The Chard Yard

January Miscellany

2012-01-29T15:36:00.004-07:00

This ain't her first rodeo.

The apple of my eye.

The girls heading out for a stroll through park.

Meet Rocky, the handsomest Guinea pig in all of Salt Lake City. Rocky lives at Cove Care, which is where Gavin and Vivian spend their Mondays and Wednesdays. At Gavin's request, Rocky got to come home with us for the weekend.

Goodbye, silver maple!

'Tis the season...

2011-12-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

JANUARY 2012 UPDATE: I've been trickling more photos into the slideshow/album, so take another peek if you haven't in awhile.

A Quiet Thanksliving

2011-11-28T10:03:00.003-07:00

We traveled south for Thanksgiving this year. We left SLC Thursday morning and stopped at Nan's in Cedar City for a visit with the Coates family on our way to Pete's house in Apple Valley. Pete and Gloria were a gracious host and hostess and Gloria's friend Joe joined us for the delicious main meal. On Friday we climbed around on the rocks in Pete's back yard and trekked around on top of Gooseberry Mesa, thoroughly enjoying a sunny fall day. On our way home on Saturday we stopped in Parowan Canyon to cut a Christmas tree (thanks to Nan for securing us a permit!). Gavin saved Christmas by alerting us to the fact that the tree was falling off the roof as we were leaving the canyon. We had to stop a few more times on I-15 to make adjustments, and then one more time to clean up Vivian and all the vomit she'd spewed into her car seat (Julie (driving): "Why do I smell yogurt?" Brandon (peeking into the back seat): "Uuuuuughhhh."). We managed to make it home, and as the sun was going down we unloaded the truck, disassembled the car seat, and threw a load of pukey stuff into the wash, all the while repeatedly explaining to Gavin why we needed to wait until Sunday to bring the Christmas tree inside for decorating. Sunday morning was bliss: tree trimming, family camaraderie, and the return of Scout, our Elf on the Shelf. Flash forward to Sunday evening... Brandon cooked a nice dinner for the family, but by the time it was ready, I was bent over the toilet puking my guts out. A few hours later, Gavin started puking, and a few hours after that, Brandon joined in the fun. I was just thinking this morning how glad I was that Viv had already gotten through her bout with this flu (or whatever it is/was)... when she threw up all over our new living room rug. 'Tis the season to be jolly! Ha.

Silly Silver Maple

2011-11-11T12:02:00.001-07:00

We have a huge silver maple tree in our front yard. This tree has me and Brandon both feeling conflicted. In general, we are huggers of trees of all kinds. But trees whose roots grow into our sewer line, causing emergency weekend calls to Roto-Rooter? Trees whose roots grow partially above ground and wreak havoc with our lawnmower blade? Trees that block our amazing view of Mt. Olympus? Not so much. We have resolved that the tree must come down. But until we get around to carrying out its death sentence, we may as well enjoy what few spoils it affords...

That grungy guy in the background is our neighbor, Bill. Or maybe his name is Jim. When we first moved in he introduced himself to Brandon as 'Bill Clinton,' fervent Obama supporter; but a recent conversation with the daughter of a neighbor revealed that his name is, in fact, Jim, and the reason he's a little 'off' is that he is a Vietnam vet. We gave him some cookies today, wrapped in cellophane and tied with red & blue ribbon and a 'Thank You'. He didn't say, "thanks" (not that he has to). He said, "I'll eat these right now. I'm hungry." and proceeded to do so. We were outside raking leaves into a pile for Gavin to jump into. JimBill insisted on interrupting the jumping fun in order to instruct us in the absolute best way to bag raked leaves (he is an expert, having raked and bagged leaves for numerous neighbors... using our rake), regardless of the fact that we were trying to make the biggest pile possible. In the interest of neighborliness, and because loose cannons make us nervous, we let him show us. Incidentally, the keys to efficient leaf bagging include lining a 30-gallon trash can with a bag that has been 'lanced' (had holes poked in it) so that air pockets are not trapped between the bag and the can wall. Pure genius.

Cutest kids on the planet!

2011-11-11T11:35:00.001-07:00

Yeah, OK. So maybe I'm a little biased. These pictures were taken on 11/7 at Sears. This was our second try. Our first try was on 10/10. I'd never taken my kids in for "portraits" before, so wasn't sure what to expect. The first round of pictures was taken by a photographer-in-training, who straight-up admitted to me that she's a lot better at taking pictures of trees because "they don't move." I’m not one to complain, generally, but I was really hoping for greatness. Then once I found out how much they were going to cost… Let’s just say I ended up with buyer’s remorse. I stewed about it for a few weeks, then finally called Sears to say that I didn't want the pictures. They said they wanted me to be happy, but couldn't refund my $, so they invited me back to have the pictures re-taken with Marcy (the manager, who has 18 years' experience) as the photographer. Although the thought of dragging my kids back there for another 2-hour ordeal made me cringe, I agreed. Marcy did a GREAT job! I’m super pleased.

And in case you were wondering what was so wrong with the first round of pictures...

RIGHT?!

Halloween

2011-11-11T11:32:00.001-07:00

Nana & Papa Come to Town

2011-10-21T12:37:00.000-06:00

Party Time!

2011-10-19T10:59:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Viv's 1st and Gavin's 4th birthdays while my folks were in town. Good times.

2011-10-09T21:38:00.004-06:00

We adopted our kitty Tyler from Four Paws when he was 8 months old and Gavin was 2. Brandon and I are flabbergasted by how tolerant he is of being mauled by Gavin, and now Vivian. Notice how he gets up toward the end of the video, and instead of running away from being smothered, just repositions and sits back down. Coolest cat ever.

Loa

2011-10-04T18:10:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend we traveled south to Loa, Utah where we convened with friends at Pat & Michelle's house. Tony, Jackie and baby Abe (born 7/30/11) drove in from Colorado and our fellow SLC-ers Ben and Winston made the trip down as well. Highlights of the trip included meeting Abe, winning Friday Night 31 (yay, me!), touring Pat & Michelle's property/barn, riding on the back of Cecil's Harley, and winning the 2011 Horseshoe Tourney (yay, me again!). Brandon was the only one to beat me in horseshoes all weekend (yay, Honey!). Click here for more photos.

REWIND: Chicago Trip

2011-09-28T12:34:00.002-06:00

Back in August we flew to Chicago to spend time with my family. Brandon had to go to Naperville for work, so we decided it would be a good time to get all four of us there at once. We flew in on a Thursday and spent a couple of fun days at my brother David's house playing with my niece and nephew Evelyn and Isaac (and their toys!) before surprising my folks at E & I's birthday party on Saturday. Mom and Pop had no idea we would be there and they were definitely surprised! I wish we had better pictures of their faces when they came in and were greeted by an enthusiastic Gavin. Brandon could only stay for a few days but the kids and I stayed on until Wednesday. It's not often we get all of us in one place at the same time, so we made sure to get a "Wood Family" picture with my folks and my two brothers and their families.

