Skipping Ahead

Right now Kaden and I are in Utah spending some time with my family.  I am already eons behind in blogging, so I thought I would just jump ahead to the present, in hopes that I won't become too overwhelmed and never attempt to catch up later.  Hopefully I'll have a chance later to write about our spectacular adventure at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh with my friend Katy and her family, and the great fun we had with my Aunt MalaRee and her kids when they stayed with us just before we left.  In the meantime, on to Utah fun. 

So far Kaden has . . . 

Played in the pool or at the splash pad almost every day. 

My parents live in a great housing development that has both, so it's super easy to play in the water just before nap time. 

 

Taken a trip to BYU.

Where Grandma bought him his first Cougar ball cap.

Visited The Hogle Zoo.

Kaden loved the giraffes best, but Anya and I liked the baby elephant.

Helped Grandpa and Grandma with Yard Work



Visited my friend Steph and met her darling baby boy, Andy.

Wow.  Not a single picture.  Such a tragedy.  It was great to see her though, and Andy is adorable. 

Crawled around on the blanket that is my parents' grass.

Our grass just can't hold a candle to this stuff.  And there are no fire ants here to worry about, which is especially nice.

Learned to walk behind his walking toy.

He's been cruising like crazy for over a month now, but this is the first he's tried to walk without an actual person assisting him.  He's still too unsteady on his feet to walk on his own, but occasionally he'll be standing holding on to something and he'll let go and stand on his own for a few seconds before he realizes what he's done.  Then, he immediately plops on his bum or grabs back on to something for support.  It's pretty funny to watch.  

 

Taken lots and lots of night-time baths.

PLUS, I have . . .

Learned to use a sewing machine . . . kind of . . .

Watched the end of the Harry Potter era unfold on the big screen at midnight with my cousin, Anya, while my mom missed out to watch Kaden (who woke up just after we left for the theatre).

AND

Eaten my body weight in chocolate chip cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and homemade hot fudge sauce.

It's been a great trip.  We are here until Wednesday, so there is still more fun to come.  

Today, Kaden made a new playmate while in the bathtub.

I think I have a new calling in life . . .

Meet and teach the author of this article how to write. 

I know it's Kinston.

I know our paper shouldn't be held to the same standards as The New York Times.

But it pained me to read this.

I am still gritting my teeth.

Aside from the fact that it's just crappy writing in general, I am appalled by the errors I would expect from my former sophomore writing students. 

I know my blog is not a shining example of grammatical perfection.  I make errors.  I probably make multiple ones.  Some of you probably leave a reading of my blog gritting your own teeth.

But I don't write for the newspaper, dang it, and there should be standards.  Has the press no pride?

Reall, Mr. Hill?  Really?

As an aside, Corbin was a former student of mine, and I am thrilled to hear he's beating his battle with cancer. 

On Tuesday

I had a great morning.  I took Kaden to his first ever story time at the public library.  In reality, he is still too young to really love it, but it was a great way to get out of the house and do something kid-oriented for free.  He did dance along while all the kids sang the welcome songs and paid close attention to the enthralling reading of Who Sunk the Boat.  When craft time started we opted to audit the class, since Kaden was more interested in eating the paper plate that was supposed to become a jelly fish than actually making a jelly fish.  We got to stop at the fish tank on the way out and wave to all of our fishy friends, so all in all it was a pretty successful trip.

Then, when I got to my car I saw I had a missed call and a text message.  I instantly fell apart when I received the news that Eric Edge, a young man who is a member of our church, passed away unexpectedly.  He was 22.  Eric's sister is one of my good friends, and I have always liked Eric.  When we first lived in Kinston during Chad's summer internship and I didn't know very many people, Eric was always so nice to me.  He played softball with Chad that summer, and I believe he was getting ready to serve his mission at that time.  Eric is the kind of person who always had a big smile on his face.  He was so genuine and friendly.  My heart ached for his family upon receiving this terrible news.     

While Kaden napped, I planted the flowers we bought the night before and contemplated how fragile life really is.  How everything can change in an instant, and we have to be so careful to appreciate every moment we have with the ones we love. 

I received another text message while I was working in the yard.  This one to inform me that my nephew, Tanner James, had arrived safely, and that my sister, Meredith, was doing well.  It was so tender to think that while one beautiful life had drifted out of this world, another had drifted in to it. 

