Backyard

For nearly eight years, the backyard has been a challenge, a trial, and a source of contention between Summer and me. Here are the basics: the backyard is small (15'x50'), with a pretty nasty slope (roughly 2' in drop from the neighbors behind us to our back patio). We've tried several quick fixes, but after a few years, it became obvious that we needed to do full-throttle, cutting into the slope, building a retaining wall, and leveling the yard into two terraces.

So, after years of work, last March we finished the wall and started leveling below it. Today we reached the promised land by putting in ~225' of sod--not a lot, but enough for the kids to run around. Here, then, are some pictures:

From above the wall looking southeast

From the patio looking west--that's one of the two apple trees we planted last spring

From the patio looking south--below the wall are two lilac bushes we planted last month, and above the wall by the fence are hollyhocks

Behind the house looking northwest--that's the other apple tree, and Summer's garden gnome

At the north end of the yard is a sandbox we put in this spring, complete in this photo with Ryan and Evan

And here we get a broader view of the yard looking north, complete with Allyson, who here sniffs a marigold--the dirt area behind her will be home to either another tree or a small patio and fire pit

On Saturday we took the Rail Runner up to Santa Fe again, a trip that we find both fun and relaxing--fun because we get to do cool Santa Fe things and relaxing because we don't have to drive in Santa Fe, one of the worst cities for cars in the nation. Here are some photographic highlights from the trip.

First, Allyson at the ABQ station:
Next, Isaac waiting to board the train:Here the older kids pass the time on the way north:
The main attraction of the trip was the New Mexico Museum of Art, where a spunky docent took us on a brief tour. We ended at the courtyard, where Summer took a few pictures:
Outside we found plaques commemorating famous artists who have been part of the Santa Few milieu, including on Willa Cather, which made Allyson excited, since she's read Death Comes for the Archbishop: And finally, outside the door to the museum's St. Francis chapel, the kids enjoy the early-Spring wind (walking back to the trains station, the wind was much less enjoyable):
Summer and I have a getaway planned for mid-May, and we're looking at taking the train to Sana Fe for one day for the two of us. That promises to be loads of fun as well.

A Trip to Salt Lake

Today we decided two things: that we would extend our vacation in Utah by a day, and that we would make a trip to Salt Lake. The former was brought on by what has turned out to be a pretty meager storm, while the latter allowed us to eat dinner at Cafe Rio, so all in all it was a good day.

We began by going to This is the Place Monument. As t turns out, their Christmas lights celebration made a daytime visit a bit lame, so we strolled for a bit and took a few pictures, including this one:
We then killed some time by going to Temple Square, where we visited the Church Museum of Art and History, with a stop at the pioneer cabin just west of Temple Square:
After watching the Joseph Smith movie in the Legacy theater and eating at the aforementioned Cafe Rio, we went back to TITP. Since Christmas was last week, the Santa theme has been replaced by a New Years one, and Father Christmas with Frosty the Snowman, as seen here:
We visited a dozen or so buildings, made some crafts, did some dancing, and rode the train to the main entrance, where I got one final picture of the crew for the year 2010:
Now to return home and ring in 2011. May it be as fun and memorable as 2010.

Some Christmas Photos

Here are some winter-themed pictures from the past week. First, the boys and I played in the snow we got in ABQ last Friday--nearly half an inch, and enough for a two-hour delay.
Next, the kids at Temple Square earlier this week.
And, finally, Summer and me (pre-hair cut) at Temple Square.
I'll probably post some Christmas-morning pictures this weekend. Until then, Merry Christmas.

The Kind of Mundane Thing That Makes Me Happy

Some weeks ago Summer and I had a lively discussion regarding our living room, which had long suffered from a sort of schizophrenia, split between a living room and a home office. The basic problem--the basic problem we encounter throughout our house--is a lack of space. The simple fact is that we have doubled the number of children in our household since we moved here over seven years ago, and the children we had back then have gotten a lot bigger.

But, I digress. The point of contention was how we could rearrange the room to better make use of the space we have available to us. Thursday night we revisited the idea, coming up with a plan. The essence of the scheme was simple: move the bookcase in the entry way to the corner of the living room, move to the entry way a set of dressers we had converted to storage, put the piano in the dining room, move the desk to the corner where the piano has stood since we bought it, pull the couch to the far wall, and move the chair and ottoman to opposite sides of the coffee table.

So I got working on the project this morning, and by the time Summer had returned from grocery shopping I had done all the easy work. She and I then moved the piano, desk, couch, and chair. Here, then, is the finished product:

The dressers in the entry way

The new, wide-open living room, perfect for playing games

Or Legos

The desk is much less obtrusive in the corner, and the couch up against the back wall opens up the room nicely

The piano makes a nice addition to the dining room

Happy Birthday to Evan!

Tuesday Evan turned the big 3.0, and we celebrated with cake and presents. First, the presents. Here the birthday boy opens the gift from Grandma and Grandpa Turner (a set of interlocking plastic blocks like Legos but for smaller hands--way cool):

Next, with his homemade gift, an apron sewn by Summer:
Being our kids, he also got some books:
And my favorite, a marble race set with interchangeable pieces for building all sorts of fun ramps, loops, and towers (I've played with this every evening since his birthday after the kids have gone to bed):
And here he blows out the candles. The cake is chocolate with a chocolate ganache between the two layers and a caramel frosting (super decadent):

Painting

I spent much of this past week--with Summer and the kids out of town visiting my in-laws--painting the boy's bedroom. We chose a sort of sand-yellow color, and I think it turned out well. I also moved the furniture around, which may be subject to change if Summer decides it's not a good layout.

Anyhow, here are some pictures of the room.