We packed in some good quality play time with the kids' cousins, including visits to playgrounds and a water park. We also managed to get downtown Chicago where we watched the Air and Water show from my cousin Cam's Lake Shore Drive/North Avenue apartment. To see more pictures, CLICK HERE.

A trip to Mount Pleasant

2011-09-05T12:34:00.003-06:00

We had the pleasure on Saturday and Sunday of joining the extended Chard family at Brandon's Uncle Steve's property in the Wasatch Mountains. Steve and Linda have 26 acres of mountainside to call their own, and were kind enough to invite Steve's brothers and sisters and their families for a Labor Day weekend get-together. Their property isn't just beautiful - it's FUN! Most of the property is wooded in oak, maple, aspen and evergreens, but a hike up the road from the cabin (under construction) takes you to a meadow that's great for playing tag, soccer, golf, or volleyball (my forearms are still sore), or for just relaxing in the sunshine. Down below the cabin there are a couple of trailers set up and several tent spots have been tucked into the surrounding trees. We gathered under the wooden canopy at the main trailer to eat, drink and socialize with so many aunts, uncles and cousins that it was hard to keep track of who belonged to who. What a great setting for Vivian's first camping trip! As if all that weren't enough to keep us occupied, in the hours before we left we got to experience a zip line AND a mountainside swing, both of which were absolutely thrilling! Gavin is too small for the swing, but he did get to take a ride on the zip line with his dad:

To see more pictures, CLICK HERE.

The Fam

2011-08-31T21:57:00.000-06:00

Many thanks to our friend and neighbor Hart Evans for snapping a few photos of us in our Hyrum yard the day before we moved away .

Check out a lot more of Hart's photos at Hartshots.com.

City Livin'

2011-08-29T19:40:00.005-06:00

Busy as we are unpacking, fixing and updating our living space, and trying to get a handle on yard work, we still manage to get out and enjoy SLC on occasion. Brandon and I have been on TWO dates: one to see G. Love at Red Butte (thanks, Frantzes!) and one to see Saturday's Voyeur at the Salt Lake Acting Company with a group of friends from the north 'burbs. We hope to find a few reliable neighborhood babysitters so we can make 'date night' a weekly occurrence. A couple of weekends ago we ventured into the city to check out a free event for kids at the Salt Lake Art Center. Both G and V fell asleep shortly after we got on the road, so we skipped the Art Center went on tour of the downtown area for a little while instead. When the kids woke up we decided to check out the Children's Library at the Salt Lake City Library.

Approaching the impressive library building.

Playing in the water feature.

An exciting, frivolous (the Children's library is in the basement) ride up the elevator.

Entrance to "The Attic."

"The Attic" is one of two special reading rooms at the Children's Library. The other is the "Crystal Cave."

A Light in the Attic (she shines so brightly).

Yesterday we ventured to Liberty Park with our friend Scott and his 4-year-old son, Keegan. There's a water feature at the park called "Seven Canyons Fountain". It's a miniaturized version of the Wasatch Front with water flowing down each of (you guessed it) seven little 'canyons'. The park also has an aviary, a playground with a sprinkler pad, a sled hill, and even a ferris wheel.

Getting Settled

2011-08-08T17:17:00.002-06:00

Whew. Moving is exhausting - even with the help of the many friends and neighbors who came both to the Hyrum house and to our new house in SLC to lighten our workload (THANK YOU!).

We had a semi-surprise visit a few days ago from my folks, who were 'on their way' back to Chicago on their big road trip to Alaska. What a treat to have them here, even if it was only for a few days. They've been on the road since before we found a house to buy, so they had no idea what to expect when they got here. Fun!

We walked to Olympus Hills Park with Nana.

Had ourselves a snack while we were there.

Beautiful, smiley girls!

Papa, Viv & Nana

"Don't smile, Gavin!" (So much for reverse psychology)

Group photo before our farewell breakfast @ Mimi's.

We've been in our new home for a little over a week now and I feel pretty good about how much we've gotten unpacked and organized so far, but there's still a lot to do. On Saturday 8/6 we returned to Hyrum to clean the house and to gather up the odds-and-ends we'd left behind, including our chickens who subsequently survived a harrowing 80-mile ride in a dog carrier on the back of our flatbed trailer. They were a little nervous that first day and night here, but yesterday Brandon and Gavin built them a sweet new coop out of our old dog house, so they're feeling much better.

Three displaced chix roosting in a shopping cart.

Area prep.

Adding the nest box.

Up on posts and in place in the corner.

A little help from the G-Man.

Finishing touches.

Last Hurrah in Hyrum

2011-07-17T15:26:00.000-06:00

Many thanks to those who joined us in celebrating our 11.5-year adventure in Hyrum.

Holladay Song

2011-07-09T10:52:00.004-06:00

All of a sudden we're moving to Holladay! Brandon got a job in SLC in March and has been commuting 80 miles one way ever since. After a lot of soul-searching and spreadsheet calculations, we decided to shorten his commute by relocating to SLC. Our humble Hyrum house sold after being on the market only 9 days. Much faster than we expected. Brandon and I spent 4 or 5 weekend days looking at houses with our very patient realtor before we finally found 'the one'. If all goes well with the sale and the purchase, we will move at the end of July. I will be leaving my job at USU after being there 10 and a half years. I'm sad because I loved that job, but I'm happy because my new position as a SAHM promises to be even more rewarding. Our new address will be 4386 S 3035 E SLC, UT 84124.

Holiday Song

2011-06-18T09:25:00.000-06:00

Thomas in Heber

2011-05-30T11:08:00.002-06:00

On Friday we drove two hours to see Thomas the Tank Engine, who came all the way from the Island of Sodor to visit his friends in northern Utah. We found him at the Heber Valley Railroad, along with Sodor Island Railroad Director, Sir Topham Hatt. Gavin and I took a 20-minute ride on Thomas while Brandon and Vivian hung out with the other visitors. After the ride, Gavin enjoyed the various activities, including playing with toy train sets alongside other Thomas enthusiasts, and getting a James tattoo on his cheek. We waited in line to have our picture taken with Sir Topham Hatt, but when it was our turn Gavin decided he was no longer a fan. The same thing has repeatedly happened with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. Afterward we drove down to Sandy to stay the night with Larissa and Blake Bennett, and enjoyed a tasty BBQ dinner with them and Hayley Coombs and Ben Brown.

