4 Already!

As most everyone knows we found out about our little christmas surprise a few months ago. And have waited patiently for about 10 weeks to see if we are going to have a little chico or chica joining our family. I thought for sure at first it would be a girl and then thought maybe a boy and as I polled the rest of the troops we were split down the middle! Cort, Malaya and I didn't care but Gav wanted another little sister and Noah was pretty sure he doesn't like girls and needed a little brother. So on friday we dropped them off at G & G Bunts and headed to the Dr. The ultrasound tech had a really hard time looking at the little stinker because it was sitting breech and across my stomach and not up and down. So we weren't sure if we were going to get to find out. For some reason all of my children are so shy in the womb and then after birth it is a different story. So we get to the part of the anatomy and she is pushing the little thing around trying to see anything and then there on the screen legs wide open I yelled " Is that what I think it is" and sure enough it is a BOY!!!! Boys will be boys I guess, no shame in letting loose!! We are all super excited except that Noah thought we were going in to have the baby and was mad we didn't bring him home. We are going to enjoy this summer but are equally excited about the end of Sept/ early Oct when we get to meet him!!!!

Backyard Makeover Post #2

I can't believe that this part of our backyard project is almost done! This is part of what our patio will look like. Cort dug out all the grass and then leveled it so it was ready for the concrete guys to come and pour. The big metal thing will be our fire pit once they dig it in the ground!

This is this morning as they were laying the forms for the concrete

This just shows a little more of the shape as it goes around the house. They boys loved to watch the motorized wheelbarrow. They brought all the concrete from behind the fence to the patio with it.

Here is what it looked like right before they started to pour.

I couldn't believe how fast they got the conrete in there and level. My battery died so I had to let it charge and they had the whole thing done by the time I could get more pictures. Cort has been at work and he is dying for pictures so most of this is for him.

I did have to get a picture of the concrete truck. I thought my boys were going to die the whole time it was here. They kept running from the couch to the back door so they could watch them pour it out

Just getting it smoothed out and the border cut. It looks so good! I can't wait until we can be out there using it!!!

Here is what it looks like now. It is all smooth we are just waiting for it to dry a little and then they will stamp it.

By the end of today we will have a new patio!!! Hurray we are so excited to be able to use it when the weather if it ever gets nice here!!! Almost time for bbq season. We are hosting easter dinner this sunday so hopefully we will be able to use it! (I say hopefully because it will probably rain!!!)

We have to thank our good friend TJ and his dad and brother for laying the concrete for us. They did an awesome job and it looks GREAT!!!!!

Backyard Makeover

When we moved in last summer we new there was a lot we wanted to do to the backyard. The previous owners hadn't done a whole lot with it and what they did do we weren't to excited to keep (lets just say a TON of rocks and sand! YUCK!!!!). So our big goal was to take this summer and do what we could to make it what we wanted. So instead of having the worlds largest blog post at the end of the summer I have decided to give you piece by piece throughout the summer. Hope you enjoy watching our amateur landscaping skills. And get a good laugh cause I am sure it will be comical!

After 2 days of jackhammering (sorry I forgot to take pictures, much to Corts dismay) the old patio was taken out piece by piece, LITERALLY!!! Cort did all of the lifting and putting in the truck with a little help from the boys. Hallalejiah it is all out now!!! In Cort's words "I think that will be the hardest part of the whole backyard!"

Here is the truck with its 2nd load to the gravel pit. It was so heavy I thought the truck was going to tip backward. Besides the gravel pit we had to take a bunch of crap they had behind the fence to the dump. It finally doesn't look like the dump behind our fence!!

This is the only part that hasn't been torn out yet. We are giving the neighbors a break from the jackhammer! And there is our tree! Cort has been eyeing this tree at Home Dapot for awhile and so it was purchased for our landscaping. Here is its home until we are ready to put it in the ground.

This will be full of plants in the not so distant future. We were pretty proud that it turned out so nice. Cort took a lot of time making sure that every stone was level. Now we just need more soil in it and then we can plant!

This entire spot where there is no grass was a giant kitty litter/sandbox!! We (Cort and I) hated this the most. Just imagine how much sand was in my carpet, rugs, couches, boy's shoes and pants pockets. Way more than I ever wanted!! So that was the first thing to go. We used a mini excavater and after a lot of laughs and some help from my dad and brothers it was gone. Now we just need to get our plants in so we can put down grass seed! I love grass!! Can I say that again I LOVE GRASS!!!!

Here is what it looks like with the concrete gone. Our little raker is trying to get all the small pieces in a pile. Such a good helper!!

I just have to say that I am really grateful for a wonderful husband that didn't complain about my inability to help with the heavy stuff, because I am prego, and all the other helpers we have had so far. I am sure we will have a lot more help as the project continues through the summer!

P.S. If you didn't catch that in the last paragraph, just thought we would let all those who didn't know that we are expecting baby #4 in sept/oct!!! Should be a fun summer project with a giant belly!

The lady that got killed!!

