An Update

I mentioned before that things have  been a little crazy around our house. We (mostly Brandon) have been working really hard to get our yard finished. We finished the landscaping in the front yard and I must admit that our flowers look beautiful! The biggest project has been the backyard though. It seems like we have completed a very carefully choreographed dance through the summer. First we had to level the backyard- luckily Brandon's Dad has a friend that brought a tractor in and moved the dirt around. If it hadn't been for him we would probably still be shoveling dirt around the yard! We were scheduled to have our fence installed the middle of June, but thanks to some much needed rain we didn't get the fence until Maddie's birthday in July.

During that time Brandon was cleared to work his regular shift, so he started working nights and weekends again. I also interviewed for and got my old job at Lakeview. I am very happy, but it has been a little stressful to do both jobs. My replacement has officially started, so things are starting to slow down a little bit.

Anyway, back to the house. After the fence was installed we had to put in a sprinkling system. Brandon didn't have any experience putting in sprinklers, so we had some friends and family come and help. (Which was greatly appreciated!) Brandon is now a pro at sprinklers and I'm very proud of him! After the sprinklers we spent a couple weeks shoveling, spreading, and re-leveling the dirt. Just last weekend we laid the sod in a marathon 4 hours with the help from family & friends again! We now have the perfect house that has all the items on our checklist when we were looking for it! Now we get to sit back, relax, and enjoy our new house until something breaks and needs to be replaced... oh, did I mention our AC motor died last night?! Home ownership- you gotta love it! Here are pictures of our new yard:

Before

After

 We still have to do the flowerbeds and plant trees, but it looks like there is an end in sight! It's been hard, but rewarding- but we both decided that if we ever buy another house the landscaping will already be done!

The rest of our house has suffered while we have worked on the outside- like my mountain of laundry (which is something I won't post a picture of)! August is also the birthday month for our family, so I need to get my act together quick!

Bryn usually gets ear infections every month, so we went to see an ENT. He recommended that she get tubes. It's a little unusual because she should be growing out of ear infections rather than increasing them. He said we could treat each ear infection, but we decided to put tubes in. The bad part is that she has to go through same day surgery, which is scheduled for this Friday. I know it's not invasive, but I still get nervous anytime one of the kids has something wrong. Unfortunately, Bryn is used to doctors and hospitals.

Maddie starts 4th grade in a couple weeks and is excited to go to her new school. She is growing up so fast and becoming very independent. She has thrived in our new neighborhood and has made a lot of new friends. She is also a huge help around the house and has taken on more responsibilities. I am very proud of her!

Miss Emmy is as cute, spunky, and mean as ever! I love her silly faces!