May 02 Greenleaf Post

Dear Family and Friends,

April was a very good month for us. As you know from past letters we are now in our new home and we have been able to settle in and start feeling much more like "this is home".

We have put blisters on top of blisters trying to get our yard ready. We were able to borrow a tractor with a blade on the back to get the yard as level as possible and then I spread a bunch of manure and planted the grass in the middle of a major rainstorm. We don't have the $ for a sprinkler system but we decided that life without grass will be much more painful than life with grass that we have to water without a system. Someday we will add a system. Anyway, Lareen suggested that we spend some more time removing the rocks from our yard area and trying to level it better - remember the seeds are already spread. So we figure we have a limited window of time to rake the entire yard (about an acre) to smooth and to remove rocks. This was back breaking work, blistering work. We finally did it (I've since learned that there are easier ways to do what we did but we built a lot of character). We had a bit of a cold spell right after all of that and it took a few weeks for the grass to start showing up. We've been watering it everyday and keeping it soaked but the weather has been to cool for the grass to really start coming in good. I Yesterday we took about a yard and a half of Top Soil and used it to level in some of the low spots and I had Logan spread seed again. It actually was warm enough Saturday and Sunday that by Sunday Evening things were looking much better with grass starting up all over the yard (from the 1st planting).

We've got some good deals on some trees. One guy in the ward gave us a bucket full of Willow starts and we were able to get a few other trees from a Nursery that was clearing out old and imperfect stuff (we figure we can straighten a few crooked trees). Lareen has planted a few pansies and various other little flowers along our front walk and in some planters in the front. Unfortunately the puppies have found the little flowers in the planters are fun to chew on. Lareen has finally convinced (with much exertion) the puppies that her flowers are not their chew toys. So far the last remaining planter has lasted almost a week... I hope for hers and the puppies sake that the lessons of the previous planters have settled into their little minds.

The kids are doing great, health in our home has not been better for some time. We have just about finished up with the post car accident chiropractic visits and all are feeling much better. Lareen is looking and feeling much better. Emma is talking very well, loves playing outside with our 2 puppies and 1 remaining kitty (the other one met it's doom on the country road). OH, we are expecting... our little kitty is pregnant - this comes as a great suprise to us (Lareen and I thought it was too young) and the kids are ecstatic. Hannah checks multiple times a day to see if it has had it's kitten's yet. This has proven to be a good reminder that we need to fix the cat after this as well as the puppies - because they grow so fast.

The highlight of the month was a trip to Idaho Falls to see my Father graduate from Idaho Falls High School. Yes, you read that right. He left to serve in WWII when he was 17 before he had graduated. They put together "Operation Recognition" for the vets who made that sacrifice so many years ago and who, like my Dad, received their GED but never had an official graduation ceremony. Well, Idaho Falls made a big deal out of this, and my oldest sister organized, prodded, convinced, sold and helped bring all of my sisters and brothers together for this in Idaho Falls. We hadn't been all together for quite a while. It was also a chance to let our children see their grandparents, uncles, aunts and a few cousins. It was a very good experience that really filled our emotional buckets and has actually played a part (I believe) in Lareen's health. Thank you to all the family for the sacrifice to come together and have the wonderful experience that we shared!!!

Our love and prayers go out to all of you.

Brian & Lareen Packer Family