Other hard news, one piece about the health of a woman I care about very deeply, and another piece very personal, was received during the day.

I cried a lot on Tuesday.

Even though I cried, my heart was full of gratitude.  I am so thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful that I know this life is not the end.  I know families are forever, that the relationships we share here on Earth do not end with the grave.  I am thankful for the reality of a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers, who loves us unconditionally and wants what is best for us.  I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who through his sacrifice made it possible for us to return to our Heavenly Father some day.    The last couple of days have been hard, and a little bit scary, but I have felt so much peace and comfort when I need it most.  I know that when Heavenly Father closes a window, he opens a door.      

Take Me Out to the Ball Game . . .

And then take me to an Indian Restaurant.

And then take me to the beach.

OK, Kaden.  Sounds like a plan.

On May 31st, Bruce and Joy invited us to go to the Kinston Indians' baseball game with them.  We had BBQ, hush puppies, fried chicken, and ice cream sandwiches before the game thanks to Edward Jones Investment Group.

Doesn't Kaden look thrilled to be there?

It was miserably hot outside, but once the sun started to go down it wasn't as bad.  There are a lot of reasons I love living in the south.  The summer heat isn't one of them.  Usually, we don't start in on the massive heat waves until July and August, but this year we started temperatures in the high 90s at the end of May.  Nice.  Thus, I chopped all of my hair off in a heat-induced fit of passion the next day.

We also celebrated Chad's birthday with his family early this year.  His birthday isn't until the 12th of June, but Chad's mom is flying to Denver to help his sister, Meredith, who is expecting her second baby.  We went to Dale's, a very yummy Indian restaurant in G-Vegas.  Kaden tried his first coconut korma, tandoori chicken, tikka masala, and basmati rice, and gladly accepted repeat bites of every dish offered to him.  After dinner, we drove back home and had slices of Joy's deliciously perfect homemade carrot cake.  So good.  Don't think Kaden didn't enjoy a lick or two of cream cheese icing along with the rest of us.

Here's Kaden, taking a ride in one of Daddy's presents--a new wheelbarrow!

 With a curry-filled belly after dinner:

 Playing outside the restaurant before we drove home:

 Flying with Uncle Tyler:

We took Kaden to the beach for a few hours on Saturday.  Chad had a golf tournament in the morning, and I worked on the yard while Kaden napped.  When Chad came home, and Kaden awoke from his snooze, we jumped in the car and headed for Atlantic Beach.  Lauren's mom is always so nice to let us use her beach cottage while we are there.  Kaden enjoyed his first "real" trip to the beach.  This time he could actually play in the water.

Here he is skim boarding:

Do not let my glowing appearance frighten you.  Every tan has to start somewhere, mine just starts off much whiter than most people's.  Let us remember also, for a moment, that my poor skin saw little to no sunlight last summer, as I was hibernating in air-conditioned buildings due to a condition called pregnancy.  (I bet you feel guilty about judging my pasty complexion now, don't you?  Nothing like playing the pregnancy card to get yourself some pity.) 

Kaden started off the trip with a befuddled look of concern on his face, as he often does when we go to a new place.  He is a very observant child, and he just sort of quietly takes in new surroundings.  He warmed up a bit towards the end though, and I think he had a lot of fun.  He tried to ingest two seashells, but luckily Uncle Tyler and Aunt Lauren caught this before he choked to death.  He wasn't too interested in eating the sand.  Mostly he just held out his fingers and looked at me with an expression that seemed to be asking, "Why aren't you wiping this mess off of me?"  We didn't get to the beach until his afternoon nap time, so he did surprisingly well staying content with a missed nap--I guess that is the beauty of distraction.   

He passed out almost immediately on the car ride home, and slept for about an hour before he realized he was hungry and still had sand in his hair.  Then he wasn't too happy. 

I love the ocean so much, and I can't wait to go back for another, hopefully longer, visit!

Where Have All the Pacis Gone?

Long Time Passing . . .

I found Kaden's secret stash behind the crib today:

 There were six pacis scattered along the top of the pack and play that is stored under there.

