Sweetie-Baby in Yellow

Spring is here. It's time for running in the grass and wearing yellow flowers. Rachel pulls it off with a smile and a giggle. She loves being outside.

Grass

Here it is......still green.






Sod in the front yard.







Seed in the back.

Baby grass.

Santa Barbara

We just got back from beautiful Santa Barbara. We traveled for 2 days and visited for a day and a half. Well worth it! Our family out there seem to be happy and healthy. We really enjoyed just grabbing a few hours with them. After an eventful day at Phoenix Airport, we showed up at Uncle Nathan's Birthday Celebration. The surprise was a success. (Thanks Auntie Heidi for arranging everything) It was wonderful to be part of that day (even if just a small part at the end). I left our camera in the diaper bag until Sunday afternoon...so I just have some pics of a hike. I forgot the name of this park. I just know it was a beautiful place and a good time was had by all. Thanks SB Family, for making us feel at home.
-D
Walking down one of the endless corridors in Phoenix Airport.

Sunday Lunch. Nathan, Zaden, John, Heidi

The Hike

Suzy, Kyle, Frankie, Isa, John, Rachel, Deanna, Nathan
Heidi, Zaden

We crossed a stream several times. Here is Kyle taking the path less troden.

The end of the hike. Time to take it all in and then turn around.

First crossing on the way back. John and Kyle use the buddy system to make it across safely.

The plane ride home.

Happy Easter! and some extras

Easter Sunday
Lunch out after Church. Always color before meals!
At home.
Time for eggs...in a fluffy pink purse, of course.
Hmmmm, where did I put that last egg?

Oh.
For real, Rachel puts things behind her head as if to wear them. Sometimes they actually stay on, especially with a little help from a stiff collar.

A day in the life of Rachel...

Help mommy clean the floor.





Help daddy break in his shoes.





Don't forget to take some time out from play to dance.

The Yard

This has turned into our most labor-intensive home improvement project. Well, for John mostly. I just bring him food and water and Rachel waves from the window. John just finished putting in a sprinkler system. He got to use a big ride-on trencher; cut, lay and seal PVC pipe; and then after a bit of rain and dry weather had made the clay soil really hard, he filled in the trenches with a shovel. Testing the system was the most fun for me. I watched from inside as one of the sprinkler heads washed the entire back of our house. Woohoo! That saved me on some window washing. Then I watched from the front yard...no need to wash the front windows either. Everything has since been adjusted and works beautifully. Anyway, this was our bit of "QT" while Ginsy was visiting Rachel: I helped John lay the PVC. Maybe on our next date we'll do something even crazier, like plant shrubs. I'm proud of my husband for all of his manual labor. It was a nice break from his mundane, everyday tasks like flying airplanes around. He got blisters on his hands, earth under his fingernails, and sun on his neck.
Pictures of the finished product are yet to be taken. We'll get them on sooner or later.
-D

The Trenchoooooor!
















JD enjoyed cutting up the stubborn red clay. Just look at that perfect 90 degree angle.















Laying and sealing the pipes. The man was on a mission. He finished this portion of the job over night. He had to get the system sealed before the heavy rain due the following day.




Daddy is still outside.
After several days of me telling Rachel "Daddy is outside." she would run to the window and inquire "Da-da?" She then resorted to giving herself rides in her wagon; a game usually powered by JD.

The control center! Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha.


Intersection: Pipes for the lawn irrigation, landscaping irrigation, and the other side of the house lawn irrigation. (He couldn't go under the driveway) Also in this picture: a fiber optic cable in the orange (our internet provider) and wire for future external lighting or any other electic powered device one may need in one's yard.






And finally...an actual sprinkler head. Yes, it does after all water the grass.





Good job John! I'll post some pics of the green grass as soon as they are available.

2 Months and Counting

I'm pregnant!! We just heard our child's strong, steady heartbeat yesterday. All is going well so far and, Lord willing, he/she will be arriving in late October. John and I were so excited when we first found out! I don't think Rachel was so excited...she was a little confused why we were saying "yeah" and she hadn't even put her toys away. She eventually just clapped along. She has discovered the belly button; on herself and on mommy. I guess that's a start. She still cuddles her dolls and is learning to be gentle. Hopefully she'll be ready for a real-life doll at 21 months.

Visitors from Virginia

We had some wonderful visitors from Virginia this past month. Karrie, Emily, Michael and Katie came for a few days and Grandma Ginsy came for a few days. Rachel had her hands full and was constantly entertained. Karrie took care of Rachel when I got sick (to be addressed in the next post) and Grandma took care of Rachel so John and I could spend some quality time together (you'll see what I mean by "QT" two posts from this one). It is nice to be so near family again!
-D

A walk in the park.


Building with KAPLA blocks at Discovery Place. (Charlotte's Children's Science museum) JD's creation is in the front, Michael's stands in the background.

Pointing at animals in Discovery Place.
There was a Norman Rockwell exhibit where they made his art work come to life. Here are Karrie and Rachel driving a Ford Model-T in the exhibit. See if you can pick out some of Mr. Rockwell's other paintings.
Emily and Katie spend and evening at the Soda Fountain.





John and Deanna catch a sideways glance.






Michael and JD drive a WWII Army Jeep.

The kids experienced an assembly line similar to those used for aircraft and municians in WWII. (Well...kind of)

Grandma and Rachel share giggles at the kitchen door.