FLOWERS!!!!!!!

Some flowers started coming up in a flower bed out in the yard. Anna Kate ran to me today and said "Mommy, those flowers you took me outside to see yesterday are turning in FROSES!"

They are actually tulips, but she insists that they are "froses". I'll have to show her the difference later this evening while we are outside!

Not a fairy tale...

Anna Kate asked Scott to read a book to her he brought home from a recent conference. It's a really neat book for kids and it talks about how the story of Jesus is not a fairy tale and why it's not. Scott read the part about where Jesus rose from the dead.

"Nobody ever died like Jesus. Not even in fairy tales. Nobody ever rose from the dead like Jesus."

Ben piped in and said, "It's a good thing, cuz they would be zombies. Aaaahhhh!!!!!!"

Oh, that boy!!!!!!

Boyfriend?

Anna Kate came to me after AWANA tonight and told me she had a boyfriend. I asked her who...here is the conversation...

AK - Mommy, I have a boyfriend.

Me - Who is it?

AK - It's Riley.

Me - Daddy will punch him in the nose.

AK - No!!!!!!

Me - You better not hold his hand.

AK - Okay..........(hesitation) well, I did.

Scott looked at me a little slumped over...

Me - Anna Kate, you held his hand? (My tone here was panicked. I know it's just hand holding but I am definitely not ready for that!!!! She's only four!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

AK - Well, yeah, when we played Ring Around the Rosie...

Scott felt much better...

Monday Night

We did random activities on Monday evening. Unless we have someplace to go, that is usually what happens. Here Anna Kate was trying on her recital costume for her ballet recital in June.

Here she is trying to look mean with her brother's boxing gloves. I don't think it's possible...

Here are Ben and Scott throwing some punches. Ben could play like this all evening. Scott is such a great dad but eventually, he tires out. :-) Ben definitely has more energy than his dad!

A little confusion?

I have to clarify something. From the looks of the comments everyone thinks Scott built the deck on the front of the house. The deck was here when we bought the house and we wanted to go back to the brick and concrete stoop because it matches the house. The last picture posted is what it looks like right now. We have managed to plant grass in the big mud hole, however, we still have to get the gravel off of the side and plant more grass there plus fill in the hole. We also have to clean the brick up and put new rails up. I'll post more pictures once we get more work done, but with the rain and Scott's schedule, work days have been few and far between. We are hoping for a good Saturday evening!

I just wanted to clear up any confusion. Scott and I are both great at ripping out, but not so good at building...although we try! Hopefully, we can get the whole front done in the next month, or so! Once Scott graduates on MAY 2, it should be a whole lot easier to find work time!

Slow but sure....

Here is the porch with the rails and lattice down...


Here we are in the process of taking the boards off the porch. Scott and I worked ALL day on this. It was a hard job and I have to say, we work well together. I think we could work together daily...we are complete opposites so we generally stay out of each others way.

Next you see the frame to the porch. We had to quit for the day so we had to step over the frame to get in the front door until the next evening. I think our neighbors are probably wondering just how weird we are.

And...here it is...the stoop. It matches the house and I actually think it's going to work! We still have a ways to go. We have to put up rails, plant grass and get all the gravel up, but I definitely have a vision now! Now if I can just be patient as we try to work when Scott has time and around rain!

Ugliest Porch in America!!!

So, here are the upcoming projects for this spring and summer. I would like to think they will be done by summer, but I won't get my hopes up!

Here is the ugly faux stone wall! At one time, it was a garage door. They knocked out a wall and made a huge living area, which is great! However, I can't stand the "stone". I need an inexpensive suggestion! I can't afford french doors, so that's out. We are going to make a home for the garbage cans, they are just there right now for convenience. The basketball hoop will have to stay there. We use it all the time! The kids love to play out there and Scott does too.

This has got to be the ugliest porch...ever!!!!! Since we took this picture, we have started working on it. We have the rails and lattice work down. Under the porch we saw another small porch that was built with the house. I took up one of the boards of the deck to see it if looked like it was still in good shape. So far, so good! Our plan is to rip out the "deck" and clean up the existing porch that goes with the house, put some pretty rails up and plant grass in front. What do you think? I hope it turns out...I actually have been praying for it to turn out. I wish I could wriggle my nose and it all be done but, I can't. I have to remember how everything was last year though when we moved in. There was a toilet out back, the main bathroom was in horrible shape and Ben and Anna Kate were sharing a room. We really have been making progress quickly. It's just that I sit and look at it day in and day out and my list screams at me..."Finish me! Finish me!"

This definitely needs to be finished!!!!! Yuck! If anyone would like to nominate me for HGTV go right ahead! Maybe they would have pity on me!!! :-)