4.26.2010

painting the playhouse

This is a shot of the backyard when we first moved in. Beautiful, eh? The little white shed that had been forgotten was full of random tools and hornets' nests.

Eventually, with the help of our neighbor John and his forklift, we moved it to the other side of the yard and put a new roof on it.

Finally, we decided to paint it. Avery doesn't have any "paint clothes" yet, so I put on a shirt that had some stains, and we tied one of Shad's work shirts around her waist as pants.

And we got to work painting.

For the longest time, we've referred to this little shed as "the playhouse".

But because it hasn't been fully remodeled and cleaned out, our kids haven't been able to use it yet.

Maybe now that the outside is finally getting painted, I'll make some time to get the inside ready.

The color paint we chose is called "Peanut Butter", so now Drake likes to call it the "Peanut Butter Playhouse".

I still want to cut some windows and do a few other things before letting the kids have free reign of it.

Hopefully I can get it in usable condition before the summer is over.


Because what good is a playhouse that no one can play in?


4.22.2010

random pictures


Eating crackers with salsa.

Drinking "leche con platano".

Known in our house as "banana milk".


Love the curls.

Good buds.




The mind of a three year old.



4.21.2010

monster truck rally


Our boys love monster trucks, so we thought it would be really fun to keep our kids up super late so we could all attend our first ever Monster Truck Rally. Matt and Micah drove down and joined us (although we didn't get to sit near them for most of it).

The first picture I took, with the flash, showed all the dust and dirt particles in the air.

Turning the flash off proved much better.


A nice lady gave us some earplugs for our kids, and I'm forever grateful because it was extremely loud.

Once they turned the lights up, it was easier to take pictures. Here you can see all the monster trucks lined up.

A lot of the show was two trucks racing at a time.

And here's a video to show it.

And sometimes one truck would go out there and just show off.

This truck lost almost its entire shell before the night was through.

And this was Graham's favorite truck because it looked like a dinosaur.


This black car was trying to make it all the way across the jump.

This video shows how it got where it did.

And this is that car getting pulled out of the bus.

At halftime there were two monster trucks giving rides to audience members.

Graham was hoping to catch some shuteye, but it was so loud in there that he never fell asleep.

This is another shot of the truck who kept losing pieces of his body.

This is "Bigfoot", one of the more famous trucks.

They also had a part where anyone who wanted to could pay a fee and race their own vehicle around the track in an attempt to get the best time and win some prize money. The superman truck didn't win, but we know the driver's parents.

Check out this front right tire. Fortunately for the driver, he was the fastest, so at least he's got some money to go towards fixing his truck.

The last event was the Demolition Derby.

Basically you try to smash into as many other cars as you can while still being able to drive your own.

The last car still driving wins.

Drake enjoyed it quite a bit. Shad took Graham and Avery out to the quiet of the car before it ended so they could fall asleep.

Unfortunately, neither Graham nor Avery fell asleep, despite the late hour.

Drake just loved looking at all the trucks, especially up close.

And the crushed cars were pretty cool too.

Even when we were outside, Drake wanted to catch whatever else he could of the monster truck experience.


I don't know if we would do it again with kids this young, but it was definitely fun to do. And it only took a few days before we could hear each other again...




4.15.2010

a day in the life


This is just a bunch of pictures to give you a taste of what goes on in our everyday lives.

Avery arranging pieces of paper (and this was only halfway done).

And yes, she had drawn something on every single one she laid out.

When Drake and Graham go in to "get" Avery when she wakes up from a nap, they often try to fit as many stuffed animals in her crib with her as they can.

This was an easter egg hunt that Drake set up throughout the house.


I don't remember where I was, but I soon found the kids having fun with blankets and old newspapers.


Riding bikes.


Eating popsicles on the first warm day in April.


Helping Shad repair something on the roof.

Yes, I was nervous.

Avery picking a tulip, just because.

A glimpse into Drake's organizing skills.

And my favorite: a sweet note from Drake.

Translation: "Der Mom, You look like a clown."

Gotta love it.