First Day of School 8/09

Aug. 2009
The first day of school. It is always so exciting, but maybe even more so this year. New schools & new friends! After being cooped up in our little apartment with no kids around for the summer, the kids couldn't be more ready!

Macall and her best friend Zane. (They are also planning to get married when they are 24, Macall already asked him.)

Macall and her teacher Mrs. B. Macall also got to try out riding the school bus & by the smile on her face I think she liked it!

Preston & Macall are at Sunnyside elementary (Preston likes to get dropped off on the back side, a straight shot to the playground!)

Madeline is at Jefferson elementary because the 5th grade at Sunnyside was full. she LOVES it, but it makes my day a bit crazy! I have three kids in elementary school & yet I cannot pick any two up at the same time or place. I either pretend to be a school bus or I send them on the school bus!

Layton Family Reunion-Deer Valley, UT-June 2009

Playing Catch Up--Summer 2009

Maddy, Preston & Macall in front of the "world's largest pot of lentil chili" at Pullman's Lentil Festival.
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Macall turns 5!!!
Kindergarten here I come!
August 2009

Yummy choice, cheesecake!
We sure love you sweet Macall.

Macall's 5th birthday. We were still in our apartment this summer. Macall wanted a green scooter, a Webkins, a Barbie movie Mermaidia, and Legos. We then went swimming with friends!

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Hiking here in Washington

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4th of July in Utah with the Walker's.

Moving In & Re-Painting

This is what things are like when the painters are sanding & re-painting. It wouldn't be so bad if the closets, trim & molding didn't need to be re-done.

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This was our move in day...not finished & not cleaned.
It was CRAZY!! 10/09

So we moved in & had to hurry & unpack so we could get the wood floors finished & then the painting process started. It is crazy that I unpack everything so we can pull everything back out of the closets to be painted. I feel like I am living in the movie "Groundhog Day" I unpack a room just so I can pull everything back out & then put it all away again...what a waste of time!!!

Just a Sampling of My Nice Paint Job! (It has caused more than a few gray hairs!)

The first words Derrick said to this painter when we met him were "I do not like over spray!"

The OVER SPRAY...Yikes!

Going on three months in this house & many areas like the stairs are not even primed or prepped. It is all a bit more challenging now with us living here & the carpet in.

My beautiful railing...This was the day I took matters into my own hands & called in a new painter myself. That was more than uncomfortable, since the old painter was still there.

This is the corner of my coffered ceiling in my office. Those are some pretty big drips!

Love the paint on my fireplace...what can I expect since it was on my wood floor, nearly all of my plumbing fixtures, my marble counters in my bathroom, my cabinets (kitchen & bath), he was pretty much non-discriminate he just sprayed everything. I was a complete wreck watching it happen & even though I fired him, the contractor let him stay on the job. Months later I still make cleaning up over spray a daily task.

A perfect example of how a painter should NOT tape a window off!

He did tape here, but with industrial strength tape & like all over ripped down to the drywall.

Get a load of this nice "waterfall", the carpet guy pointed this one out to me. He said "I've been doing this a long time, but I've never seen anything like it."