half birthday

If I'm quick, maybe I can catch up & finish posting May photos & events...before May is over! Eeks. Breaks over. Here I go!

After Cedar's birthday party, we did some rearranging & redecorating. The white cubby shelves moved from the family room to each of the boys' rooms - this time on their sides. Perfect for storing toys that they can reach. :) We also hung the tissue paper balls we used for party decorations in each of their rooms. I really like how much life they bring to their bedrooms. Fun!

Getting ready for his half-birthday?? ;)

On May 6th, Finn turned 3 1/2! He was pretty excited, but I think he was expecting a little bit more of a party...especially after seeing Cedar's 1st Birthday party. But it was a half birthday, so he only got a couple of fun, new gifts. :)

A popping toy, a drill for digging & a dinosaur stamp. :)
He's growing up so fast!

Sleepy Cedar.

after the party

After the party (& after Cedar's nap), we loaded their kids in their big kid seats & picked up some dinner. Finn has been moved into a booster & Cedar graduated into Finn's front facing car seat. Both kids have enjoyed their new perspectives. :)

On Sunday, Cedar got a chance to check out his awesome sand box from his great grandparents, Nana Lee & Papa Lew. Finn has been playing in it (nearly) non-stop since we set it up. So it was only fair for Cedar to get a chance to play in his toy! :)

I was very impressed because Cedar didn't try to eat the sand at all! He played for a long time & only had to be done after his older brother dumped sand in his hair & I decided a bath was in order. Otherwise, they played really well together & had so much fun! Thanks for the great gift, Marylee & Lew. It's perfect!

And a few pictures to show the growth in the garden: green beans!

Carrots at 3 stages.

Broccoli at 2 stages.

Butter crunch lettuce & Rouge d'hiver Romaine at 3 stages, I think.

Everything's growing nicely & we're feeling encouraged by all that's been popping up in the last few weeks! So exciting!

a first birthday

On Saturday, May 1st, Cedar turned one year old! What a beautiful May Day!

This is how you open presents, right? :P

Blurry, but happy!

We gave him a walking/riding toy that works on the grass. :)


We invited his family & friends to join us at noon to celebrate with burgers & cupcakes.

Mummi & Pappa got a cool water table for Cedar. He was sleeping when people started arriving, so the big kids tested it out for him. Turns out, they all got wet. Go figure! :P

Cedar was excited to check it out, once he woke up & joined the party.

Everyone enjoyed checking out the chicks in their newly completed run.

Kenton worked the barbeque & grilled up some delicious burgers. We were excited to try some local ground beef, after watching "Food, Inc". :)

Cedar had a hard time sitting still while opening presents, but he's had a great time playing with all of the cool gifts he received!

Cedar is so very loved. :)

Striking a pose with his cool, new dump truck from Jacque & Stu.

After helping to blow out the candle, I guess Finn thought Cedar needed "help" tasting his cupcake. I caught him in the act of sticking his finger in the frosting! :P

All of the kids gathered around...waiting "patiently" for their cupcake. We let Cedar enjoy his first taste, then shared with everyone else. :)

He didn't go crazy for his cupcake right away, but quickly got excited & started taking bites.

He sat for a long time, licking his fingers, trying to get every bite, saying "Numm, numm" the whole time.

Macey liked hers too!

The best we could do after a long & very enjoyable day. Thank you so much to all who helped make Cedar's first birthday party a success! :)

last weekend

Last weekend, Kenton spent more time working on the coop, putting up siding & trying to finish the run.

We let the chickens hang out in the yard while we worked & they loved it! They stuck close to the raspberry bushes & found a hiding place behind our old gate that's leaning against the fence.

My dad came over & helped too! Finn loved having Papa over to play. :)

Happy Cedar, enjoying his swing in the sun.

Finn named this area of our yard "Candy World". The petals from the neighbors tree completely covered the ground. Finn is so handsome; he's wearing my flip flops. :)

around the house

I picked up this bistro set at a second hand furniture store close to our house.

It was a pretty good deal - mostly because the wooden bottoms of the chairs were rotted out & the paint was chipped & rusty.

Yellow is cute & all, but not quite my style. Still, I could see the potential...

I sprayed the metal with hammered brown metallic paint & removed the seats & backs of the chairs. Kenton helped me cut new seats & backs out of some scraps of wood. I found some cute outdoor canvas fabric & covered the old cushions & new wood.

Voila! Good as new!
(Please ignore the ugly yellow hose. I need to get one in a less obnoxious color.) :)

Not sure how well the fabric will hold up compared to vinyl, but I had a coupon & it was much cuter than the vinyl options. So if I have to redo it all next year, I didn't spend much & it wasn't very hard either.

A few more new arrivals around the house - I found this little table on the side of the road. It was white & rusty, but sprayed black it's a perfect plant stand.

Another freebie on the side of the road: the wood framed window. Free! I sprayed it with Heirloom White paint (my spray painting muscles are a bit sore :P) but am really hoping it weathers quickly. I like the way old windows look when they are a bit more dirty & chippy. :)

White rhododendron in bloom.

Our baby broccoli is growing nicely.

Carrot sprouts...even though I misread the planting directions & planted a square of carrots 3 inches deep instead of 1/4" deep. Still growing...we'll see. :)

Strawberries!

Butter crunch & Romaine lettuces.

Lilac!

We had a great weekend filled with sun & 70 degree weather. It really felt like Spring! I could use a little more of that...but I'll take the rain too. :)