All "Cooped" Up.. Got DIRT?.. And, What the HAIL??

So.. my boyfriend's been on vacation all week.. which became a trendy "Stay-Cation" so many recessioners are inventing these days. We're big on gettin' on out of town when we can.. and had plans for Yellowstone-- before we remembered:
1. There were still 4 chickens living in our bathroom, that something needed to be done about. (A coop, to be specific.)
2. We needed about 2 dump trucks full-o-mulch to fill in miles and miles (I know.. I'm an exaggerator by nature..) of landscape and retaining walls.. and
3. It was basically gonna be raining all week in the whole world.. AND Jasen's sister planned a last minute trip with her family all the way from St. Louie-Lou..
WOO-HOO! So why go anywhere?
So here ya have the photo tour of our happenin' week..
First off.. the completed coop. My husband is a handy one if I do say so myself.

He turned the back half of our shed (that was THE creepiest little nook of the world you ever did see..) into this perfectly cheery and chicken filled coop-o-fun.

And there's nothin' better than a coop.. than a coop-a-COUSINS. We had so much fun with Jasens family..

and as you can see..
the kids have taken to the farm-life we have forced upon them, with little resistance.

(And look! There's even real-life "nesting boxes"!
Makes ya wanna cozy right in, no?)

Sophie likes just "cuddling" the poultry.. and saying things like,
"There-there now.." to her little chicken baby dolls.










Oh.. and then came..
THE DIRT.

I mean.. come on.. doesn't this LOOK like vacation??
(Kay.. the kids would argue otherwise.. but it DOES look mighty nice..)

And lastly.. just wanted to share another piece of our JUNE vacation.. with those who may not live close by.
Just a little hailstorm.. outta NOWHERE.

Yes that, my friends.. is just a little bit of summer in Logan.


Oh! And Jasen turned 37-- which I promise we really did celebrate.. I just failed to document it in photo form.
It was a perfect Jasen day.. starting out with a romantic little morning trip to Borders.. just the two of us.. followed by a 2-hour-mission to find THE perfect sunglasses. After trying on at lEAST 60 pairs (all at our teeny tiny Cache Valley Mall.. which, without kids being SO bored and SO wanting to go home.. was a good time..) he found THE pair.. some classy little black Oakley's with whatever the important kinda shmancy lens is called. We ended the night at the much-recommended Maddox restaurant in Brigham City.. that I can't believe it's taken us 2 years to try out. Totally worth the drive (through may I mention the GORGEOUS Sardine Canyon this time of year?? Can you say Lush-alicious?? Highly recommend a drive through there soon. Breathtakingly beautiful. Kinda stuff ya see on posters and in travel books. I repeat.. ridiculously, gorgeous.) and the raspberry butter and rolls at Maddox's? I'm tellin' ya..
perhaps man CAN live on bread alone. VERY tasty.
And there ya have it. Happy-happy Staycation to us.