Another Load.... uh, I mean update...

Okay, I'm bound and determined to catch you up to speed on what we've been doing!

Spring Break started March 26th... Andy's birthday. Andy's made it so that he takes that week off from work so that we can have a "family week" of doing whatever we'd like. I love having that time off together. 9 wonderful days to do what ever we wish....like taking a trip to Monterey and the Aquarium... or a trip somewhere, somehow. But,now... having a house changes everything...

Just 2 days before the break was to start I thought, "hmmm... this would be a good time to get the side yard done! It's easy, just throw some sod down and we'll have a yard!" I've found that like with every "home project" you don't "just do" projects. Projects get started, need some planning, and thinking through, and then some serious patience as it is being carried out to handle the "we didn't think of that" occasions that are inevitable. Blah. Where's the fun in that!? Where's the spontaneity in that?

Home projects tell a lot about people. I've learned that I have a serious case of OCD. When I get fixed on a deadline/project... there is NOTHING that will get in my way... even sleep (thank you, family, for putting up with me and loving me even though I have this disorder) .

So yes, with sod ordered and scheduled to be delivered in 4 days...we began what we called "our break/quick project"....
Day 1-2,
till the side yard....that we almost didn't have
Should have planned better and watered the dirt for several days ahead... the till machine didn't get a chance to prove what it could do. Lesson #1... you can't till dirt that is seriously, harder than rocks.
But don't worry, Jennah was supervising everything...
Unloading the 2+ tons of dirt, back filling... not the most fun we've ever had...

Putting the last layer down... the potting soil...smells yummy!

Wow.... what a difference a day can make!
Day 3...
We have a day before sod gets delivered... let's just throw some paint on the bathroom walls... no I couldn't do just one bathroom.... both bathrooms equally needed a coat of paint... can't do one and leave the other one bare!Jennah, who has an eye for color, also is very particular about the quality of painting...'
"missed a spot, daddy! Right there! Look!"Day 4
Sod was delivered at 5:30 am.... with only a few hours of sleep... and clouds threatening to drop a storm... we (okay, really it was Grandpa Vern.... the real mastermind, uh, I mean director, of this "project"... seriously don't know how we could have don't it without him!) got the sod down.
Instant Yard!!!
BEFORE/AFTER.... Amazing!!!!!


Day 5
Finish decorating the newly painted bathrooms...'
1 trip to "HomeGoods" and 2 103 inch shower curtians later...
DONE!

Day 6
Grandpa Dick and Grandma Janet fly in from Washington just in time for lunch!
Jennah loved having so many people to play with!

Day 7
The Fresno Chaffee Zoo... with Grandpa Dick and "Gama Jennah" (That's what Jennah called Janet, we're thinking "Jennah" and "Janet" sounded close enough to her)
Day 8
get ready for a BIG family Easter dinner!!!
Grandmas and Jennah... in charge of the bunny cake...

Who was there?...it was more like, who wasn't!!?!?!



Day 9
Easter Sunday
Said our good-byes to Grama Jennah and Grandpa Dick
Found out the Easter Bunny made time to come to our house afterall!Jennah LOVED finding all of the eggs. She actually became pretty attached to them... they bathed with her, ate with her... and even SLEPT with her. She was so cute holding her plastic eggs (which did have some candy in them)... each one she would hold, cradled in her arms and say "oh, it's a baby egg. Look, it's a baby egg!" That girl is an absolute hoot!!!

.... AND THAT'S HOW THE NORMANS DID SPRING BREAK 2010.
THE END.