Week One

Here are the BEFORE pictures of our barren wasteland . . I mean backyard. The previous owners lived here for about 50 years and didn't do much of anything back here, at least not in the last decade. We have found all sorts of interesting items while digging around back here, including, but not limited to:

• various small automotive parts
• a plastic dinosaur head
• lots of garbage
• bones
• a spot where they either dumped a lot of oil or sacrificed a small animal
• a rusty sprinkler head
• innumerable small pieces of slate

So, here is the BEFORE:

This week isn't a dramatic transformation, but it is a start. With the help of three young men from the ward, the random sidewalk that ran down the middle of the yard was dug up and broken into small pieces.

We dug up both clothesline poles because they were old, right in the middle of the yard, and I was just being realistic when I decided that they weren't going to get used.

Then we filled about 6 or 8 LARGE bags with garbage, debris, slate, weeds, and other stuff that needs to be removed before we can rototill and begin the real transformation.

Here I am chopping away at the crabgrass that popped up in random places.

We still have quite a bit of stuff to remove before we are ready to rototill, but we are hoping to get to that point quickly. We bought a shed this weekend (while it was on sale!) and that will be assembled this week. And we have to take one more trip to the dump. Yay for progress!

Patrick's Latest Adventures

I thought I would post some cute pictures of Patrick and record what he has been up to lately.

We have had a really mild winter, but we have had some days that were too cold or windy to play outside, so Patrick has discovered the wonderful world of mall play areas. Our local Aurora mall has a pretty good play area, but if we drive just a little further we can sometimes go to the Cherry Creek mall, which has the play area to end all play areas. It is always packed with kids, but because there are so many toys to play on, in never seems that crowded. Or Patrick is just oblivious.

Spring has also warmed up quite early this year, so we try to get to the park as often as possible. Patrick is as brave as ever, and he has learned to conquer some of the more difficult playground equipment.

Like the rock wall:

And the big ladders:

He has also gotten into trouble a few times like when he ate a highlighter:

Or the day he found the laundry detergent: (I actually didn't discover this one for several hours because I didn't need to go downstairs all day. When I put him down for his nap, he was complaining about dirt in his eyes, but I couldn't figure out what he was talking about!)

And then there was the night when he woke up at 4:30 in the morning and decided he was up for the day. Not only was he awake, but he was jumping off the walls hyper. Daddy took him out to the couch to watch a movie and he fell asleep at about 6:30 and slept for a few more hours. Luckily this was a rare occurance and hasn't happened since.

And sometimes his is just silly, like when he falls asleep while eating a snack in the car:

His latest obsession is puzzles. This is his fish puzzle, which he wants to do almost every day. Because we have done it so much, he can now put it together all by himself. (48 peices!)

There have also been several trips to the zoo, but we have so many pictures of trips to the zoo that I don't remember to take pictures anymore, and I am usually trying to keep up with Patrick so he would just be a blur anyway. Patrick still requests to go to the "zoo today?" at least once every day. Any time we get in the car he assumes that we are going to a) the zoo b) papa's house or c) the slide and the swing (the park).

There have also been several instances of Patrick getting into his fish tank and making a mess because he recently learned how to climb on top of his dresser. There are no pictures of these instances because I am to angry to grab a camera. Consequently, the fish tank has been moved to another area in his room where he will hopefully have less access but can still see the fish.

He is such a loving and happy boy and we are thankful for him every day. I can't believe he is going to be 3 soon. I am glad that he lets me cuddle with him more often. Last night he woke up about 3:00 and came in our room but this time he brought he pillow. I put him back in his bed, but I thought it was really cute. He has slept with us a few times when he has been sick, but for the most part I take him back to bed because we have nicknamed him Elbows McKnees. He squirms so much in his sleep that he cannot sleep with us. He needs plenty of space.

He is starting to repeat everything we say, and sometimes when I get frustrated, he repeats back what I say and I realize how silly I sound. He is up to 3-4 word sentences and can usually communicate really well with us about what he wants.

That's an update on our Patrick boy!

Sweat and Tears

We are embarking on our biggest home improvement project to date. We have started getting plans together to work on our backyard this month so we can actually use it this summer for more than holding our garbage cans. I will post pictures of the dramatic transformation. We are planning on enlisting help from family, friends, and the scrapping young men from our ward. And probably the missionaries.