 He has made a habit of throwing his pacis during fits of frustration at nap time.  This happens after the giggling, gargling, and talking don't bring Mommy in to pick him up.  I went in to check on him the other day and found three pacifiers in the middle of the floor (I've started putting a few extras in the crib when he goes down, so he won't scream as soon as he throws one out).  Apparently, he realized it was too easy for Mommy to find those, so he started hiding them behind the crib instead.  I burst out laughing when I found them today.

I have composed at least a half dozen blog posts in my head recently, but haven't had time to record them.  Why?  Because we're in the middle of another set of home renovations.  Not on OUR home this time, but on the rental house we just bought.  It has been an adventure, I tell you.  I am so thankful for all the help we've gotten from family--from babysitting, to demo, to painting, it has all been so greatly appreciated.  There's no way we could have completed this project in a month without so much help.  Our renters are moving in the 1st of June, and we still have some work we are finishing up before then.  Anyway, since it is not the 1st of June yet, you will not get any of those half dozen blog posts, but I figure I should at least do a nine month post for Kaden, since he has been nine months old for two weeks now.

Kaden's nine month stats:

Weight -- 19 pounds, 12.5 ounces (39th percentile)

Height -- 29.5 inches (87th percentile)

Head Circumference -- 46.75 centimeters (87th percentile)

The doctor's take on his stats, "He's long and lean, which I prefer over short and fat." 

At nine months old, Kaden . . . 

• Waves hi and bye
• Claps his hands

• Gives high fives    
• Is a wiggle worm
• Turns the pages in his book when we read to him (Would you like to help Mommy turn the page?  Thank you!)

• Still loves to be read to (one of the only times he is still is while you're reading to him)
• Can hold his own bottle or sippy cup (He is still very particular about what kind of sippy cup he will take, if he will take one at all.  He only likes the kind with very soft tops, so they feel more like a bottle.)
• Crawls forwards (he does this sometimes on hands and knees, but a lot of the time still prefers the inch-worm method)

• Can get back into a sitting position from a crawling position
• Eats grown-up food at meal times (He picks up pieces of the food from his high chair tray on his own.  He loves to feed himself and make a mess!), followed by pureed baby food (Everything but Outback mashed potatoes has been a huge hit!  From grilled salmon to Cajun chicken pasta, this kid loves it all!)
• Goes to sleep on his own, without being rocked to sleep (We still follow a bedtime routine.  We read stories, sing a song, rock him until he gets drowsy, and then put him in his crib.  Since starting this he has been AWESOME at sleeping through the night--but I don't want to write that for fear it may stop.  Sometimes it takes awhile for this to work at nap time, however, and he frequently poops right after I put him down.  I have to go pick him up, change him, and start the entire process again.  I know infants supposedly don't have control of this bodily function, but sometimes I think he's doing this on purpose to get another story, song, and rock-rock.)
• Has four teeth (two bottom, two top) with another one on the way
• Loves to throw things
• Loves to be out and about (He has enjoyed many trips to Lowe's lately, but he just loves running errands in general.) 
• Nuzzles his head into whoever may be holding him
• Pats you on the back and snuggles you when he's getting tired and you are holding him
• Can stand while holding onto something and is working on pulling himself up on his own

• Sleeps in a crib with the mattress in the lowest position (We moved the mattress down after I found him semi-standing and shaking the entire side of the crib post nap one day.)
• Is cautious but curious.  (Even though he knows how to plop on his bottom after he's been standing, you can tell he gets very nervous about doing so.  He's also cautious around strangers, even though he'll let almost anyone hold him.  He gives people in the grocery store the stare down when they try to talk to him.)

• Does bicep workouts with Daddy (Chad lifts him up and he pulls down our attic stairs--these are heavy suckers.  After he's done enough reps with his left arm to wear him out, he switches to his right.) 
• Frequently has one paci in his mouth and an extra in his hand (He then switches them from hand to mouth back and forth.  It's quite comical to watch.)
• Is looking less and less like a baby, and more and more like a little boy every day (much to his mother's dismay), which is evidenced perfectly in this photo:

Kaden and Kenzie Playing

Easter

We were really lucky to have Meredith and Mackenzie in Kinston for Easter this year.  Kaden didn't get to go to church on Easter Sunday, because he was running a fever.  A few days later we recreated the moment and had the kids put on their Easter duds for a quick cousin photo shoot.  They were less than cooperative:

 
Seriously.  That's about as cute as it gets.  They were not interested in looking at the camera at the same time, or, in most cases, looking at the camera at all.  If we did manage to get them looking at the camera, if one was smiling, the other wasn't.  You get the idea.

