Finger Painting

I'm trying to remember that sometimes creating fun memories means letting the kids be messy. Insert fun, messy finger painting...

Backyard Transformation

When we first moved in, our backyard was full of dead grass. The previous owners, or the bank, put in brand new grass and it all died (you can literally see each individual dead roll).

Our intent when we moved in was to replace the dead grass with new rolls of sod. Then, we got our first water bill...yikes! So, we kicked around the idea of putting in artificial grass. In order for it to be cost-effective, we would have to do all of the work ourselves.

About one month ago, we decided to go for it, and got to work. First, we had to dig out three inches of dirt, and haul it all away to the dump

Next, we laid down weed blocker, covered it with two inches of crusher fines, and then compacted it down

Finally, it was time to lay down the turf! We unrolled the 450+ pound roll of turf, trimmed it to the desired shape, seamed the various pieces together, and nailed it all down. 

Here's the before and after...

It has been quite the transformation, and though it was A LOT of work, seeing the kids enjoy it has made it all worth it!

Leah in a Nutshell

I present to you, "Leah in a Nutshell"...

3 Months Old!

Leah turned 3-months-old yesterday! Not much has changed since her 2.5 month well-visit update. She is a pro at rolling over from back to tummy. She keeps sleeping the nights away, which is AWESOME!!! She lights up the room, and provides so many smiles to those around her. She coos and babbles, and is so close to busting out a big laugh. We just can't get enough of this cutie!

She's been hitting the bicep curls hard!

Potty Training

I started potty training with Makayla yesterday. After her first success, she couldn't get enough! I probably spent at least 3/4 of the day in the bathroom because she wanted to go over and over and over again until there was nothing left. We bagged the M&M and sticker bribery a couple of hours in because watching me dump out her "successes" was enough excitement to keep going. Needless to say, I think she's got the hang of it! So far today, she's going on her own and she hasn't had any accidents. Fingers crossed that the trend continues! I'm so thankful for good potty training experiences (Leah, don't let me down in the future!).

"I go again!"

The cheering squad

Daddy brought home flowers for Makayla after a successful day. Mommy got flowers too after a long day in the bathroom ;0)

4th of July

We traveled to Flagstaff, AZ for 4th of July. The weather was great, including rain storms each night. We went to a 4th of July parade in downtown, we went swimming, we spent the 4th with our best friends, had lots of spoiling and cuddles by Gamma, Papi, and Aunt Megan, our first experience with S'mores, and celebrated Leah's first 4th of July (mommy and Leah slept through the fireworks show)! 

The Grundstrom and Ellis kids (minus the Ellis baby who's due around Christmas!)

Enjoying the rain

Headed to the parade for our first 4th!

Every time she saw a car or truck, she would light up, point and scream, "Another one!"

All of the fire trucks, trucks, and tractors were too much to handle for this kid.

It makes me so happy that we can hang out together, with our growing families, in our old stomping grounds!

These two had so much fun together! Joshua, just remember, you have to answer to Mr. Ellis ;0)

Headed home with a wonderful backdrop in the rear-view mirror.

Box Entertainment

You know what they say, "Don't bother buying a toy, when they'll be just as happy with a box." My parents bought some furniture recently, and it came in two huge boxes. They brought the boxes over for the kids to play with. We made one of them into a house, and it is their new favorite place to play with their toys. Yeah, for free entertainment!

Leah Update

I've been meaning to get a Leah update out. We finally made it to the doctor's office last week for her two-month check-up. Our little girl is not so little compared to other girls her age...she seems to be taking after her brother in appearance and body type. She weighed in at 13 pounds, 8 ounces (75th percentile), and measured 23.5 inches (75th percentile), and her head was in the 90th percentile. The doctor was very impressed with her growth, as well as her strength and smiles. Andrew and I both agree that she seems to be ahead of where our other kids were at this point. She smiles constantly, and is such a happy baby for the most part. She is also pretty consistently sleeping 8-9 hours, which means I haven't really had to wake up during the night (this just may be my favorite milestone!). And, if all of that wasn't sweet enough, the girl is rolling over from her back to her tummy! This is rather impressive considering most kids don't do this for another couple of months. Who knows, maybe we'll have our first walker before 18 months...I'm not holding my breath ;0)

Poor Leah and her bald strip

Here's a video of our little girl rolling over...