White Christmas?

The weather has been abnormally warm.  Fortunately swinging is just as magical as sledding.

Oh...when I could fall asleep anywhere.

Big Black Bear

Every night at bed time a big black bear knocks on our door and comes on in.  Perhaps you have experienced a big black bear yourself, or maybe you have felt like a big black bear from time to time.  Nothing is more exciting than listening to Madelaine "read" her favorite book to Aidan. 

All About Aidan Shad

On March 27 Aidan received a name and a blessing from his loving dad, Brandon.  It was a beautiful spring day we enjoyed with family and friends.   Thank you to everyone who came.  Aidan is growing so quickly; I was worried he wouldn't fit into his blessing clothes.  We are so blessed, he is healthy, happy and a bundle of energy... as you can see him kicking off his booties here.

Grandma Rose made Madelaine booties to go with her blessing dress.  Fortunately Grandma agreed to make some for Aidan as well.  I think they turned out marvelously.  I hope the booties will be something both children will treasure when they are older.  A special gift, made just for them, from Grandma.

 

The new yard

Last spring was a bit crazy, and it was not just the strange cool weather and then the quick heat wave.  Brandon and I decided that Madelaine needed a place to play outside that wasn't a dirt pile sprinkled with sticker weeds and holes where trees formally lived.  So we spent ten weekends digging, tilling, transplanting, building, and moving much soil, mulch, and waste inorder to create a backyard paradise.  When I say we I mean (Brandon, me, and our awesome family members who were crazy enough to come and spend hours working.)  This is a special shout out to them!  We couldn't have done it without you!  Thanks!!!

This spring the results of all our hard work speak for themselves. 

I told Brandon I wanted to finish painting the kitchen before we had the baby...

We had never finished painting when we moved in six years ago.  And when we gutted the upstairs the vents that we had installed to take the heat upstairs were still exposed, so I thought it would be nice to have the space done for a new little one.  However, before the project ended we had new insulation, two new windows, exterior/interior walls, and one annoying column blocking our kitchen table removed.  I was feeling a  little nervous on a Saturday evening in October when six o'clock rolled around and my house was looking like this.

Luckily Brandon and Jordan got the wall up before we went to bed, but my blood pressure was higher than usual at my prenatal checkups during this project. Note to self... don't "paint" right before the next baby. 

This photograph from Madelaine's second birthday party still has the column in it.  We couldn't believe how much the space opened up once it was removed.  I don't know why we waited so long.  Brandon and I did some investigating while the floor was torn up in the upstairs to make sure it was not a bearing wall.  So we have known it could be taken out for quite some time. 


Before

After

Brandon did an amazing job, I am so excited about the new space.  There are some special things he did too.  That black space on the far wall is a magnetic chalk board.  Sweet!  Brandon put up some nice hooks along the back wall as you come in the back door, hung a new cupboard above the garbage cans, and put trim around all of the doorways.  I was able to fit two tables comfortably in the kitchen and have my family together for Christmas dinner... in the same room.  

And after six long years of the hallway driving him crazy... finally painted, carpeted, and finished.  Whew!  I think he is happier about that than any other thing he did.

Harrison #4 Arrives

Aidan Shad Harrison:  8 lbs. 9 oz. 21 ¼"