 Kaden, on maracas:

Probably the best one, after the bunnies succumbed to the power of the breeze and were removed:

We decided to try to get some individual shots.  Here's what Kaden thought about that idea:

Plastic egg to the rescue:

 

I think they're still pretty cute, even though they're not perfect portraits of our kids. 

Kaden had a blast with Mackenzie while she was here.  I think he is going through withdrawals now that she is home in Denver. 

Spring Travels

In the beginning of April, Chad maintained his status as best husband and father ever by letting me whisk Kaden off for two weeks to visit my family.  If he asked me to take Kaden somewhere without me for two weeks I would probably say no, so I think it's pretty awesome that he didn't object. 

Kaden and I flew to Utah in the evening, with my brilliant plan being that he would likely fall asleep since most of the flight time would be his normal sleeping time.  He was remarkably good, but he didn't sleep much.  On the first leg of the trip, he bonded with the drunk man next to us--who kept hinting that he'd like to hold him.  He reminded me a lot of one of my favorite travel journalists:

Seriously.  He looked so much like Anthony Bourdain.  And he was swearing and drinking like Anthony Bourdain.  The thing is, as much as I think the real Anthony is a fantastic writer and an interesting persona, the likelihood of me letting HIM hold my child is pretty slim, so the drunk impersonator next to me didn't stand a chance.  I do not profess to know a lot about alcohol, having never consumed an alcoholic beverage myself, but I do know this:  vodka is some of the stronger stuff, and he purchased a lot of it from the flight attendant.  Just saying.  And another thing:  what stranger asks to HOLD someone's baby?  So weird.  I don't know you!  You could be some crazy pedophile!  Maybe I'm too paranoid, but I don't see my philosophy on that changing any time soon.

After landing in Denver, we were given the unfortunate news that our flight to Salt Lake was delayed.  At this point, Kaden still had not slept, and I was starving.  The only food stall open was a TCBY, so I bought a smoothie and then tried to coax Kaden back into a REM cycle by moving away from the chatty mob of high school girls who camped out behind us right when he was finally asleep.  He fell back asleep just as our flight began boarding, so that nap didn't last long either.

Even so, the flights went better than I expected they would.  Kaden did great in the umbrella stroller in the airport, and as long as I let him shake the menu card and tear up copies of Sky Mall  on the plane ride itself, he was happy.  I feel so much better about traveling with Kaden alone now, although it is definitely MUCH easier with another set of hands.

 We only spent a few days in Salt Lake, but we had a good time.  Kaden got to bond with Uncle Jared, who is still living at home.  We also got to see Bryan and Lizadel.  We even went to the What Women Want! expo at the convention center with Lizadel and her mom, which was a lot of fun.

 
On Sunday afternoon Mom, Dad, Kaden, and I jumped in the car and drove all night to get to Prosser, Washington.  Kaden did AMAZING in the car, and slept pretty much the entire ride.  We stopped in Prosser to visit my Aunt Arianne and Uncle Howard and my awesome cousins Anya, Alissa, Evan, and Alissa's little boy, Brody.  Kaden LOVED Brody.  He is fascinated with other kids now, and Brody was so sweet to him.  He was also so good about sharing all of his toys.  I was very impressed!  We didn't have a lot of time together, but we made the most of the time we had.  We ate so much good food (thanks, Aunt Arianne!) and laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more.  I love my family.  They are some of the funniest people I know.
 

It is always sad for me to leave a visit with them, because I never know when I will see them again.  The last time I saw them was in the summer of 2009.   I hate being so far away from so many people that I love, and I hate that Kaden will miss out on really getting to know them.  But, c'est la vie, right?

After our stop in Prosser, we drove to the metropolis of Moses Lake, my home town.  Nelson Mandela once said, "There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered."  I don't think there is a more fitting quotation to describe my visit home.

In Kinston, there are very few people who know me just for me.  Most people know me as "Chad Reese's wife," or "Joy Reese's daughter-in-law," and that is OK.  I am proud to be a Reese; it's a good thing!  In Moses Lake, though, I am still Katie Jensen, and that is kind of fun, too.

In Utah, my mom is Susan, but in Moses Lake, she is Sue. 

