Oh fun- yard work!!

If you know me- you know how much I love yard work! And if you know Russell- well you know he is even less excited about it than me. I want to have a beautiful yard, but it's just SO much work! I will say it is nice when all is said and done, it's just getting their that sucks. Our poor yard is such a work in progress and after being in our house for 3 years we are finally making some headway :) It's definitely better than how it was when we bought the house. I do think sometimes it would have been easier to start with a clean slate than to fix someone else's stuff- but we have done what we could with what we have.

Last spring when we went to turn on our water main to the sprinklers we discovered we had a leak. It was fine if the water was running but once you shut it off you could hear it leaking. We decided to let it go for the summer but that once fall came and we were ready to shut it off we would then replace the stop & waste valve. Russell was awesome and took the job of digging the 7 feet down into the lawn in order to find the valve. We could not believe how far down it was! So for several days we had a large hole in the front yard.

Of course the hole was smack dab in the middle of the yard. People were funny- they kept asking if were planting a tree or something? Uh yes- right in the middle of the yard people :)

Our neighbor helped Russell replace the valve and then Russell filled the hole back in. We waiting during the winter for the dirt to settle and finally we put some sod down to fill it in. It looks SO much better now that there is grass there! Now we just have to keep it green :)

We also replaced a dead pear tree that was in our back yard. I figured it was dead when it didn't lose it leaves in the fall and still had the same ones come spring. Jill and Jerome got the same kind of tree at the same time that we did and theirs is a dud too- so at least we know we didn't kill it!

The dead tree is on the left and the new tree is waiting to be planted. You can see at the bottom of the dead tree a bunch of starts- but who wants to wait for those to grow? :)

Russell with our new tree- he insists on wearing his hat even at 8 at night! ha ha

Even though the backyard still needs some major help, we have managed (with help from Jill and my mother) to get the front yard looking pretty decent- thanks you guys!!

Our newest project has been building grow boxes for our garden. We decided this was the best choice because the ground in our yard is hard as a rock and therefore digging a garden would be impossible. So we set out to Home Depot with our list and the plan to spend around a $100 total for the wood, seeds and soaker hoses. We rounded up all our supplies and got our wood cut to size and went to check out. Much to our surprise, the wood we had selected (which we thought was only $10 a board) turned out to be $27 a board! And we had four of them! (yes- that's an extra 68 dollars we hadn't planned on) Good thing we already had them cut and couldn't return them. I was dying! Russell and I couldn't believe it. We just kept laughing because we were so mad at ourselves for looking at the wrong price. This is one expensive garden! I will be even more mad now if what we plant doesn't grow.

I didn't have the heart to tell Russell that when I was looking on line a few days after building these I discovered that according to Martha Stewart (the expert on EVERYTHING)- we shouldn't have used pre-treated wood! Now she tells us! Wish us luck :)

New Arrival!

I am still about a month behind on my postings, so bear with me! I LOVE reading other's updates but have a hard time keeping mine updated. Perhaps it's because my life is not super exciting? :)

At the end of April we welcomed little baby Aiden into the world. He wasn't due until May- but he decided to come on his own- and early! This is baby #2 for my sister Jill- and he is absolutely adorable!! I was able to watch Carter while Jill was in the hospital and he was so dang cute. I don't think he had any idea what was going on- all he knew was that mom kept holding some other little kid and not him! As time has progressed I think he understands better that this is his little brother and he is not going anywhere.

*His first day in the world*

*His favorite aunt!*

*Missy juggling 3 kids*

When we visited Jill and Aiden in the hospital we had quite the crowd. Missy and Livvy were there too and Livvy could not get enough of Aiden. She wanted to give him a million kisses, it was super cute. Carter on the otherhand could not sit still and was busy running around the small room and pushing the buttons on Jill's hospital bed. The poor nurse got called a dozen or so times by Carter! Both mom and baby are now home and doing great!

We are so excited for another boy in the family. Congrats Jill and Jerome! We love you and your darling family!

Happy Easter

Easter morning we started out with a yummy breakfast and then we colored eggs with Jacob and Carlye. It was so much fun- just like kids again! Russell and I had talked about doing baskets for each other but because I had had my gall bladder out just days before we hadn't had time to put anything together. So Russell got a thing of beef jerky and I got some Reese's Peanut Butter eggs (such a crappy selection at Walmart the night before!)

That afternoon we headed out to my aunt and uncles for dinner and of course- an Easter egg hunt! Even though we are older we still insist on a hunt :)

*We have to get a shot of the family on the steps before we can start hunting for eggs*

*Jill, Carlye, Linsey, Missy*

My parents are kind enough to even hide an egg for each of us with a little money it it! Money and candy- can't go wrong with that! It was probably more fun though seeing the little ones go after the eggs. Carter and Olivia were in heaven and we kept re-hiding our own eggs so they could find them.