2011-05-25T22:22:00.004-06:00

Today, tragically, our sweet Little B passed from her Earthly life into the next.

We miss you already, Brody, but find comfort in knowing

that you are now free to roam the world as you so passionately wished.

The universe is your cow pie.

Dogsong 2 ~ The Be Good Tanyas

Out in the trees, dirt on our knees

We laid him down forever

And on that hill there it was still

As in the ever after

He lays his rest we knew it best

To lay him down so gently

And now he sleeps where moss does creep

And no more is he with me

The birds did cry, and so did i

To think of life so lonely

And in their song I heard it long

What sadness, and what beauty

Your friend is gone, but you live on

In life you loved him fully

But now little streams and forests dream

And all is made more holy

Hyrum Getaway

2011-05-25T18:39:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to be visited by friends from all over. Pete and Gloria made the Chard Yard their first stop on their journey from southern Utah to Montana to visit Gloria's daughter. Sean and Emily drove up from SLC with a very special visitor: Sean's mom Jane, who was visiting from Texas. What a treat to have them all at our house at once - and with the sun shining, no less!

Who needs weed killer?

2011-05-22T18:51:00.000-06:00

Gavin's been doing a top-notch job of making sure our dandelions don't reproduce.

Pete's House

2011-05-17T19:22:00.000-06:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-10T20:08:00.003-06:00

What more could a girl ask for?

Easter Weekend

2011-04-30T16:04:00.031-06:00

Our first "public" Easter egg hunt was held on the Saturday before Easter. What a spectacle! So many kids. Seemed like the bigger kids got most of the eggs. Gavin managed to scoop up one egg, but when it was all over, a volunteer came around with a bag full eggs and handed one or two to the littler kids who didn't get many. Nice! After the hunt they held footraces for Easter baskets. We didn't realize what was going on until after the 3-year-old boys had run their race, but Gavin still wanted to take part. When they said "Go!" for the 5-year-old race, Gavin jumped in from the sidelines and ran to the finish line. He was certain that he won. Technically he did cross the finish line first, but... Afterward we tried to get his picture taken with the Easter bunny, but he got scared at the last minute (same thing that happened with Santa), so we bagged that plan and spent an hour or so at the playground.

Later that day some of our friends stopped by for a visit. Melanie and Justin came with Ethan and Leif, then Angie stopped by with Sam and Claire. As usual the kids had a great time playing together and we found ourselves saying "we should get together more often." We should!

That evening we finally got around to coloring our Easter eggs. Sadly, our fresh brown eggs aren't all that good for hard-boiling (they don't peel well), and also not as good for dyeing. It pained me, but I bought a dozen bright white ones from the grocery store and we enjoyed covering them in bright colors and later eating some tasty Easter-egg salad.

On Easter morning Gavin woke up to a superhero-themed Easter basket from his new favorite rabbit. Vivi got one of her own, complete with brightly colored baby toys that those of you with seasoned eyes may remember from when Gavin was a baby. After breakfast he got to go outside and hunt for the dozen eggs we dyed as well as 16 plastic eggs full of superhero stickers and candy. Vivian watched in wonder from the comfort of her daddy's arms.

G&E (they bring good things to life!)

2011-04-16T16:36:00.000-06:00

Gavin was thrilled to see his old pal Ethan at Willow Park on Friday.

I heart birds of prey.

2011-04-09T09:43:00.004-06:00

We get a lot of raptor action in Cache Valley. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a hawk or harrier. This kestrel was hanging out in the tree nearest the hen house this morning. Maybe he was looking for a friend. Maybe he was looking for breakfast. I wonder if a kestrel could take down a chicken.

Enough with the snow already.

2011-04-08T08:59:00.004-06:00

It snowed all afternoon and evening yesterday and it's snowing again this morning. All that wet and heavy stuff caused a giant branch to break off of our Chinese elm (NEVER plant a Chinese elm in your yard), despite Brandon's having trimmed the heck out of it last fall. A few willow branches also fell victim and we may find even more when we venture outside. Seems like this happens every year, but every year we still get exasperated and frustrated and downright annoyed.

We Love Visitors

2011-04-08T08:16:00.002-06:00

Brandon left early Monday morning to go to work in Salt Lake City and didn't come back until Thursday evening. We missed him while he was gone, but visits from a couple of friends made the time go by a little faster. Leanna stopped by on Monday evening and Shanna came over on Wednesday evening. Gavin loves visitors (and so do I) and was tickled to have fresh playmates (and so was I). Thanks for coming to see us, ladies!

3-year-old wisdom

2011-04-04T12:47:00.000-06:00

Gavin identified these 'snow feathers' on the windshield this morning.
So THAT'S what they're called!

Peas, please!

2011-04-03T10:02:00.000-06:00

How is it that February (the shortest month) seemed SO long, and March just whipped by in the blink of an eye? It went out in a decidedly lamb-like fashion and we took advantage of a gorgeous April Fool's Day by picnicking at Willow Park, visiting the Willow Park Zoo (Forgot to bring the camera, dangit.), and taking care of a little spring cleaning in the Chard Yard. We all got a much needed big dose of fresh air and vitamin D. Brandon and Gavin even planted a row of peas!

And then the snow came back. But that's ok - we know it's not going to stick around.

Spring is on the way!

Happy Birthday to Grandma Debby!

2011-03-27T19:16:00.004-06:00

Debby turned 39 (again) on Friday. We celebrated by meeting her at Color Me Mine for some ceramics painting in Ogden, then coming back here for cheesecake and a slumber party.

Homemade cheesecake.... YESSSS!

Cousinly love.

As an extra-special birthday treat, Debby got to babysit Gavin and Vivian while Brandon and I went boarding at Beaver today.

I call this trick the 'ragdoll'...

Try not to get sick as you follow Brandon through 'Beavah's Chowdah'.

Oh, and as long as we're already talking about Beaver, here's a pic of Gavin from when he and Brandon skied together on Wednesday. I think maybe he'd had enough by this point.

G's got superhero fever.

2011-03-20T16:16:00.003-06:00

Ask him who his favorite superhero is and he might say Batman, Spiderman,

Super Man, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, or Wolverine.

He slings webs all over the house and asks us to fly him from room to room.

Today Superman 'helped' me clean the bathroom.

Lucky like Lois Lane, that's me.

Don't tell me you're bored...