We stayed at my Grandpa Jensen's house.  I love that house.  There is no dishwasher in the kitchen and the cabinets are sea-foam green.  There is no Internet, and there is no cable TV.  It has not changed much since I was a little girl.  It's a different color on the outside, and the tree that used to sit in the front yard is gone now.  It still feels the same, though.  It is still full of my grandma, too, even though she passed away nine years ago.  When we first got to Grandpa's house, I went in the back room and cried.  I think we always miss the people we love when they are gone, but there, surrounded by so many things that reminded me of her, I missed her more than I have in a long time.  I so wish Kaden could have met her, but I know he will someday.  We had a lot of fun watching old family home videos with Grandpa at night and sharing lots of old memories.

We didn't have much time in Moses Lake, either, but we did a few things that any Moses Lake tourist must: sampled some amazing Legacy Chocolates thanks to Nesha and Brenda, ate arroz con pollo at Inca (just as amazing as I remembered), devoured a greasy Hockstetter pizza from Chico's, and drove down a lot of country roads.  We were able to see a lot of old friends while we were there, but there wasn't enough time to see everyone I would have loved to have seen.  I did drive to Othello one day to visit my old high school chums Lena and Crystal.  I don't know why, but for a while in high school we went through this phase where we all referred to one another by our first and last names.  Even when I talk to Chad about my high school friends, I still say, "My friend, Lena Campbell" or "My friend, Crystal Montoya."  They are Lena Gilbert and Crystal Harris now though.  We only had a few hours to visit, but it was great to see them.  I love seeing my friends as mothers.  They are great moms and have terrific children.  

After our visit in Moses Lake, we drove to Seattle to spend time with our family on the other side of the state.  We stayed with my Grandma Joy at my Uncle Shawn and Aunt Karen's house in Marysville.  Jayden and Skyler, my cousins, are so grown up now.  I still think of them as tiny, little kids, but they are far from it.  You know you're in for a great time when your welcome dinner consists of crab legs AND homemade fettuccine alfredo (note to self:  must buy pasta attachment for Bernice).  As if the welcome dinner wasn't enough, we also had a fantastic brunch later during our trip.  There is nothing like Uncle Shawn's crepes and beignets.  So good! 

The time flew by while we were there, but we did squeeze in visits with lots of relatives in addition to the ones with whom we stayed:  Uncle Mark and Aunt Jaime and their girls, McKenna and Lilah; Nicholas, for a very brief visit one morning; Aunt Maryann; and Uncle Paul and Aunt MalaRee and their crew, Chloe, Hayden, and Sterling. 

Some of the highlights of our trip were the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley, Pike's Place Market in downtown Seattle, eating fish n' chips at Ivar's on the wharf, and visiting Flower World--a giant plant palace of a nursery that I wish existed where I live.          

 Before we knew it, it was time to fly back to North Carolina.  We had a wonderful time, but I think Chad was definitely ready for us to come home, and we missed him lots, too.  After a long trip it always feels good to be home, and my home felt extra good since it included a newly painted fence and deck!  I always miss my family more after spending time with them, but the good news is Kaden and I get to go back to Utah for another visit in July.  We're looking forward to it! 

Neglectful Blogger Award

I wish there was one, and I wish there was a cash prize involved.

Unfortunately, the only prize being a neglectful blogger has brought me is guilt.  I've pretty much thrown out any hope of ever completing Kaden's baby book (Isn't it sad that I'm already like this with baby #1?), so any notes on his development not made on this blog are probably not going to be recorded anywhere. 

I just realized the last time I wrote anything substantial about Kaden was two months ago.  Sorry, Kaden Bug. 

So, some of these things Kaden has been doing for awhile, and some of them are relatively new. 

At eight-and-a-halfish-months old, Kaden . . . 

• Has three teeth.  Two on the bottom, one on the top, with a fourth tooth on the way.  Meredith pointed out the other day how sad it is when babies lose their gummy smile, and I have to say I agree.  Already, Kaden looks more like a little boy to me than a baby.

• Sits by himself.

• Can play peek-a-boo by himself, if he's in the mood.  When he first learned to do this, he did it all the time, but he hasn't done it much lately.  I'm so sad we never got it on video.  Sometimes, we'd be shopping in the store, and I'd realize he was lifting his burp rag to hide his face, just waiting for me to say, "Where's Kaden?"  Then he'd throw the burp rag down, I'd say,"Peek-a-boo!", and he'd give me a huge grin.  

