Boys at work

 

I’m grateful to have hard working boys in my life.  Connor and Bridger have really enjoyed working on my dad’s farm in Orangeville.  We got to help my dad out a few weeks ago by laying some new pipe and covering it with dirt.  My dad is putting in a couple of pivot irrigation sprinklers.  The farm is going to look great once it gets some water!

         

We have had this ugly tree out in our front yard that drops little acorns which grow roots.  I am so happy to finally cut it down!!! Connor enjoyed using the Saws All. And Bridger enjoyed using the pruners until he cut through an extension cord… much to Dustin’s dismay! 

 

February

This month was a busy one as we found ourselves traveling to Castle Country twice.  My sis Diana left on an 18 month mission to Riverside CA mission and we are so proud of her.  She is in a rough area  but loves it so far.  My favorite quote from her is “When we talk to people, we feel an instant love for them. Even if they yell at us- it’s so special to feel.”  Oh I just love that girl. She is so loving to everyone. 

Our other trip down was for President’s weekend.  The snow had mostly melted but it was a muddy mess!  We had a great time though.  When you have boys, mud just adds to the fun!

My blue eyed babe turned 8 months. He is such a joy in our life!

Playing at the park with grandma.

Sharpening up his skills on the bow.

Mountain lion tracks down by the pond!! So cool!

Dad and Ilene out on our nature walk.

I love my boys! 

Bridger started potty training over Christmas break and is doing such a great job.  He had the best bathroom spot at the ranch!  Haha! 

Connor’s Baptism

Connor was baptized in the first of January and it was AMAZING.  His grandpa Cunningham baptized him and Dustin confirmed.  It was such a special day.  I could feel the spirit so strong and was very touched.  We had so much family that made the trek up here to share this special day with us.  I know Connor was being watched over from above and we all were very proud of him. 

After the baptism, we all went to the church for a nice lunch.  The kids ran wild as usual and the adults got to just hang out and eat some great food.  All in all, it was a wonderful day and I hope Connor will always remember it. 

         

 

      

 

 

 

December 21013

I realize that I haven’t blogged since November.  It seems like blogging has taken a sharp decline for me, but I would still like to print off that book someday so I need to do a quick recap of the last 4 months.  I also feel so badly that I haven’t kept up on little Porter’s monthly pictures.  He turned 10 months yesterday and is as cute as ever. Life just seems to get busier and busier and there is no sign of slowing down anytime soon. 

Connor had his first piano recital in December.  He played Hungarian Rhapsody by Bach.  He worked so hard and did amazing! I'm so proud of how well he is doing on the piano.  He really likes his piano teacher, Jeff.

We had our annual family Christmas party at Kat’s house.  We all draw names each year and the kids (and adults) really enjoy that.  Here is Porter (6 mo) Lyla (3 mo) and Cash (2 mo).

Our Christmas was amazing.  The boys got spoiled with all their gifts. Some highlights were Connor’s snowboard and bow, Bridger’s play rifle and computer and Porter’s baby toys.  As a family, we got a new flat screen tv and lap top!! The laptop is a little different than my last one which is one big reason to why I haven’t downloaded pics or blogged much lately. I needed to figure everything out. 

We hiked in to the ranch after Christmas… actually I think this year there was not much snow so we could drive most of the way in.  I love these boys! 

Connor turned 8 on Dec. 31.  We had a friend party and ate pancakes and hot chocolate instead of cake and ice cream, then we went outside and had Iditarod races.  The boys had a great time and I was glad there was a little snow to play in.  Winter birthdays are so hard! 

Finally!!!! It took forever!

We love our little cottage of a home, but it is OLD!  So we are constantly fixing up something.  I don’t think we will buy another old home but we sure are learning a lot! I hated the downstairs living room because it had a popcorn drop ceiling with a fluorescent light. So that the whole reason we started changing that room.  It  seemed like the more we ripped apart, the more problems we ran into. Here is a list of things we fixed, just by gutting this room.

1.  We noticed right away that the load bearing wall was built incorrectly.  HUGE!  So we rebuilt it.  And by (we), I mean mostly Dustin, Dan and my dad,  with the help of a few of Dustin’s brothers from time to time. 

2.  We moved the duct work from the center of the room to the outside walls.  This way, we could get rid of the drop ceiling. 

3.  Reframed and insulated the walls.

4.  Ran into some plumbing issue, had to jackhammer through the floor and replace the main line.

5.  New water heater—(unrelated, just old)

6.  We rewired most of the house for electricity with access from just that room.

7.  Replaced other pipes for the sinks and kitchen since we had access to them too.

This took longer than expected just because of all the issues, but I am so happy with the outcome!  It’s so fun to go down there now!  The insulation made a huge difference and I’m so grateful for a place for the kids to go. 

Here is before/after towards the window. I’m so happy to have my treadmill out of my laundry room and the kids’ toys somewhere besides upstairs.  

Looking the other way…. we also got a new laundry room door. It’s just not on the hinges yet.  We are also going to finish the closet with a nice looking wooden cabinet door.

Next project: downstairs bathroom.