insight!!) because now.....



A cute little spot under the sunroom window.


All the plants are really little and I am excited to see them grow(as long as I remember to water them..which that is not my favorite thing to do!)


I am finally starting to see this house as more of our home. Just doing the work with Torrey and adding our own bit of taste makes it seem more like ours.


Thought I would share a few pics of the boys since they are way more interesting and cute than landscaping!

I don't know where he gets it but this little man is already into doing tricks on his bike. He will also ride it sitting sideways and standing up. I don't know where his pants ended up for this one?!


And this picture just makes me giggle. Cameron was shooting his dart gun(this time not at his brother or me) and decided he needed to quick write a note and his name. He sat for a whole 10 seconds and was off again. He has to be quick when he has his dart out because his little brother nabs the darts and bites the ends off. It's a game to him because he knows it bugs Cameron!

Just the Big Boys

Cameron, Torrey and his dad left for a "big boys" camping and 3-wheeler adventure on Thursday. Torrey remembers so well doing these things with his dad and he could not wait until Cameron was old enough to go. I had to reason with him last year yet that Cameron was not quite old enough to rough it! So finally this year off they went up north a little ways to Hesperia.

They made it there before the rain came...but then it hit pretty hard but that didn't stop them!

The tent leaked so they had to make due with some tarps and a quick stop at Dollar General for a drop cloth!! If mommy was with them it would have been a stop at the Holiday Inn!

And of course beside riding 3 wheeler through the mud they had to do other big boy things like shoot bb guns at pop cans.

And build fires....

And chop wood.
(Side note: These are also known as the "things to do when mommy is not here"!)

Telling stories by the fire during a dry moment. Cameron is drinking a pop (so he can shoot them, you know!)

One of the puddles they went through!
(Another side note: I take no ownership of what my husband chooses to wear when I am not with him. And then he tells me he went in a store with this on!)

Such a boy trip! Cameron said when they were eating under their little canopy when it was raining, "It's a good thing mommy and Haiden aren't here!" HA! I am so glad that he was able to take such a fun adventure with his daddy and be one of the big guys!

Morning, Grandpa!

Good Morning, Grandpa! Do you notice anything different about me?


I got another haircut and my mommy said that you would like it. She likes it too, but says it makes me look too old, so in the fall we will let it be a little longer. I like it because now I am not so sweaty. I sat really good in the chair! Mommy kept giving me treats, it was great! When I got home I touched my hair to show daddy and Cameron said he thought it looked nice.
Even though I look WAY TOO BIG(emphasis added by mom) in this picture mommy says I am still her baby.



And Cameron says: Hello Grandpa! You are my best friend buddy! Where are all my donuts?


Mommy says: Have a good Monday! Hope this started your day off well!!

Brotherly Love

I am so glad I was able to capture Cameron and Haiden in one of their brotherly love moments. Cameron can be so sweet, gentle and helpful to his little brother and most days Haiden will offer up some love as well, but he does like to tell his brother no a lot!!

Cameron was trying to help little brother load a little shooter toy. Haiden would get the toy and back his little buns up to sit in Cam's lap!

So precious!



Then the other morning Cameron picked up a book and starting "reading". This was a book we read a lot when he was younger(like he is that old already!) and I was surprised at how much he remembered of each page. He even "read" all the extra tidbits of info we would tell him about each page. And then to see little man sit there so enthralled about what his brother was saying! Oh I love these boys!

What a cheezer!!

A Picture of Summer

Doesn't this just have the look of summer?

Oh how I love this little boy!


And who couldn't love this big goofball....

Project Landscape

It's amazing how much we feel like we have accomplished already this summer now that the boys are a whole year older! A big project that we have wanted to get done since we have moved in(almost 5 years ago...but who's counting?) is landscaping in the front. The only thing we had was an outline of where things once were, rocks, weeds, dirt and plastic tarp. It was nothing that made you feel at home when you pulled in. So this weekend we managed the feat of keeping the boys occupied and planting, planting, planting. Here are some before pics.

We had the plants set where we wanted.

It was just blah... especially this eye sore at the end of the driveway.

I have wanted a new mailbox since the first day we moved in and have tried to put planters on the porch to make it somewhat fun but finally....(drum role please)


TAADAA!!
Tor really worked hard to get all this done(and clean out the garage because we would not leave it open for how messy and junky it looked!)

He also put it one new door.

This door was forest green with little decorative squares on it(like our front door you can see below) and now it actually matches the house!

Of course we had little helpers along the way. Haiden is only in a diaper because it seriously was before 8:00!!
The boys were in their glory being outside, dirty and working with their daddy.

We have some finishing touches, but for the most part it really makes us feel more at home. Now for these beauties to be ripped out and replaced(to be done by someone else I am happy to say).
They SO stick out like a sore thumb! All in good time(just not another 5 years!)

And I just had to share this picture of the best daddy and his boys who adore him, follow his every move and are his little shadows.
Mowing the lawn is quite the entertainment around this house(not to mention my 4 year old knows how to start the mower better than I do!)