For several years now Juli and I have dreamed of having a larger outdoor space in our backyard. Our vision included a sidewalk along the side of the house and a modest concrete pad. This week our ideas turned into a reality.

What started out as a small and pathetic concrete pad more than 6 years ago cultivated into 1500 sq.ft. of concrete patio with more space and potential for family fun and entertainment.

Beginning last Saturday at 6:30am, and ending Tuesday afternoon, an ambitious crew of workers cut out our sod (which we donated to needy family members for re-planting…your welcome Mother Earth), dug up dirt, demolished existing concrete pads, moved sprinkler heads, put up forms, wheeled in over 30 tons of sand and poured a great looking concrete patio.

Here are some photos of the transformation:

So now that it’s here, what’s next? We’re currently scheming up the perfect way to celebrate with family and friends. Have any ideas? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Father’s day to all the dads in our families. We hope each of you has a relaxing day.

Since posting photos from our trip to Denver at the beginning of January, it seems like the days and weeks have flown past. Over the past couple weeks a few things have happened that are note worthy:

Weekend Visitors
During the first week of January, Bryce and Connor came over for the weekend while Stacy and Chris went with Jodi and Justin to Mexico (yeah, boring I know). Amongst the great times between cousins, some of my favorite included playing Wii with the boys. It’s hard to beat Super Mario Brothers on a gaming system.

Basement Furniture
We recently purchased a coffee table and a couple of end tables for the basement. Slowly, we are finishing off the living space down there. Our next step is a coat of fresh paint all over the basement walls, some lamps and some wall art. In good time, we’ll be done.

New Bed for Kennedi
In addition to new tables in the basement, we also bought Kennedi a full-sized bed. Over the past year she has outgrown her toddler bed. Since her toddler bed/crib converts to a headboard, we decided to get her a real mattress. The first night in her bed was quite a site. Seeing her in her new bed was like seeing a midget in a king-sized bed.

Birthday Party for Mom
Last weekend we celebrated Mom’s 65th birthday with a party at Calvin and Polly’s house. In addition to Mom’s birthday, we also celebrated Calvin’s 79th birthday. We all headed over to Calvin and Polly’s for a nice lunch and a time for catching up. From the sounds of it, we can look forward to future co-birthday parties at the McMillan’s house. Happy Birthday, Mom and Calvin!

Weeks to Come
In the weeks to come, we have plans to visit Monarch, Colorado for some snowboarding as well as a trip to Dallas for Juli’s second half marathon. Both adventures should make for a great time. You can bet that photos will be coming of these two trips shortly after our returns.

Last Sunday we packed up the Pilot and headed West to Denver for a few days to visit The Felixes. Among the multiple activities we took part in the most enjoyable was simply sitting back and watching the kids play. Here’s our pictorial story.