Working our hinnies off in the back yard

Back deck, where we are planning on putting in another set of stairs to the yard, eventually a patio and gazebo if Hansen gets his way.
My little flower bed that is the easiest to weed.
Fence line and new mulch for all the beds after about 12 hours of weeding, extending out and trying to straighten out. MAN is this aBIG yard with lots of things to do. How the heck did Mom do all of this by herself. My weekends are consumed by it. One day a pool, gazebo, pergola and stone patio's. We're here another 5 to 10 years for sure! Thank Goodness the girls, Mike and Hansen helped out so much this past weekend!

Mike and I

How often do I get a picture with such a good looking young man. :) He was holding the camera. Ha Ha

Mike and Lexi

Fathers Day Weekend at Pacific City 2009

Lexi's 5

Beach Trip

So we didn't make it camping. Lexi got sick, another ear infection caused by her allergies and asthma. We decided to make a day trip to Pacific City on Sunday. The weather was ok, wind didn't stop, but we had a good time. Sammi and Niki both invited friends to go. Sammi's friend Nikki came along. Niki's friend Jacob couldn't after all. We met my girlfriend Pam-who we were to camp with there. Her husband Rich and sons Nick and Aaron, hung out with us at the beach. Yep there was a Nick, Nikki, and Niki. Little crazy! Lexi was amazing. Had to get into the frigid ocean water, then built sand castles with our little army men on top. It was a hoot. Father's Day weekend we'll go back and try the camping bit.

Lexi's new bike

Lexi got a new bike from the Easter Bunny and she rides it all the time. Here she is missing her first tooth and riding in our cul-de-sac. She wanted to connect the OSU Beavers flag to her bike, it worked on her pocket. SHe is a "pinky" girl that's for sure.

Bubblewrap

I pop bubble wrap at 4.92 bubbles per second! I popped 196 bubbles in 39.8 seconds at www.Virtual-Bubblewrap.com! Can you beat my score?

Sping Break 09

My Crew!

Finally found a pic with Troy

Hansens brother went with us to Cali,Disneyland and Universal Studios. I finally found a pic with Uncle Troy.

It Won't Be Like This For Long-All Daddy's need to listen

To all of the Daddy's out there, Hansen found this video and loves it. Check it out!

http://www.dariusrucker.com/DR_video.html

Featured Video Take a look at the new video for Darius' latest single, "It Won't Be Like This For Long." A beautiful song inspired by Darius' own children, we hope that you enjoy.

Hansen's Hobbling around with a cane! No more crutches!

Hansen had his Dr. appt last Tuesday and his Orthopedic Surgeon ok'ed him to start putting weight on his leg. He is still in the boot and now has a cane. He's getting around pretty well. His physical therapy is not so tough he says. He does get worn out awfully easily. We are however on the down side of this 12 week trip. At almost 7 weeks of inactivity he's going nuts! Another week of the boot then he's into a splint/brace for 4 more weeks. At that point the Dr. should release him to return to work. He can't wait, neither can the rest of us! Oh and he can finally drive himself anywhere he wants to go after Tuesday. 7 more days of depending on someone else to get him where he needs to go. His scars are looking great, for scars that is. There are 4 sites that the scope went in and the really knarly one that she had to pull the ligaments back together and tighten. That ones about 1 1/2 inches long right above his right ankle on the outside. We are going camping in 17 days for Spring Break and hoping he will do ok walking to the beach. We booked Beaverly Beach and can't wait. I need a vacation. We booked 2 sites so the kids can come down and stay next to us. Good thing I paid for it last year!
Love to all!
~Di

Sophomore Year Winter Formal

Sammi and Torin went out on their first date to Southridge High's Winter Formal last Saturday. Niki went with her friends, the girls had a great evening. They got ready at our house and then went to Red Robin as a group of 7. On to to the dance afterward, then home. It was a quiet evening for us. We didn't have to drive anywhere.

Sammi and Niki are 16!!!!!!

The girls 16th birthday came and went. Very low key but it was good and they both got digital camera's. They are thrilled. Still no drivers licenses at this point. Whew!!!

Hansen's Leg

OK so we went in today and saw the surgeon. Hansen's recovering well. I misunderstood and all of the procdures were done. He had his cast removed and he's in a boot for at least 4 weeks. PT will be starting in a couple of weeks. His scar on his ankle is lots bigger than we thought. It was painful to watch the nurse take out his stitches. She SUCKED and hurt him really badly! He was bleeding after getting stitches removed, that's not supposed to happen. Well he is homebound and bored so anyone who wants to call or stop by Come on Over!

Love to all!

~Di

Hansen's early retirement

OK so as most of you know Hansen went in for ankle reconstruction surgery on Friday last week. He is doing well, they did not have to do all of the 6 projected procedures as initially thought. Just 4 I think she said. He has both the tibia and fibula (sp) connected with holes that were drilled through each bone held together with sutures and buttons, crazy huh? They were able to fix the torn ligaments and scrape the inflamed tissue off of the cartilage. Cleaning up the damage a year and a half of dealing with the initial injury. I can hardly believe it was Oct. of 2007 that he first "broke" his ankle. They said it was a break, then it wasn't a break, then torn Achilles and then not torn Achilles, then ligament damage, then instability with the leg bones connecting into the ankle. WOW! Who knew for sure what it was originally. Anyways, we are hoping he's back on his feet soon. He was let go at work and is hoping to not have to go back to painting anytime soon! We go back on Monday and see where the healing process is at and when he can start physical therapy. Wish us luck!
~Di