Nesting

Well, I've read over and over that daddies go through their own period of nesting but I had yet to see it in Joel. Don't get me wrong, he has been wonderful and very helpful. He just hadn't gone into that zone that I was hearing about....until yesterday. We were celebrating the "4th" at my parents' house and he left early to put together the guest bed and organize the new guest bedroom. Trent's room used to be the guest room and right next door was the music room, which had gotten very cluttered with stuff when we started "carving out" Trent's room. haha The music room has now been combined with the guest room. He did a great job making it look less cluttered and getting the stereo set up perfectly. 

That's not the only evidence of his nesting. Today he went out into the yard and started ripping out all of these ugly bushes that we have been talking about ripping out for about a year. The previous owners put in WAY too much shrubbery. In one planter island we had: monkey grass, that low-growing fern stuff, TWO giant rose bushes and a poor tree that was being suffocated by all of it. That's just an example of the crazy over-planting we've been dealing with. I mean....how about some pretty pansies and some mulch?? ANYway, he got out there and worked all day ripping things out. And now he is at church band rehearsal after totally exhausting himself out there. I am so proud of him. =) 

Here is an example of some of our over-planting/overgrowth problem. In the back, you can see that tree and under it is planted a rose bush. Why? Moving forward: there are these twiggy, flowered bushes planted in front of your classic hedge bush, which is smaller than the twiggy, flowered bush. Why? And then we have monkey grass planted smack dab in front of some of that fern-y stuff. WHY? It is soooo over-planted.  Until recently there was another rose bush behind/ on top of that fern-y stuff. Joel cut those down to the branches a few weeks ago. Good Riddance!

Here is an after photo of some of Joel's work today. This tree had those twiggy, flowered bushes planted ALL around the base. WHY?! It was too much. I am going to plant some pretty flowers in there as soon as we get those roots out from the other bushes.

 Sorry it's dark...it was looking like it was going to rain today but never did =( This is a kind of before/midway shot. As you can see we have monkey grass, GIANT rose bushes fern-y stuff and a poor tree who is suffocating.

 

This is the after shot. We need to get the rest of the fern-y stuff out and rip out the roots of the rose bushes. We are going to have to cut the plastic liner to get the roots out since they are under it. Even though it's unfinished and there are ugly branches sticking out, it looks sooooo much better! Now the monkey grass can breathe and so can this poor tree.