Saturday, October 24, 2009

Labor pains...





Well not for me but for my poor children! Every fall it is time for some serious yard work and we have a lot of large shrubs and plants that need to be trimmed, dug up, and loaded into the trailer for a trip to the dump. It takes a few days to get it all done.
The truth is I am so grateful for the chance the kids get to really labor in the yard like this. We always have fun in the Spring when it is time to plant new things and they all love to help but the Fall clean up seems to spell dread for them. I am always happy that their dad has the patience and ability to make these big work days fun and rewarding for them. That doesn't mean we never hear complaining (Maddy, I'm lookin' at you!).

I remember dreading the looooong Saturdays of yard work as a child but It taught me so much and I can now say that I love getting my hands dirty and smelling the soil. Besides at the end of the day we always went to the 7-11 or Harts convenience store for hot dogs, fountain drinks and my dad would make THE BEST oreo shakes that night.

I know that as they grow they too will come to appreciate the hard work that it takes to enjoy a beautiful yard. Now Josh and Alex are off the the U game and we get to stay home and drink hot chocolate and watch a movie. I mean you have to reward yourselves after a day of hard labor ;)

4 comments:

Hoffmann Family said...

I to believe it is so good for kids to learn hard work like that. Good work ethic, and appreciation for hard work is rare these days. You and Josh are great parents for instilling that in you own kids!

Melly said...

Hey we did the same thing this weekend. Oh, were the kids happy! I'm finally to the point where I can thank my own parents for teaching me how to take care of all that kind of stuff.

Becki Madsen said...

Will you come and have some labor pains in my backyard. The look of all of those leaves and trees needing pruning makes me tired. I just close the curtain and hope it goes away. You have such a cute family!

Kris Tina said...

OH goodness - thank heavens for these updates. And a boy is fantastic - congrats!