Everyone knows trees are good. Everyone knows they provide myriad environmental and aesthetic benefits. However, there was one tree in our backyard that was practically begging to be removed. After last fall we promised ourselves we would cut this one tree down before next fall.
This tree had, what seemed like, millions of tiny pinky sized leaves which were impossible to rake up and dispose of. Plus its branches were leaning and drooping over our deck. And the icing on the cake (or nail in the coffin from the trees perspective) was this spring when half the leaves didn't come in and looked as though it was dying. It did make a recovery during the summer but it was too late.
Even Eko got in on the action
So, while Brianna was inside sleeping peacefully for her afternoon nap on Sunday Eme and I were outside revving the chainsaw and planning our felling technique. It didn't quite work as planned, but after we involved a 2x4 and rope the four of us rocked it into falling the right direction (which would be away from our deck and house).
All's well that ends well. We got it down, cleaned it up and neatly stacked the wood. Anyone want some tree branches?
What do you get when you have two 9-month olds, a two and a half year old, two adults, and three dogs?
Eko's the only one who wouldn't "pose" for this picture!
Yesterday was my sister Margaret and her husbands anniversary (Happy Anniversary!). To hep out, I went over to my parent's for a little while until my mom got home from work to watch Lucius and Oliver so Margaret and Jerimy could sneak out early and enjoy their evening. It was exhilarating! While my dad entertained Oliver, I was able to play with Lucius and keep this crawling Mr. Funny out of trouble, plus keep the dogs occupied so they didn't bark all afternoon. {Kleo (the small dog) is not a fan of Eko, but doesn't mind Copper (big dog shown above), so when both Copper and Eko are over, Kleo doesn't bark as much at Eko and the two big dogs can have some fun running around.} We had a good time. It's nice that everyone is close in age and will be able to grow up hanging out.
Once I got home, we had made last minute plans with friends to do our usual pizza and a movie. In the meantime, my other sister called, Michelle, and asked if we could watch Casen (which really meant just putting him to bed). No problem at all! Casen joined our evening and got to hang out with Lana, our friends little girl, who is one day younger than him. What a fun filled, baby crazy day!
More and more I am noticing that Brianna is becoming an independent individual. Tonight she had some sweet potatoes and since she loves to do things herself, I gave in and let her take over to see what she would do. She grabbed the bowl like a an old pro, stuck her fingers in to grab some potatoes then put her whole hand in her mouth. It was quite entertaining. I caught the end of our meal together!
As an added bonus today, Brianna took an extra long afternoon nap! I was able to work on a small project. A few years ago in Chicago, my coworker created this graphic for me for the girls youth small group I was working with. I just bought this cute little shirt on clearance and thought I would spruce it up - and I had just the solution. It pretty much sums up our little one. She is just so content almost all of the time (note the use of the word almost).
While out disc golfing with friends, we came across a hill which is normally used for sledding during the winter. It was such a perfect day on Saturday and the grass was so inviting that I just couldn't help myself...
There was also a gigantic playground and long slides that Jon took advantage of.
It's pretty obvious that Eko doesn't mind the extra hands in the house to give him attention. There was no coaxing or placement for the making of this picture, it happened entirely on it's own...
Yesterday Brianna and I walked the short distance to the library. Usually not a huge fan of libraries but they seem to be making a come-back in my life. We picked up one of those free museum passes and a book for me. I'm not much of a reader, but hey, why not! It's never to late to start... again.
A little back story - I was filling out a few pages in her baby book and one of them was all about news/movies/events - "The world as it was when you were born" kinda pages. One little section asked about popular books. As I was looking up the information, I came across The Shack by William Young. According to marketingcharts.com, this book was the #2 Fiction book of 2009. I've heard of it before and heard good reviews, so why not! That's the book I checked out from the library.
Already 120 pages into a 240 some page book, it reminds me of what reading should be - enjoyable. It's all about finding the right genre combined with the right style of writing. For me it's something that leaves you in suspense but at the same time gets to the point, a real page turner. Since I'm making good head way on this book and it doesn't seem to be taking me long to get through it, and I should really continue to read every once in a while to keep my mind sharp... I thought, why not! Any suggestions?