I have to say that my boys drive me crazy A LOT!!! But they are also so hilarious. Just listening to their conversations is like watching that movie " Out of the Mouth of Babes"

Noah thinks he is a gamer, but he asks me 3 out of the 4 times to play the game for him so he will win. Does it really count as him winning or have I really become a DS gamer!?

Posing at the Finnish cemetary in McCall while we were at Cort's step-grandma's funeral.

Two of the biggest nerds on earth just being themselves on the ice sculptures in McCall. We don't usually make our children stand in the freezing cold without their coats. We were taking pictures as we were leaving town.
So I have to tell this story of the funeral we attended in McCall. We were sitting in the viewing waiting for the family prayer to begin. We were about the only ones with small children, and the man saying the prayer was an older gentlemen. So he began the prayer and about 2 minutes into it Noah my 3 year old says out loud, " Mom is this lady getting baptized?" I answered ," No, honey she has passed away and is in heaven" So about 1 min later he asks in the same loud voice. "Are they going to put their hands on her head" answered, " No, she has died and is in heaven". At this point I realize this is going to be one long prayer!

In his curious little mind he continues to say things like, " What happened to her legs I can't see them?" and " Dad this is a looooooong prayer!" At this point I am chuckling quietly and also hoping the prayer will end soon. At the end Cort had clocked it being 8 min. 8 Minutes that is an eternity for 3 small kids to be quiet in an enclosed room.

So after when they closed the casket Noah turns to me and says, " Mom she can't breathe!" I obviously failed at explaining that she had passed on. So I just said," Noah she is dead and does not need to breathe. She is in heaven now" Cort and I were laughing so hard at what had happened in the family prayer. Mostly because these are the kind of conversations we have with Noah all the time.

The crowning part of the day was at the luncheon when Gavin asked me if he could go back the place where the lady was killed so he could play in the snow! (that was the cemetery, because there was about 3-4 feet of snow all around)

I was dying( figuratively) with laughter that my children were so confused about death and what happens when we die. I thought we had been to enough funerals that they kinda understood. I guess I was wrong!!

She is Walking!

Malaya is finally walking! It isn't like she is a late walker but she just had little interest in it around her birthday. Then one day she decided it was better on her feet than crawling.

This is the beginning of her walking

she would just stand and kinda dance with her one leg. I think she thought she was moving but she never went anywhere!

When she got serious this is how she got around for a few days. She was like a gimpy bear!

This the real reason she decided to walk, so that she could reign over Gidget instead of the opposite. They really are pretty good friends most of the time.

Now she is a pro and goes all over the place. I can't believe she is walking she is still so tiny!

P.S. I have to give my daughters hair a disclaimer: Regardless of what her father thinks it does get done everyday! When she lays down for her nap the first thing she does is rip out the bow and then the elastic with a chunck of hair. But then she takes it even farther and does whatever she needs to to destroy the bow so it won't have to go back in her hair. Little does she know her mother is a master with the hot glue gun!!!

MeRrY cHrIsTmAs & hApPy BiRtHdAy!!!!!!

All the Grandkids on the Peterson side of the family.

They all got new pjs on Christmas Eve to open. I decided I wasn't going to make all of my kids' pjs this year so the boys got Mario (which they love!) And because I couldn't find any for Malaya that I really liked I ended up making hers and they turned out super cute!

Our Christmas tree this year on Christmas morning.

We got our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and it was beautiful and smelled so good the whole month of December. But by Christmas the boughs had fallen down and all of our ornaments kinda shifted about 6in. south. We decided we better buy a fake tree for the family room so we can enjoy it for the full month. Then we can get a real tree for our living room only a week or two before christmas so we can also enjoy the smell of a real tree.

Opening presents Christmas morning!

Of all the toys Malaya got all she wanted was the Dogs bacon treats. She just carried them around in her mouth all morning. I think she and Gidget are more a like than I thought.

Our kids at my parents on Christmas morning.
Just feelin the love!

All the grandkids on the Bunt side at my parents on Christmas morning!

Happy 1st Birthday Malaya!

Princess cupcakes and sweetart candycanes for the party

Daddy and Malaya opening presents.

She got a plush cabbage patch doll, baby doll, glow worm doll, baby bottle and cup, bath toys, books, diapers and clothes.

Singin' Happy Birthday to the Birthday Girl!

Slowly enjoying her cupcake. Just eating like a lady!

Thanks to all of our family for coming over and celebrating Malaya's birthday we are so blessed to have such great familys!

HaPpY #5

What a HAPPY day 5 years ago!
Our little Gavin made his entrance into this world and changed our lives forever! He is one of three of the greatest blessings of our lives. As the day came I kept thinking back to the days leading up to when he was born. What a world away that was. We were so excited for him to come and have never regretted the decision to bring him into our family. He is the best big brother and is a big time helper when we need him to be. Somedays as all moms and dads know are better than others, but Cort and I are so grateful to be given these beautiful children to care for and to make our lives better. Happy Birthday to our BiG gUy!!!!!
We love you Gavy!!!