A day at the park

I recently saw some pictures that were taken at a local park I had never been to. So today when I was feeling like I needed to get the kids out of the house I said hey let's go on an adventure! I didn't know if there was a playground or not but they were up for it and so we packed a quick lunch and off we went! I made them promise me that we could take a few "for real" pictures and they were happy to oblige since I hadn't made them do that in a long time! We got there and they were so excited...there were little paths everywhere and for the most part I let them choose which way we should go (although I have to admit I did encourage the more shady option! =) The first train we went on led us around a large meadow and then towards a thick wooded area. All of the sudden something started running towards us and I paniced...thought it was dogs and wondered how I was going to protect all the kids and myself...and then I realized we had spooked 2 deer that were just inside the woods! All three kids saw them and we were so excited!! We watched them dash and dart to get away from us and of course most of the rest of our day was spent looking for more deer! It was fun to see them all excited and working together!



There were many logs on the path, obviously some clearing had been done recently, the kids were eager to move them out of the way of the stroller and made sure I saw how strong they were to lift them!


Walking the edge of the meadow, looking in to the woods to see if we could find more deer...




The "real pictures" (Emily had NO desire to cooperate)







Off down another path





lunch break






I brought my cell phone on our adventure since I didn't really know where our paths would lead and thought if I didn't, I would be way out yonder and my water would break and my poor kids would have to deliver the baby! =) Well, instead of me using it to call someone to tell them I was in labor...2 of my sisters had called the house and when I didn't answer had to track me down on my "emergency only" cell phone to see if I was in labor! =)


My fair skinned beauty


Andrew asked if he could take a few pictures...gotta love the mountain of a belly!


Of course then Kelli also wanted to take a picture...I figured I would see if we could perchance get a good one that I could potentially scrapbook and I was quite pleased with their work!

Here is Andrews...



And Kelli's...

The Siding...

I realized that I never posted pictures of the house with the siding finished! It looks SO good!!! I love the color and it just sets off all the color around it! I got some flowers on clearance at Walmart and Menards and got my little flower baskets planted yesterday (they are a little sorry looking right now...thus the clearance, but with a little tlc they will be beautiful!! There is still one wall of the addition that needs siding, just waiting for a door and window to be installed (today hopefully) and then they will finish it! The plumbing and elecrical are scheduled to be done on Monday and then before too much longer it will be time for wrapping things up...drywall, painting, flooring and cabinet installation!! Whoo Hoo!!!!!

Hodge Podge

And...A few pics of the attic that Andrew was okay with you seeing....

Uncle Jim priming the drywall in the stairway up to his room


The door to the attic all stained by Aunt Amber


The electrical box for a ceiling fan

Update on the house...

Bet you thought there were gonna be pictures of siding and construction progress!

Well I am feeling as big as a house!

And it must look like it because Brian started singing she's a brick house after
he took these pics!! =)

One of those moms...

I always swore I wouldn't do it...but I couldn't help myself...I have become one of those moms...

Waiting...

With all the hustle and bustle around here one might think that we have forgotten that baby #4 is on the way...truth be told, not a whole lot of minutes go by that it isn't permeating my thoughts...I am a whole jumble of emotions as this pregnancy nears its final days. I am so anxious to meet this little one...to find out if it is a boy or girl...to see which of the kids he or she resembles...to take oodles of pictures to share with you...to watch the other kids love and respond to this new life that has joined our home. I am also anxious about how Emily will accept this little one, she is a mama's girl and doesn't like to share me even with Andrew and Kelli so I don't know what she is gonna think of this baby who demands so much of my time and attention. I am anxious about nursing and if my milk supply with be adequate, if again we will struggle with jaundice. I am anxious about how I will handle the fact that once this baby is delivered I have closed the chapter on childbearing, a chapter that has been one of the best chapters of my life (crying as I type this). I am anxious how I will maintain my sanity and adjust to having 4 kids with all 4 kids at home all summer. In my "infinite wisdom" I had planned to wait until Kelli and Andrew were both in all day school before having a 4th...I guess the Lord has some lessons he wishes to teach me! What a beautiful gift and amazing privilege we have been given to play a part in the molding and shaping and developing of these little ones...soon to be four of them holy cow!!

