Yard Work

Here's a little story for ya...

I spent the majority of Saturday buying, hauling, and spreading compost in the front yard. It was a pretty physical job and I was very tired when finished.  But I also felt so proud of the job I did, and was excited for the thriving grass that would come. 

Well, a little bit of that pride was stripped away when I saw my neighbor doing the same thing on Sunday... my neighbor who is... 89 years old!!!

Ugh... I've got to be more consistent at the gym...

Blog's 1st Birthday

I've officially been blogging for a year now, and I think the occasion calls for a blog makeover to celebrate. So excuse me, I'm going to go work on that..

The Amazing Concrete Truck

This was taken back when they were pouring concrete for our patio. The kids were sooo entertained. 

New Shirt, New Shoes, No Problems

Evan got new shoes, and I do believe he likes them!!! You will see in the video that he thoroughly wore out his first (and until now, only) pair. 

He is also sporting his new shirt from Nana (thank you, Nana!).

Hidden in Her Heart

You might need to turn up the volume

Genesis 1:1

Elena learned this verse right before her 3rd birthday!

Spring has Sprung

I am so excited about spring arriving this year! 

There are birds building a nest outside our window...

I've planted flowers in pots on the patio (and they are still allive - yay!)...

And Elena is growing a few bean plants. I wish I came up with the idea of doing this project with her, but it really came about because she tore a packet of bean seeds at Home Depot and we had to buy them :) But all wells that ends well!

 

Elkins Photography is in Business

I think the time has arrived for us to say that we are officially in business! I've been a little nervous about getting to this point, and because of those nerves, I have found one excuse after another to stall our "start date", but the stalling is over and we are going for it. 

We have a photography blog that is serving as our website. You can click on the image in the margin or just go to: 

www.elkinsphotography.blogspot.com

I Present to You... The PATIO!

When we moved into this house we knew that the backyard would require a LOT of work. It was overgrown along the fence, bare where there should be grass, and had a random cement block to be removed. 

Well, this is the summer of action.  The first step we have taken towards getting this yard whipped into shape is building a functioning patio (and when I say build, I mean paying someone else to build it.)

I personally love before and after pictures, so here you go...

before

after 

We love the finished product, but there is still a lot to be done like landscaping and finding a step solution for that pretty steep drop off. 

Coincidence?

Last week I purchased a swimsuit and a gym membership... within 24 hours of each other. Coincidence? I think not.

To give a little more substance to this post, I must say that I am LOVING Gold's gym! If anyone wants to workout with me sometime - I have free passes! Oh, and I have to give a shout out for Brittany's Body Pump class - she's great!!!

Houston Rodeo

We went to Houston's Rodeo this weekend with Ben's family. My nephew, Micah was the best dressed baby there with his little cowboy hat and plaid shirt! 

It was my first time to ever attend a rodeo, and I was pretty blown away with the size of the event! There were petting zoos, chicks hatching, pig races, cows being milked (yes, I gathered information on raising a jersey cow at home... turns out it's pretty pricey), rides - tons of rides!, Freebirds, and of course the actual cowboy events in the evening. 

"Free the Goats! Free the Goats!"

"Elena meeting Miss Moo"

Evan spent most of his time on the tractors and trucks on display.

Next year Evan and cousin Micah might be fighting over the driver seat, but this arrangement worked out pretty well this year. 

If the rides were free, Elena would have done them all. But they aren't and she didn't. She did get to go on two with Dad... and loved it!

In the Market for a Cow

The household's milk intake is up to 6-7 gallons... a WEEK! And that's without any help from Ben. Cha-ching, cha-ching!