2011-03-20T16:08:00.002-06:00

...because there's PLENTY to do around here!
Like practicing writing your letters in shaving cream ('G' is his favorite, go figure),

(Apparently dipping your head in shaving cream turns you into Iron Man.)

and coating your Iron Man arm in "Goo"
(1 part water, 2 parts corn starch, and a dash of mess tolerance).

Don't forget to clean up your mess when you're done.

Taking pictures is fun...

And in case Vivian wakes up hungry...

If that's not enough to keep you busy, thank goodness it's finally trampoline season again!

Big Boy Bath Helper

2011-03-17T19:54:00.001-06:00

Brandon and I usually team up to give Vivian her bath. Brandon holds her and I wash her. Brandon wasn't available the other night so I enlisted the help of the other man in my life. He was very careful and gentle... for the first two minutes. Luckily that's all the time I needed to get our baby girl squeaky clean.

I've been playing around with Picnik (a new feature in Picasa). With the "1960's" effect applied to this photo it reminds me of a similar one of me in the bathtub with my brother. Having said that, I think they should rename the effect "1970's."

Maple Grove Hot Springs

2011-03-14T21:22:00.000-06:00

I was pregnant last spring and fall, so we hadn't been to Maple Grove in quite a while. Sunday's weather, sunny with temperatures in the low 50's, was perfect for Vivian's first soak. Snow is melting all along the Bear River and we're finally starting to feel like spring is on the way.

America's Got Talent

2011-02-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

And it all starts in the bathtub.

Twelve Inches

2011-02-27T08:52:00.002-07:00

Utah is famous for having the "greatest snow on Earth" - much of which falls in February and March. We got a foot of the stuff on Friday night, which made for a busy Saturday. I did enough shoveling to be able to collect eggs and to get myself and Gavin into the truck, then took Gavin sledding with some of his buddies in Logan while Brandon and Vivian hung out together at home (Brandon's laid up for a few days, so he didn't get to get out and enjoy the fresh pow). Afterward we stopped and picked up Vivian and went up to Hardware Ranch for a sleigh ride among the elk. Thanks and props to Melanie for inviting us out! By the time we got back, our parking area was snow-free. We are fortunate to have multiple nice neighbors with snowplows :). To see more pictures, CLICK HERE.

S***

2011-02-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

SICK, that is. We've been going through a tissues at an alarming rate here at the Chard Yard. Brandon is trying to get over a sinus infection, Gavin's had a cough with an intermittent fever for a week, and now Viv and I are coughing up a storm as well. It's a holiday weekend and the snow just keeps coming, so the obvious thing to do is to lay low, drink lots of fluids, and cuddle our sickness away.

Treehouse Musem

2011-02-12T19:52:00.003-07:00

Today we met up with the gang at the Treehouse Museum in Ogden. What a fun place! Gavin was extra thrilled because afterward he got to 1) go to a new McDonald's playland with his cousins, and 2) go home with Aunt Brookey for the rest of the weekend. Not sure who is more excited about that last one - Gavin or his mom & dad ;).

Valentine's Day Treat-Making

2011-02-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden our local grocery stores are carrying gorgeous, bright red, juicy and firm strawberries. With Valentine's Day coming up it seemed a no-brainer to dip a few of those succulent berries in some chocolate. Of course, Gavin wanted to 'help'. Turns out he's a better dipper than I am!

Uinta Mountains Weekend

2011-02-09T18:53:00.001-07:00

We had the pleasure of spending our pre-Super-Bowl weekend at our friends the Schellhase's 'cabin' in the Uinta mountains. They call it a cabin, but it's more like a luxury retreat. It has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and every corner is beautifully appointed with homey decor. They built it themselves over the course of six years and their hard work really shows. And on top of all that, Angela is an excellent cook who loves to entertain (and we love to eat and to be entertained). Brandon and I both got a chance to do some cross-country skiing (although not at the same time) and Gavin had a great time playing with 6-year-old Reagan, who was very gracious about sharing her toys. With the exception of Gavin getting a stomach bug and throwing up and Vivian having a hard time getting to sleep at night, it was a relaxing and rejuvenating couple of days.

The king-sized bed we slept in.

One of the two wash basins in 'our' bathroom.

Reagan and Gavin share in a snack.

The living room.

Reagan and Viv share in a smile.

Angela and Allen's room.

Viv catches some ZZZ's on A&A's bed.

Allen shares the couch with vizslas Cognac and Quinn (the dogs have their own bedroom and pretty much sit wherever they want).

Gavin and Lucy get acquainted at Tracy & Cindy's cabin.

Still life with baby in Bumbo seat.

Gavin and Angela show off their matching hats.

Riding back out to the truck in the Sno-Cat.

Makin' Tracks

2011-01-17T16:47:00.002-07:00

Today was unseasonably warm with highs in the upper 40's. It was also a "green air day" in Cache Valley, so we took advantage and went for a hike. The CCC Camp is at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon. It's not a very big place, but it's close to home, we hardly ever see anybody else there, and our "hikes" are pretty limited in scope these days anyway. Along the way we saw tracks of all kinds: deer, turkey, rodent, song bird, canine, and our own biped imprints. As usual, we're so glad we made the effort to get out of the house and the fresh air did us all a world of good.

GO BEARS!!

2011-01-16T10:12:00.002-07:00

A Winters Week

2011-01-06T20:11:00.001-07:00

Brandon's sister Heather and niece Rhiannon flew in from Portland to spend a week with us. The weather during their stay was pretty darn chilly, but we managed to find plenty to do including cooking, crafting, playing Wii (fun!) and trains (of course), sledding (during the warmest parts of the warmer days), and visits to the Cache Valley Fun Park (laser tag!) and sunny Beaver Mountain. I've posted a few of my favorite pics below, but you can re-live the whole shebang by clicking HERE. We miss those Winters girls already!

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

2010-12-30T18:10:00.003-07:00

...and a happy new day.

A few shots from Christmas morning:

A message to Gavin from Santa!

2010-12-21T17:03:00.005-07:00

CLICK HERE to see it :)

To have Santa send a personalized message to your own loved one (for FREE!), go to this site: http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home

Frosty

2010-12-13T16:40:00.002-07:00

Gavin received this animated Frosty (along with a sing-a-long story book) today from my cousin Patty's family. Super timely as he just watched the cartoon on TV last night! He's smitten.

Cookie cook

2010-12-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Gavin and I baked molasses sugar cookies today. Gavin was in charge of sprinkles. He did so well that many of them even ended up on the cookies!

