backyard renos

We've sure been enjoying fiddling around in our backyard this summer! Jon's been trying his hand at being a handy-man and I've loved having my very own garden! So far this summer we've dug a hole in the hill so we could build a retaining wall so we could move the shed to the corner so we could put the garden boxes (that Jon built) where the shed used to be (got all that? :). He also put a lovely raised bed in front of the shed that will soon have a big honeysuckle vine growing up the side, as well as some hostas and white bleeding hearts in the shade.

The raised beds are where the shed used to be, and the bed you see behind them (along the fence) is re-used sod, on top of some pretty wretched grass. I also spent a couple days filling in the low spot (aka mud puddle) by the boxes with some more mud, lots of straw, and newspaper.

We used the sod from the hill to make another bed next to the fence, and edged it with rocks collected from the Thomas homestead.

AND we moved the angled fence (that blocked off the driveway from the yard) so now it's straight. We didn't have enough fence boards to make it the slight bit longer that it needs to be now that it's straight between the houses, so Jon decided not to finish the back of half of the fence and instead build a littleplayhouse for Ethan with the fence as one wall. So that's what we're working on now. And I haven't taken pictures of it yet, but we also put in a little rock-lined raspberry bed beside the patio. Wow! Amazing how much plant life a small yard can hold.

words

I'm trying to figure out all the words that Ethan knows. Just for my own interest. And I'm trying to see if there's some sort of theme :) Probably a boring post for anyone who's not family! Off the top of my head, I can think of 40 words he uses regularly.

People:

Mummy, Dada, Bapa (Opa), Bampa (Grandpa), Mama (Grandma)

Food:

(s)nack, Cookie, Cracker, Gook (milk), bup (cup), Bubees (breakfast)

Nouns:

Doggie, Cat, Car, Truck, Bus, Shovel, Door, Hat, Shoes, Sock, Book, Box, Stairs, Baby, (s)cooby (Thomas' dog), Mamas (pyjamas), c(l)ock, bath, ball

Sounds:

Moo, Woof

Verbs:

Push

Other:

Up, Off, No, Mess (my personal favorite :), Hi, Bye bye, Uh Oh

from infancy

Usually I work Tuesday and Friday each week, but summer is a little weird and this week I worked Wednesday and attended a conference on Thursday/Friday. That means I've only had 1 or 2 hours a day with Ethan for the past few days. Today I came home and he looked...older. Not massively older, just a little more mature.

It made me realize how fleeting toddlerhood is. Toddlerhood is such a precious time - a time of intense learning, where everyday is a new adventure. The other day we spent an hour in Home Depot, just playing in the cabinets, pretending to paint the floor, and opening all the washing machines. I think he had more fun there than at the playground!

I love my job, and I think that helping children know Jesus is incredibly worthwhile. But I'm glad it's just 2 days a week. I couldn't handle any more away from my swiftly-growing little man. It already makes me choke up thinking that we'll never have these days back. This is what we get, and we have to make the most of it. But I am glad that we don't do it alone: we want to raise a boy, a man of integrity, and so does God. He will help us hold onto the precious times and show us how to appropriately love and discipline him just as He loves and disciplines us. When I am weak, He is strong.

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scripture, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

- 2 Timothy 3:14-15