Last night, after unsuccessfully trying to sell our tickets, we opted to change plans and attend the game - a little last minute. It ended up being a wonderful evening for baseball and the Twins (winning 4 to 3). Brianna came with us and did pretty well. She is much older than when we last went to a game together, so she was over stimulated and couldn't help shifting each second to get a better view of... everything. Thankfully, near the end of the game, she focused on 3 women sitting behind us and sat still for a little bit. It was well past her bedtime, but she did well at not fussing.
OK... down to the issue at hand. I have been, so far, very impressed with Target Field and its consideration for nursing mothers, as compared to other stadiums we've been to with Brianna. However, yesterday I was less than impressed when there was no hot water to be found to make a small bottle - my sweet Brianna likes her bottle (really) warm. I might have been able to find a handicap sink somewhere that would have gotten hot enough (not even the family restrooms had dual facets), but instead I tried asking staff where I might find some. It was suggested I try the First Aid room. That sounded good, so off I went. They tried to help, but their facets were not warming up at all. First aid you're questioning, yeah, no hot water... you'd think they would be in some if they didn't have any... Anyway, then I tried asking a few food stands and finally found a mother of four that was willing to help a girl out. [Thank you lady at the food stand for helping and Tony, also at the food stand, who was so enamored with Brianna that he kept us company while we waited.] Her water didn't get very hot either, but she gave it a go and did pretty well. I'm into saving water and the earth's resources but I have a steadily decreasing like for the push facets where all you get is cold water to wash your hands, or in my case, make a bottle. (soap box dismounted)
On a much higher note - Things you would never see if baseball were still at the Dome: With the lights of the stadium brings bugs, moths, and BIG moths. Last night, a BIG moth was flying around and a hawk swooped down, grabbed the moth, and flew a victory lap around the bases (a few feet above the players). The section we sat in were not watching the game at that point but watching the bird show off his dinner. I even saw him devour it right in front of us before retiring back to his dugout!
Last Sunday, we took our first trip to an apple orchard as a family. We picked some yummy Cortland apples that have yet to be baked into some yummy goodness. We even met up with Grandpa and Grandma B (seen in the background picking their apples) to enjoy the sunny afternoon.
Tell me you just love my hoodie!
Brianna loved sucking on the apples and grinding her two bottom teeth over its flesh. She'd get a few chunks but it didn't bother her - she kept on eating. What you can't see in this picture is her other hand gripping mine, not allowing it to back away.
Yup, this is a good one...
After the apple orchard we made our way to my parents getaway to have dinner together and chat around the fire. It was fun to reminisce about my younger years camping and listen to the campground DJ turn up the hits. We ended the evening with the ever popular smores. Hope you had a fun Labor Day weekend as well and were able to ring in the new school year with flair!
I love waking up Sunday mornings and reading the paper with Daddy. Problem is, he always army crawls out of nowhere, tries to take it from me, and then crumples it in his hands!
Here I am trying to get caught up on yesterday's news about the Twins. Good news...they won!
Brianna and I made the short trip to visit with Auntie Mick and Cousin Casen this afternoon. We were thrilled to play for a little bit, have a bite to eat, and share a little about our weeks. Thanks Mick for the company, it was just what the B&E Bon needed. And thanks Cousin Casen for lending your blanket for a little play time.
As I suspected, on the short trip home Brianna fell asleep. I picked her up out of her carseat and she just laid her head on my shoulder and fell back asleep. She doesn't do this very often, so I thought on this cool Friday I would take advantage of her cuteness. She slept in my arms for about 20 minutes, before I decided that maybe I should lay her down because she was out cold and she might take a longer nap. It was wonderful to snuggle with the little girl, even if it was for a brief moment, reminding me how precious she is and each moment that we have together.
This tree had, what seemed like, millions of tiny pinky sized leaves which were impossible to rake up and dispose of. Plus its branches were leaning and drooping over our deck. And the icing on the cake (or nail in the coffin from the trees perspective) was this spring when half the leaves didn't come in and looked as though it was dying. It did make a recovery during the summer but it was too late.