Here is a quick look at our to-do list:

• Seed the patches in the front yard
• Replant hanging baskets
• Find and plant large pots for front yard
• Install small fence around front yard
• Clear out the garbage and junk in the back yard
• Remove sidewalk from the middle of the back yard
• Rototill the ENTIRE 50' x 60' yard
• Buy and put together a 10' x 8' shed
• Build one cement patio and one cobblestone patio
• Plant two trees
• Install 1500 square feet of sod
• Make a big berm and plant a dozen shrubs and various perennials, including blueberry bushes
• Plant a garden
• Find a swingset for Patrick

Yep. I'm sweating already.

Idaho

We made the trek to Idaho at the end of March. We hadn't been back for two years, so the trip was way overdue. My cousin was home from his mission and we had a family reunion of sorts. It was so great to see everyone and for Patrick to meet all of his cousins. I totally spaced taking the camera, but we do have a few pictures from our phones.

On the way there, we broke the drive up in two days. We left Sunday afternoon after Reed finished with his class (fours classes and straight As so far!) and drove to Rock Springs, WY. Patrick did pretty well in the car, considering that he is still a little young to understand why he has to be in the car for that long. We bought a portable DVD player for the trip, and it was money well spent. The next morning we finished the drive to Pocatello, where we were going to stay with friends. We had really good weather for 95% of our drive. We had some random fog around Cheyenne and only hit one spot around Kemerrer that was snowy. I was really happy that that only lasted for about 30 miles.

(I had forgotten what spring in Idaho looks like.)

(Sleeping in the motel.)

(How do you know you are in Idaho?)

We were so excited to see our friends Jordan and Bethany again. We happened to get there on Coralie's birthday, and she thought that was a special treat. Patrick played well with Coralie, but for some reason he wouldn't stop picking on Aiden. We think he only picks on kids who are smaller than him (smart kid), but he isn't really mean about. He isn't super violent, but he definitely doesn't have sharing down yet. He enjoyed the sleepover though, and I think he liked sleeping on the floor on his sleeping bag that I got for the trip.

(They look like they are fighting here, but Patrick was just pushing Aiden on the train.)

We also got to see Andrew and Ann Marie. They have a lot of fun playing with the kiddos; although, their apartment isn't very toddler-proof! :) But they did have remote-controlled cars, which Patrick thought was awesome.

The weather was, well, typical for spring in Idaho. Cloudy, windy, and chilly. Unfortunately, I have gotten so used to Denver's mild and sunny spring that I think the weather seemed gloomier than I remember. I was perfectly used to it when I lived there!

We spent one day in Rexburg, and I am amazed at the difference just three years makes. We walked around the new auditorium and it was absolutely amazing. The architecture is stunning, and the building is just massive. Patrick had a fabulous time running down the huge hallways and going up and down the endless stairs. We ran into old friends and saw some professors. I really had a fantastic time going back to the Reading Center. I have the best memories from working there for two years. It was a little surreal to see places that we used to spend every day and walk on paths that I must have walked thousands of times. In some ways, it was like we had never left.

But then I look around and see how much campus and Rexburg has grown and changed and how there are almost no familiar faces left. But there are still some great landmarks. We saw our old apartments, ate lunch at Millhollow and ordered the same delicious Italian sandwich that we used to get for lunch. We stopped by Fongs and got an eggroll and fried rice because we love our local Chinese restaurant, but we have never found eggrolls as good at Fongs. We stopped at the ice cream shop across from our apartments and I had huckleberry ice cream (it's been forever!) and mom's recipe (I lived on that when I was pregnant!) and overall just enjoyed a little stroll down memory lane. I can't even begin to imagine what Rexburg will look like in 15-20 years when we hopefully will take our children there to tour campus. When I toured campus with my parents, I thought they were total dorks for pointing out their favorite places and talking about how things have changed. Well, now I know exactly how they felt.

We spent a day with my mom's family, and it was great to see my grandparents and cousins again. I regret not getting an updated five-generation picture with my great-grandma, though. She will be 99 this week, and I am not sure if we will get another chance. Patrick was a little overwhelmed at how many people we kept calling grandma! He knows his grandma Haight, but he was a little confused at all these other "grandmas." He warmed up by the end of the week though.

