The good stuff

This post is dedicated to updating our family status and recording the day to day joy that sometimes gets forgotten. This is the good stuff of life. The stuff I never want to forget.

At Quinn's 6 mo. app. Seth called me and told me he was no longer working for Cactus and Tropicals. Thank GOD. This was a blessing in disguise. I was a little panicked, but it's kind of nice now. He is 4 months away from graduating, and we are enjoying every minute of his unemployment. Pretty soon he will be working full time, and if we don't enjoy this time, I know we will regret it.

Fortunately I have the capability of supporting our family. I would rather my paycheck go towards the fun stuff, but we do what we have to do to survive.

On a completely different note, we have a very exciting project coming up.

We live on a corner lot in Sugarhouse. We have a smaller home on a pretty big lot. The people who originally lived in our home, built a one car garage that is literally leaning on the south side of our house. It is old and rotting and is so horrible. At the far south end of our lot is a perfect spot for a two car garage. We had a driveway poured years ago in hopes of completing this project. So we pulled the trigger last week. We should have a gorgeous two car garage built and installed by April 19. The second it is up, Seth and some very generous friends and family are going to rip down the old beauty. This is going to dramatically change our backyard. Under the old junker is a nice cement pad. Seth is going to build a deck over it this summer. I am going to hand him nails and cold beers while he works. I can't wait. I am totally going to have a fun summer party to celebrate. So this project, the kids, and thoroughly enjoying every day are my current obsessions, along with flowering branches.

I LOVE flowering branches. Not sure of the names, but the big yellow ones that are everywhere right now are so amazing. I made the mistake of telling my mom how much I loved them. So of course we planned a poaching mission. The other night after I put the kids down, I put on my dark sweat shirt, grabbed Seth's clippers, and listened for the snails honk. (the snail is the name of my mom's car) She pulled up and we were off. To be fair we only clipped from bushes that were growing out over fences. I promise. So we found some and got out and were clipping away. I jumped back in the snail after a minute because I started getting nervous. My 60 something, 5 foot nothing mom was out there shaking the shit out of the tree to get a good clip calling me a chicken. She is so freaking awesome. She is bold and more fun than anyone, and I never want to forget that night. Oh and if we got caught our story was that we worked for the city and their bush was in violation of blocking the sidewalk. Whatever ladies!!

One of Piper's favorite things right now is just being with my mom. She and my mom are two peas in a pod. Two of their favorite activities are going to the "doll store" aka Pottery Barn Kids, and "the ice cream store" aka Emigration Market. Emo as the locals call it was where I more or less grew up. It is a little local market in my mom's neighborhood. So yesterday Piper and my mom let me join them for their gelato date. The three of us walked down to the market and ate ice cream. As we were sitting there I realized it was 3 generations all together. When we were walking back I told Pipes that we were walking my school route as a child. This was so amazing to me. It was a fantastic day!

We finally got a bike trailer. One of the best parts about it is that we got $1.89 back. Between our 20% off one item at REI's sale, gift cards from grandparents, and our dividend, we got almost $2.00 back. So this summer I am going to be trailing behind a very handsome man with two amazing children in my 1960s purple stardust bike. It's going to be a fantastic summer.

Oh and one more thing. When Piper was a baby, Patrick and Erin were watching her, and when I got home she had a tramp stamp. Well guess what guys, payback is a bitch. Hope Ronan enjoys his princess tattoo.

Love

My big boy is officially crawling. He is so proud.

Everything I always dreamed of is right here. This man and two precious children. Do you ever feel scared about the power loving someone so much can have over you. If they were ever taken away from me how could I survive. Wow that is super deep for a silly sleeping photo. But seriously I know of people my age who have lost a child or a spouse. I see them and wonder how they are still breathing. I enjoy every moment we have together. I treasure it.

It's the little things in life that really matter

This is my favorite bench.
It's the fathers/brothers bench in the herb garden. Every time I have been huge and pregnant I would go swing on it in the hot summer with Piper. It faces west and it has the best view. The aroma from the garden and the relief it allows are incredible.

Cousins

Ronan Patrick Quinn (my nephew)

My sleeping beauty in the warm spring sun

My daughter takes my breath away

Moments away from crawling

Brothers

I got to take these amazing children to my favorite place today. If you don't have a pass to Red Butte Gardens, spend the $45.00 for a years pass. It will be some of the best money you spend all year.
These kids are finally at a phase where it is possible to have them all together at once and not feel like you are going to lose your mind.
Oh and Quinn has his first tooth emerging. He is moments away from his first real crawl.

A new treasure

I have a new addiction and it is 100% Patrick's fault. At least it's a good addiction. I am in love with mid-century chairs. So unfortunately these chairs are insanely expensive. These beauties are Herman Miller fiberglass bucket chairs. My brother called one of "his guys", and guess what, I got a white pair for $200. The one store in town that sells them charges $500 for each chair. On ebay they are insanely expensive as well. They need a wee bit of sanding and Penetrol. One chair looks like Frankenstein, but they will be white, glossy beauties when they are done.
In my winter funk I decided to redo our front room. Seth calls this stuff white people problems. Deciding on the right color paint and finding the furniture you want and being able to afford it.
I can't wait to finish them.
Thanks P!

His/Hers Imagination Tents

I actually finished a project. Thank you Pinterest and Piper's Quilts. So Piper and Quinn have their own imagination tents. A place where they can lay and dream and imagine.

Piper and Quinn

These two are playing so cute together. Every day that I spend with them I realize that having these two children was the best decision Seth and I will ever make.

Piper is loving preschool. We found out the other day she got accepted to the 3 day am class at the U. We have so loved their program. She loves it. She was such a shy child to begin with, and I think she might be the most out going, popular kid in the class.

Her favorite songs right now are Dance the Night Away, Hakuna Matata, and the "hello song" from Gnomeo and Juliet. She is incredible at running and kicking a soccer ball. She knows the entire alphabet and loves reading. She tells me what Quinn needs when he is fussy.

Quinn is all smiles, laughs, and yes, he is still sleeping in the damn moses basket in our room. I don't want him to leave. I am starting to think about how we will celebrate his first birthday. Holy crap. My baby is almost a year old.