I Love My Yard...and Hate the Neighbor's

So I've mentioned how hard we worked on the deck and The Great Wall. But until it was all finished, I didn't realize how much I was going to like it. It thought it was going to be an improvement and something I could "live with" until we had the finances to do what we really want. (It involves a large covered patio that's attached to the house with ceiling fans and a built in grill, large outdoor furniture, etc.)

But now that it's done, and my plants are all in and my new over sized chairs are set up, I love it! I can put the awning out and pretend it's my permanent roof, and I can watch the trees blow gently in the breeze and admire my potted plants, all from the comfort of my red cushioned armchair and ottoman. :) And it certainly helps that the neighbors have been very complimentary.

But what bugs me more than ever now is my neighbors' yard. They don't do anything to maintain it. The couple that lives there are technically friends and you would think I would be able to say something to them, but I can't. And I think most of the other neighbors are fed up with their yard too. So much so, that they don't speak to them. It's awkward. And part of me wishes I could put up a fence so I didn't have to look at the giant weeds growing in their beds. I should sneak a picture to show you how tall them are. I think my dogs would get lost in them! Even their family is fed up with the way their yard looks because they've been over to trim the bushes and clean some of the smaller beds when they're not home!

Another pet peeve of mine is mulching. They haven't mulched since they moved in 2 years ago. The beds look bare and the mulch would actually help keep down the weeds! One neighbor was kind enough to give them a couple of yards of leftover mulch for some of their front beds, but even that didn't cover everything! And they keep saying they're going to get more mulch to finish the front beds at least, but it never happens. We had about 2 yards left over from our own job and I'm contemplating just finishing the job myself. It's just an eyesore on our street.

And I have to be honest and say I don't feel bad for complaining about them. Because I'm of the belief that if you can't afford to maintain the house, you can't afford the house. Just because you can make the monthly mortgage payment, you also have to factor in what it costs to maintain the exterior. I'm not asking them to water their lawn (heck, even I don't do that!) or put in new plants. I'm just looking for them to weed and mulch to help maintain the clean look of our street.

But I don't know how to say that without being rude. So I won't say anything. And will sneak over there in the dead of night to pull weeds. Or hope for an early frost. :P

Time

I just don't seem to have time for this blogging thing anymore! I feel bad. I don't even have time to read other people's blogs. I'm amazed at how much time a kid can take up! And then when I'm staying home I find there are a million and one things that I could be doing! Here's what we've been up to lately:

• The Great Wall of Erdahl is finally finished. Most of our evenings have actually been spent outside working on the yard. It's exhausting! But the end result is awesome. We have all of our flowers in, the mulch laid, and even managed to build some new patio furniture. We bought two chairs and ottomans with bright red fabric and really big cushions. They look awesome, if I do say so myself. I'll try to get a picture in here later.
• Max FINALLY has two bottom teeth peeking through. They've been waxing and waning in his little gums for almost two months. And now they are finally peeking through. Nice and jagged. He is now experimenting with biting things. Including me. :P
• My birthday party was a great success. Lots of visitors (upwards of 50 people came!) and plenty of good times in the Jumpy house. :) My legs were SOOOOOO sore the next day. It was crazy! But totally worth the money. I am thoroughly enjoying my new decade. Considering I've only been 30 for one day....haha.
• We're taking Max on a plane for the first time ever next week. Kendall is heading to a conference in Orlando for 4 days and we're tagging along. We're staying a pretty posh resort and spa that offers a crib for the room and on site babysitting for when I want to get a pedicure or massage or whatever. Crazy! I'll try to take pictures of Max and me by the pool. We're thinking of trying to get a shuttle to either Sea World or Disney one night. Should be a good time. Hopefully Max behaves on the plane.
• School starts in a month. *sigh* I'm totally not looking forward to it at all. I think I'll be counting the days until Christmas break. And then Spring Break. And then Summer Break. :) I was looking as my class rosters and I'm already having dreams about screaming at the kids. Not a good sign.
• I have really enjoyed my summer with Max. I was sitting in front of him the other day at his highchair and was thinking about how great it's been to have him in our life. This time last summer I was just wondering what it would be like to juggle a baby and all of our other day to day chores and business and now I realize how great it is. Even if he has meltdowns and bad days, Max is such a great kid.
• I got a Sony Reader for my birthday and I'm super excited. I've already downloaded three free books from the Internet and the library. It's compact and lightweight and easy to read the screen. This might actually help cut down on the ridiculous number of books we have in the house! We'll see.... :)

Fake Sneezing

I guess this is all the thing now as a 7 month old baby. He thinks fake sneezes are HIL-AR-I-OUS.