Hyrum's Holiday at Hardware

2010-12-11T17:12:00.001-07:00

There are quite a few things we like about living in Hyrum, and the City's annual event at Hardware Ranch is one of them. Free sleigh rides among the elk, free cookies and hot cocoa, and free photos with the big man in red. This was Gavin's second time seeing Santa this week. We waited in a long line to see him in at the Festival of Lights in Ogden on Thursday evening, only to watch Gavin writhe out of his dad's arms like a crazed weasel and run screaming from Santa's general vicinity. Today we prepared him well in advance. He knew exactly what he wanted to say to Santa, he watched as numerous other children came and went from Santa's lap, and when his turn came along he turned back into a crazed weasel. Santa's helpers were prepared for such a response and suggested that we just stand behind the Clauses for our photo-op.

Homecoming

2010-12-06T10:26:00.001-07:00

Vivian and I returned on Friday evening from a week-long trip to Chicago. While the occasion was solemn, we had a really enjoyable visit with my folks, my brothers, and my cousins and their families. Gram's wake and funeral were beautiful and well-attended. I didn't bring a camera, but hopefully some of my extended family will share their photos with me. When we returned we were greeted at the airport by an excited Gavin and a grateful Brandon, whose tearful eyes brought tears to my own. As we walked through the door to our Hyrum home, the sign in the picture made us feel even more special. It was surrounded by balloons and a very clean house. I missed my guys and it's wonderful to be back together as a family.

Backpedaling to November

2010-12-06T09:37:00.006-07:00

Gavin and Brandon built our first snowman of the season on 11/23. Later that evening, the so-called "Great Blizzard of 2010" came through and dumped 6 or 8 inches of snow on and around "Mr. Smiley." While I was away in Chicago Mr. Smiley got buried in another foot or so of white stuff.

Temperatures have risen in the last couple of days, and this morning when I looked out the window Mr. Smiley was hunched over, slumped forward like he maybe fell asleep out of boredom or perhaps ate a little too much turkey. Then again, by the looks of it he probably died from being impaled in the chest & stomach by tree branches. I think I know who the 3-year-old prime suspect is for that one.

In Loving Memory

2010-11-26T11:24:00.009-07:00

My maternal grandmother Irene passed away yesterday. In 1916 when she was born, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the last Thursday in November (it was changed in the 1940's to the 4th Thursday in November). Grandma was born into this life on Thanksgiving Day and she passed into the next on Thanksgiving Day. So while she didn't quite make it to her 94th birthday on November 30th, she lived for 95 Thanksgivings. Clever woman.

I have so many fond childhood memories of feeding ducks and going swimming with her in the summers, watching her carve the Thanksgiving turkey, and spending Christmas Eves at her house. As I got older, Gram and I didn't always see eye-to-eye. She was very traditional, conservative, and Catholic, and I was... not. Despite our differences we never lost sight of our grandmother-granddaughter connection and our unconditional love for one another got us through quite a few quarrels. While many of my decisions, big and small, went against her wishes, I always considered her point of view and she had a tremendous influence on me.

I will miss you, Gram!

The best part of the cookie-making process

2010-11-14T10:02:00.003-07:00

Chard Yard Guard

2010-11-14T10:00:00.002-07:00

Leaf Jumping - Take 2 (Doggy Style)

2010-11-11T19:51:00.004-07:00

Best Friends Song

2010-11-11T19:14:00.002-07:00

My best friends are cute,

and they live in my room,

and play play,

and play toys,

and play trains.

Celebration

2010-11-07T19:23:00.004-07:00

We had a mellow but fun birthday party for Gavin at our house on Saturday. We picked an airplane theme and Brandon and I got a kick out of decorating with balsa wood planes flying under a blue balloon sky through white balloon clouds. We shared the day with friends (Paula & Tom, Mae & Andrew, Leanna, Angie, Sam & Claire) and family (Grandpa Dale, Uncle Marty, Grandma Debby, Aunt Brooke, Kenzy & Max), enjoying each others' company and some gorgeous fall weather.

Look who's THREE!

2010-11-02T21:58:00.004-06:00

Happy birthday to Gavin! Highlights of his special day included going to school, going to a new (to him) McDonald's playland for lunch, hiking on the Logan River Trail - complete with train tracks and a guest appearance by a real train!, throwing rocks into the river, helping daddy make dinner, opening presents, and eating his very own, all to himself, extra-sweet, store-bought birthday cake.

Halloween Weekend

2010-11-01T09:48:00.001-06:00

Despite my having a cold, and the weather being fickle, and Halloween landing on a Sunday this year (effectively bumping trick-or-treating to Saturday the 30th for most folks), we managed to pull off a pretty successful 10/31. Many thanks to Brandon's sister Brooke for volunteering to take Gavin on Saturday. He had a great time down in Syracuse where he attended a Halloween party and his cousin's birthday party, AND went trick-or-treating. While he was gone, Brandon and I (and Vivian) went on a rare dinner date to Happy Sushi in Logan. Gavin came home early Sunday afternoon, and after a much needed nap he donned his James costume and we went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood - mostly just to the houses of neighbors that we know. To see more pictures, CLICK HERE.

First snow of the season

2010-10-27T11:36:00.001-06:00

Gavin was soooo excited to play in (and eat) the snow.

Family Photo

2010-10-25T22:06:00.000-06:00

Well, we tried. It probably didn't help that we were dead tired and that we had two cameras going at once. Hopefully the ones on my dad's camera turned out better....

Leaf Jumping - Take 1

2010-10-25T20:06:00.000-06:00

An early (not real big) leaf pile meets Gavin the Galloping Galoot.

Vivian's Birthday Weekend

2010-10-14T21:38:00.008-06:00

She's here! Our baby girl arrived on Sunday, 10/10/10, following a festivity-filled Saturday. On the day before her birth we visited the Paradise Valley Orchard, along with Mae, Shane and Andrew. Later that day Lev and Shanna had us over to their house for Lev's special BBQ brisket. At 3:30 am the following morning, our baby girl let us know that she was on her way. We checked into the hospital, made ourselves at home in Labor & Delivery Room #10 (seemed appropriate), and waited patiently for her to arrive. At 1:12 in the afternoon, Vivian Kayla Chard entered the big, bad world. She weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. Her birth was easy and uncomplicated (quite a bit different from when her big brother was born), and we couldn't be more pleased to know her. Click HERE for lots more pictures (and more to be added soon).

A New Quinoa Recipe

2010-09-28T19:51:00.015-06:00

For those of you who, like me, are enamored with the many fantastic virtues of quinoa, here's one for the recipe box. It came from Family Fun magazine, of all places. I made it for dinner this evening and Gavin devoured it. I was lazy and used my phone to take the picture. It's much more delectable-looking in person. Bon appetit!

