Hope you can see this design. Keri has worked hard on it.

Transforming our Backyard

Ok so I'll admit, doing landscaping is not my forte. I'd much rather work an equation than a brick. After doing the irrigation and grass, I determined that it was going to take me a long time before I was going to get the rest of it done. So here we are, almost 5 years after moving into our house with the backyard in about the same shape almost three years ago (just a few more weeds). So, we saved up our pennies and decided to have someone who knows what they are doing help us out. We will take you through the various stages of development. I'll even post the autocad drawing Keri has been working on for the last few months to design the layout.

Keri is really getting into this cloth diaper thing. She has started to make covers for the diapers, even. Here, Owen is showing off the latest fashion in cloth diapering accessories - The Tarzan Cover. A wool cover designed to keep even the heaviest drinkers dry...(oh I hope we can potty train this kid soon.) This thing actually does a pretty good job at keeping the leaks to a minimum.

Re-caulking the shower: Daddy and Owen

My first attempt at making this thing work.

On Saturday, September 20, I decided that I would re-caulk the master bathroom shower after I noticed it was starting to crack. Of course, Owen wanted to be right in the middle of things and found the tools I was using particularly interesting. He decided that he was going to help out by plopping himself down on my feet in front of me and working on one wall while I was working on the other. We had a great time together digging out the old caulk. As we were working and talking, Owen said to me, "Dad, my birthday is December 10th, when is yours?" I would tell him mine and Keri's and Bruce's as he would sequentially go through the family. He also was very intrigued with the MP3 player and would laugh when he heard music coming out of the earbud after putting it in his ear and then mine. Then, he said, "Dad, I love you." It was a particularly poignant moment for me as a father. It was the first time Owen had said that to me without being prompted or coached. Owen is, as a general rule, a mommas boy and he really clings to her. It was a special experience to build that father-son relationship and get feedback on how he feels.