Privacy Fence! Easter & spring break too.

It's been busy around here. A good busy though.

Most of the supplies to start on our privacy fence.

Front yard view before

After

Backyard view before (well, some of the posts have been set)

Backyard view after

Street view: before

Street view: during

Street view: after

Woohoo! So glad it's all done (well, we do have to seal it now)!

A big thanks to Andy for helping a bunch with this big project.

We have wanted to put in a privacy fence since we moved in, but when a sex offender moved into the neighborhood last fall, we decided it was time to just do it.

Now I won't worry about who can see my kids play in the backyard! I love it!

The kids are still loving the trampoline! Haylee with her static hair.

Carter started taking karate in January and he loves it.

Fighting with another boy in class.

He was so excited when he advanced to a yellow stripe belt back in March.

Spring break was this past week for Carter & Olivia. Aaron took a few days off to have fun with us.

On Thursday, we took the kids to the Newport Aquarium.

Checking out the jellyfish.

The penguins were so cute to watch.

14 foot alligator.

We even got to feed the birds.

Coloring Easter eggs on Saturday afternoon.

All ready for church on Easter Sunday.

Thanks for the fun turquoise dresses & shirt Grandma!

March 2012 - Spring is here!

Valentine's Day was very busy! Two class parties with a two year old was exhausting to me, but Olivia loved having her little brother and sister come to her class.

Carter's class party

Olivia's class party was definitely more wild than I'm used.

Happy Valentine's Day to me!

I thought Olivia did a fabulous job with this painting of polar bears.

Haylee with the crazy glasses.

Aaron helped the kids make a red velvet cake for my birthday. They really just helped so they could lick the bowl though, I'm sure.

I finished this quilt a few weeks ago and I think it's my favorite one so far.

Then I made my first throw pillow covers...needed something that would go better with the new quilt ;)

I always think it's so cute when Carter spends 30+ minutes washing the dishes by hand.

Setting up a trampoline isn't as easy as I remember it being.

Spring is here and so we broke out the trampoline that has been sitting in our shed since Christmas time. Our original plan was to give it to the kids for Christmas, but then the thought of setting it up in the cold December weather made us just wait.
A big thanks to Aaron for going along with my plan of buying one off of craigslist...even though that meant he had to disassemble it at someone else's house and then try to reassemble it with three months later with no written directions.

Olivia's bounce!

Carter's bounce!

St. Patrick's Day at GE:

The kids got to go to the Mad Cap Puppet show which they really liked and then do a few crafts along with getting their faces painted.

Olivia's 8th & her baptism!

It's always a hope that after the holidays, life will slow down a bit, but it rarely does.

Olivia turned 8 & had her birthday party on that same day - January 14th! She wanted a sleep over, but knew that I probably wouldn't go for that and so she had a Faux Slumber Party.

The party started at 5:30pm. They made their own pizzas and painted a picture frame. Then we played a make over game. They loved putting makeup on each other.


All the girls up on Olivia's top bunk for picture time.

Unwrapping presents.

Slumber Party birthday cake.

Goodie bags (socks, candy, nail polish & lip gloss) with their picture frames.

Olivia spent most of the next day learning how to use her sewing machine.

She got pretty good at it.

Olivia was so excited when she saw this coming together and it actually looked like a quilt.

Carter & Olivia at the skating rink trying out their new rollerblades.

Carter playing on the new air hockey table with his bus buddy, Andrew.

This is Haylee's favorite relaxing position. Laying on her piggy pillow pet with her legs crossed.

I love growing Amaryllis flowers.

Haylee with her long hair.

Haylee with her short hair. And hand down her pants (it seems to make it's way there quite a bit these these days).

Three missing teeth!

Grammy & Papa came to Ohio for Olivia's baptism!

The night before, we went to Shriner's Circus in Dayton.

Eating dinner at Wendy's before we head over to the circus.

We all really enjoyed the show from our 4th row seats!

So beautiful, but so stinky! (sometimes 4th row seats aren't that great)

After the show...tired Carter!

On February 4th, Olivia was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

It was a very special occasion and so glad we got to share with Kirk & Vicki. So proud of Olivia for making the decision to be baptized!