pond update...

From what started as a pump replacement, we now have a pond twice the size with nuclear capacity water pump fountain, bridge and cascading waterfalls...well they are not cascading yet, but hopefully will be soon.

I will compare this project to the way Kelley makes salsa.

He usually buys all the ingredients because I never buy enough for his liking.( When there are tomatoes and peppers in the garden, there is no end to the madness) I will say, just make a small batch...you know how it always gets to be so much! ok. ok.

Then he starts chopping. ( I found an amazing chopper at Ross...whooda thought? that works even better than the chop chop guys at the swap meet!) Anyway, by the time he has added all the different peppers and onions and mangos and such, we have the bread making Tupperware size bowl full of salsa. I'm not complaining... I'm just saying...it gets to be a lot! (we don't seem to have any problem eating and enjoying it all though!)

Anyhow, that's kind of like the way this pond idea has grown...started out a small project...kept adding more and more features till now it's kind of a big deal.

It's been a ton of work for Kelley, but I know he loves doing it. He's got a good eye for laying up the stone...he knows how to make them flow together real natural looking. He asks for my input and ideas, but I know he could do it just fine on his own.
Fish are all alive and doing well in the back of daddy's truck.

Camille and Kellen have helped a lot this past week.

(Oh yeah, had to re-route the sprinkler system in the back yard to accommodate the pond...no biggie!)

I wasn't much help that night...sit there and watch them work cause my feet were still pretty swollen from trek. ( a couple more days and they were fine though...)

Camille was He-Woman moving a wheel-barrow full of big rocks! She really is so strong! She lifts Sam in that carrier like it's nothing. It feels like it weighs 100 pounds to me! (once again...gotta get in shape!)

Sam was having fun eating cake and dirt off the patio...we couldn't tell which that was on his face and hoped it was cake.

He got the big piece of rubber all measured and cut and glued to fit just right in the pond hole.

Then we all grabbed a corner of it and drug it over to the pond...that stuff is heavy!

Started laying rocks around the edge....hmmmm where's my hammer? Camille bet Kelley it was under the rubber stuff. She wins.

The sister missionaries came over that night. Sister Gould is being transferred to the Murray area, so she came to say goodbye. She has been with our stake for nine months! She is a very special gal ...I'm going to miss her!

They thought the back of the truck fish pond was pretty interesting.

Liv likes to help too! Pounding in the rebar.... Kelley hits it, Liv hits it, Kelley hits it, Liv hits it. Kelley found a hammer that was just right for her.

Here we are building up the waterfall area! Its going to be awesome!

Camille and I went out to help him move this huge load of dirt he had delivered this morning.

I seriously don't know how he does so much. We were about pooped after shoveling for an hour...he does it all day!...then he goes and lifts these gigantic rocks. Seriously so strong! I love how he talks himself into lifting the rocks. He willl look at it and figure just how many turns and rolls it will take to get it into the right spot. Then he says...ready, set.. and he goes!

I think I'll have a few more pictures after today...almost there!