Quinoa Salad
with Apples & Almonds

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
2 T. honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 t. coarse salt
3 T. olive oil
1 cup peeled, diced tart apple
1 cup finely chopped celery (I substituted carrots from our garden)
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted
coarse salt and pepper

1) In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa and water, then bring them to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl, stir, and let it cool completely.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, and salt. Gradually whisk in the oil until blended.
3) Add the apple, celery (or carrots), raisins, parsley, and almonds to the quinoa and toss once more to coat the salad. Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6 to 8.

Shorter (but hotter) days

2010-09-27T19:38:00.006-06:00

Lately we've been milking the daylight as much as we can. The weather has been ridiculously warm (today's high was 88), which makes getting out and about after work that much more tempting. Last night we went for a stroll in Blacksmith Fork Canyon where I picked up a few odds and ends to decorate our front door. Tonight the chickens got a rare opportunity to roam (mostly) free in the yard for a little while. Gavin did his share of roaming too, but he chose a vertical route.

Lovin' from the Oven

2010-09-25T19:50:00.007-06:00

Brandon and I wanted to stock the freezer with meals so we wouldn't have to cook much once the baby arrives, so I trolled the internet and was lucky enough to stumble onto the Once a Month Mom website. Once a month, OAMM guru Tricia comes up with a menu, a grocery list, and step-by-step instructions for making a boatload of meals in one day using seasonal ingredients. So this morning, after having already spent a few hours yesterday doing some of the prep cooking, we took a deep breath, grabbed our knives and crossed our fingers. We literally spent the entire day together in the kitchen as we blissfully included fresh zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, herbs, and a TON of tomatoes from our garden in the recipes. I took it as a good sign when, at 4 pm, after spending the entire day on his feet and with a couple more hours of food prep ahead of him, Brandon said, "this was a really good idea".

Here's what we made...

Breakfasts: * Sausage Apple Egg Casserole * Apple Baked Oatmeal * Breakfast Wraps *

Lunches: * California Sushi Wraps * Chicken and Wild Rice Soup * Pizza Soup *

Dinners: * Eggplant Parmesan * Sausage Ratatouille * Baked Creamy Veggie Pasta * Tostada Goop * Down Home Spaghetti Sauce * Simple Down Home Lasagna *

...Not to mention a big ol' mess (even though we tried to keep up on doing dishes throughout the day)...
We had to do some creative stacking and rearranging to fit it all on our spare freezer, but we did it and we're dang proud. Note that there are 5 more 32-oz yogurt containers full of soup & spaghetti sauce on the freezer door. Whew!

The (short but) Happy Bathtub Song

2010-09-10T09:43:00.001-06:00

Cribbage/Horseshoe Championships, 2010

2010-08-30T19:23:00.003-06:00

Each year a growing group of our friends gets together to play cribbage and horseshoes (and eat and drink, and drink some more). The buy-in is $10 per player per event and the winner takes all. Nineteen players participated in the 2010 cribbage bracket and, thanks to the sage advice he got from me (the first to be eliminated) about not underestimating your opponent, this year's cribbage champion was Ken Rozema. For the horseshoe tournament, teams of two are picked at 'random' (HA!). Team Chard/Armani (Brandon & Winston) looked tough all the way through, but in the end by Team Brown/Brown (Pat & Tony) came away with the coveted trophy.

Gavin had a great time exploring the Browns' hatchery home in Fremont. We got there a day before the festivities started, so he logged some great bonding time with Pat & Michelle.

Fishin'

2010-08-23T18:18:00.015-06:00

Gavin got his very own fishing pole, so you can bet it won't be long before he's hauling in fresh trout for dinner. We're not quite ready to attach a barbed hook to his line, so for now he'll just keep the rubberized plastic fish on the end and use it to catch chickens.
He's had a couple of opportunities to practice his cast on the Blacksmith Fork River. The first time was with his mom, who was more worried about him getting wet than being successful at casting (he ended up soaking wet anyway), and whose casting demonstrations invariably ended up with the little green fish caught in a tree. The second time was with Brandon and Chris, who seem to have a much better grasp of the concept.

A little more family time

2010-08-15T17:19:00.004-06:00

Big Boy Room!

2010-08-08T19:26:00.005-06:00

We may not have gone on any adventures this weekend, but we did accomplish a big milestone. Gavin has officially moved out of the little nursery room next to our bedroom and has moved into our former guest bedroom upstairs. He has to share it with our computer and filing cabinet, but he's still got plenty of room to call his own and he seems to really like it. A few months ago Brandon built a small closet and deep shelving into the corner. Then this weekend he whipped up a couple of awesome book holders. I still need to come up with some curtains and a bedside table. Gavin has slept in his new room for two nights now and although it hasn't gone perfectly, he's done better than I ever expected.

Quick Trip to Hyrum Dam

2010-08-08T17:39:00.006-06:00

Our plan to go camping last night and to Bear Lake today got dialed back several notches to an evening at home and a quick trip up the road to the beach area at Hyrum State Park. It was plenty warm out, but the wind was relentless. Gavin had a great time until his lips turned blue and he decided he was ready to go home and take a nice, long nap. My 30-week belly and I were more than content with that plan.

Our first egg!

2010-08-06T10:39:00.008-06:00

Yesterday Brandon found what we think is our chickens' first egg laying in the grass in the yard. It's a little one (store-bought egg on the left, Chard Yard egg on the right), but it's a few weeks earlier than expected, so I think they'll get bigger as the chickens get a little older. Now if we can just get them to start laying in their nest boxes instead of random places in the yard...
We started with 6 hens, then upped it to 7 when Ruthie brought a chick home from school. We're back down to 6 now because one of our poor gals got hurt and had to be put down. We ate her for dinner a few days later, but not without remorse. And actually, we're probably down to 5 hens because Ruthie's chicken (a.k.a. 'Skunk') is looking a lot like a rooster now that its tail feathers are coming in: Based on the cryptic information I got from Ruthie, we think this bird is a cross between a barred rock and an Americauna (or Easter Egger). Too bad if he's a roo because 1) a hen of this cross would likely lay blue eggs, and 2) he's going to have to go live somewhere else.

Belated Happy Birthday to Brandon

2010-07-31T17:30:00.009-06:00

On Brandon's birthday (7/22) we drove to Toledo, OH to visit our dear friends the Frantzes. It was a quick and bittersweet, but really excellent visit. Jonathan has accepted a new position with the USDA that will take him and Susan and Henry to Orono, Maine. That's a looooong way from Utah! Susan took lots of great pictures while we were there, including the one of Brandon with the delectable carrot birthday cake she made. CLICK HERE to see more of her photos.

We took a quick trip out to Porcupine Reservoir early this afternoon...

