Remember that time when our kitchen flooded? Well we officially have it all back together again! Finally! We only lack one cute little decoration I'm working on (also, I need to mop) and then we'll post pictures like crazy. I wanted to take a second before we did that to document a few creative breakthroughs we had during the process. Call them white trash, call them genius, here they are, in no particular order. Patents pending. Backyard Soaking Step 1: Burn dinner Step 2: Take pots outside Step 3: Fill with hose water Step 4: Wait (Overnight for best results) Step 5: Scrub and dump dirty water in the grass Step 6: Throw away the middle pot because really there's just no hope for that kind of charrage. Breakfast in Bed. Step 1: Grow way, way too much zucchini and have no place to put it. Step 2: Be addicted to (and experiencing withdrawals from) baked goods.     Step 3: Put down a towel on the bedroom floor and put yourself (and n...

Bryn is four years old! Her birthday was at a chaotic time this year with the remodel and my lightning-fast trip to Georgia, but come it did, and we partied. She wanted a party (under Addison's influence, I think), and so we did one. Looking back on it, I don't think I'd do another one for a four year old - a little young, but she had a really good time, and they were all so cute. It was a bird party, because she loves everything bird. Balloons from Daddy. He tied them by her bed so she saw them first thing when she woke up. Bryn's main birthday wish was to go to the farmer's market and get a balloon animal. Daddy made it happen that morning before her party. It's a swan. Our ripped-apart, but stylishly decorated family room and kitchen. Pin the bird in the birdhouse. I think this was the thing about the party that Bryn was the most excited about. We made bird/sparkly/stickery/glittery headbands. A fishing game, just with birds...

Check out this cute kid! He broke his arm last night! It had been a particularly chaotic evening. We had four people over helping to hang the sheetrock in our kitchen, dinnertime had come and gone (at 7:00) while Nate and the guys were in there working. The kids were tired and in desperate need of baths. We were all sweating our faces off because the doors had been open all day to cut down on dust inhalation. The house looked like an explosion or two had gone off, you know, that sort of a day. My friend Melissa had come over earlier to bring some tools to her hubby, and seeing the amazing state of things (and, I'm sure, of me), she stopped by again later with some toys and cookies for the kids. Seriously, I've said it before and I'll say it again, we have the best ward and friends on the planet. We were outside and the kids were playing on the swingset. I was in the process of thanking her profusely and reassuring her (okay, mainly myself) that we'd be just fine...

It all started first thing on June 10th. Nate was on his 6th day in Canada for a conference, and was returning home the following afternoon. I woke up, stretched, and read my scriptures in bed with Addison there chattering in one ear all the while. Then Leah started calling her good mornings from the other room, so I headed downstairs to get her a bottle. As I got closer to the bottom of the stairs, I noticed a strange sound. It sounded like the sink was on full blast. Confused and still half asleep I decided that couldn't be it because the kids can't reach the kitchen sink to turn it on. So I decided the sprinklers were on outside and one had gotten turned around and was pounding the side of the house (which, frankly, needs a good pressure washing anyway.) To my astonishment, I turned the corner to discover that the sprinkler was actually in the house. There was a pressurized spray shooting from the wall across the kitchen and everything was soaked. There were also sever...