New Year, New Yard

As Jed was growing up he was never grounded, this he tells me because he was a perfect child. All of you who know Jed are now recollecting something he has done that would otherwise rebuke that statement. Well the truth is, Jed was never punished in a traditional sense but in a more CONSTRUCTIVE sense. Hence the chosen career path and the innate need to DIG HOLES!!! Yes, for Jed's punishment, and also I think his mother's sanity, he dug many holes in his back yard. He is now initiating hole digging in Jara's life and mine. He digs holes too, but truly enjoys it since he digs holes with heavy equipment now. Little boys and girls play with Tonka trucks in the sand, big boys play with excavators and back hoe's in the sand. Jed's quest for a landscaped yard has brought about much shoveling and heavy equipment. Here is the on-going development of our yard!

Jara with her shovel, digging holes at the tender age of one year.

Phase I

Jed's vision
Jed had to lay out a budget, bid the job and submit it to his project manager (me.) It was approved with a slight cut in budget to pay for extra expenses i.e. (speeding tickets)

Phase II

Lots of shoveling, leveling and leveling. There were so many stakes in our lawn that during an electrical storm, we were hit. We lost a tv, phone lines, our computer and doorbell! During this phase our pavers were also added. Hand hauled, leveled and laid to rest within its own perfect measurements. All done in the Nevada summer with temperatures around a comfortable 110 degrees at 6:00 in the morning! Each paver weighed more than Jara at the time. I believe the final count on pavers was 7 pallets, each pallet holding oh, roughly a billion pavers!!!! A big thanks to Jordan for his assistance.

What the outside wall of our house looked like where the phone line blew out.

Phase III

Sprinkler lines and Grass! It took three hours to lay the grass; I went to work and when I came home we had a lawn!

Jara helping put in the drip system.

Phase IV

Curbing. Thanks to Shawn, Ryan and Paul the concrete was mixed, laid, and smoothed on site. And exctraction of plants that didn't survive the summer more than 10 in all.

Current Phase

Rock. We went with, "you know the color in front of the church."

Christmas Questionnaire

Welcome to the annual Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Wendy tagged me and this is my way of responding. You can copy the questionnaire and paste your own answers on your blog.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper 69cents at Lin’s

2. Real tree or artificial? I went with a pre-lit faux tree this year. No more allergies!
3. When do you put up the tree? As soon after thanksgiving as possible.

4. When do you take the tree down? A few days after New Year's

5. Do you like eggnog? YUC K!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Barbie mansion complete with furniture.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? Yes, two.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My dad, he has everything.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My husband he likes anything expensive.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Flowered turtleneck and stirrup white leggings
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail, although if stamps keep going up…

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Vacation. Everyone can relate in some way.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November this year.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, I’m guilty.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Roast Beast, cheese ball
16 Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? “Go Tell it on the Mountain.” Only Ashley’s version.

18 Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of Course, I sing Rudolph to Jara every time she eats.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither, my tree won’t support my star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning, before sunrise.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year. School not getting out until the 21st.

Christmas 2007

This year Kathy and Paul hosted the 1st annual Kris Kringle Mingle. Complete with Santa, karaoke contests, and an ugly sweater contest it was memorable event. Some things we will never be able to forget, even though we would like to. Jed won most creative karaoke costume complete with his mamma's bra and his dad's tights, I mean cycling pants. Matt Watson had to have won the ugly sweater contest with his Cousin Eddie costume. He is in the market for an RV just to let you all know. Overall, it was a great party and hopefully a yearly tradition, minus Jed's costume.


(Pictures to come)


On Christmas morning Jara was very excited to finally be able to tear open all of the presents and not get in trouble. Great-Grandma Wheeler's Christmas present had been opened and rewrapped about 5 times. It took Jara 3 days to open her presents. She was rationing her goods. Opening presents is very exhausting when you are only a year old.

Jara especially loved Grandma Alderete's Singing Santa this year, every time she heard it, it sent her into a dancing flurry.

November

On 11/1 Jara turned one year old. She loved having her own cake to destroy/eat and opening presents, she was an old pro. It seems like Jara has always been a part of our life's and yet it seems like just yesterday that she was born.

Jara when she was only 10 days old and Jara NOW!

Highlights of the big day.

This month Jara has learned to walk, oh the possibilities!

Jara with Great-Grandma Leavitt, right after her first bath. (Jara looks alienish.)

On November 25, 2007 Granny Leavitt went on to be with Grandpa. Favorite memories of Granny include:

• All the times she would let Ashley and I play dress-up in her clothes.
• The loaves of bread she was always baking for us.
  The delicious divinity she would never make on a rainy day.
• The way she would totally kick our butt at any board/card game once we were past the age of ten.
  All the times she listened to us talk of our woes and told us "it's your own fault."
  The wonderful stories of her life.
  Pounding on her piano, she never seemed to mind, little did we know her hearing aids were off.
• "SHIFT RAOUL, SHIFT!"