2010-07-30T22:06:00.006-06:00

Family Time

2010-07-30T21:51:00.004-06:00

Our trip to Chicagoland (with a side-trip to Toledo) was relaxing and full of great visits with family and friends. The heat and humidity slowed us down a little, but we still packed a LOT of stuff into our 12-day visit.

The Wood Family (minus Dave's wife, Melissa (who had to work) and their son/daughter (due 8/15!).

Jet Settin'

2010-07-18T19:23:00.002-06:00

On the road again! We're enjoying a great visit with Gavin's Nana and Papa, aunts, uncles and cousins in Chicagoland. Lots of pictures to come...

Congrats!

2010-07-11T21:49:00.005-06:00

Congratulations to my boss Bruce for making 60 look so good....
...and congratulations to Lev and Shanna for tying the knot in the Tetons. Woot!

Oregon Coast Road Trip

2010-07-11T18:46:00.012-06:00

Better late than never, right? I'm finally posting pictures from our road trip to to the Oregon Coast. We started by making a bee-line to Portland for a visit with Brandon's older sister Heather's family. On the way we camped at Shelton Wayside County Park and had the entire west loop to ourselves. Gavin and the pups and I hiked the 2-mile nature trail while Brandon looked (unsuccessfully) for a place to fish. We made it to 'Stumptown' the next day and we stayed at Heather's brother Quade's house in the city. It's a gorgeous place that was built in 2009 from recycled and energy-efficient materials, but it was designed to fit in to the style of the neighborhood so it had an old-home feel, inside and out. We stayed two nights, which gave us time to go to the Oregon Zoo and to Pyramid Brewing for dinner. Heather and Rhiannon drove from there to the coast with us and we spent a few hours together playing on Cannon Beach before they headed back to Portland and we headed on down the coast. The weather all along the coast was chilly, with highs in the 60s, so we didn't do any real swimming. We camped the first night at Nehalem Bay State Park. Right away we were impressed with the Oregon State Parks system. The facilities were nice, the campgrounds were quiet, they offered a variety of evening ranger programs, and the scenery and beach access were divine. We stopped at the Tilamook Cheese factory the next day for ice cream and picked up some cheese and summer sausage to eat for lunch, along with fresh Oregon cherries, apples, and peas.
Newport was our next destination. We camped two nights at Beverly Beach State Park, which gave us time to take in a visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and, of course, the Rogue Nation World Headquarters. We enjoyed a tasty dinner at the brewery the first night. For the second night's dinner, we picked up a live crab ($5/lb) from a commercial fisherman at Newport Bay (sure, we could have bought a cooked one, but what would have been the fun in that?). After leaving Newport we ended up at a the US Forest Service Sutton Beach campground near Florence. Brandon sought out a fishing hole while Gavin and I hiked around on the trails. As the evening wore on it started to rain. Brandon took shelter under some trees and cooked dinner for me and Gavin while we hid in the tent watching DVDs. We packed up our camp the next morning in the rain, but by the time we got to our next campsite near Sisters the sun had come out and we had no trouble getting everything dried out. As much as we loved camping on the coast, it was nice to finally get back to the land of free campsites and dry air! Two more days of driving got us all the way home, where we faced the daunting tasks of unloading and cleaning our camping gear, tending to an overgrown yard, and tackling a mountain of laundry. Was it worth it? Heck, yeah! If you didn't already click on the link at the beginning of this monstrous memoir, CLICK HERE to see more pictures.

The Ragnarliest

2010-07-06T21:44:00.003-06:00

Brandon ran in the 2010 Ragnar Wasatch Back relay this year. The race started in Logan and ended in Park City. It took his team of 12 runners 32 hours to complete the race, each of them running 3 legs. Brandon ran almost 19 miles in all. Teammate Anna dubbed him "The Ragnarliest". I tend to agree. Way to go, Brando! Oh, and he is determined to put together a team of his own for next year, so if you're interested be sure and let him know.

Highlights

2010-07-06T21:33:00.006-06:00

One of the many highlights of Brandon's Father's Day: Catching a mess of trout on the Blacksmith's Fork. These are just the non-native browns - he released a mess of rainbows back to their watery home.
One of the many highlights of Gavin's June: Getting to ride on a tractor with his good buddy Andy and also with Daddy!

Good gracious... Gavin's got goats!

2010-06-16T18:32:00.005-06:00

Somehow an offer to let our neighbors' goats graze in our dog run turned into a gift of two goats of our own. Try not to get attached to the kid. She's on the menu for Hart's 4th of July festivities. The older one has been dubbed "Sally". Not sure if we're going to keep her, but she's real sweet.
What can I say... he likes flowers!

Spring Harvest

2010-06-10T22:08:00.009-06:00

We've been nibbling at our garden lettuce for a week or two now, but today marked our first radish harvest.
Gavin is great about eating vegetables, but for some reason whenever we have salad he doesn't want to eat the lettuce. Even when we made a salad with our garden lettuce, he refused. But today when Brandon showed him that he could eat the lettuce right off the plants in the garden, he started stuffing his mouth and it was all we could do to get him out of there before he ate our entire crop.
The chickens just keep getting bigger. We've discovered that we can open the door to their run and let them roam around free without having to worry about them going too far. Gavin is pretty good at catching them, but they seem to be getting faster and better at eluding him. With a little patience he can woo them with worms from the compost bin and with his dulcet, "here, chicken-chicken...". Oh, and by the way, he got his hair cut today. Now he looks less like an orphan and more like the handsome little dude that he is.

More camping, more fishing, and a last-minute Sunday afternoon trip to Bear Lake.

2010-06-06T22:22:00.007-06:00

We finally got our gardens planted on Friday and we did enough other chores around the house and yard by Saturday afternoon that we decided we'd earned a family night of camping in Left Hand Fork canyon. Brandon did some more fishing and Gavin threw more than his fair share of rocks into the river. A couple of tin foil dinners and s'mores later, we were all pooped enough to call it a day. When we got back to town Sunday we had a message from Sean & Emily inviting us to join them on Sunday afternoon at Bear Lake. So we unpacked our camping gear and packed up our beach gear and joined them for a few hours of fun and sun on the shore. The water in the lake is still really (really) cold, but the shallow pools along the shores are just right for sloshing around in, which Gavin was very happy to do. And it wouldn't be a trip to Bear Lake without a little wind, so Brandon sent our dragon kite into the sky. S & Em joined us back in Hyrum for dinner before heading back home to SLC. So great to see our friends again.

