There's something in the water...

Chard baby #2! Due to arrive October 22, 2010.
I know - awesome, right?

Chard Yard Cleanup

This weekend's weather is finally nice enough for us to get out into the yard. Seems like every spring there is SO MUCH to do. Last fall's sprinkler system installation came to an abrupt halt with the first big snowstorm of the season, so we still have a lot of buttoning up of trenches to do. Just getting the remaining leaves raked up has been a multi-day chore. Gavin is great at "helping" but he's not so great for our efficiency factor. Ah, well. It'll all get done eventually. Or not.

"Helping" Mom take the leaves to the green waste bin.
"Helping" to compact the leaves and make room for lots more.
"Fixing" the water spigot with the tramp enclosure toolkit wrench.

Nana can breathe a little easier.

The trampoline enclosure is officially installed. Now we just need to figure a way to lock the zipper shut so he can't get out.
I'm kidding, of course. Heh. Heh. Heh.

Introducing....

...the latest addition to our flock: Six, day-old baby chickens! Technically they're "pullets" because they're all girls and they're all destined (we hope) to be laying hens. After consulting with Neighbor Andy the Chicken Expert, we decided on three Buff Orpingtons and three Barred Rocks. It will be autumn before we get any eggs from these little peepers but we thought it would be fun for all of us to raise them from hatchlings. Stay tuned as the chicken saga (as it will inevitably turn out to be - one little gal is already looking extra-stressed after falling from Gavin's clutches to the floor - my fault since I was more concerned about the camera than the bird) continues.

Daddy's Helper

This kid's a helper, both inside...

(Helping Daddy build a closet and shelving in the guest room)

..and out.

(Helping Daddy with spring yard cleanup).

Weekend getaway to Breckenridge

Brandon and I took an unprecedented 4-day trip to Breckenridge over the weekend. I say unprecedented because that was the first time we were away from Gavin for multiple days. I must say, it was pretty friggin' sweet :). I was so relaxed I hardly took any pictures! We met up with my brother Dave and his wife Melissa and their friends Lee and Kotim. We snowboarded on Friday but decided to spend Saturday strolling around Breckenridge instead of up on the windy, frigid, single-digit-temperature slopes. Gavin had such a great time with his aunts, uncle and cousins while we were away that we wondered if he would let us take him home!

Back it up a day

The day before we went up to Beaver (Saturday) we went for a little hike in Old Sardine Canyon. I haven't seen Joie and Brody that happy since... well, since the last time we took them hiking. It was pretty muddy, but the fresh air and sunshine were well worth the mess.

Back on the Boards

On any given Sunday in years past you could pretty much guarantee that the Chards were snowboarding - usually at our local mom-and-pop resort, Beaver Mountain. Between Gavin's birth, the breaking of my collarbone a year ago, and the surgery to fix my collarbone in December, we've only hit the slopes at The Beav a handful of times in the past two years. We heard that this year there's a new "Magic Carpet" - a moving walkway of sorts that helps beginners and little ones to get their ski or snowboard legs under them - so we decided to finally venture up there this morning, armed with lots of snow gear and snacks for Gavin and lots of ibuprofen for us old folks ;).

Going down (no, you are not viewing this in 'fast forward')...

...aaaand back up.