More Daily Life

We've got lots going on over the next month and half.  Two big vacations and two little ones.  We are really blessed to be able to do so many fun things this summer with lots of people that we love!  I'll post more about all of that later.  For now here is just more daily life.

Just goofing around.  She is such a ham!  I love love love this little girl.  She cracks me up on a daily basis.

She loves looking for airplanes and gets really excited when she has spotted one.  Which is what  you are seeing here.  

Just waking up from a nap.  This is classic Leland to me.  Snuggling her little blankie with her binkie.  So sweet.

She also loves brushing her teeth.  

Garden Life

So Here is our backyard!  I've so been looking forward to having a yard and a garden.  We've still got lots to do before it's the way I want it, but gardening is a lot about trial and error and for my first year, I think it looks pretty good.  I'm keeping a little notebook of what worked and what didn't and I'm writing some ideas down for next year.  I'd love to have some raised beds on casters that I can move around the back patio area with lettuce and strawberries next year.  I'd also like to start a compost pile.  This is it for now though.  You should come join us for some margaritas and a bbq!  

So our garden adventure began when we removed aaalllllll of these rocks by had from our garden.  Six straight hours worth of work, but it had to be done, much to Stephen's dismay.

The only plant that was in the garden was a peony bush.  Just like the kind that were in my wedding bouquet.

This is the midway point.  After the rocks were removed, but before we planted anything.  I really do enjoy gardening.  I just love being outside.

This is a little container garden I have going with some veggies and herbs.  Some of it got frostbite, so we'll see how things turn out.

Here is a more complete picture of the backyard.  There use to be grass all along the right side of the fence which Stephen dug out for me so we cold plant more flowers.  Lots of the usual suspects for a Michigan garden.  hosta, lilies, hydrangea, butterfly bushes, a lilac bush, iris' and some dahlia's.  Stephen and Leland like to cloud watch. 

Just a few pics

Here are some recent pics in no particular oder.

Easter morning. Leland enjoyed her Easter egg hunt and a few goodies hidden in her room.

She loooves ritz crackers.

Looking for eggs. It's more of just an Easter egg gather when they are this small. :-)

So the night before Easter Leland was playing outside and fell right on her face. It doesn't really look that bad. It look much, much worse once it scabbed over. Anytime we went somewhere strangers would say to her , "Oh! Look at the boo boo on you little face!" Then Leland would point to her nose and make this little noise like poor me. She really knew how to milk the attention. What a goofball.

Getting a closer look at her eggs.

A little playful moment in her room.

A VERY RARE quiet moment on the couch where she actually let me put a blanket on her and she sat there for probably 10 minutes or so. Literally she never ever ever ever ever does that. EVER.

We also had to buy a new garage door and garage door opener. The joys of home ownership.

This is Leland having the run of the Henry Ford Museum. It's a great place. I'll post more about that later.

Winter... Sort of

Has anyone else had difficulty getting motivated lately? The warm weather was great for my motivation. Now it's kinda cold again and I'm feeling lazy... again. But I'm trying to over come that by blogging.

It snowed only twice this winter where there was actually enough snow to shovel. Once was a Saturday morning. Leland and I stayed cozy inside watching Stephen do all the work from our living room window.

Leland waving to her dad.

This is our little neighborhood with a fresh inch or two of snow. I actually didn't really miss not having snow.

When we purchased our house this is how I envisioned life. Me inside making dinner and enjoying some wine while Leland plays outside with her dad until it's time to eat. I love it!

Gato Negro Chardonnay is my favorite. Meijer always has it on sale for $4 a bottle!

That is our new Ford Freestyle in the garage. Who knew driving a station wagon would be so fun. Whenever we drive somewhere now we say we're "freestylin' " Get it?

And this is what a typical dinner in our house looks like.

Phew...

We made it through the move and the holidays! Been feeling really grateful lately. Here are lots of pictures from all that has been going on. Excuse the poor quality, not in the mood to edit and color correct tonight. We've all been sick with colds and I'm glad I even found the motivation to do this instead of sitting on our new couch, curled up under a blanket reading Harry Potter.

