A Weekend with Nana and Papa

We enjoyed last weekend with mom and Dennis. They came to watch the kids, while Ryan and I went to a friends wedding.

We also spent a day up in the mountains.

We finally got a few family pictures. I can't decide which one is my favorite.

The fall colors were beautiful, but they weren't quite at peak and a lot got knocked off with the snow the week before. Oh well, still a gorgeous time of year in the mountains.

Monkeys!

Nana and Papa with the kids.

The kids even got some fishing in.

Waiting, waiting, then "I don't really like fishing mom." Not really the right outdoor activity for my impatient children.

Although, Caitlin DID catch 3 crawdads...on her line. Who knew you could go fishing for crawdads.

Wrapped up the weekend with a little gaming.

Ryan's working interview is going really well so far. He still likes it and I think we're starting to get use to waking up at 5a.m. I'm still trying to get use to not having him around all day. I must say, I'm enjoying the quiet, but miss having my best friend to chat with, whenever I feel like it.

Yippee!

Ryan got a call from the job he was really hoping for. They want him to start his working interview on Monday! They do a "working interview" for three weeks, before they officially hire, but he'll be getting paid...cash. The job is with a pasta making company. He would start out, amazingly enough, making pasta, but he would be trained to learn all of the cooking positions. His hours would be 6:30am-3 Monday-Friday. I never thought he'd ever have a job that would leave him home nights and weekends. He's excited to be cooking, but out of the stress and hard labor of a restaurant. I'm a little nervous about what those early mornings will be like, but he's really excited and thinks it will be fine. So, we're excited. Hopefully he will like it and they will like him.

Randomness from the past month.

This past week, we've had crazy weather. As I posted earlier, we had snow on the last day of summer. It has been COLD and dreary, with highs near 40, all week. Yesterday we were for casted to have 6-12" of snow. YUCK! I was glad the storm didn't move like it was suppose to, so it missed us. I think this week has been just what I needed to FORCE me into the realization that fall is here. I can enjoy fall, but I'm really not looking forward to winter. It can wait a few more months! I sure am glad to see the sun today. I was going a little crazy without it!

Last week we were also reminded that you just never know who lives in your neighborhood. Caitlin's school was locked down at dismissal time, because the nearby home of a suspected terrorist was being raided. Seriously?!? He has now been arrested and charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and had purchased the explosive making material. I just never would have imagined in a million years. Then a few days later, 3 men with loaded guns strapped to them, were stopped by the FBI, in the same area. I'm just not ready to live in a world like this yet. I like to hide in my little bubble and think that the rest of the world is kind and good. If only that were the case. So, when Ryan said he was having an alarm company come out to give us a quote, I didn't push the "it's not the right time" phrase too hard. We are now fully equipped with a home security system, basically for free. We just have to pay the monthly fee for the service. I know that I will really enjoy this, when Ryan gets back to work, most likely at night. Speaking of which, he has had 3 interviews this week. The one he had yesterday shows real promise. He really wants the position, but he won't find out anything for at least a week.

Last month the fires in neighboring states and California left us under a smokey haze for a few days, but left us with beautiful sunsets.

The boys hanging out in the hammock.

This is what Caitlin looks like, when she jumps in the trampoline.

This was her biggest sunflower that she grew. It was so pretty.

Outside Progress

We have kept busy with the yard all summer, but the past month or so, we got some projects done.

The backyard, before I cut down about 15 small trees.

After

I cut down some trees, dug my path out, and planted some plants. I've been wanting this since we moved in. Ryan thought I was crazy, so this one was ALL me. I still need to dig out the top flat area some more. I'd also like to put down some stones, maybe next spring, when we have some money. :) Caitlin helped me "decorate" the path with white rocks.

This project was pretty much ALL Ryan. We(Ryan) had to dig out a level place for the trampoline so we wouldn't always be moving it to mow.

We would still like to put sand or gravel in, but again, we'll be waiting.

This past week marked the one year anniversary from when we put in our first offer on our house. It was fun to look back and see how far we've come. I had to document the progress we've made to the outside. It's been a lot of work, and we've got a lot more to do, but I think it sure looks much better! Here's a glimpse of what we first saw.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

The grass was beyond bad. It has taken a lot this year to get it looking okay.

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

The Backyard

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Makes me feel better about all the work. :)