Even if you just set your eggs down for a second- Olivia was all over it picking them up and adding them to her loot. She was so funny!

Carter was equally excited about finding the eggs and also about getting them open to see what was inside! He liked the chocolate eggs the best. A kid after my own heart :)

We had a great Easter and enjoyed spending it with the family. We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Easter and the Resurrection of our Saviour.

My Sweet Grandma

*Christmas 2008*

While Russell and I were in Washington I learned that my sweet Grandma Leah had passed away. I was devastated to say the least, but also happy that she had moved on to a better place. Grandma's health hasn't been the best the last few years and I know that she has struggled so much. She passed away at the age of 92 and I'm sure had a joyous reunion after being away from my grandpa for 30 long years. I have SO many wonderful memories of my Grandma Leah. Growing up two houses down the street from her meant we got to see her all the time and spent many a day at her house just hanging out. Here are some of my favorites memories:

*Homemade Bread and Jam every Sunday

*Reading books and playing Jacks

*Playing cards for hours on end and laughing our heads off. Grandma always made sure we

followed the rules exactly and the older she got- the more rules there were!

*Family Home Evening every Fast Sunday with the whole family and grilled cheese sandwiches

*Playing Hide the Thimble, Colored Eggs and boxing with the boxing gloves

*Weenie Roasts and Sm ores in the backyard

*Learning to work hard and do a job right

*Trips to Ream's and double-decker ice cream cones

*Learning to love reading and great book recommendations from Grandma

*Angel food cakes and M&M's on our birthday

*Knowing that Grandma would ALWAYS be honest with you- even if it wasn't always great to

hear!

*Christmas Eve Bingo and great prizes like Aqua Net Hairspray and Kleenex

*And MANY more!

Grandma was always teaching us the importance of family and because of that we are all very close. Grandma taught all of us to be strong and independent (even the girls!) and that we needed to work hard and be smart with our money. She also taught us to serve others and was such a great example. I will miss you SO much Grandma! I am very grateful for my knowledge that families really are forever and that we will be with her again!

*All the girl grand kids*

*My family*

*Russell and I by the casket*

The viewing and funeral were sad but also filled with lots of talking and laughter. It was fun to see all the family and to sit and reminisce about the fun times we all had with grandma. She will be greatly missed!

The Cramers Go To Washington

*Here we are,so excited to start working! Little did we know....*

At the end of March we were able to take off to visit Russell's parents in Washington state. We went during his dad's spring break (he teaches school) so we could help do some home renovations and of course visit! We went for 9 days and had big plans! We flew into Seattle on a Friday and drove 3 hours to Russell's home town of Othello. Seattle was beautiful and it was a pretty drive. Russell hasn't been home in over a year, so it was nice to go back and have a little vacation.

We knew that we would be working most the time we were there, but we were super excited to help out doing anything we could to help update the house a little. My in-laws want to move in the next year and realized that they hadn't really updated a whole lot in the 20 some years they had lived there- so we definitely had our hands full! Unfortunately, my father-in-law had his appendix burst a few weeks prior to our visit and still was not feeling well. He was not able to help us as planned because of his health, but we still got things done anyway!

We mostly did painting throughout the house. Now I LOVE to paint, but this was a little much! We painted their living room, entryway, guest bathroom, kitchen, dining room and family room. We wanted to do the 3 bedrooms and other bath but we just ran out of time (and energy!) We stuck with a pretty basic color (we just couldn't convince them to do something a little more drastic) but we did convince them to do 2 accent walls in a really pretty brown. The rest of the walls were a really light brown/cream color. It looked really nice when we were done!

This is one of 2 accent walls in a pretty mocha color- it was one of my favorite walls to paint! My mother-in-law loved helping too. This was her first time painting!

We also replaced light fixtures, hung new blinds and drapes, replaced the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and did lots of cleaning/dusting! It was fun to decorate someone elses house- especially when it came to the shopping! It's much more fun to spend someone elses money :) We worked all day long and most nights well into the night. I couldn't believe how sore we both were and how tired we were! But it was for a good cause!

*such cute paint clothes!*

Besides all the work going on inside, Russell was able to help with some major tree trimming outside and we managed to squeeze in a few visits from Russell's brother and his family. We got to see our nephew that we haven't seen since he was born, and we soon became the favorites of almost 3 year old Matthew. They are both so dang cute and it was fun playing with them and visiting with Douglas and Mandy.

*Matthew having a snack*

*Smiley Mark with Grandma*

We even found a few moments to relax here and there

*Russell and his dad*

One night when we were getting ready for bed I kept hearing a funny noise and was asking Russell what it was. After much searching, we pulled back the shower curtain to discover this:

Sammy apparently is a big fan of the water from the tap.