(He watched Tyson play that game for a good 20 minutes.)

We had a crazy weekend at my Aunt Vicki's house. There were 20 adults and 20 children there (13 under 6). It was so much fun to be with everyone though. The kids are all getting so big, and it is so nice to be around family that you can just pick up where you left off (even if it has been 2 years!). We played games and visited. Aunt Vicki had an awesome Easter egg hunt for all the kids. It was the first time Patrick had done that, so he wasn't quite sure what to do, but then he discovered the candy in the eggs and had a fantastic time!

Our vacation was much needed, but we were thankful to come back home. We were thankful to find a playground at Little America and Laramie, WY. Patrick did really well for about 2-3 hours at a time, and then when he got out of the car, he didn't stop running for about 20 minutes. He didn't sleep as much as I thought he might, but he is getting older. I was so happy to get back to Colorado and see the blue sky and the beautiful sunset. I love our sunshine here. I love our home. I was so excited to sleep in our own bed again. Going on vacation is so much fun, but it really makes you grateful for your own stuff!

New Dishwasher

We recently invested in a new dishwasher because Ultimate Electronics went out of business and we found a great deal. The appliances that came with our house all work, but they are at least 10 years old and only work so-so. Every couple of weeks I would unload the dishwasher and vow that I was just going to start washing everything by hand.

The new dishwasher is great. It took longer than expected to install, and we had help from some great friends and about a half a dozen trips to the store for different parts, but Reed finally got it working and it works beautifully. This one is so quiet that I can run it in the middle of the day and forget that it is on. It also cleans really well, and we no longer have to wash the dishes before we wash the dishes.

Yay for a shiny new appliance that work well, is quiet, and has a lock so Patrick can push buttons to his heart's content.

Best Sticky Buns Ever

Reed got this book for his birthday:

and he has been dying to try a recipe from it. I was dragging my feet because the recipes are really complex and most of them take a long time, and I am all about quick and easy recipes. So last night (Sunday) I decided to make the sticky buns because I had put it off long enough and I know how badly he wanted to make them. I will just say that I was not disappointed. These are the best sticky buns we have ever tasted. It was really difficult not to eat three or four.

So since it would be rude to just tease you with pictures, here is the recipe, with my notes in Italics. I doubled the batch and made 2 pans of 12, so that is the recipe I will share, because who doesn't like extra sticky buns to share? (Reed's home teaching families are getting some tonight!) So just cut everything in half if you want just one pan.

13 Tbl sugar

6 Tbl powdered buttermilk*

2 tsp salt

11 Tbl shortening (I used butter flavored)

*I used powdered buttermilk and water, and it worked great. If you use powdered milk, add the powder now and the water later, as I will indicate. You can also use regular buttermilk or whole milk, in which case you would take out the powdered milk now and substitute water for buttermilk or whole milk.

Cream together on medium-high speed in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Add:

2 eggs

2 tsp extract (the recipe calls for lemon extract, but I used almond and it was fabulous. Use whatever your favorite extract is).

Whip in the eggs and extract until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Then add:

2 cups warm water **

4 1/2 tsp yeast***

6 1/2 - 7 cups flour

**If you use buttermilk or whole milk, use 2 1/2 cups

***(The recipe calls for instant yeast, which I don't have, so I just mixed my active dry yeast with the warm water for a couple minutes before I added it to the mixture.)

Slowly add the water and yeast, then the flour until you get a sticky ball. I had added about 6 cups of flour at this point. Take your paddle out and switch to your dough hook. Knead for about 10 minutes, while adding enough flour until your dough is tacky but not sticky. It should not stick to the sides of your bowl, but it may stick to the bottom a little. Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap.

Let the dough ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours or until the dough doubles. While the dough is rising, make the sticky bun goop.

In your mixer cream together:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

2 cups butter (at room temperature)

When that is smooth, add 1 cup corn syrup and 2 tsp of your favorite extract (I used vanilla).

