For Bunny or For Worse: 4 Years, 11 Months

Last month was wonderfully busy, full of house projects and a great visit from my folks.

Take a Hike!

To start our adventures, we set off for a walk in the redwoods in Pogonip Park.

Three generations: Henry, Jack, Grandpa, Grandma and Mom.

Henry and Jack run around the rock maze:

Redwood Steam Train

The next day, we headed up to Roaring Camp Railroads to take the steam train through the redwoods.

Grandpa, Grandma, Mom and Henry:

Jack and Dad:

The boys had a great time and are planning to take their grandparents on the beach train next time.

Gilroy Gardens

I felt the boys were finally old enough to really enjoy an amusement park, so we loaded everyone up and headed to Gilroy Gardens.

Jack anxiously waits with Mom for the first ride of the day to start:

Henry is a little nervous, but ended up at the end of the day saying it was his favorite ride:

Fire trucks! Jack foreground, Henry background:

Henry, yelling "beep beep" behind his mask while he mashes where the horn would be:

Henry in the blue race car (blue is his new favorite color):

Jack, serious race car driver:

The race cars didn't get a lot of attention from passing kids, but it's a really cool little ride. The steering actually works, so the driver can turn the steering wheel and direct the car away and toward the center.

Fish ride! Jack foreground, Henry background, Steve extra-background:

Whee!

Steve and the boys awaiting balloon liftoff:

Jack, pushed back in his seat by the acceleration on the autopia-like cars, which thrilled both Jack and Henry:

Steve and the boys in a giant spinning strawberry:

It was a good day. The boys did an excellent job waiting patiently in line for the rides and walking around the park all day.

Back at home...

Side Yard Project

Since the fence came down between our two houses, we set out to create an area for trash can storage and another open area that will look nice while empty, but can also house whatever project needs a place to hang out (for instance, while paint dries on something).

Jack diligently cleans out weeds:

Jack and Steve, turning the dirt:

Laying the stones on the project area:

Carefully filling in with decomposed granite:

Before-ish:

After:

Steve's columnar apple tree, the boys' fava beans from school, and our other potted veggies are all doing very well and loving the sun they get now that the fence is gone between the houses.

Wall Project

After the crew we hired completed construction, Steve sealed the redwood, and we waited several weeks for everything to fully dry and cure, it was time to paint!

Boys hard at work priming under Steve's watchful eye:

Steve does the cut-ins while the boys continue rolling:

Priming complete, the fun really starts. Let it be... purple!

Painting complete, Jack operates the digger to clean up debris and amend the soil of the planter bed against the wall while Grandpa and Henry assist:

That digger was found by my parents on the side of the road, rusted and forlorn. My dad cleaned it up and gave it a fresh coat of paint and brought it up for the boys. The boys absolutely LOVE it. Since it arrived, they go out to the backyard nearly every night after dinner to dig.

Anyway, back to the wall...

Ta da!

My folks went with me to the local nursery to select plants and so far so good. The tree-shaped lavender had been previously purchased and was languishing in a pot in our yard, but it's perked up since being put in the ground.

I'm absolutely delighted with how this project turned out. The brick patio area is now a really lovely place to sit and watch the boys dig.

Cabinet Project

The kitchen of our new real estate acquisition is in need of updating, to say the least. In particular, the upper cabinets had been water damaged (likely from a roof leak that has since been repaired) and the vent fan above the stove was only a recirculating type and didn't actually vent to the outside.

Jack helps his dad build an Ikea cabinet:

Geez, what is it now Mom, I'm working!

Installing a proper vent fan that actually vents to the outside required running new electrical and ductwork, and punching a hole in the roof. My dad looks on as Steve works on the roof:

Back inside, the boys watch as my dad and Steve install the upper cabinets:

We pulled out the existing range/oven and installed a combination microwave-oven-vent from Ikea. Since the combo appliance can function as an oven, we're not going to replace the range/oven and instead are going to get a small portable induction cooktop that can be put away when not in use. Should be perfect for a small kitchen that is used more like a vacation home than permanent residence.

Clearly, it's still a work in progress, but we continue to make strides while we save up the money for the rest of the cabinets. The extra space to the right of the upper cabinets will likely house something like a wine rack once we get around to building it.

Fun with Grandma

Much to my boys' dismay, I can't stand puzzles, and have never much cared for board games. Fortunately, my mom loves puzzles and was happy to work on several puzzles and play games with the boys.

Jack in red, Henry in peach, working on an alphabet train puzzle with Grandma:

My mom also loves coloring, and the boys were very intrigued by her intricate coloring books. They have one of her pictures displayed by their beds and frequently bring up how much they like it. Luckily, Grandma was happy to work with the boys on coloring pages more their level.

Miscellaneous Around the House

I've started working on getting the boys to do their own laundry. They of course need supervision and assistance at this point, but they're doing a great job picking up parts of the task.

Jack, pulling his and Henry's laundry out of the dryer:

Henry continues to be exuberant and dramatic. Here, he shows off an outfit he made and put on himself, created from deflated air-cushion packing-material bags: