Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Backyard Remodel: Phase 1

When we remodeled our kitchen last year, we got French doors put in leading from our dining area out to the backyard. Currently, they pretty much lead to nothing! We live on a 1/3 of an acre and have a backyard in need of a lot of work (well, the front yard too, but that's a whole different scenario). There is no landscaping, weeds galore, the fence is falling down, our pool fence is rusting, and there are piles of dirt everywhere. Over the years, Jason has had to take out many dead trees and overgrown shrubs. Our goal in these next few months is to remodel our backyard. It's going to be quite a consuming process, but after the last few days, the first step is done! The kids were given a wooden play set for Christmas and it was Jason's goal to get it up during his Spring Break. It took around 14 hours for him to finish, but it's done! The kids tested it out yesterday when my friend Jill and her son Micah came over. Our kids love it!
(And no, we usually do not let Jeremy walk around in underwear- we're potty training this week... More on that in another post!) Next step is putting in a patio. We met with two concrete contractors earlier this week, so it won't be too long before phase 2 is done! I am so excited!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

On Spring Break

Yesterday was the last day of school for Grace and Jason- they're now on Spring Break! Yay! It seems strange to say that we are actually going to stay in town for this break. I think we've gone out of town for every break that's come up this year! Anyway, we've decided to try and maximize our time by getting things done around the house. Jason has been hard at work in the yard, getting an area ready for the kids' new play set (a Christmas gift that will hopefully be up by the end of next week!). There are tons of things I could do... I haven't quite decided- repaint our iron fence surrounding our pool? Repaint the kids' bathroom wainscoting? General yard clean up? etc... If I do anything notable, I'll post about it next week.
To celebrate spring, Grace's class had a party yesterday. The kids hunted for eggs and then decorated cupcakes. I am so glad I was able to help out in her classroom (I'm also glad that Jamie was so willing to watch Jeremy for me- thank you!).

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Grace's Kindergarten Program

The kindergarten classes at Grace's school had a performance on Thursday night. We didn't know what to expect, particularly since she was such a star at her preschool performance last year- click HERE to refresh your memory. They performed 4 patriotic songs which Grace has been practicing and singing around the house for the last month. She did a great job performing and we're proud of her... Here's a clip of one of the songs.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Spring has Sprung

It's not often when I can say that I actually like living in Fresno- today, I am glad to be here because it has been beautiful outside! I think it's safe to say that spring is here! It was a sunny 77 degrees F (24 degrees C) today, compared to 43 degrees (11 degrees C) in Edmonton (with the chance of snow, I might add). We joined some friends at a park earlier today (forgot to take pictures), and Jason took the kids on a bike ride after work.
With the warmer weather, it's also time to start thinking about what we're going to do with our yard this year... It's rather overwhelming, as there is so much to do!!! We're planning to do things in phases- first up? A patio!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

Oops, I forgot to post this last week, so I am a week late- Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! Grace's teacher helped her class celebrate with a breakfast of... Green Eggs and Ham! Grace didn't hesitate to try them, and after her bite, declared them to be "yummy!"

Many of the books written by Dr. Seuss are perfect for beginning readers. As teachers, we get to witness kids reading all the time, but there is something very special about seeing your own child learn how to read. Here is a video clip of Grace reading Green Eggs and Ham to her brother. I am so thrilled that both kids have such a love for books!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Canada vs. USA

Since moving to Fresno, I haven't been able to keep up with the NHL.  We don't have cable/dish, so the only time that hockey is ever shown is during the playoffs.  In Edmonton, it was unavoidable- hockey is still discussed on sports radio throughout the summer, to give you an idea of how big hockey is there.  I can't tell you how exciting it has been to get to watch Olympic hockey these last few weeks!  This past Sunday was the ultimate showdown with the Gold Medal game between Team Canada and Team USA.  With Jason being American and me being Canadian, it's always interesting whenever there's some kind of competition between the two countries.  We both love our countries and are pretty competitive (understatement)! 
We headed over to the Macks' home for lunch and to watch the game.  We had hotdogs (American food) and poutine (Canadian food... but it was unauthentic because I couldn't find cheese curds). 
Jason and Randy showing some American pride
De and Jamie dressed "neutral," but De is Canadian and Jamie is American
I was obviously rooting for Canada, and Jed decided to root for Canada

(I didn't get any pictures of us during the game because I was totally into it, but you would've seen us cheering and waving our respective flags).  If you didn't watch the game, you missed out big-time!  It was so intense and exciting, made all the better since Canada won in overtime!  Woo hoo!!  Proud to be Canadian!