Happy Father's Day

Dig the dirt.

 

Fix the pipes.

 

Daddy's little helper is on the job.

We love you Daddy and GranDaddy, from ALL your little helpers.

How Fast They Grow.

Is anyone else surprised at how different MaryEllen looks in our family picture and in this last post. Wow, what a difference a year can make. If you would like to see her grow up a little more gradually, you should check out my new Year of Pictures slide-show.

Here are some highlights from our past year:

• Moving into our  new home.
• MaryEllen learning to crawl, and turning 1, and walking, and talking, and turning 2.
• A surprise Spring visit from Grandpa Jackson and Uncle Mark
• An amazingly fun Summer visit from Lorraine, Jack, Ellen, Jack Jack, Rose, and Elijah.
• Some camping trips.
• Hosting two international dancers from Indonesia.
• My best birthday ever complete with hats, balloons, and watermelon.
• Aunt Elisabeth's beautiful wedding.
• Trading in our favorite Jetta sports-wagon, for our also favorite Sienna mini-van.
• Park trips, sewing projects, home and yard improvements, and some general fun.
• Happy Hannah enters the scene. (She's crawling now!!!)
• Being the cutest fairly princesses this side of the Mississippi for Halloween.
• Jill turning three and having a rocking birthday party.
• Making Pecan Pie out of real Texas Pecans for Thanks Giving dinner. Thanks Sisters!!!
• Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Svedin in Ohio.
• And finally, Enjoying another Idaho Spring/Summer.

We love you and hope you enjoy our attempts to finally catch you up on our life. Hopefully it won't take me more than a year to keep you caught up this time.

xoxoxoxo,
Team Svedin

Photos From the Farm

We just wanted to let you know what you may be missing

When you choose the city over a farm.

 

When you need a little more good, clean dirt in your life.

Come visit!

 

We've got lots of space for you.

Hannah Bear

The series is complete! Thanks Sharon for taking such cute matching pictures of my girls. Now all we have to do is select, print and frame. The walls are ready!!!

On an Unusually Warm Day in May

 

Oh Idaho, you are so tricky.  

Just when we think Summer will never come,

You send us an unusually warm day in May.

The Basement Story

 In January we started really planning to finish the basement. In February Matt called some friends and got some names of professionals and got to work. He learned how to wire lights, put in heat ducts, and frame.

In March Matt's brother John came to live with us. He helped frame and sheet rock.

  Here are some more

March pictures.

 

 

The boys worked late into the night hanging new doors, fixing strange pre-owner stuff, and putting fans in bathrooms. Then conference weekend, we had a pro come and texture the whole thing (and re-texture some of the more obnoxiously poor texture jobs we inherited.

Then we did a LOT of painting. The girls now officially own "painting cloths." We just finished the doors and window molding. And the carpet goes in this coming week. The girls favorite part is:

the under stairs playhouse that Matt added in as he was framing. There's is even a little light they can flip on for themselves when they go in. Life is very good and it's about to get even better! Look forward to post-carpet pictures in a week or two.

Being Two!

Okay, so it's been a month, but MaryEllen had a birthday, and I'm pretty sure it was the best day of her life. We started out with her favorite breakfast, Yogurt. Then we made cupcakes, and we watched movies (it snowed, so no park). We had Bacon Alfrado for dinner, also her favorite, and she loved blowing out her candles and opening presents. Jill helped of course.

Hannah is 7 months old!!! She's almost crawling, and she eats everything, except food. So far she is a big fan of vanilla yogurt, but that is IT!

Jill is 31/2 and is doing a little 3 day a week pre-preschool put on by the local child development high school class. She loves going to school, helping Mom, and pretending like she is in charge.