Sprucing Up The Yard

Our yard is nicely landscaped, but a few areas need some sprucing up. Plants have outgrown their space, and in many areas weeds have started to creep in (or take over!) Two weekends ago I got the brilliant idea at about noon on Saturday to redo the back landscaping off the patio. And by 5pm on Sunday we had made it happen. I'm very pleased. I took out some ground cover that wasn't really covering much, some lilies that were too close to the house, some random half dead stuff that I couldn't really identify. There was a beautiful huge hosta that I wanted to save and transplanted it to the other side of the yard. So far it's still alive..yeah!!

Unfortunately I didn't take any before photos. But here is the "after". We decided to go with the "buy small, they'll grown in" plan because bushes can get quite pricey. We got a few boxwoods in the back, some blue flowering perennials for in front of the big rock, and a "fro bush" as we like to call it, for the front corner. Walter put in some edging and we spread rock and some new stepping stones too. I'm thrilled with the outcome and can't wait to watch it all fill in over the next few years.

Speaking of that big rock...how neat is that! Apparently when the house across the street was built this rock was found in the process of digging for the foundation. The previous owners convinced the crew to bring it over here for decoration. It will be a great rock for X to climb on and it even has a hole in the side where he can hide a toy or two.

My next endeavor is cleaning up the side yard landscaping. You really can't see this area much so I don't want to spend a lot of $$ on it, but it's a mess. Here's the before and me pulling out ground cover.

You see that green thing to the right of my head? It's a weed that's actually turned into a weird plant! Talk about a fast grower. My plan is to save the bushes that are there but give them a severely needed haircut. Then I want to transplant a few bushes from the front landscaping (that is up next for renovation) to fill in the gaps. Maybe a little mulch and we'll call it a day. Not sure when I'll have this side finished. I started it last week, then got sick, and now it's hot here again (heat and pregnancy don't exactly mix well!) And I pretty much have to work on it when X is sleeping or with Walter because he likes to take off to other parts of the yard where I can't see him. So hopefully I'll be back soon with pictures of the finished product!

Lazy Saturday

UPDATE:
I'm supposed to be picking up my parents right now but I'm at home instead. I had to send Walter to get them because X went into a meltdown tonight and would NOT go to bed. Normally you just do the prayers, sing, yada yada, pop him in the crib and he goes to sleep on his own. Well, he was not havin it tonight -- screaming in the crib and wanting mommy! I ended up rocking him to sleep which took until 9:45pm. Geesh...guess my laziness earlier today backfired on me!

ORIGINAL POST:
Every once in a while you just need a lazy day. Today is our day. I've been sick with a cold all week. Today I'm starting to see a light at the end of my Kleenex pile but am in no way feeling back to my normal self yet. By the way, I totally think I could have kicked this thing days ago had I been allowed to take some good ol fashion strong cold medicine. Instead I was told I could take Dymatap...kids version, and 1 Tylenol at a time. Gee, thanks doc. Hope this baby comes out a genius for all the sacrifices I make!

Anyway, X started talking at 5:15am on the monitor. I'm pretty sure it was because he woke up and couldn't find his binker. He finally did sleep again from 6:30-8:30am after some snugglin time with mommy. So, we all got a late start. Walter made us his famous french toast and we hung out on the couch. I did manage to shower and put in a load of laundry, but it was 11am by this point, so I wasn't exactly moving at lightening speed. At noon X and Walter decided to get in our jacuzzi tub. X had never been in it and what better way to work up an appetite for lunch?

It's now after 3pm, Walter and X are napping and I'm blogging and watching some stupid Ben Stiller movie. None of us have set foot outside yet (except Walter did grab the laptop from the car) and we have no plans to do anything productive the rest of the afternoon. I'm picking up my parents from the airport tonight and if that's the only thing I get accomplished today it will be just fine with me.

I'm even too lazy to post any pictures......

Don't Put Me Down

Walter was out of town all last week for work. So, needless to say X was thrilled on Friday night when he came home. Saturday morning Walter tried to cut the grass but X was not havin it. He just wanted Walter to hold him ALL MORNING. Walter's first attempt was cutting the grass holding X.


Well, luggin 28lbs on your arm gets old pretty quick. I suggested he put X on his back in the sling. We haven't used that sucker in ages so I had to go dig it out. That lasted for a while after Walter got over his you're makin me wear the "mommy curtain" (that's what he calls the sling) attitude. X liked it, but he kept slipping and we didn't want to waste any more of the morning trying to readjust him.

So finally I just finished cutting the grass myself and these 2 "schmo's" hung out in the hammock together. I'm pretty sure I got the raw deal on that one!!

But some much needed daddy time is what turned X back into the happy little boy we know and love.

This "hold me" episode did get me thinking though. I've been looking online about making a Mai Tai carrier to use with the new baby, but I think it would definitely work for X as well to be carried on your back. He just never got into liking the sling, even when he was younger. We had a Baby Bjorn knockoff too and he hated that for the most part. I've heard good things about the Ergo, but all these baby carriers are so expensive so I'm going to try my hand at making my own. Wish me luck on that sewing project!

Some Randomness

What do you do with a kid that wakes up from a nap with this pitiful look on his face?

