Spring!

Not much is getting checked off my 'To Do' list lately. In fact, this month's list looks a lot like last's. As to be expected, our days entail a lot of baby holding, baby feeding, baby changing, baby bouncing, baby washing....but we're loving it!  

We had an old tree in the corner of our lot that we plan to bring down sometime this summer or next.  There was a tree company in town working with a few of our neighbors. They noticed the tree and came by. It was fun, and a little scary, to watch them bring the tree down. 

(Modern day logging)

 Cleaning up the mess wasn't quite as enjoyable!

Now the house is feeling a little more exposed and in need of a paint job.... A little landscaping wouldn't hurt either...

It's finally Springtime, which means blossoms in the valley. Not quite on the plateau yet, but hopefully soon! We enjoyed the Apple Blossom Festival and parade this year. 

Tyce wasn't sure what all the Food Fair hype was about....fried lasagne didn't carry quite the same appeal for him as it did Jason. 

The fire trucks threw him for a bit of a loop, but he managed to sleep through most of the parade. 

We spent a weekend in Montana introducing Tyce to his Uncle Brian. They hit it off well :)

We had true Spring weather but managed to get outside a bit between rain showers. 

I've been amazed by how much change everyday brings for Tyce. He is becoming so expressive. He can get both fists to his mouth on the first try and has a new-found love for cuddly blankets. 

Sweet Baby Boy

We were told so many times that life would never be the same once Tyce was born. It's true; nothing is the same. Most things are simply better. Sleep, well yeah, we could use a little more sleep. But who couldn't?  It's been two very enjoyable and very busy months since we welcomed our baby boy!

He surprised us by weighing in at 5#15oz. Such a little peanut!

But he's growing so quickly!

We took a very short trip to Seattle so Jason could attend a conference and Tyce got to meet his Great-Grandma Buckingham. Of course we jumped at the opportunity to eat at Ivars. 

A few weeks later Jason had a conference in Boston so Tyce and I headed to Montana. He couldn't be bothered with waking up to feed the chickens...

...and seemed to find the whole experience rather boring. 

All kidding aside, we had a great time!

We've got a mile long list of house projects to complete his summer but first we need to check off a few camping and boating trips!! We'll keep you updated....

Year six

Since I last left you with a post about our fifth wedding anniversary and we're 1/3 of the way through our seventh year of marriage I thought I should take some time to update you on year six. It was a great one.

We spent most of our time and energy on The Makeover of 405 E. Ash. Although we feel incredibly fortunate to have a home of our own to work on, it is a big job. One we seriously underestimated and needed a lot of help to finish. I say finish lightly, because I don't know if it will ever be finished. But it is livable and we are moved in! Maybe someday it will look presentable enough for 'after' photos but today is not the day so I will share some 'during' shots.

First we demo-ed everything. Bathroom, kitchen, walls, ceilings, stairs. Everything.

 

Then we halted progress for about three months while I worked on perfecting the floor plan and we found someone to help us put it all back together. This waiting/designing was the hard part but we found great help and love the open feel of the floor plan so it was definitely worth it. We added a bathroom, new stairs, structural beams where we took out walls and lots of additional floor support.

Of course we couldn't leave well enough alone on the outside, so we added a chimney, put on a new front porch and turned the pack porch into a laundry room.

I haven't organized the interior photos so I'll spare you the floor refinishing, new roof, new plumbing, windows, electrical, insulation, sheetrock, painting, trim work and masonry. We have exterior painting and landscaping to do this summer but we are loving it and living in it which is good enough for now!

I don't want you to think that year six was all work. We did managed to have a little fun. Jason bit the bullet and bought a boat which provided countless hours of entertainment and made him that much more popular with his niece and nephew.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed Lake Roosevelt, getting a few camping trips in with the Barnes and Sandersons.

 

We welcomed a sweet sweet new niece

 

And then received the very welcome news that we're expecting a little boy in early March!

So all in all, year six was everything we could possibly dream of. I'll give you a little break to process the fact that I updated the blog before we start on year seven :) We're on the final stretch and counting down to baby's arrival!

 

Fifth Anniversary!

We celebrated five years of wedding bliss with a weekend trip to Victoria, BC. The city was spectacular, the weather was gorgeous and the leaves were just beginning to show their colors. We had a great time relaxing by the waterfront and trying to soak up the last of the sun's warmth before fall completely sets in.

There were gigantic maple leaves all over to remind us of our wedding day.

Lunch on the waterfront! So much activity in the harbor! I could have sat and watched for days...which is basically what we did!

Fisherman's Wharf. Spectacular seafood chowder and sunshine to go with it!

You can't go to Victoria without an excursion though Chinatown

One last lunch at Red Fish Blue Fish before catching the ferry home. Yes the line was really that long. and Yes it is worth the one hour wait!

I do hope to give an update on The Makeover of 405 East Ash soon. We are loving our builder and all the progress he has been making! We're just trying to get all our decisions made so we can keep up with him. Hope this finds all our faithful readers well! We plan to have a nice cozy completed home in 2-3 months which will be open and ready for company!!

 

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uhh ya hello!

Life has been busy but ooo so good. Warm sand and Hawaiian sunsets good. Happy Cubs fans and thunderstorms in the city good.  American Dream good. 

We had a stellar time in Hawaii.  

We bought a house. 

In Waterville.

its true.

The home had been foreclosed on, repossessed and then handed over to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It was a little worse for wear but we couldn't beat the location. Next door to Ma and Pa Barnes. We love it!

We have since torn it down to the 2x4s and are anxiously awaiting the rebuilding process. More on that later. I promise. 

Jason's national conference was in Chicago this year. It felt unbelievably good to be back in the city. We spent the first few days biking the lakefront and revisiting some of our favorite places. Jason headed to his conference later in the week and I filled my time wandering and shopping the crazy busy awesome chaotic streets.

Kerry so generously offered us her home and the trip would not have been nearly as enjoyable had we not accepted. Good friends make all the difference. Her rooftop was a popular place for dinner. You may recognize it from Jason's graduation party. 

It was tough to leave. But as always, its good to be home.