Randomness

Justin uploaded the pictures off of his IPhone from the last two months. Here are a few that I'd like to post:

These pictures are from when Justin and I brought the kids a gift home from the hospital when Dylan was recovering from his heart surgery. They were pretty excited!

Brandon got a moose he named Melvin

Lindsey got a dog she named Sparkles

And Katelyn got a lamb she named Lucy

The neat part? Inside each of them is a heart you can take out and warm up in the microwave. Then you put it back inside the animal's tummy and it stays warm for a long time. They're very nice to cuddle with!

And here is Dylan's heart from the hospital. It is signed front and back by his family, his surgeon, some of the nurses, and some of the people who came to visit him. 

Hairstyles done by Daddy while Mommy was at the hospital with Dylan:

Giraffe at the hospital

Lindsey rollerskating on her last day of preschool

Brandon getting to use some power tools while making the new garden boxes

The kids actually pet and held a hissing cockroach at the Pacific Science Center. Yuck!!

Butterfly exhibit

Found this hole in the back yard. I was sure it was made by a snake or some other kind of creepy thing.

Turns out, this was the culprit

We found these kids on sale at Lowe's. Man, they're a bargain! But I sure do wish that they came with instruction manuals.

Lindsey had some fun with Dylan's hair. Sorry buddy.

And finally, if I was a cow, this is where I would want to live. These cows have it made! Green pastures and beautiful green hills along the coast. 

Near Tillamook, OR

"Mooooo!"

Summer Time

A sure sign of summer in Seattle:

The backyard pool!

Brandon in action

And it's fun to share with friends!

The Side Yard

Welcome to our side yard. Yep, this is it. And let me tell you, it gets nice and muddy when it rains!

And lucky for us, those things down there are our trash cans. In the winter, I have to wear my rain boots to take out the trash, lest the bottom 2 inches of my pants get all muddy. It's been fun!

But we decided that we've had enough fun. We have been working on a sidewalk for over a month. 95 pavers and many hours of work later it is finally finished!!

{Insert Hallelujah Music}

All together now:

"Oooooh! Aaaaaaah!"

And those are our two new garden boxes on the right.

View from the front of the house

Those trash cans never looked lovelier! I actually look forward to taking out the trash now. And the kids love running up and down and riding their bikes from the front to the back.

Good work Justin!!!!

In other news, our back yard is nice and colorful this summer.

Last year these beauties were purple. But I don't mind baby blue!

Our gardens are flourishing. These strawberries are growing like crazy. I call it my strawberry forest. They come up to my knees!

And I think those tomato plants on the end have plans to take over the whole back yard.

Love summer time for outdoor projects!!

4th of July

For our 4th of July weekend we celebrated by having a great breakfast at the church on Saturday with a flag ceremony and the local firefighters joining us. In the evening we went to watch a Saturday night show with some friends who have an awesome view of the valley. Some pictures to summarize the day:

We love America!

Maner Family Reunion 2010

Here is a video that I made for the Maner family to recap the reunion.

Maner Family Reunion 2010