Back at Lourdes

School started 2 weeks ago...a little late in posting a first day back picture.  But better late than never!

As much as Elijiah complained about leaving his friends at public school behind, he got on board with returning to Lourdes and its been a good couple weeks.  Days are long...7am to 5:15 before he returns home, but hes made a few new friends, and got reacquainted with the old ones. Because its such a small school- ONE class per grade and avg class size is 20- everyone knows everyone....hes been welcomed back with open arms and so far so good.  

My friend, and teacher at the school has a son Elijiahs age...in fact they have known each other their whole lives...Kai and he went to YMCA for daycare and it was Karen who introduced me to Lourdes in the first place..anyway she lives about a mile from me, and is helping to drive him back and forth to school.  Its really the only way he could have returned to Lourdes...with Jonathan and I working in Provo and school in SLC shes been a life saver!

Anyway excited for the new year and 4th grade!

How do you eat an elephant?

 

One bite at a time

....so here is one corner of our lot...the upper side.

We had SEVEN pallets of sod delivered...and yes when it was on the driveway I was a bit overwhelmed.  We did hire a few guys to come and help install.  And we were told they were going to arrive between 4-6 pm that night.  By 7 pm and no guys-- Jonathan got to work.  We ( I really should say Jonathan here) were very worried about having to do this job by himself, but an hour later the guys showed up and they finished the job about 1:30 am. 

As a recap this is the before shots of the entire yard, along with the tiers and levels that needed sod.  The middle teir will be full of plants, and the border around the house, so we marked accordingly...but 5000 sq feet of sod - and I see green...not brown so I am super happy!

Nursery thoughts...

Redecorating? Not likely…. When we initially got pregnant I was sure I was going to do lots of redecorating to the boys space. Elijiah and Tristan were going to share a room, and the baby would have his own room. It was a grand idea that I would morph Tristan and Elijiahs stuff together with all these great ideas and new things…and with a nursery to do- I started pinning great ideas for the space. Well…..reality is getting hold of me. I have old items. A bedskirt/bumper from Elijiah/Tristan. Pottery barn rug that I cant stand to look at, but it fits in with all the other décor Ive got….to do what I REALLY want to do would take oodles of time and money and honestly does anyone REALLY see the rooms besides us anyway? I totally want to redo most of the other rooms in the house eventually….our bedroom/bath, the living room, the dining room, office, basement…but the boys rooms? The ones that get trashed only seconds after Ive spent an hour cleaning? The rooms that neither of them spend much time in except to mess up looking for something or sleeping? Its not like they are going to APPRECIATE the expensive redone furniture, or rugs/drapes and accessories. It would be for ME! So in light of this epiphany – Im sure that I will have the most hodge podge rooms for the boys and new baby. I guess there really is something to be said about having kids- it gets less exciting each time to buy anything when you already have stuff that still works. It’s a waste of money! We have gotten a few new items….a highchair, and changing pad! EXCITING! But the rest? Nah its going to be either hand me downs or 2nd hand. Sorry kiddo, I think you may enjoy the backyard space that we are in the middle of vs the new rocking chair, or bedding I had planned…..:) **After checking to see if my leg had a blod clot yesterday, the very talkative tech said it wouldnt be fitting if he didnt check out the baby as well. Jonathan had a hard time seeing what was on the screen, thus the outline...but I laughed out loud when I saw our little one with his legs over his head touching his toes but sucking on his knee! :) Seriously soooo cute.

Projects and staycation from the man's view!

So as Amber mentioned, we weren't able to do our beloved Canada trip this year and decided to stay home and work on various projects. We quickly realized that renovations of a certain scale are difficult in many ways. The first stage went fairly well for the first week but with daily changes to the plan and unforeseen issues arising on nearly a daily basis, our nerves began to fray.

Honestly, the first couple days of our "vacation" were super rough! Amber and I were extremely short with each other and the kids and I thought that I would just go back to work and not "waste" my vacation days. However,  by day 3, I really began to enjoy my little family. No, the kids didn't stop being the kids, and the projects didn't magically become easy, but my patience seemed to improve a bit, and I started enjoying the extra time with my babygirl and the monsters.

The first major milestone was the completion of the bathroom as Amber's post mentioned. The next was the completion of the fire pit. I majorly strained my back trying to man-handle a 200 pound boulder the day before, but with the help of Amber and Elijiah, we were able to get all the masonry and 60 pound bags of gravel up the hill to the fire pit area.

Although it's surrounded by unfinished backyard, we decided to strike a fire and roast a few marshmallows tonight. I was quite the stuffy turd with the kids about the "rules" for the fire pit, but as I sat on one of the sitting stones and enjoyed my fluffed sugar, I caught a glimpse of the wonderful times we'll have in the years to come. Tristan threw one fit and while freaking out was served some karma with a self inflicted poke to the eye with the roasting stick he was carrying but otherwise, we had a nice time with our new backyard feature.

Rewinding a bit to yesterday, Elijiah and I were able to spend half the day (6:00AM - 2:00) attempting to be mighty fishermen. He only had a couple bites and I only pulled in a few fish barely worth mentioning but we had a really nice time away from the usual home chaos. I haven't had one-on-one time with Elijiah for far too long and was glad for the laughs, great conversation, and generally quality memories.

the fast food reward for our manly efforts

Rewind yet another day (yes, I'm going backwards for some reason), and Amber and I were able to have some much needed "us" time. We went to The Dodo with my wonderful in-laws and had a blissfully stress-free time filled with great company and food. It always amazes me that it just takes a little time away from the day-to-day to remind me how much I love my little lady.

More home improvement projects

Half bath...updated.  FINALLY ;) - New tile, vanity, toilet, lights, paint, molding, mirror, accessories...Its the nicest room in the house now! haha.  

With our Canada trip cancelled...we decided to have a staycation.  Kids are fighting and driving us batty, even though we try and do something daily...movie, water park, pool, trampoline park, hike, fishing...along with a major Fence Snafu, sprinkler quotes( gulp), sod prices/install and the planting still to come....and firepit install- the backyard will hopefully be done( or about 90%) sometime before Oct.  Its just super overwhelming and more money than we even thought.  However...hopefully it will be an oasis for us all and a place I can send the kids to run around and enjoy!  More pics to come.

Pregnancy Pic

6, 5, 4 months...not being super excited about taking pictures while pregnant I did decide we should mark each month with a pic. So here are the last 3 months....almost 25 weeks now and our little one is getting bigger each week. Not sure how much weight ive gained thus far but I hope im not too far off track. The next 4 months Im sure will equally drag and go by quickly...and I have to remember to be patient. As much as we are excited about him joining the family...there is still lots to prepare for and I need to enjoy what little rest I have! :)

And yes the first 16 weeks were hell...can you tell? Not sure if being sick all the time had anything to do with my terrific pics lol but heck its reality....:)

And even breathing feels alright...

Shot From Fire Pit @ 11:00 PM

My love... It seems lately that it's only in the quiet hours, long after both children (and you) have fallen victim to sleep, that the right amount of lucidity, and the right absence of insanity strikes such that my mind goes back to the nights when we courted. Good ol' Alexi... Every time I randomly hear "our song" I break down in tears re discovering how much you mean to me; how firmly I know you are the one for me.

Our lives are chaos 98% of the time. Between strong willed children, the normal day-to-day grind, and whatever other random madness life has to throw at us, I fear that we lose sight of what brought us together and what keeps us as one. To steal from yet another wonderful song; "I don't know much, but I know I love you... That may be all I need to know"