Slowly taking shape!

Our backyard is slowly (but surely) working itself into something resembling a useable space! The workers have almost completed both walls and are now bringing in dirt to start leveling the tiers. Luckily, they have another job up the street that needs to get rid of dirt so they're just hauling it down to our house...since our yard is SO sloped that we need lots of fill-in dirt! Yay! It's nice how that worked out! What a blessing!




As we're living in a double construction zone - we've had to move upstairs for the time being. The boys sleep in the living room in/on sleeping bags but I think they are really enjoying it! It's sort of like camping every night! Notice Sugar is one of the boys?!! As for me? The floor is overrated - I'm not a camper as you may recall. Can't wait for my bed again!!



Our kitchen is coming along as well - all the electrical lines have been laid...but it's not really an interesting picture with all the wires hanging down. They put up a new ceiling but have yet to spackle it. Next, the floor! That may merit a picture soon!

Oh, and on another note - Austen has been the lucky recipient of daily letters from Sophie Bell. He's so proud to have letters just for him. Today, he decided (after receiving about 4-5 letters already...typical male) that he would write/draw Sophie a special note too. This is Austen in action! (Sophie's letters are on the top left.) Oh and yes, those are hearts!

Does he have a future career??

Austen's Kindergarten experience has been full of song singing! He loves it and comes home singing a new one almost every week!

Edited to add:
Okay, Brennen couldn't be left out so here he is!

Renovations!

Our backyard has been stalled for a couple of weeks as we were waiting for the building permit. But it started up again yesterday. This is how it's going...



As if wall workers and rocks and small construction vehicles weren't enough, we've also begun kitchen/bath renovations. We've been living in our place for about 3 years and took this long to decide on what to do with our downstairs area - which is pretty much where we've crammed our large family. (Upstairs has been strictly for company!) It began on Monday. Now, we have electricians, carpenters, and plumbers along with their vehicles and stuff in and around our home. Being that we live on a main drag, parking is getting a bit tricky!

This is what it all looked like before (slightly embarrassing!):


The door on the right of Sugar the cat is Austen's room. That will be converted into more kitchen so Austen's being displaced. Anyone want him???

After the demo on Monday, this is what it looks like now:


We'll see how it goes. I think renovating and all the cost and headaches involved is one of the truest tests of one's marriage. HAHA!!

Last day of PeeWee Baseball!

Today was a long day of sports - with soccer starting at 8:30 in the morning quickly followed by baseball. Dallen played his very last peewee baseball game - he'll have to move up next season. This season was a GREAT one with a terrific team with really super families. Everyone, boys and their parents, made this a winning season all around. We had a great party after the game at the Newtown Recreation Center where the PIRATES had such a grand time swimming and playing ping pong. Here's Dallen receiving his "signed" baseball trophy and his goodie bag. No baseball uniform though, he was ready to swim!!

Sugar has a friend!

On Thursday 9/10/09, I noticed that Sugar was meowing a lot - A LOT! - and pacing near our back door. He's done this before when roaming female cats were in heat back there - such a dog! So, I was going to try and take his mind of it with a little scratch and rub on his neck...but when I got there, I noticed that he was focused on something back there. He's meowed before when he's seen lizards and I was hoping that it wasn't anything else! I went to look and saw a tail. Seeing that it wasn't a rodent tail and that we don't have raccoons or squirrels here, I craned my neck to see what he was staring at...it was a little kitten!

The kitten is really skittish and took off when I came by. But, as you may recall from the chicken situation - I seem to be a sucker for strays. So, I put out some food and water and he came back after some encouraging mewing from Sugar. He ate and drank the food and water.

They seem to be developing a relationship because the kitten has come back everyday. And Sugar's "post" seems to be at the back door next to his friend. Sugar lies down inside the kitchen and the kitten lies down outside on the pavement with the screen door separating them. It's so cute!



I think that the kitten looks like Sugar. He has the same longish fur and the same striped tail and their ear shape is similar. Sugar's gotten out a few times and may have found a girlfriend during one of those outings...it only take a second right? So, I thought that this was one of Sugar's babies and he knows it and it's a Daddy relationship. Lad says I'm crazy and that all cats look the same. Okay, maybe but I can fairy tale it a bit, can't I??

Austen has named it Daisy - but we haven't gotten close enough to figure out gender. I thought of calling him Pepper. My goal is to get him to trust me enough to pet him. We shall see!

In case you were wondering, the chicken was taken out of our backyard by one of Lad's employees who has chickens of his own. It was taken to a farm...that's what they told me anyway. It was pooping right by our back door everyday - it needed to go. I hope we don't have a similar nuisance erupt from me feeding this kitty.