Pond...It's done!

Sooooooo now we need to build up the little hill that the waterfall is going to come over.Kelley had a big truckload of dirt delivered and we started shoveling.

Kelley makes this look so easy. He uses a giant shovel...throws about 6 or seven shovel fulls into the wheel barrow, and it's full. Then he pushes it across the lawn, ( avoiding all dips and holes) and sails right up the ramp and into the pond area, dumps it and is back to fill up in about 30 seconds.

Camille and I...not so much. first we are using small shovels because that is what we can handle...so it takes us about ten times longer to fill the wheel barrow.

Then when it's full ( or as full as I think I can handle it) I head off across the lawn. First thing, I go right into the big dip in the lawn and about launch myself over the front of the wheel barrow.

OK. Pull myself together. I can do this!

I knew I needed to get some momentum at going up the ramp or I wouldn't make it, so I backed up and made a run for it. I made it almost all the way, then started swerving over to the side. Just about went over the edge but somehow got just to the top and it tipped over right there.

"That's where you wanted it...right?"

After that Kelley said "why don't you girls fill up the wheel barrows and I will dump them!"Good plan!

Camille is pretty strong and could do the wheel barrow just fine, but she helped me shovel instead.

We worked pretty hard all afternoon. I haven't sweat that much since , well, ever.So many wheelbarrows of dirt! Then we arranged the shape of the waterfall with dirt, block, and other stuff. Then we started bringing the rocks in and setting up the waterfall. ( And when I say we, I mean Kelley...my mind was willing, but flesh...very weak! We gave him lots of great advice though...just put that gigantic rock right up here on top...no wait...a little to the left)When Kelley was doing this front part of the waterfall, we were trying to help him find the right rocks for the space, but nothing was fitting. He was trying a big slab of rock when the rock he was standing on moved and he lost his balance and fell back into the pond, with rocks crashing after him. Camille and I were standing right there watching and it was like it was happening in slow motion, but we couldn't do anything to stop it.

When Kelley pulled himself together, he had several more gashes on his legs and his ankles were pretty beat up cause that's where the rocks landed.

He stood up and said he was ok ( I think we were more shaken up by it than he was) Then he looked down, and the big slab he had been holding had split clean in two. Now it was the perfect size to fit right into the space he needed to fill.Kim came over just in time to help Kelley move the biggest rock.

I really don't know how they did it. It must weigh at least 800 pounds.

Dave came over later that night and helped Kelley figure how to get the water to flow over the top of the rocks instead of under them.
Kellen had seen on DIY a show where they had used this spray foam to fill in the cracks between the rocks so the water wouldn't go through there, so the next day we went out to the pond store to see if they had some. They did and it worked like a charm! Now we needed rocks for the bottom of the pond. Lisa's brother Doug had told Kelley he was welcome to any rocks he had up on his lot where he stores his landscaping stuff, so we loaded up the kids and headed out for an outing of rock collecting.
We would load them into big buckets, then Kelley would carry the buckets ( two at a time...really? I couldn't even budge one bucket an inch!) and dump them in the back of his truck.

Now the fun begins. Power washing the rocks and hauling them over to the pond.

It was kind of cool to see how pretty the rocks were once we got the dirt off.

Camille was really a champ and worked her butt off carrying those rocks to the pond.

Finally ready to start filling the pond. It took a while...about 3 hours.
One last look before he plugs in the pump...drum rolllllll...... electricity engaged...momentary pause as the water makes its way through pump and hose and fills small pool at top of waterfall.....then VOLIA! the water splashes merrily over the edge of the rock and down onto the rock below, then into the pond! It looks beautiful and the sound of the water is just like we wanted! Kelley saw a few places where the water was coming under the rock, so he turned the pump off and filled in the cracks with more of that foam.

We thought we had better let the water sit for a day or so before we put the fish in so the chemicals could dissipate. They have fared pretty well in the back of the truck for the past 4 weeks, and Olivia has enjoyed "fishin" back there...she has sat there patiently holding that little pole Kelley gave her with yellow worm ( no hook) on the end...."The fish aren't hungry today grandma!"

Now I just need to replace a few plants...those did not fare so well.

It's pretty amazing to see what Kelley can accomplish when he gets an idea in his head.

Well done, sweetheart...I love it!

Can't really believe it's been two years since we said goodbye and I got this one last hug.