You get him to help you make a meatloaf and then all is right with the world.

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Hmmmm.....I don't think some of these things belong in there? I do have to give him points for speed though. X was able to make 3 trips from the living room to the laundry room with his hands full of toys while I moved clothes from the washer to the dryer.

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It's as if he's thinking...."Ummm, Daddy, I don't think this is how I'm supposed to sit in this thing??"

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A cute pic of me and my boy! Since I'm mostly on the other side of the camera these are few and far between.

Good Aim

This evening X and I were playing outside. I brought him in for a snack before his bath. I stripped him down naked since he was dirty and let him sit on the island to eat a bowl of cereal. Then I always move him to sit on the side of the sink, with his feet dangling into the sink, to brush his teeth. Well wouldn't ya know that he decided to start peeing 2 seconds after I set him next to the sink. Luckily, because of the way he was sitting, he peed RIGHT INTO THE SINK- perfect (yet unintentional) aim! Sometimes things just work out I guess.

(And don't worry, I did wipe down the counters where his naked booty was sitting!)

Wordless Wednesday -- Flashback 1 Year Ago

Daddy's Boy

My name is Xavier and I love my daddy. We look alike, don't you think?

Daddy's in charge of bath time. He gets me all clean and stacks up my letters like a fortress.

I like to get up EXTRA early on the weekends so I don't miss a minute with daddy. And I like to wake him with a kiss.

One of my favorite things to do is pile all my toys on top of Daddy so he can't move.

And we like to go out to eat together (and give mommy the same weird face when she takes our picture).

I've got the best daddy in the world.

50 Cents

What is the best way to spend 50 Cents at the Goodwill?

Buy Horsey Slippers for your grandson!

Thanks Gma Dee -- Xavier LOVES these.

It Rained On My Parade

One word to describe our 4th of July -- WET.

We had hoped to take X to the local parade but it ended up raining all morning so we didn't go. Walter was pretty down about it because he really wanted this to be a tradition for X. We went last year and despite sleeping through half of the parade, X seemed to dig the view from daddy's shoulder.

Maybe next year we'll shlep BOTH the kids to the parade.

So since we were not going to the parade I took it upon myself to use that time to guilt Walter into cleaning all the bathrooms. Nice, eh! I pulled out the old "I've cleaned them the last 4 times and I clean EVERYTHING else around here" speech. It worked, and I'm happy to report that we had sparkly clean bathrooms by lunchtime. I spent the morning cleaning other stuff, making deviled eggs, and wrapping a bday gift.

That afternoon we went to my parent's house to celebrate my grandma's 92nd birthday. Yes, you read that right, she's 92 and still kickin. It was a nice little party and I ate WAAAYYY to much food. We were able to let X play outside for a bit in between the rain, but once we sat down to dinner (inside) it started to pour again. My gma didn't really want gifts so I made a neat collage of pictures for her of all the grand kids. I think she liked it.

Here's our 4th of July family photo. Let's see, the background is red and gold, X is playing with measuring spoons, and Walter is wearing green. Yeah, that about sums up most attempts at a good family photo.

After the party I was exhausted (this pregnancy thing really cuts into my nightlife - haha) so we headed home and got a Red Box on the way. Benjamin Button -- 2.5 hours of my life that I will never get back. Don't waste your time, it's just weird.

I only saw a few fireworks from my window because I was more interested in laying on the couch. X slept through them all. Maybe next year he can have his own sparkler!!

Low key day, but overall it was a great weekend and I sooo enjoyed having Walter home for 3 days. Gotta love a long weekend.

Booty In The Air Like Ya Just Don't Care

Swim Like A Fish

I took X to the pool one morning last week. He hadn't been since last summer and I knew that he'd probably be a little timid since he takes awhile to warm up to new things. Well, he pretty much HATED the whole thing (as evidenced by the fact that he has his binky) and cried almost the entire time. Maybe he just didn't like his all in one flotation devise/swimsuit? It's a great idea, but he was NOT diggin it. Hard to see in the photo, but it has styrofoam pads in the chest all the way around.


The second pool experience went much better. Walter and I took him Saturday evening after dinner (yeah, our big Saturday night plans!!!) We went the route of good old swim trunks and I think X much preferred that look. Walter got him used to the water by playing with the fire hydrant fountain first. It was a hit!

The first few steps in the water were a little scary, but X quickly gained his confidence and was ready to play.

We have access to 3 pools - one in our neighborhood, and 2 adjoining neighborhoods. This one is awesome because it's small and totally geared towards little kids. The deepest part of the pool is 3 1/2 ft. There is a zero entry, froggy slide, lazy river, and big umbrellas that keep parts of the pool shaded. X really liked going around the lazy river.

Here's the only way I really ever want to be photographed in a swimsuit -- under the water where things are blurred and cellulite is hidden. Coincidentally I'm at that "don't really look pregnant, just look kinda fat" stage of the pregnancy where a swimsuit is not my friend.

After almost an hour and a half we decided to head for home. We were the only ones left at this little pool and the teenage lifeguard was looking like she had better places she'd rather be. So, it was time to towel off.

And what does every good little swimmer do when they get home from the pool? Why, you have a bowl of cheerios and head off to bed.

But don't forget to drink your milk!