The Weeks Before Christmas

It was -6 degrees the day we cut our tree. There is a little more snow today. Marie and Jack had to go back to the car early. Rosa never made it out of the car. I gave Sam my coat while I was sawing the tree. Just before it came down I looked over at Sam and asked if he wanted to push it over on the last cut. Sam was shivering and had ice hanging from his nose. He was glad for the opportunity to move around, and to push over the tree.

The boys and I made sugar cookies for St.Nick. Our little elves, who are in dire need of a wardrobe and sizing update, put the sugar and stamp on the cookies. A good picture of Jack and Rosa. They have been taking naps together with Marie. Marie has been sneaking out early and taking a few pictures of them sleeping together.

Christmas Day

Rosa has spent the day sleeping. She has had a terrible hoarse cough and cry the few times that she has been awake. Our Young Cowkid and his sidekick Mr. Incredible Cowboy have been playing the part most of the morning. We took some good footage of them opening their cowboy boots from St. Nick. The weather today is hovering around zero. It is snowing flurries. We moved our luminaries into our front porch.

Sam, Jack & Rosa

Here is the first photo of the kids, since H1N1 has quaraintined the hospital.

Rosa Josephine Esther Layton

"Rosa Jean" was born October 30th, 2009 at 11:41pm. She weighed 8 pounds and 4 ounces, and is 20 inches long. Marie was surprised at such a small baby, compared to 9.o & 10.3. I was hoping on a Halloween Baby but Marie and Rosa had other plans. It happened so quick we almost had Rosa in the parking lot! But we opted for the corner of the bed instead! The Doctor couldn't get there in time, we had 3 great nurses and PA deliver the baby. Rosa is very healthy and has red/strawberry blonde hair, and not much of it.

There Once was a Wall

Marie and I did a lot of demolition today. There once was a wall that sectioned off the old front porch. We took out that wall today. I just took some pictures of the work, but they didn't turn out so good. I'll take some in the day time tomorrow from outside of the window. Speaking of outside the window...I did take some pictures of 2 blurs that kept racing by. A few times I thought I was on the set of Saturday Night Live as Batman and Superman raced around the house. They kept up a pretty strong banter the whole time Marie and I worked. I walked out on them once and Sam had dragged 2 chairs out from the porch and set them up as Bat Mobile seats. This confirmed my SNL feeling. Even though they were in the Bat Mobile they were acting out different scenes from The Incredibles. Marie and I stood and watched for awhile. Safety first today. I only climbed on a short ladder and it was on dry level ground. Clapping sound.

Saint Valentine

Marie surprised us all. She filled the front room with balloons and chocolate. The boys were very surprised when they woke up this morning. The boys also made a few Valentine's candies. They were little mints.

Outside Corner

Marie made some really good spinach dip during lunch the other day. If you look close enough you can see identical chunks of chip hanging on my and Jack's lips. Samuel had a hard time reaching the bowl - but he found a way. We are making headway on the Silver Maple. We gave 2 loads of wood to the Sheep Camp and Donna got a lot of limbs. We are keeping what it piled up. The big log is awaiting the Alaskan Sawmill. Ted's friend is bringing one down. I am pretty much way excited about that. We cleared the juniper bush in the front. It's proximity was depreciating the value of the house. This spring we will replenish the landscaping value and plant a bush a bit further away.

Jack & The Front Porch (Room)

Our house was built in 1907. The front porch was originally open to the elements. Judging by the siding, it was framed-in and enclosed during the 1940s. Since its first enclosement it has scene a few different makeovers, and with each layer the room gets smaller. A few mornings ago while Marie and the boys were at a play-group I decided to take the hammer to the ceiling of the porch. After knocking off a layer of the plaster/stucco composition I discovered a layer of really nice wainscoating. I drilled a few small holes through the wainscoating and I am pretty sure that only a small skiff (about 1-2 inches) of 1940s insulation seperates me from the rafters. I save my breath and just say they that a wee bit more remodeling is in the near future.... how about the near rafters. Here is Jack. Perched high atop. Overseeing all chainsaw and wood loading activities. The boys and Marie splashed in all of the melting snow puddles today.

Clean & Sunny Day

Here are a few shots of our living room and dining room. The sun was really look'in nice today so Marie snapped a few photos. The new windows await. They are on our front porch. I have a good feeling that I am going to be throw'in some sawdust around while installing these windows. We are all soaking up the clean and "not in construction mode" house. But then we walk out the front door and say "yup" there is the work. Also, the ground outside is a great muck of a mix between mud, ice & snow. As there will be a lot of foot work outside of the window we are sort of waiting for that to even out as well. If you look closely you can see that we still need to put in the quarter round moulding between the floor and the "mop" board. Earl called it the mop board. I remember the windows as being the colonial style.

Down Goes Kevin & The Silver Maple

Our friend Ted Frazer came over on Sunday and cut down our dead tree. It seems it was a Silver Maple. Marie says that it died because of a certain bug. She found pieces of dead bugs after the tree was cut. We are still trying to figure out what bug it was. I think the tree was old. I also thought that Ted was going to shimmy up the tree with a rope tied through his belt loop and a chainsaw between his teeth. Nope. Ted busted out the harness and loads of climbing expertise. He even used a block & tackle and a cambium saver. As Ted tied ropes around the limbs, Jen and I would pull them down as he cut. When the big limbs hit the ground Jen and I would untie the rope, buck up the limb and haul it off. Things were going great. Then I decided to climb a ladder that was on unstable ice. I ended up falling off of the top wrung and hitting my face on the ice. I spent the rest of the day and all day Monday laying on the couch with my eye swollen shut. Ted took a picture of my eye. As I write this I remember Jen walking over to the ladder and saying, "let me hold that." I also remember me saying, "Nah, I'll be fine." I like the picture of Ted when he is barely off the ground. He said, "geez, at least wait until I am in the tree." I also like the one where Ted has his head turned while running the saw. It was a great day. The boys were very impressed with everything going on. Marie made a wonderful soup and Jen made one of her grandmother's cakes. The boys and I went out on Tuesday and made a fort in the pile of tree. This weekend I am going to take the saw to it, I can't wait.

slugg'in through below zero temp's

I can not believe it has been a month since my last post.  It has been so cold.  We have not hooked up our phone, garbage or internet.  But we do have heat and lights.  There are boxes and furniture all over the house.  There is also a pile of particle board furniture in our backyard.  Marie and I decided that particle board will not be in the house.