Number 2 goes down!

Ever since we moved in I've been dying to take down the bush by the mailbox.  Seriously it was like a bush that was a huge a as a tree!  This yard has not been trimmed in years and we are dealing with some seriously overgrown plants!  Jeff took the Sawsall to it and started tearing it down bit by bit.  It was a serious beast, but in the end Jeff won.  It also had little friend bushes surrounding it that had to go too.  We had so much bush trash it took the trash man a few times to take it all away.  With the massive bush gone we now have a fabulous view!  It's amazing how much was taken up by this bush!

Jeff's starting the job!

Now you can get a feel for it's size!

 Pulling out the branches!

 Almost gone!

 Bye-bye bush!

 Beautiful sunset!

The cousins came over to fish :)

We still had bushes to rip out.  Lots of them.

Making good progress!

Kids done fishing ....

Time to help with the bushes!

 

Finally all gone!

The curb appeal just increased!  I can't believe how much better it looks with those bushes gone!  It was a lot of hard work, but it sure is nice to have it done!  2 projects done ... a million to go!

4H Banquet

It was time, once again, for the annual 4H banquet.  Talmage, Grant, and Sandra received awards for their projects they completed and were recognized for anything they competed at the district level as well.  It's always a nice evening and it's a great way to recognize the kids for their hard work during the year.  This year Talmage was out of town so Grant just collected his things for him ;).  We really enjoy 4H and the opportunities it gives our kids. 

Grant

Chica

First Up ... it comes down!

The first project I did was take down the drapes.  They were so outdated and crowded in the windows.  This was also a project I could do on my own, though they were put up really well.  I'm grateful to have tools to get the job done! 

So many years of dust lived in these drapes.

First one down!

And the second!

One step on a long road of updates and changes!

It's Official!

After leasing for a month we finally closed on the house!  We are officially home owners and fixer upper home owners at that!  We couldn't have done it without these awesome ladies!  Stacy is our loan officer and was there every step of the way helping us along.  Jada is our realtor and was so great and took care of us even when everything was totally crazy!  It could have been so much worse if she wasn't there watching out for us!

Yay for finally getting it all finalized! 

Time to celebrate ... with some projects!

Friends and Fun!

Lorna has a friend, Brynlee, from church.  They were the cutest little sunbeams ever!  They were so good in their class and they just loved to sit together!  I loved being in primary and enjoy seeing them every Sunday.  Then we moved :(.  Poor Lorna missed Brynlee.  She adjusted to our new primary, but still talked about Brynlee all of the time.  Well, Brynlee's family was moving to Utah and before they left we had her over for a play date.  Lorna was so happy!  We even took her across the street to help feed the ducks.  They were so sweet together.  I'm so glad that they got to play one more time before Brynlee moved so far away.

This summer has been so fun ... partly because we get to swim all of the time!  Lorna has become a little fish and Clark got over his fear of the diving board and dives off and swims to the side like a pro!  Unfortunately the diving board bolt broke, but now they just jump off the side of the pool.  Clark was having such a fun time splashing and having fun I had to take a photo!  I know I don't take enough pictures, but I'm so glad we have had such a great time enjoying our new pool!

Our last fun was attending our ward Pioneer Day Picnic.  They played egg toss and the kids (and Jeff) had a great time.  Grant did really well with his partner, Zayden!

If you look at Grant over the next few pics he's at the bottom left and he keeps catching the egg!

We are still getting to know people in the new ward.  It was fun to have a relaxed way of hanging out and getting to know people better!  Yay for friends and fun!

Expanding ...

Time for Mhari to make more room for her adult teeth!  She got her expander!  Her top tooth was coming in and was trying to come in as a cross bite :(.  The orthodontist has been watching her teeth for the last six moths or so and finally decided it was time to put her in an expander.  We have really liked our orthodontist and appreciate him not rushing into treatment, but watching and waiting to see if it is really needed. 

Mhari was pretty excited, until she got the expander in her mouth.  It felt funny and she talked funny!  She will adjust quickly, but until then it is something new in her mouth! 

Here are some fun pictures of her new expander!

She got the Texas state flag pattern for the expander. 

Her treatment will go quickly and hopefully all of her adult teeth will have the room they need to come in!

Too much fun!

I'm sure it seems like we are having too much fun ... well, we are having a pretty great time :).  Who wouldn't when you can enjoy these amazing sunsets!  This week has been full of lots of fun, besides the great view :)

 It was 7 eleven... or July 11th, but it's more fun to say 7 eleven and stop in and get free slurpees!  Yum!

Then it was Chick-fil-a customer appreciation day and we dressed up like cows and got a free chicken sandwich!  We stopped in at lunch and then for dinner too!  It was so yummy, especially when it's free!!

Lorna had a friend from church who had a birthday so she got to go to the party.  She had a great time and when I arrived to pick her up I found her holding their little baby!  She was having a great time and loved holding baby Colton! 

We really are having a nice time and enjoying our time this summer!

Eye Tricks!

Clark struggles with his speech, reading, writing, remembering things, etc.  After talking with a friend about how I think Clark may be dyslexic she mentioned a book that she thought would be helpful (The disconnected kid).  I enjoyed it and thought it could help Clark make some better brain connections between the right and left hemisphere.  One of the things you test is whether or not the child can cross his eyes.  Let's just say that Clark figured it out pretty fast :).  It was so fun to watch that everyone took turns crossing their eyes.  Some of the other fun tricks had to do with spinning in a chair and watching the eyes to see how long you are dizzy for.  Kind of cool! 

Here are some of the fun photos of the eye crossing fun!

Grant!

Mhari, figuring it out ;)

Sandra.... creepy :)

Me .... need some work. 

Talmage

Daddy!

Little Lorna .... needed some help to figure it out :). 

It is fun to do this stuff together because then Clark doesn't feel so singled out.  Hopefully after doing the exercises for a few months we will see some improvement in his dyslexia!

Biking the hood!

Now that we are in the house it was time to get the kids bikes fixed up so we could ride around in our fun neighborhood.  One of the fun perks is a park just around the corner (not the lake).  It has paths and a baseball diamond and a playground.  The kids had a blast riding to it and then playing on the playground.  It was a bit hot, but it was a great way to spend some time together!  The kids play so well together it is so fun to watch!  Grant especially plays so well with the little kids! 

Here he is with Clark and Lorna :)

Sandra enjoyed riding the paths ... even though it was hot.

 
So did Talmage!

Mhari too!

Everyone loved playing!

Fun riding the fire truck!

Lorna driving!

The group, hot and tired, after the fun time riding around!

On our way home Mhari got lost ;(.  I sent Grant out to find her and after a few minutes I went to help.  She had taken a wrong turn on the paths and got lost.  She was really afraid, but grateful when we found her.  I'm glad she was safe, even when she was lost!  I also got to meet one of our neighbors because she saw me outside with the kids.  She lives right next door and has a grandson named Clark too!  Too funny!  She's sweet and it's nice to get to meet some of the neighbors!