Christmas Morning

It's been fun having a house at Christmas.  Marcus put lights on the roof, which was a little more intense than we originally imagined.  And of course we decorated.  Although our NY apartment decorations did not have quite the same impact - they spread a bit thin :)  Room to grow the collection!

It still felt pretty festive :)

We had Christmas morning at home, which was really nice.  We did go to church for an hour late morning, but it didn't impact much given the boys were up bright and early.  And they were both thrilled Santa came!

Ty's gifts from Santa (minus the chair)

Chase's gifts from Santa (minus the ottoman)

Checking out some presents

Chase was so excited about all the presents, not just his.  It was cute watching his excitement while we opened our gifts too.

Marcus made my family's traditional omelette breakfast - he's gotten really great at making them.  Delicious.  Maybe one day Chase will want one too :)

 I don't have tons more pictures of presents and whatnot, but check out this awesome, nerdy gift I got.  Amazing, right?!

Merry Christmas!

Planter Box Progress

One of the first things I wanted to do was work on the front of the house, which mainly meant that planter box.  I didn't like the wood, the drain pipe, or the current state of the planter box.  A little at a time we've been working on all of those things.

The first step here involved taking out that rose bush.  It was in a weird spot, unless I wanted to have a whole rose garden going on, which I didn't.  So my dad and I (mostly my dad) pulled out the rose bush, grass, weeds, and wood, and then we got the soil ready for some more planting.

Then I started getting some plants for the back half of the planter box, and Marcus installed a drip system.

When it wasn't too hot outside, Marcus and my dad dug a hole under the sidewalk to take that drain you see on the left out to the grass - as opposed to dumping potential rain water in the planter box and on the sidewalk.  That was quite a project!  

 And here's what it looks like now:

Some plants and solar lights

And check that out - the drain pipe goes under the sidewalk and pops up in the grass.  Awesome.

They're tiny little bushes, but they've got potential.  :)
And we did get a screen door too.  Loving that!

Next step, finish planting.  And I did order a bench and a mat to go by the door.  Hopefully it will come together soon!

Playing around the house

I had gotten crazy behind posting here.  Sorry.  I'm not exactly sure how that happen.  I apologize in advance for the overload of posts and pictures - and the minimal narration.  But I wanted to get all the pictures posted as this has turned into somewhat of a family journal.

As Ty has been getting bigger, he and Chase are beginning to play somewhat together a little more.  It's pretty cute, but of course they're brothers and don't always want to play the same game :)  But they're happy most of the time, especially Ty, and they're enjoying playing in Utah.

Chase LOVES Snapchat!

SGT Pepper

We added a new little Hardy to the family.  Can you spot her???

This is Sergeant Pepper Hardy, although we usually call her Pepper, Pepperoncini, or as Chase says, "Pepper the Chini."

She is amazingly sweet and loves to play.  Her most active time is definitely when the house is asleep.  She likes to hunt toes, even if they're tucked in bed.  She likes when Chase and Ty pet her and is amazingly calm with them.

Chicago and Pepper are still working on their social skills, but I think they'll be friends soon.  Every day they seem to put up with each other a bit better.

Live like Alisa

After Marcus' cousin Alisa and her unborn baby Ellis passed away, her family came up with the idea to host a #livelikealisa event.  The goal was for everyone to do a random act of kindness on Alisa's birthday in honor of her and the wonderful person she is.  

We decided to pick something that Chase could help with, so we made cookies and delivered them to a few neighbors.  

Chase was a super helper both making the cookies and then delivering them.  I hope we keep up this tradition in future years.

New Furniture

We've been working on our house, furnishing it and getting everything put away.  It's definitely going to be a long process because we have some big goals involving paint, more furniture, shelving, etc.  One thing at a time, and we'll get there.  

The room I started with was my cello teaching room.  Since I have already started teaching, I needed this room ready as quickly as possible.  That involved hanging some pictures, getting a shelf and white board, buying an arm chair for parents...  

Marcus' grandparents made the shelf for me, and Marcus put it up

I think it turned out great - it looks WAY better in person

Any my amazing purple chair look fantastic too :)

There's actually a great story about that purple chair and the loveseat below.  I obviously ordered the purple chair, but when it came, it wasn't the purple chair.  They sent the wrong item.  It was the loveseat.  So I called the company, and they said the warehouse has three weeks to contact me about returning this item.  They did send the correct chair in the meantime.  We crossed our fingers for three weeks, and they never called!  That meant we got to keep both the chair I ordered AND the loveseat!  Yay - some furniture for our formerly empty front room!  It's pretty comfy too, and it's a neutral color, which works great.

Ty loves storing his toys in the colorful bins.  And Chase likes to rearrange the colors.

Marcus has started cleaning up his "Drum Study" - basically his man cave.  It has a desk, probably too many books, and two drumsets...  But he likes it, and I have to admit that it's great having a dedicated place for him to work and practice.

The next projects are finishing the front yard, which is coming along, and then who knows...  haha.

Life in Saratoga Springs

Chase and Ty are adjusting well to western life.  They love having more space in our house, driving in cars, shopping in big grocery stores, living close to family...  It's difficult to not take pictures all the time with the funny things they say and do.  Chase talks often about missing his "York House," but I think they're both happy here. 

Shopping carts here are definitely a highlight for these two!

Chase met a police officer who gave him a sticker.  Made his day.

Finally naps again for Chase!  Ha!

Chase loves picnics in the backyard

And here are some fun clips of the boys at home.  Chase singing and dancing to Taylor Swift, and the boys making messes together.  <3 nbsp="" p="">