Young Sealing

For spring break we had made a few possible plans, but then we found out the proper paperwork had been signed and that Tyler and Molly were able to be sealed to their children. We were super excited for them and solidified plans for Idaho. 

It was a windy day, but still a happy day. As I have gotten to know Tyler he has earned my trust with his honesty and hard work for his family. He's a wonderful addition to the family. 

Anne and I did our best to capture a few picture. Things felt a little nuts at times, but I saw some of her shots, and she did great. Liam gave a million different faces and Keagon was done. Some of their pictures make me laugh because that is just how kids are. You could tell they knew it was special, but they were also worn out and tired of being well behaved after so much time. 

 While Anne captured more pictures, I tried to quickly get a few other pictures of the others waiting. The biggest surprise was Mackenzie letting me take her picture!

It was time to attempt a family picture and I had a gang of children to help me with the lighting and setting up my tripod. (It only ended up being slightly off center as the wind blew it around a bit. It was that windy!)

 This picture isn't the best of everyone, however Benson is continually playing peek-a-boo in a series of shots, and I love it!

I asked Crew later why he kept on having his hand on his mouth/face. He said his cheeks kept getting tired from all the smiling. Me too. It was a good day to smile. 

Sawyer and Mom

Sawyer has been my sweet little buddy. We have been working a little on getting the crib up and I found a small chair to put in Pepper's room. We also have been on more adventures. Including going to the climbing tree. Sawyer made it to the landing that I couldn't convince anyone to try last year. I was super proud of him!!

Bird Watching

I have had a bird feeder on my fence for almost a year and it hasn't attracted any birds until just recently. Now they are eating it so fast it will be gone by the end of the week. It's fun watching the little birds to pass the time away. but I enjoy watching my little boy watching the little birds even more. He makes sure to sneak up slowly and whisper so he doesn't scare any of them away.

Closet Renovation

This closet was the last big project we needed to do in our house. (There is still plenty to be done, but those are more than projects...those are more like renovations) But, I delayed so long because I didn't know how to use the deep corner and because I had stored random things like food storage and snowboards for a long time in this closet. With baby Pepper on the way, it was time to finally move everything from the baby room closet to the boys actual room. It had to accommodate toys, books, hats, and a small amount of hanging items.  

I mentioned to my parents that I was working on a plan, and my Dad asked me to send my plans. I did, he made a pretty version (more professional), and we got to work chatting and planning. We had to make sure my plans lined up with studs, etc.

After Abe pulled out the old shelves I got to work trying to caulk everything, attempting to smooth and level out some of the wall, and painting. I am pretty sure we would have done well re-sheet rocking it (I don't even think the wall is entirely made of sheet rock) but I did my best with what I had. One thing I didn't have was hours of Abe's time to accomplish that. 

My Dad pre-cut almost all the shelves before he came. After they arrived I got to work painting them. Next my Dad installed, then my Mom caulked and did paint touch ups. It was a huge team effort and I am sure glad I was able to have my Dad and Mom available to give our family such an amazing gift! I am really liking my Dad being retired!

Now this closet is ready to start fresh for baby Pepper. I will hopefully get some clothes and blankets washed in May (June and July are already booking up) and start stocking up on diapers, wipes, and other fun baby necessities.

It seriously seems like Abe and I just tore out the old walls and did this closet while I was expecting Crew. It has held up very well through all the play. We now officially have 3 functioning closets in our tiny farm house!

Out For a Walk

For some odd reason, the weather always seems to cool down when my parents visit. I was seriously in a t-shirt last week and hot, and now we're bundled back up. But, we all needed to get out and stretch our legs. These kind of moments melt my heart!

We went down to see the flock of swans that had landed on our little reservoir, but they had swam away from shore and weren't more than mere blobs of white when we got there.