Scabs, Sharpies, and Trumpet Vines

Sometimes life can be so random...kind of like this post.  Here are just a few things that proves we're no where near done moving, learning, growing, loving, etc.:

1. James is ALL boy. :)  You have to understand.  We've never really experienced the "boy" thing yet.  Although we have 4 of them...they're not really fans of getting dirty or wrestling.  And they certainly haven't had many scabs.  So now that James lives on his bike, he's experiencing the joy AND the pain.

2. Eliza does not understand the concept that writing apparatuses are only for paper.  We have "taught" her several times.  I guess we didn't make it clear that a sharpie is also a writing apparatus.  Yes, a sharpie...on the wall AND carpet.  Lovely.

3. At first glance, you would think our backyard is in a beautiful tropical forest.  Look at those vibrant flowers.

So beautiful.

Attracts hummingbirds.

But when you look away from the pretty flowers, it is very much a jungle in our backyard!  These innocent looking vines are trumpet vines.  They're extremely invasive and have been known to tear apart siding, roofs and cement slabs.  Their beauty comes with a price.  Fortunately, these are only on the back fence.  But the shoots have literally overtaken the entire backyard.

So tomorrow morning, we'll begin chopping them down and applying concentrated Round-Up to the open cuts so the poison will be absorbed into the roots.  They say it should kill the shoots entirely within a year or two.  And now we'll get to design a beautiful landscape for our backyard.