Picture Day.

I'm just going to throw a few pictures up here in hopes of regaining my blogging momentum.  These pics were courtesy of our friend Danell Beede.  If you need some rockin' portraits, this is your girl.  Visit www.danellbeede.com, and you might even notice someone you recognize on her portfolio!  Thanks Danell!!

Spring Fevers revisited.

So yesterday, our dear Ave got another fever, which culminated in a night of coughing, moaning, and dripping snot all over my chest.  She could only half-sleep if I was holding her upright.  I have not slept.  At all.  I may be a little bit crazy.  I'm breaking down and using the electronic babysitter so that Gracen will at least hear some coherent thoughts today.

And also, we're getting new HVAC today.  Oh yippy.  Forgot that was on the agenda for today.  Not really how I was wanting to spend our savings (or this Monday), though thanks to the stimulus package, you get a "true" tax credit with your '09 taxes if you are green enough in your choices.  If you need a new system, this is the time of year and "the" year to do it. Still, no amount of incentive makes this anywhere close to exciting, except that maybe we'll have a power bill out of the $350 range.  We're also getting a fancy shmancy thermostat, which I'm hoping will at least amuse us enough to help us forget our depleted account.

Hope all are having a snotless, feverless Monday.  

spring fevers.

The little ladies are enjoying spring fevers. Literally. Avery had a fever for four days with no other symptoms, and now Gracen is on day two or three. It's an odd little bug, but I guess a good one to have considering there is no puking or crazy snot falling out of their faces. I can't believe we're STILL dealing with sicknesses. I suppose this is normal if you leave the house during the winter, but seriously! I'm over it already.

We've been busy around here. We're in the process of building up our garden. We're doing Square Foot Gardens to maximize space and production while eliminating excessive work. I've been sadly attempting small gardens for years, but I give up, get lazy, get bored, get hot, get frustrated, and end up with two half-eaten tomatoes. This year Gracen is my inspiration, as she's eating up the whole process. She got her very own wheel burrow today to go along with her gardening tools. She's actually quite handy for a nearly-three-year-old. Avery likes to eat the twine, vermiculite, and turkey poop (also, wildly helpful).

Fortunately, Adam climbed very high betwixt two trees and hung a very large chain so that our swings could, in fact, swing. So now, Avery can be swinging (and, more importantly, contained and happy), and Gracen and I can rush over to her for a push while we're gardening. After he put them up last weekend, Gracen couldn't get over how amazing her father was. For example:

Mama: "This is a really good apple. How's yours?"
Gracen: "My Daddy's so cool."
later:
M: "G, you need to go take a nap now."
G: "Adam's awesome."
later:
M: "Can you go get the dog bowls for me?"
G: "Did you know that my Adam made a horse swing for me? I fink he hoves me."
later:
M: "Do you and Ave want to go swing for a while?"
G: "Daddy's my favorite."


Strong work Papa.

I'll post more gardening pics as things progress. Gracen and I hung the deer netting around the posts this morning. We have a lot of deer. I love them. Daddy hates them. Gracen just wants to make a cage for them and give them speeches about not eating daddy's plants. She has it all rehearsed for them.


In other news, I am now a Mac user. My old laptop should have been tossed out a few years back, but I just kept hoping it would somehow heal itself. It did not. I never actually took it to anyone to fix it, which I'm realizing now may have been helpful. But, oh my, I am in love with my new 'puter. Completely. If anyone is having doubts on if they should convert from a PC, let me be the first to say, YES. You will not be disappointed.


The real reason for getting this lovely new machine is that I wanted to get back into a writing groove. There are blogs, novels and poems to be written. Now I just need to get out of the yard and start writing them. Maybe I'll just put a comfy chair in my garden and write out there...

And we love these people...(especially when they let us come to play whilst contagious and gross)

twelve.

Another year has gone by, and I don't really miss him any less.  I think after having babies of my own, it gets even tougher because I know how much he'd be in love with these little girls.  They're lucky that they have their amazing Pops and Papa Jim, and they'll never really know just how much is missing from their lives.  But I do.  

Today's weather was identical to the sunny, breezy day back then.  An absolutely perfect spring day. 

<----Check out that little piece of cuteness.  That baby makes gorgeous grand babies. 

daddy and baby annie belle

daddy and a newborn ronny mac

me and my papa

2 week shanna and daddy

sisters loving on daddyman

daddy and shanna christmas morning