Continue to cream for 3-5 minutes or until it is light and fluffy. Divide this in half and spread it on the bottom of two 9x13 pans. It should be about 1/4" thick. This recipe made just enough for two 9x13 pans. At this point, add chopped walnuts and/or dried fruit if you want them on your sticky buns. Sprinkle a light layer on top of your goop.

After your dough has sat for about two hours, transfer it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide your dough in half and roll out each half into a rectangle about 12" by 14". It should be about 1/2" to 2/3" thick. Spread some butter on there and cinnamon sugar and roll it up, just like you would for regular cinnamon rolls. Divide the roll into equal pieces and place them evenly spaced in your pan. (I divided mine into 12 rolls each and they were a good size, not too big, not too small.)

Spray some plastic wrap with non-stick and cover each pan. Let them rise for about an hour in a warmish place. Preheat your oven to 350 and move your rack to the bottom. When the rolls have filled the pan (or pretty close) put them in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. 28 was perfect for us. The rolls should be almost dark brown. Darker than you would normally bake cinnamon rolls because the bottom (which will become the top) has to bake through the caramel, so you want to bake them a little longer to make sure the bottoms aren't doughy.

Let them cool on a rake for about 5 minutes. Then place either another 9x13 pan or a baking sheet on top of the pan and flip them over. Scrap all the yummy gooey caramel out of the pan. Let them sit for another minute or two, and then devour them! (The book recommends letting them sit for at least 20 minutes. Like that was going to happen.)

From start to finish, these took about 6 hours, but they were worth it. This isn't a recipe I will be making every weekend, but it is great for special occasions. It may be our new General Conference treat. It was perfect to make on a Sunday afternoon/evening. Once you get them in the pan, you can put them in the fridge and bake them the next day. Just make sure you get them out of the fridge and let them warm up for 3-4 hours so they can raise before you bake them.

Frequent Conversations

This is an example of a conversation Patrick and I have daily, sometimes more like like 2-3 times a day. This might happen while changing a diaper or getting Patrick dressed, while driving in the car, or during a meal. Or whenever Patrick wants to have this conversation.

Patrick: Animals at the zoo?

Mommy: Yes, the animals live at the zoo.

P: Elephants at the zoo?

M: Yes, elephants live at the zoo.

P: Elephants sleeping at the zoo. Hippos at the zoo?

M: Yes, hippos live at the zoo.

P: Hippos sleeping at the zoo. Rhino at the zoo?

M: Yes, rhinos live at the zoo.

P: Rhinos sleeping at the zoo. Tapir at the zoo? (Yes, he knows what a tapir is.)

M: Yes, tapirs live a the zoo.

P. Tapirs sleeping at the zoo. Giraffe at the zoo?

M: Yes, giraffes live at the zoo.

P. Giraffes sleeping at the zoo. Zebra at the zoo?

M: Yes, zebras live at the zoo.

P: Zebra sleeping at the zoo. Gorillas at the zoo?

And on and on and on until Patrick gets distracted by something.

The order of the animals vary, but I have had this conversation with my son more times than I can count. I have noticed that he will group the pachyderms together, or group the animals together according to where they are located at the zoo. Not all the time, but some times.

He sure loves his animals at the zoo. :)

Patrick Set the Table

All by himself tonight.

And then he proceeded to hide from the camera. "No Cheese!"

Here is a cute little video of Patrick eating his dinner tonight. We had crepes, and Patrick likes to eat his in long strips and slurp them like spaghetti noodles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFqQgo-uCQ4

New Year's Goal

One of my goals this year was to get curtains up in my living room. I finally found a fabric that was just right, so with a little help from my fabulous mother-in-law, I got everything designed and cut out. I sewed everything on my own with my fantastic new sewing machine (that I am still in love with), and I learned how to master the blind hem in the process. Even though the curtains look fairly simple, it took a while to do all four panels plus four lining panels. I was really excited to finish this project, and I think they add a wonderful touch to our living room. Reed just says, "You really like bold colors, don't you?" I sure do!

No Dance!

Patrick HATES when we dance. We will be in the car and we will turn up the radio and say, "Patrick, dance with us!" He will get so sad/mad and say, "No Dance!" over and over until we stop. One day we didn't stop and I think he almost started crying. Because we are evil parents like that.