A good deal = a BIG job!

Last week I was browsing through CraigsList and found a play set for $1,000. I forwarded it to Dave, thinking this would be nice and looked like $1,000 wouldn't be a bad deal for it. This snowballed, and well...we now own a playset - that our 14-month-old is a little young for. This is the play set and we we got it for quite a bit less than the $1,000 asking price. Dave had been pricing stuff out for a while, and the slide new would cost $600 let-alone all the hardware, wood, swings, etc. we'd have to buy. Dave and I worked Friday night with my Dad and our friend Nick to disassemble it from the former owner's backyard in West Des Moines. We got half of it home, and Sunday Dave went back and got the remaining portion (the double-decker play house portion). We have to do some dirt work in our yard to get an area level. We're considering if we might have to cut a tree in that area down as well. The next steps are to restain the wood, replace a few boards and some hardware...then we can start the reassembling. YIKES - this will be a BIG project!
Feel free to stop anytime...many hands make light work. :-)

The Big Egg Hunt & more

Here are some shots from our Easter Weekend. Beautiful weather and fun with the family at Grandma Karyn's and Grandpa Ray's house. Waking up Saturday morning, Grandpa and WD check out all the kitties that came out from hiding since the dogs were all inside.

Karrie (Amy's cousin) takes her little ones (Ella and Kael) out looking for eggs.

Paige (Amy's cousin) takes her son Cooper over to check another spot for eggs.

Aunt Deb (Amy's Aunt) reassures her grandson (Nathan - AKA "Nater-Tater") that it's OK to get down and look around. (He wasn't too sure about the Easter Bunny either.)

William checks out his basket - most of which his mommy and daddy had to find - since he was more interested in just looking around at all the kids, and playing in the dog 's big water bucket.

Ella, Kael and William enjoying the nice weather. Ella and Kael liked to snack on their candy, and William just liked to bang his eggs together. :-)

When who should come hopping down the road - but the Easter Bunny!!!

The EB Gives the little ones hugs and candy (some are less interested than others).

The EB greets Huck (Amy's cousin's Curt's friend's?).

The EB takes time to pose with all the kids who were at the Easter Egg Hunt.

(Front L-R) Emma Bradley, Ella Hutchison, Kael Hutchinson, William Kluver.

(Back L-R) Beau Baker (Friend of Sutton), Sutton Forsythe, EB, Rowan Forsythe, Pete Sarver (Friend of Rowan), Austin Cosgrove holding Huck.

A fun picture of Raspberry and Buddy just this past week - they were so excited for a treat - I told them to go lay-down and Raspberry laid on top of Buddy and neither of them cared...they just wanted their treat!

Bubbles

William discovered bubbles this weekend thanks to Grandma Karyn. At first he wasn't sure what to think of them, but then he would get so tickled when one would come close to him and then "POP" - it would disappear.

Then he decided he'd try to chase them. This resulted in circling, and circling, and finally falling on his tush.

While the Cat's away...

Just a few more pics from last night (most of them are from last night anyway) while Daddy was away working on the church. After hearing that a certain blog "follower" complain about me only updating with one picture I thought he might be right. So enjoy.

"Weeee....." A little fun time w/ Uncle Rob.

"Hey - you got that thing out again?!? LET ME SEE IT!!!"

"I'm so sweet and innocent. I'm not doing anything wrong Mommy..."

"What's this? I don't know what the big deal is...but Buddy Too sure seems to like it..."

"Well what am I suppose to do with this??? Maybe it's a potty?"

"Ooops....I've fallen and I can't get up!"

"Well...maybe it's not so bad after all."

This is actually from a couple days before. William was "loving" Raspberry....she takes it so well - but not without payment (she usually gets a few licks to his face for each hug she gets)

Hoppy Easter (a little early)

Just can't make this kid look bad - can I???

Fun around the house

Since we all have been sick lately - that's left us to make our own fun at home.

You can see that it takes little to entertain us.

"Oh man - Buddy & Raspberry told me she'd do this!!!"

" CAUGHT YA!!!" When I told William to play with the toys in the toy box, I thought he's actually get them out of the toy box - not the other way around!

Climbing Raspberry - Again! She doesn't mind at all, and she licks him in return which he doesn't seem to mind.

Daddy and William...which one is having more fun???

Update

Sorry for the delay on our updates. William had been battling a cold, which I caught (that's what you get when you share you spoon). So then my cold turned into a sinus infection. And while fighting that I also was fighting some SI joint (low back/hip) issues. I finally got antibiotic and some exercises and was starting to feel better, now Dave's sick. He's got an influenza strain. He thought Tuesday was the worst, feeling better this morning - but now he'd running a fever and is in bed already at 8:30pm. Poor guy went to bed with a long-sleeve T, a Columbia fleece, AND a coat on. Add to this, that I had started feeling better, but my sinus infection sure isn't gone, and this morning I bent over to pick up my coat from the chair and really did a number on my back!!! Yikes. I'm going to be lucky if I don't go to the doctor (for the 3rd time in 1 week) tomorrow. And the sneezes are really getting to me.

On the up-side - William is doing great! Going to bed about 8pm now, and getting up at 7-7:30am (but being content to play in his crib until we get him). He's just happy as a clam...thank goodness!!!

Hope this finds you all doing better than we are.
Cover your mouths, wash your hands, and take care!