Wednesday, April 30, 2008

This One's For Wade

Since Wade felt a bit like chopped liver after the last post, here's one of him -- the world's greatest husband and hottie hard at work on our retaining wall.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Boys, boys, boys

Nothing particular going on here, just pictures of my four favorite boys in the world.

Isaac atop a dirt pile in our yard (Mom, remember when you were doing all that yard work and the boys LOVED playing in your dirt every Monday, and thus Monday nights were mandatory bath nights? I'm having deja vu!).

One of Luke's new best friends -- a box elder bug! He loves these little guys who somehow manage to find their way into our basement every time the outside temperature breaks about 60.

Levi being Levi -- sweet but mischievous, snuggly but high-energy, slight but loud and fast as a tornado.

Elijah likes to make me worry by climbing the outside of the stairwell. Thankfully he's not brave enough to go more than about three or four steps high!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Progress on the Yard

As promised, here are before and after pictures of last weekend's yard work, and one of helpful little Elijah.

Before picture view A

Before picture view B

After picture view A

After picture view B

After picture of Lijah, who face-planted in the dirt.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

A Tour of Parks

Perhaps tour is a bit of an exageration -- we hit two playgrounds on Sunday because it was BEAUTIFUL out and we maybe kinda ignored the kids just a little on Saturday when we worked on the yard for a several hours (before and after pictures of that project coming later!)

The first outing was to the playground at the school less than two blocks down; the second was in Reeder where the boys were introduced to teeter-totters, which Wade and I enjoyed even more than they did!

In no particular order (perhaps alphabetical by file name?) here are the highlights...





Wade in the balance.

Unbalanced Wade.







Those plastic slides produce enough static electricity to turn on a light bulb -- or at least give Lijah's hair some serious volume!

All my boys (if you look very close).

The park in Reeder had a merry-go-round with carousel horses that was rather novel.

Isaac learned tic-tac-toe with Nana.

Isaac airborn.

This digger was another sweet toy at the Reeder park -- it swiveled, lifted and scooped and held each of the boys' attention for a very long time!

Levi airborn.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Glorious rain!

It rained yesterday -- for the first time since we moved here over six months ago! Most of the time it was actually just sprinkling, but since it went on for most of the day, I'll go ahead and call it rain. I suspect that here, rain is just rain, kind of like snow is just snow in the Pacific Northwest. But in Alaska there are numerous terms for all the different kinds of snow. And in the PNW there are lots of terms for rain -- rain, drizzle, sprinkle, spattering, mist, downpour, torrent, pitter-patter, etc. But here, where rain is as scarce as snow is in the Northwest, it's all just rain -- and we'll take all we can get!

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Hettinger Through a Lumix

For those of you who haven't been able to make it out for a visit, here is a glimpse of Hettinger in sepia tones (I thought it added to the historic feel of the town).




The grain elevator -- every good town in this area (and every bad town) and many places that don't even qualify as towns anymore have a grain elevator.



Tumbleweeds gather between picnic tables at Mirror Lake Park during the off-picnicking season.


An original Yellowstone Trail turn-marker now marks the crossing of Second Avenue South and Main Street (not it's original location). Behind, in the Parks Department Plaza, a bronze statue of a buffalo commemorates, um... I'll take a closer look next time I walk by it.


Besides the regular playground equipment, Mirror Lake Park sports a nursery rhymes theme, including the school house to which the little lamb followed Mary.



Our post office -- one of the more regal buildings in town.


In contrast to the post office, these steps lead into an empty building near the end of Main Street. I suspect they are not up to code.


The most expensive steak on the menu, a 16-ouncer, costs a mere $13.99.


No, the picture does not need straightening -- the trees do. Due to a constant and often tremendous southerly wind, all of the trees in this quadrant of the state lean like this.


To my surprise and delight there is a Chinese restaurant in Hettinger! And it's right next door to a quilt shop, which is even cooler but not quite as tasty.



Not the most interesting business in town, but definitely the most interesting motto -- testifies to how few trees there are in town (you can see it's reflection in the window).



The Adams County/Minnie Erlandson Library is open Monday through Thursday 3:30 to 7 p.m. and Friday from 3:30 to 6 p.m.



Looking north up Main Street.

Now don't y'all think that just cuz you've seen pictures you don't have to come visit!

I have been defined

Luke informed me today, "Mother and Mommy and Kerri all mean the same thing."