HaViN' FuN!

Parker and Hannah LOVE going to Papa and Grammies. Everything is so much more fun there than at our house. One of their favorite things to do is play on the water fall in the backyard. Parker thinks it is the most wonderful thing in the world and loves to climb up it. Hannah is a little hesitant, because she does not have the best balance (she gets this from her mom). If they are not on the waterfall, then you can find them on the swings, the slide or playing in the sandbox. Papa and Grammies is like going to the carnival for my kids.

Parker at the top of the waterfall.
Supermodel in the making.
My two cuties.

On a side note: My dad is home from the hospital and is doing really good. He will still need to get a lot of rest, but everything seems to be going well and we are so grateful for that. Thanks again for all your love, concern, support and prayers. We really appreciate it.

FuNky FLOweR

I have been over at my parents the past few days since my dad came home from the hospital. I was outside playing withe the kids and saw this funky flower that my mom had in one of her pots. I had never seen a flower like this before. Parker called it, "The Funky Flower."

DaD

These past few days having been a roller coaster ride for our family. My dad went in on Monday to his doctor and they scheduled him for an angioplasty on Wednesday morning. My dad went in and they were able to complete the surgery in his right artery of his heart. (This was his ninth angioplasty) When he came out of the surgery he was in so much pain, they decided to go back in and see if something else was going on. They found that the right artery wasn't holding up so good and that the left artery was 80% blocked. They than scheduled a triple bypass for Thursday morning. We all knew that this was coming eventually, but in the back of your mind you just wish it wouldn't.
They were finally able to do his open heart surgery yesterday afternoon and he pulled through will flying colors. He did great. He looks so amazing for going through two heart surgerys in 24 hours. He is still in a lot of pain, but hopefully in the next few weeks he will start feeling like himself again.
His doctor said his heart is very strong and he did so well, he had no complications. Situations like this really make you think different and you really appreciate all you have. Watching my dad go through this has made our family stronger. Our Dad is such a rock in our family. We love him so much and his grand babies our obsessed with him. Parker, Hannah and Carter can't figure out why they can't see him and they keep asking for him. I think Hannah and Carter asked, "Where Papa?" over a hundred times yesterday. They love their Papa.
I am just so thankful for everyone who has prayed for my dad and our family, all the phone calls, hospital visits, food, all the hugs, the list goes on. We are truly grateful for all the loving family and friends we have.
Thank You so Much for your thoughtfulness and concern!
We are still praying for a quick recovery, so dad can get back to all the things he loves to do.
We Love You DAD!

Our Extreme Yard Makeover

I apologize for taking so long to post pics of our yard. I feel like we have been doing yard work every night for two months. My body is aching in places I didn't know existed and my face is so sunburned, I look like a tomato. During this entire yard process, I just kept reminding myself that it was going to be worth it in the end and I will be the first to admit that I wanted to give up several times. We have finished the front yard and it was definitely worth all the hard work. So, here are some not so pretty pics from before and our finished project. I honestly can not believe how much I love grass, trees and plants. You take it for granted when you don't have them.

We were just starting to lay down our sod in this picture:

This picture is on the left side of the house. The plan is to do a planter, grass and cement. The AFTER PICTURE! Grass never looked so good.

I must apologize for this picture, could we honestly have any more toys (seriously, I rarely let this occur) but this pic shows the planter, grass and some of the new cement.

Sorry about our cars being in the way.This is a picture of the other side of the house in front of the fence.

Hopefully, everything will grow fast and fill in.
This is the planter in front of my porch. I love all the colors.

Thanks mom for all your advice on what I should do.

I will post more pictures of the backyard. We are lucky at this point

that I even posted some of the front pictures because I am such a

slacker. Just remember, if you ever get bored, you can come to my

house and I will put you to work. :)

UpDatEs!

1. We have GRASS and it is so wonderful!!
2. Jas and I are so tired. Our hands, wrists, backs, legs, pretty much our whole body is sore and we hurt all over. If we have to shovel any more dirt, rock, etc. I think we may go insane.
3. I am addicted to Diet Moutain Dew and Diet Caffeine Free Mt. Dew. It is sooooo good.
4. If I have to watch one more Star Wars movie or see Mulan one more time, you may have to put me away in a padded room for a while.
5. We chopped all of Hannahs hair off. I couldn't take it any more. Doing the sponge rollers every day was okay, but she was starting to get sick of that and the complaining was getting out of hand. Jas says her hair looks like Demi Moores in the movie Ghost.
6. Parker is still massively OBSESSED with Star Wars. Where ever we go something is star wars, the shopping cart is a jet wing fighter, the trees outside are storm troopers, the list goes on. He incorporates star wars at pre-school and primary. I guess Obi One Kenobi came down out of heaven just like Jesus did. That is what he informed his Primary class. That kid has the best imagination and is making me laugh every day.

**I will post pics of our yard in the next few days and pics of Hannys hair.