That was a rough day...but a pretty wonderful one too.

The things KC has experienced and seen, done and learned in the past two years are priceless. As our family has watched, waited, wrote to, prayed for, supported, and loved him, we have also been blessed in countless ways....that's pretty much a whole other story.

I've been looking back over his emails and pictures he sent us and it's pretty amazing to see how much he has grown (Physically and spiritually)

Sunday, Kelley brought home a letter that KC's mission president had sent to Bishop Burns. He wanted me to read it out loud to everyone, but as soon as I started reading, the tears started flowing. So I handed it over to Candice and she read it to us. It was the nicest letter I think I've ever heard.

I don't think there is anything that brings more joy and peace to a parent, than to see your children trying to live their lives in a way that pleases the Lord.
He flys in this friday night (aug 5) ...can't wait to see that amazing smile and get another one of his big strong hugs!
If anyone would like to celebrate with us in welcoming home Elder Jensen, please join us at the airport at 10:30!

Zoo

Stacie text me yesterday and said she had an extra pass to the zoo and wondered if we would want to go with her and Cali. Well sure! I haven't been to the zoo for years and wow it is really different!

They have built a lot of different areas up real nice and have a whole building dedicated just to dinosaurs. There are big dinosaurs all over the place and they move and make scary noises and one even spits on you like the one from Jurassic park! Liv and Cali loved it!

Sam was a good boy.

This was kind of sad....the one turtle had fallen on his side and couldn't roll over.

The other bigger turtle was doing everything it could to push him over. He was trying to get ahold of it with it's mouth, then it pushed it's head right into the other turtle trying to move it, then it tried to push it with its leg. It was getting worked up into quite a tizzy. A lady standing by us was calling someone to come help, so I hope he got turned over!
It was kind of cool to see how hard the other turtle would try to help him.

I was glad Stacie brought her wagon. That made it a lot easier for the kids so they didn't get worn out walking so far.

This was the spitter. It actually felt pretty good...and people were lining up to get spit on! It was a nice hot day!

Thanks for sharing your pass with us Stacie...we had a lot of fun!

We do stuff

Yesterday we went to the zoo with Stacie (I'll do another post for that...so fun!)

and she asked us what we had been doing for fun since Camille's family has been here.

Couldn't think of anything spectacular...just enjoying being together, doing the everyday things that we do.
When I looked back through my pictures though, it jogged my memory a bit.

Liv helped me pick raspberries and pull weeds.
She found a potato bug and loved him to death. Literally.

We went shopping for a new sewing machine...found a nice Singer at Costco that has all the bells and whistles. It's quite a step up from what I've had.
I have been wanting a new one for quite some time, but figured as long as my old one was still going, I would keep using it. The other day, I was working on my trek apron, and it started skipping stitches. I tried all the tricks I knew to fix it, but to no avail. So then I asked Kelley if he would oil it and tune it up a bit.
He took it apart and found all kinds of big dust bunnies in it. Got it all cleaned out, then when he tried to put it back together...that didn't go so well. There was a little spring that he couldn't fit back in. So then I was going to take it to a repair shop to have them put it back together... We got talking about it and decided it would probably cost a bit to get it repaired, and maybe it was time to let it go and put that money towards a new one.
This is my old one...looks kind of sad sitting there on the rack at the DI. Mum and daddy gave it to me for my wedding present! It holds many memories of the countless things I have sewn over the years. It got me through many years of sewing for the girls when they were small. We didn't have money, but I did have a lot of fabric I had accumulated from working in the budget fabric department at ZCMI, so that was how I dressed them. It was a necessity, but also something I loved to do. It has been a great sewing machine and has served me well for the past 32 years! ( I could still see the letters M O M that KC put on the front of it with clay when he was a little boy....made it hard to drive away from!)

Kelley jr.

Kelley trying to "man" Sam up while he's in charge babysitting...

We made ice cream the other night...couldn't figure why it was taking so long....hmmmmmm, forgot to put the paddle in. Ha! It was still good!

Liv and I went exploring up in the top of the hut. Played dress up and had a picnic.

Camille making her own baby food. She's learned to be quite thrifty!

Can't even express how wonderful it is to have Camille's family here.

Haven't stopped smiling.

It's like that song that Janice Kapp Perry wrote called "Surround yourself with joy"

One of the verses says to surround yourself with children....cause in them you'll feel the joy!

So very true!