Pallets and Flowers

Unloading those cool pallets that I told you about. Need to get some shots of the fort that has been built out back with an assortment of these handy things!

The Holiday Cactus is having a holiday of a time burtsting full of blooms!

It is just exquisitely beautiful - thank you to the sweet friend that blessed me with her plants. We are so enjoying the beauty of the various blooms that are popping out all over the place!

More Pictures of Basketball

The uniforms are reversible, black is our color today.

That is Caleb in the center there, the "TALL ONE"

Hanging with the coach, each quarter is planned for playtime

so that each person gets equal play by the end of the season.
Getting their color coded bands for who they defend
Caleb is the Tall One, with his back to the camera.

Different day and now we wear silver -
On the run, trying to figure out what to do and when to do it!

Caleb by his buddy and learning from the assistant coach

Sports

We have added sports to our life this year - this is the first taste. We have much more to come...

But here is the first thing we have tried: Upwards Basketball, a Christian organization that teaches skills and doesn't emphasize score until reaching 3rd grade level. We let Caleb pursue this and now all the kids wish that they were playing. We will see if we can juggle multiple schedules - the trial run is coming this spring.

No, Caleb is not in this picture, but it is his team in the silver.

Here he is in uniform with his Coach - a great guy and coach!
There is the player - mid motion of the court here. It is really hard to get good pictures, the lighting is rather poor! He loves to defend his opponent - they are matched with colored wrist bands to someone of similar skill level and so they can remember who they are defending!

We have 3 more games left and the season is done. The perfect time length.

Coming soon for the 3 Backer kids: track and t-ball.

Backer mom is gearing up for the birth marathon count down: 5/20

Backer dad is counting down to Code Camp: 3/28

The Shed

The proud builder - getting the walls squared for attaching.

My dad, Loren - aka supervisor, assistant, moral support
In the distance - taken by Caleb

Nail gun, enough said

Yes, that appears to be a saw
3 of 4 walls done

Framing up the last wall, the entry is on this wall

Measure, measure and then cut

Team work with a dog, such memories

The photographers aka assistants, Joshua and Caleb

What fun to be free with a digital camera, till mom takes it away!

Quickly the siding was attached

Then Jon arrived to help with the trusses - heave them up

Getting it all arranged

Trusses are getting attached

The builder, his saw and his creation

to be continued......

Sheds

So I will be posting pictures of the shed that Aaron built in Jan-Feb. It is a great structure and will hold many tools, equipment, etc. Very solid and will withstand many years of use. It was a tough call between a sheet metal kit and a stick built. In the end the cost was similar and the stick built was less hassle.

However, the riding lawn mower did not fit. Call it an oversight of planning or and after-thought, but it will not easily be parked in this shed.

Then there is the little luggage trailer that is sitting in the garage, taking up the warm spot that my van could be parked in.

So as I scoped out the Sunday ads, I saw the Sears had a sheet metal shed kit, 10x12 on a great sale, with a free floor kit. This was the version that we had earlier nixed, but was on a 3 day sale for much less than half that cost. So we discussed and decided that at such a savings a few days of hassle would be okay. Soon we will be adding a second shed to our property, to house the trailers, mower, etc.

tis' the season for expanding storage of the tools to keep our property ;+)

Pallets

I posted a request on Craigslist for free pallets on Sunday. By that evening I had a few messages with offers or advice. So I called and made arrangements for Monday morning. Aaron hitched up the trailer and we set off.

We got 19 pallets loaded and declared it enough!

So some pallets were stacked out by the kids' under-construction fort.

Some will be bridges for crossing over the irrigation ditch.

And others will be dismantled for "building wood" for the little woodworkers to use all their tools upon.

Free pallets - it is a good thing for creative inventors!

7 year old logic and deep thinking

Aaron shared this last night from bedtime with Caleb:

Caleb asked "do babies have hair when they are born," and Aaron said "yes, some babies do and some babies don't."

Then Caleb asked "can babies have long hair" - "it is possible" Aaron answered.

"Well," said Caleb, "then would the long hair tickle inside mommy's womb?"

"I guess that it could, I am not sure," was Aaron's reply.

All in the span of a 2 minute conversation!