Dreaming of Warmer Days

It has been quite rainy these past few days and it has cooled down significantly too, so I thought I would post pictures of the pond in our backyard- the first ones of the year. (Taken last week.) The beautiful warm spring weather gave us a little tease I suppose, but hopefully warmer temperatures will be in our near future. Things are beginning to brighten and grow.The koi seem happy about warmer weather too.And...another iris picture from the backyard (still beautiful despite the fine pollen dusting.)

1st Haircut

Last week Christian had his first (and long overdue) haircut. My sweet friend Ashley's sister cuts hair so she came over to our house. Christian was not the easiest little client, but somehow she managed to do a great job and clip all those crazy long hairs and even a few curls *sniffle.* Here are some shots (although not the best) of the result- now he looks even older than before.

Just a Cutie

How about a cute little face to start your day? Works for me :o)

One Extra

With Spring comes Spring Cleaning! Yay! And I really do mean "yay!" Of course in my mind I think of organizing and cleaning out closets vs. the actual cleaning. I feel like we are generally pretty good about cleaning when it comes to vacuuming, bathrooms, and the surface stuff, but I admit, I am not good about the nitty gritty (window washing, moving furniture to clean, dusting, cleaning shutters, light fixtures, ceiling fans...well, you get the picture.) When we moved into our house last May, we did a good cleaning of all the cabinets, shelves, and drawers before unpacking, but that is pretty much where it ended. We had only lived here three months before Steve left for his deployment, so we did not get everything done as far as a good deep cleaning and also project-wise. I mostly did the obvious cleaning while he was away in attempt to keep my head above water and still have a little time to myself. So, in addition to our long "to do" list of outdoor projects before spring and summer really hit, we have a nice long list of indoor projects and "to do's" as well. To help us get our home clean and in order, Steve had this idea that in addition to our normal, every day/weekly cleaning tasks (such as laundry, dishes, wiping the counters, bathrooms, vacuuming, etc...) we should each tackle one extra task each day. Something that might be forgotten or go without being cleaned for a long period of time. For example, that might mean cleaning the shutters and windows in a room, the shelves in the refrigerator, or the baseboards or switch plates. Just those little things that get lost in the big picture. Lately I have been working on our windows and plantation shutters room by room. I haven't cleaned them the entire time we have lived here, and quite honestly I am not sure if the former owner ever cleaned them either. Yikes! So...it does feel good to have those cleaned instead of procrastinating and thinking, "I really should clean those one of these days soon." It is the little stuff. And though I was a little insulted at first by Steve's idea ("So you're saying I'm not a good housekeeper?") I am beginning to see how easy it is and how it will definitely pay off in the long run (especially since Steve is helping and doing "one extra" everyday too.)

I promise to post some pictures of the inside of our home sometime soon. It is about time! (Maybe once more cleaning is accomplished *wink.*) How do you keep up with all the housework, dust bunnies, and those little forgotten things?

[This is our home from last summer. Not sure if you can tell in the photo, but all the plants were crazy, out-of-control...so much so that it was a little hard to tell what was weed vs. perennial, shrub, etc. In addition to Spring Cleaning we have been working on a list of outdoor projects and yard work now before everything has a chance to take over at lightning speed. Cannot wait for that lush green though!]

Hello Spring!

It's officially here! The pollen storm has begun too. I remember how surprised I was last Spring to see everything covered in a yellow dusting. Now it is rather annoying as a home owner. It is everywhere and gets tracked into the house so easily, especially with a little boy who likes to be in and out. As I recall it only lasted a couple of weeks, so hopefully it will be the same this year.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade- kept in heaven for you...."
~1 Peter 1:3-4

Wow! What a precious promise. The One who has called us toward a heart change has already given us everything we need for it to take place!

Christian is 18 Months

I cannot believe our "baby" is a year and a half. Christian is looking more and more like a little boy, rather than a baby or toddler. He is thinning out from all the running and constant movement. I think his smile also makes him look older...all those teeth! Despite being a little ornery at times, Christian is truly a joy. He has such a fun personality, sense of humor, and a great smile, although so very hard to catch on camera sometimes (then again, it is hard to catch him on camera other than the back of his head.) C has been talking away, not a lot of clear words yet, but A LOT of animal, car, and plane sounds. Other than the not-so-fun discipline part of this age, we truly enjoy watching Christian learn and interact with others. Such a blessing to see the world through the eyes of a child.

Weekend Links 3/11

Some weekend reading (as if you didn't have other things to do.)

Small Notebook:: Loosen the Grip of "More Stuff"

Passionate Homemaking:: Simple Steps to Declutter Your Home

Small Notebook:: The Man/T-shirt Connection: Why Guys Still Love Their Worn-Out Tees

Small Notebook:: Waiting to Upgrade: How an Ugly Couch Made Our Marriage Better

Happiness

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

~Frederick Keonig

Disney Magic

Our final trip during Steve's R & R after his deployment was to...you guessed it...Disney World! If you know us well, you know that we (especially Steve) love Disney World and Disneyland. We had season passes to Disneyland the majority of the time while we were stationed at Edwards AFB in California. It was always fun being able to take the 1.5-2 hour (once 6 due to a wildfire) drive to Disneyland for a little getaway from the desert. Christian is almost 18 months and has already been to Disneyland and Disney World 2 times now! What a spoiled little boy. :o) Anyway, back to our trip....

We had a wonderful time! We stayed at the Shades of Green military resort, which was quite a bargain for being so nice and also within walking distance to Disney's Polynesian Hotel and the transportation center. We went to EPCOT 2 days (because it is our favorite park) and the Magic Kingdom 1 day, and of course, Downtown Disney because I needed to get my Ghirardelli hot chocolate. :o)

Christian loved any chance that he could walk around, explore, and help Disney with their gardening needs. (Spending so much time at our house doing yard work lately has translated into Christian wanting to dig in the dirt and rearrange the mulch.)

It was fun to see C's face light up and he especially seemed to enjoy "Its a Small World" and "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" aquarium at EPCOT. Each morning Christian was excited for another day and would actually want to be in his stroller (temporarily) ready to head out from our hotel room.

EPCOT was having their "International Flower and Garden Festival" which was really neat to see the Disney character topiaries and beautiful gardens. I especially liked the butterfly garden.

Other than Christian having a stomach bug on the way home and enduring a very smelly 7.5 hour drive (we had to pull over to change his clothes 3 times) we had an excellent Disney World vacation. I am sure that future Disney plans will be in order soon. But now, after 3 weeks of fun together, today it is back to reality.

Happy Birthday Steve!

Today is Steve's 28th! Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, and friend. You are loved and bring so much happiness to those who know you. Hope you have a special day! We love you!!