When we last tuned in, brother-in-law David (and I, in a supporting role) had built a walkway after brother-in-law Troy (and I, in a supporting role) had built a deck and ramp.

Now the back lawn…the poor back lawn. Ten years ago, Andy, Clarence, Erik, Kevin, and Trina and I destroyed our old kitchen and dumped the contents on the back lawn where it sat until I loaded it into a dumpster. Since then it has suffered all manner of indignities. The last two years, it’s been treated to huge piles of gravel and dirt.

It gradually was taken over by crabgrass, then weeds, then the weeds decided it wasn’t worth it. It had become a foresaken land.

So we spent the past week sifting and conditioning the soil, removing an entire wheelbarrow of gravel (and other assorted crap, including the occasional bit of old kitchen), and then David came over and within two hours he had graded it and we had laid the sod.

I know, grass…suburban, non-native, high maintenance…but we have our reasons. It’d be nice to have some grass for Jon to crawl in. And some other ideas we have for the future.

Thanks so much David! You too Troy!

Saturday

Sunday

Jon and Lightning McQueen display

After the hospital ordeal of the morning we went to the movie that Jon has been eagerly waiting the past half-year to see: Cars. I have to admit I was a bit trepidatious about it: I was not overly impressed with the trailers, and I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the idea of a world full of anthropomorphic automobiles. As well, I’m a total car-racing noob—didn’t even know what a pace car was—so the racing scenes were terra incognita to me.

After seeing the movie I’m still scratching my head a bit over the talking cars: I think Pixar set the disbelief bar rather high and couldn’t quite vault over it, but I don’t think it’s the “Pixar’s First Flop!!” that people are salivating for.

Because I am clearly not the audience for this movie. (I must stress, however, that I generally liked the movie; I just didn’t find it as breathtakingly perfect as The Incredibles.) Jon, however, love love loved it. I’m not even sure how much of the plot/situations Jon understood, but he was delighted throughout the whole movie, giggled at various car noises, and never seemed to get bored (and at two hours that’s saying a lot!)

After the movie he was quite perky (as opposed to shell-shocked like he often is right after movies), and when asked if he wanted to see it again happily said “yes!” At bedtime he kept mentioning that we had seen Cars and smiling.

Jon, Mater and Sally