Meet the baby

2010-06-02T12:25:00.003-06:00

We found out last week that our little bundle of joy is a girl. I'm at once ecstatic and terrified. What am I going to do with a girl (besides take cover when she becomes a teenager)? I don't know, but I'm looking forward to figuring it out.

Trout Slayer

2010-06-01T19:44:00.007-06:00

We spent Saturday through Monday of Memorial Day weekend in the Wind River Range in southwest Wyoming. We followed our friends Lev and Shanna to a great little camp spot tucked away in the trees, overlooking the Green River. It was chilly, but there was plenty of firewood laying around and we somehow even managed not to get rained on. On Sunday we took our canoe out on Green River Lakes for a family float. Brandon fished for awhile and eventually Gavin said he wanted to fish too. Brandon cast the line, then steadied the pole as Gavin reeled the line back in. After a minute or so of reeling, WHAM! A bite! Brandon helped Gavin reel the fish in and when it got close to the boat, Gavin grabbed the net and hauled in a ~4-lb. lake trout. It was the only fish our group caught all weekend. Brandon cooked it up over the campfire that night and Gavin ate it voraciously.

Click HERE for more photos from the weekend.

A great artist in the making

2010-06-01T19:40:00.005-06:00

Rainy day window art (thanks for the neat markers, Aunt Brooke!) Singing, dancing, and even a little headbanging

The coop is coming along...

2010-06-01T19:31:00.007-06:00

Access doors to coop - check!
Pop door - check!
Enclose run with wire - check!
Access door to run - check!
All that's left is to put some siding on (just for looks) and put a hinge on the nest box lid for easy egg access. We are READY for some EGGS!

Buddies

2010-05-16T21:36:00.004-06:00

Gavin had a chance to hang out with his old buddy Braden this weekend. Braden is a big fan of the chickens. He even brought along his book, "How to be the Best at Everything", which has a section about how to hypnotize a chicken. The hypnosis didn't go too well, but I think he made great strides in figuring out how to catch and cuddle a young clucker.

Raise the roof!

2010-05-08T19:51:00.013-06:00

FINALLY... some nice weather. After a snowy week, we are thrilled to have had a couple of nice days in a row. Yesterday we got the girls out of their box for awhile and they seemed to enjoy their new stomping grounds under the trampoline. They're good sports when Gavin chases them, but they're not so accommodating that they actually listen to him when he says "STOP chicken!" Brandon has been working hard on the chicken house. The roof is finished, and three of the four walls and the nest boxes are up and insulated. The small door that Gavin is poking his head through will be the "pop door", which will lead from the house to the screened-in run via a ramp. We will put a door in one of the screen walls to access the run. The4th side of the chicken house (the side that's not yet installed) will have a large access door that we can use to refill their food and water and to clean the house out. We haven't figured out yet what we're going to use for doors - hence the wide open space. To see more photos, click here.

Chicken Update

2010-04-25T19:19:00.006-06:00

Our six little girls are still living in their big box in the shed.

I'm working on getting the base of the trampoline enclosed so they can spend a little time outside in the sunshine and fresh air, but progress (on anything around here) is made slow by a certain 2-1/2 year old (I won't name any names).
Today Brandon made some headway getting the chickies' house framed in. The smaller box that's jutting out toward the foreground will be divided into three next boxes with a lid that flips up for easy egg access.

Bring on the apricots!

2010-04-24T22:40:00.005-06:00

In the fall of 2008 we planted three fruit trees - two apples and an apricot. This year it looks like we might just see some fruit!

Before & After

2010-04-24T19:26:00.004-06:00

Adios, old orange. You were fun for awhile.
Our century-old shack looks good in black, don't you think?

Chicken Update

2010-04-21T19:43:00.007-06:00

Our six little chicks are growing fast! Last week we moved them from their plastic tub in the house, out to a bigger 'brooder box' (borrowed from our kind neighbors) in one of our sheds. [Note: for 10 years we've been calling this particular shed "the chicken coop" - this is about to get real confusing since the chickens are ultimately going to live elsewhere] They've got real feathers now and we're starting to supplement their feed with veggie scraps from the kitchen. After lots of reading and planning, we are ready to start construction on their chicken house.

The chicken house building site.
Brandon and Gavin worked hard getting the four corner posts in and making sure they were straight. The cement will be plenty dry by this weekend, when we hope to do the framing and get the walls up. Then come the details like the doors, vents/windows, and nest boxes.

Random Cuteness

2010-04-21T19:17:00.006-06:00

Muddy buddy.
Tube slide.
Chicken wagon.
My cute hubby installing our cute new shutters using a not-so-cute (SCARY!) ladder-holder-upper.

Last Hurrah with the Folks

2010-04-18T20:56:00.007-06:00

We finally managed get out and actually do something with my folks on Friday - we visited the train museum at Union Station in Ogden, then hit the dinosaur park near the mouth of Ogden Canyon. The train museum is worthwhile for avid train enthusiasts, but you don't have to be a dinosaur lover to love the dinosaur park. Nana and Papa hit the long road home on Saturday morning and still have a few hours of driving to do before they get to their sweet home, Chicago. We miss them but look forward to heading out their way for a visit in July.

Horsin' Around with Nana & Papa

2010-04-12T21:06:00.006-06:00

My mom and dad are visiting this week from Chicago. They made a special trip out to deliver the rocking horse that my dad made for Gavin. It is exquisite - almost too beautiful to play on. I don't want to put any scratches in it! Gavin's first response was, "turn on?". He wondered where the power button was. It didn't take long for him to warm up to the idea of riding it, though, and now he insists on wearing his cowboy hat whenever he mounts his trusty steed. Nana and Papa are in for a long week of babysitting while Brandon and I are at work. Our sweet little 2-1/2 year old seems to be going through some growing pains. Maybe his 2-year molars are finally coming in. Maybe he's just terrible 2. One thing is for sure: he has a mind of his own and he's determined to push the boundaries of disobedience. It's just a phase.... right? Anyone? Please tell me it's just a phase.

First ride.
It's even sturdy enough for dads!
Thank you, Papa!
The masterpiece.
Flying the osprey on a windy but warm afternoon.
Giving kisses to Nana on the upswing.
"Heee Ha!"

Easter Festivities

2010-04-04T22:07:00.004-06:00

Gavin enjoyed smooshing the egg shells as much as he enjoyed coloring them.
Our egg zoo. Please note the clever stripes on the zebra. That's about as creative as we get.
Some kids get Easter baskets. Ours has an Easter bucket (which came from the depths of one of our outbuildings - not sure where it came from originally, but better to re-use than buy new, I always say!)
Sorting through his loot.
Cheesy chocolate grin.

There's something in the water...

2010-03-30T21:50:00.003-06:00

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