• Scoot-crawls backwards and in circles.  He hasn't mastered how to do this while on his knees, and he can't figure out how to move forward yet.  This does not stop him, however, from moving all over the room.

• Gets up on his knees like he's going to crawl, then face plants or rolls to his side instead of actually crawling.

• Pushes up on his toes when he's in a crawling position.  Heaven help me.  I think walking will not be far behind crawling.

• Is a rolling machine.  Gone are the days of leaving my baby in a room and expecting him to be in the same place when I come back.  Gone, also, are the days of simple diaper changes.  Now, those feel like wrestling matches.

• Doesn't like his exersaucer or jumping toy as much as he once did, now that he has mobility on his own terms.

•  Babbles with inflection.  I love it when you hear him end a baby-language sentence that sounds like a question.  We still hear Dadadadadadadadadadada most often, but he does say Mamamamamamamama and Bababababababababa.  He also gargles and yells on occasion.    

• Often gets fussy if I leave the room and he can't see me.  He wants to be with someone at all times.  He still does pretty well being held by anyone, but sometimes he wants just Mommy or Daddy.  Sometimes he turns this into a game.  He will reach for me to hold him, then cry and reach for Chad, then cry and reach for me, etc.

• Is a master of the "drop it-pick it up" game.  It's a shame this is not an Olympic sport, as I feel Kaden would win world fame as the youngest athlete to medal in the event.

• Wears 12 month clothes pretty comfortably, although he still fits into some of his nine month outfits, and a select few six month ones (let's face it--those are mis-sized).

• Can feed himself puffs and tiny pieces of banana, with moderate success.  Sometimes the entire fist goes into the mouth when he can't figure out how to get the food out of his fingers.

• Has tried mangoes, apricots, blueberries, and oatmeal since my last account of his food choices, and has liked every dish placed before him.  

• Wears size four diapers, the same size as his two-and-a-half-year-old cousin. 

• Thinks his daddy is the ultimate toy.  It is so fun seeing Kaden's face light up when Chad comes home from work or when we see him at lunch time during the day.

• Has played in the kiddie pool for the first time, and seemed enthralled at bath time later to realize he got to play in the water not once, but TWICE in one day! 

Kaden, at eight months old, on our trip to Washington (blog post about that to follow):

Surprises and Apologies

Chad and I have a lot of things in common.  For example, we both like ethnic food.  We both like listening to the classical music station occasionally.  We both like going to art museums.  We both like to travel.  

Chad and I are also different in a myriad of ways.  For example, Chad is an athlete.  I was the kid in elementary school begging to play in the outfield during P.E., and praying the entire time that no one would hit a ball far enough for me to have to figure out what to do with it.  Chad likes mushrooms, while I am of the persuasion that fungi are best left far from my dinner plate.  I love to be surprised.  Chad does not.

This is something I have never understood.  How can you not WANT to be surprised?

Chad would rather know what he is getting for his birthday, Christmas, our anniversary, you name it, than have me surprise him with an unexpected gift.  This is hard for me to fathom, because I am exactly the opposite.  I LOVE being surprised, and I love giving surprises.  Half of the fun of gift-giving is the recipient not knowing what's hiding inside the box.

A lot of the time, when Chad gets me a gift, it is almost impossible for him to keep it a secret. Sometimes, bless his heart, he drops so many hints that by the time the holiday for which the gift is intended rolls around, I am already pretty sure about what I'm going to get.  I've told him many times that he is just not very good at giving surprises.

I think I owe my husband an apology.  

He is VERY good at giving surprises.

While I was on vacation for two weeks, my husband pulled off the ultimate fence and deck makeover. 

He never once dropped a hint about what he was up to, not in a single phone conversation or text message.

When I left for Utah, my deck and fence looked the same way it did when we bought our house:  in desperate need of a paint job. 

These photos are the photos we took before we bought the house.  We'd already pulled out that massive vine growing on the arbor, and refinished the carport and shed last summer.  

When I flew home from Seattle, my fence and deck looked like this:

Way to go, Chadwick!  I don't know what I love most:  my beautiful, new white fence and deck, or the fact that my husband sacrificed all of his free time while I was gone to do this just for me.