Here we go...

At Leland's 15 mo. check up she needed four separate shots. It was the first time I got a little teary watching her have to get those needles poked in her little legs. Too bad she can't appreciate the neon colored bandages.

Leland really enjoyed eating all the various Thanksgiving foods. This is at my parent's house.

This is at my aunt and uncles in Saginaw the day after Thanksgiving.

Various cousins, their children and pets the day after Thanksgiving. Very warm weather for that time of year.

Leland did NOT enjoy her first meeting with Santa as you can see.

This is our livingn room/dining room in our new house before we had the floors redone.

Down the hallway to the bedrooms and bathroom.

Moving day! Those first few days are always so overwhelming. Luckily we had lots of help.

Leland rocking for the first time in her new room.

Christmas morning in our new house. It was nice.

I just put up a tiny little tree. Can't have Christmas morning without a tree.

Leland on our front porch all dolled up.

Posing for a Christmas pic and my parents house later that day.

She got this wagon from my parents, and it's been so warm I've already been able to take her on a few short walks with it.

Stephen got this really cool travel mug which he totally loves.

Shelby and I.

My grandma turned 90 on the 30th! Here she is blowing out her candles at her party.

Christmas in Farwell! Leland with her cousins.

Opening presents.

Leland enjoyed mimi's lasagna so much she had three helping and licked her plate clean.

The girls coloring this really fun club house Cassie got for Christmas.

Now the decorating of our house can begin!!! I've been waiting to decorate a house for a looong time! I'll be blogging about that for sure.

Wanted: Christmas Cheer

I just can't seem to get in the Christmas spirit this year. It's probably because we aren't putting up a tree, and our belongings are slowly being packed away.

We made an offer on a house Sunday, September 25. Our offer was accepted that same day, and we're still not living in our new home! We closed on our hosue Nov. 18, which seemed to take forever to arrive because the seller was giving us a hard time about repairs he said he would fix, but then wanted us to take responsibility for at the last minute, which is another story entirely, and he asked for 30 days after closing to move out. He is paying us rent in the mean time, which is nice, I'll admit. But, when we talked to the seller at closing he admitted he had no idea WHERE he was moving or WHEN he'd be moving out. I mean, I knew he had thirty days, but I didn't think he'd take all thirty! It seems if you are selling your house you'd have some idea of where you were going to go. It's been very frustrating, because with his deadline to be out looming, he still has no idea when he'll be out. I'm so frustrated with this guy! Just get out of our house already!

Anyway, we're really excited to get in there and start working on it. We plan on tearing up carpet and having the floors finished before we even move in. And for the first time ever we are hiring movers! Hot dog! But I'm not getting my hopes of being in before Christmas, and I'm just trying to get over that fact that I probably won't have time to bake, or decorate. It stinks! Next year I'm going all out! Don't be offended if you don't get a Christmas card from us this year either. It's not that we don't love you, I just don't see us getting around to it. So, if you have any extra Christmas cheer, or a really organized elf that is good at packing, send it my way.

And now for a couple of Leland pictures.

Leland's preferred method of eating chicken noodle-o's.

Cuddle time with dad while she recovered from croup.

Halloween Fun

Lots of pictures today! We had a really fun Halloween weekend. Spent Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoon in Farwell. Then we took Leland to her Wyandotte grandparents for a little trick-or-treating action. She LOVED walking around and looking at everyone in their costumes. It was really fun to watch her.

On the porch and her grandma and grandpa's with her pumpkin.

This one cracks me up.

Carving pumpkins at mimi and papas house.

Leland and Aunt Christina on CMU's campus.

Supermodel Cassie.

Alden and Leland running around.

Uncle Dan took this one!

Looooove this one!

Near the spot where we got engaged!

I even have my very own brick.

Goofing around before Halloween. I glued some more feathers and a beak on these glasses and went as a bird. I got a lot of weird looks.