Bouncing and baseball and rank ups

So phase 1 of backyard transformation is complete. We now have a giant trampoline.

The tomatoes look great and the peppers look good.

I am ready to move this green house to the deck but the temperatures keep dropping into the 20s at night so I am holding off.

This week we gathered the huge amount of paperwork required to complete Megans pre-K application and turned it all in.

Fingers crossed. She is so ready and she really wants to go to school. Frederick county is great in that pre-K is free but not all the schools offer it so the spots are limited.

We make to much to qualify for preference placement but not enough to really be able to afford care outside the home.

Also of course she wants to go where Kiernan is going. I put her in for a few charter school lotteries too. 

We shall see.

Last Sunday evening (Easter) Kiernan and I drove way off into Virginia to get this great deal Craigslist trampoline.

The ad said $50.00 for a 14 ft trampoline with wear and tear on the spring cover. Must haul away.

So we climbed into the truck with 50 bucks in my wallet and crossed our fingers. I was so tired from all the Easter stuff that I very nearly didn't go, but then I thought of my grand master plan and of how happy the kids would be and I picked my self up and headed off into the unknown with my boy at my side.

We found the place and had the usual hesitant craigslist ad meet and greet then were shown around the back to the trampoline.

I am not sure what 14 ft looked like in my head but this thing was massive!

The woman who was selling it had a boy a little older than Kiernan and the 4 of us stood in their backyard staring in silence at the monstrosity. I said "Here are your 50 bucks! We'll take it! How do we get this thing apart?"

She said "I'm not entirely sure but we can figure it out."

So we started pulling and tugging at parts and out come a bigger boy (maybe 12 or so) and he starts helping too. Then after about a minute out comes another older boy (maybe 14?) and he gives us all gloves and he starts helping too. 

So Kiernan and the youngest brother get into the truck and start stacking parts. Then out comes and even bigger boy (shall we guess 16?) and he starts going to town and in now more time than 10 minutes the whole thing is in pieces and neatly stacked in the truck and we are tying down the tarp.

I told the seller that she had her own excellent work crew and she tanked me for clearing up some of her yard space and we were on our way home.

We got home in the rain and after dark but by Monday evening things were up and running so to speak.

Megans new bed set up was also completed this week.

She still loves it and David and I wish it didn't cover so much of her tree.

In another big girl move, Megan started with her tball team this week. She had a blast and was barely controllable. She loved the running around and the kids and the snacks and especially a little boy named Paul who, according to his mother, is a wild youngest too.

On Friday mom had to take a sick day from work to do lots of medical things but was up to meeting us after lunch for a walk in the park.

We went to baker park and the weather was perfect.

Mom said she wanted a hair cut so Megan had to have one too (her banges were in her eyes it is true).

Megans favorite thing to do when near water is to go fishing. This means grabbing a stick and poking the water.

It was so wonderful and springy and April fools to boot. 

On Thursday night at my work we spent about an hour transforming my bosses office into Justin Bieber land. So I was checking my phone a lot to hear how it went.

Good stuff.

Pax and Lila Ray got to play around a good bit and then I took her for a walk and then she collapsed in exhaustion.

All the talk of hair cuts got Kiernans attention too.

It poured rain and boomed lightning and the temperature dropped from nice to burrr.

On Saturday morning I went through the yard checking for grass seed progress...no joy.

But the hosta I thought got destroyed by the stump grinder is coming up and I am happy.

Also on Saturday Kiernan had a huge mega long baseball practice. I was ready for an hour...at 2.5 hours I started making we need to go motions because

On Saturday afternoon we had a big Cub Scout event.

We brought chairs and drums into the woods and cheered the older boys as they transitioned to Boy Scout.

Kiernan earned his Tiger badge and goofed around.