We had such a good time and can't believe how quickly the time passed. We got most of the things done we started but had to leave a few unfinished projects behind. Thanks to Douglas for helping finish them! We can't wait to go visit again and maybe tackle some more fun projects!

Adventures in Babysitting

Russell and I got the privilege of watching our adorable nephew Carter for the weekend while his parents went out of town. It was so much fun- and so much work! He is your typical 2 year old boy- he never stops! We were both so exhausted and it definitely gave us a new appreciation of people with kids :) (hopefully it didn't deter too much from us wanting our own kids!)

Carter loves trains and Thomas the train- which he refers to as 'Choo Choos'. He is easily entertained by watching it on TV and so bless his heart- he let us sleep in a little while he watched trains. (Thanks for the tip Jill!)

After getting up and going we headed outside to do some yard work and Carter had a blast just running around and playing with the dogs.

*he even did some shoveling for us!*

While working we took a break to blow bubbles until he decided it was more fun to pour them in the dogs water and then play in the water! He was also really good at using the spray bottle for when the dogs barked. (though I think he sprayed himself more than the dogs!

After our hard work outside, it was time for a snack

*he LOVED playing in the dog food though I don't think any was consumed*

then a nap (after reading a book of course)

After a nice nap for all three of us, we headed to the park to play on the Wee (the slide) and run around. Carter had a blast and it was a lot of fun. I just wish they had swings for big kids too!

Sunday we only had church for an hour due to the temple dedication and since Carter was asleep we opted to stay home. Carter did such a good job while at our house and the dogs loved the entertainment and all the food he shared with them! The dogs soon learned that when Carter was eating he would share or "drop" stuff. Sometimes he even so kind as to feed them right from his spoon! What a good little sharer he is :) Sunday night I took Carter out to my parent's house where we celebrated Missy's 30th birthday and my Grandpa Pete's birthday. Ali was here from Idaho so we got to see the girls and Trevor and Carter had a blast playing with all of them and Olivia.

*Happy Birthday Mis!*

*Carlye and my cute grandpa*

*Kennedy, Brooklyn & Carter*

After a long day I returned Carter to his eagerly waiting parents and headed home for some much needed sleep. It was a great weekend - thanks for letting us watch the cute munchkin!

Terrible Twos

I know we are crazy- we actually know when our dogs' birthday is! And yes- I'm posting about it-ha ha! You know us and are dogs- they are the children of the house for the time being :)

"The boys" turned 2 on February 22 and they are officially in their terrible two stage- though I swear that started a long time ago!! Russell and I can't believe it has been 2 years since we brought home Gauge and Tar- they were so dang cute!

Now maybe you can see why we couldn't decide on just one! They were so adorable and we decided that two would be better than one- so they wouldn't get lonely. We have learned that having two has its advantages but it also has disadvantages. We got the boys from a couple in Hyde Park and drove up their one Sunday to pick out just one- but like I said- we couldn't decide on just one and so we got two! We went back at the first of April to pick them up when they were old enough to leave their Mama and have enjoyed (most the time) having them as part of our family.

Both Russell and I had somewhat of a shock when we realized what went in to raising two puppies. We both had dogs growing up but both of them were a couple years when we had gotten them so we had no idea what to expect. I have decided that they are so cute as puppies because it keeps you from killing them :) Here are some highlights from the past two years:

*Repairing holes in the wall where the sheetrock and insulation had been scratched/chewed out

*Cleaning up torn up newspaper and puppy pads (can you say - disgusting?)

*I used to be afraid at what I would come home too- now you see why! Good thing we got a new floor after these messes! *

*Learning that they both loved the taste of Bitter Apple- so no luck in getting them to stop chewing things up

*Vet and food bills times two (who knew they could cost so much?)

*A disastrous time at Pet Smart's puppy training class. We almost got kicked out- no joke. Not to mention that Russell and I got a workout during the longest hour of our lives- one day a week for six LONG weeks (they did graduate but I think it's cuz they wanted us out of there!)

*Hundreds of dollars spent on toys that were a flop and more tennis balls than you would ever imagine

*A back yard that will just NEVER look nice (yes, they eat trees, bushes, flowers etc. )

*We sectioned off this grass so it could grow & it looked so good for awhile!*

*This is after the boys were allowed back on it- they are good at finding things to chew and destroy*

Many wonder why we still have them after all this fun, but besides the "fun" things, they have been so great! I enjoy having them around when Russell is at work and I feel safer at nights with them there. They know when your sick and want to cuddle- it's so dang cute! (too bad it's not as cute when they now weigh 80 lbs) So Happy Birthday boys- we love you! (most the time- ha ha)

*Gauge and Tar*