Update

It has been a few days since there was an update and that is mostly because things have been happening so fast that I have not been able to sit and get pics from the camera to the computer and as far as I am concerned that is a good problem to have!! Of all the things that are going on...no kitchen, no laundry, no first floor running water, and being huge pregnant the thing that has stressed me out the most is worrying about all the drywall dust that will come when the attic room is drywalled and wanting that to all be done and cleaned up prior to bringing the new little one home...I just didn't want those sweet little lungs exposed to all that nasty dust. Well after 3 weeks of trying to contact people to come give us bids, we finally got someone here on Thursday and thank you Lord he had 5 additional guys here starting Saturday morning at 730am and the entire attic plus the stairway plus the part of our room that was affected by this project was completely drywalled! They were back at 700 this morning and taped and mudded the entire thing, will be back Wednesday to apply coat #2 and then will finish the project by Friday! I (we) are SO thankful for this quick progress! I have taken pictures of what it looked like before Saturday and since, but I am not going to share them with you! =) I don't know if I have mentioned before that very early in this renovation project Brian told Andrew that he wanted the room to be a surprise for him. Andrew was very upset by this because he wanted to help Brian with the work and of course wanted to know what was going on up there! So Brian, understanding fully Andrew's desires, left it up to him. Well bless his heart, he decided that he wanted it to be a surprise so he has NEVER been up there since the project started! Andrew is a big fan of our blog and he checks it regularly to see what I have been posting. Today when I told him that he wasn't going to be able to look at the blog for a while because I was going to put pictures of the attic on it, he was again very upset. Well I immediately told him that I thought it would be a good idea if we made everyone who reads our blog wait to see the room until after he got to see it and he thought that was a much better idea! So, sorry folks...you will have to be as patient as this sweet 7 year old boy and wait to see the progress of the attic! We promise that we will do a great post with before and afters once Andrew is moved up in to what I can promise you is the most amazing room for a 7 year old boy you have ever seen!

Here is a little of what is going on with the kitchen addition...

The trusses were set last Tuesday and the roofer started and finished the shingles on Wednesday... The plumber is supposed to start Tuesday and Brian will soon be starting on the electric and duct work!



Siding started going up on Friday!

Tough Guy

Andrew got home from school yesterday and walked in to the dining room where I was and he started sobbing as soon as he saw me. I immediately noticed that he had a large bandaid on his elbow and tried to calm him enough to tell me what had happened. It finally came out that he was out at recess right before school got out and he went for a ball and so did a 5th grader and the 5th grader beat him to it, but not with out Andrew bouncing off of him onto the blacktop! He then turned around and lifted his shirt to reveal 2 additional major scrapes and then said he also hit his head and had a big bump. I was immediately upset that the nurse did not call me to come get him with all of these injuries and then he informed me that he only told the nurse about the elbow. He said, "mom, I was trying to be so tough. I was trying so hard not to cry, but it hurt so bad! I was trying to be tough like Zach when he got hit in the cheek with the baseball. But it hurt so bad!" Bless his little heart. I had to try so hard not to cry as he was telling me all this! I told him how tough he was to walk all the way home with all his owies and we got him all hooked up on the couch with numbing spray and icepack and pillows and a favorite movie. After he was all settled and comfy, he asked me if I could take a picture of his back so he could see what it looked like...I did and he told me that I should put that on my blog! =) Thus this post!! =)

Many Hands = Light Work

Well, that is very easy for me to say....I sat in a chair the whole day and watched and took pictures (and ate rice krispy treats with chocolate chips on them)!! So I am not sure many hands = light work, but it sure does = quick work!! Our family work crew removed, separated and picked up an entire house of siding in 3 hours!!! We are SOOO grateful for the help! And can't believe it is done!!'


The before photos....







The younger crew...





That is the garage in the background...that will be the color siding on the house...






The trusses that will go up on the addition on Tuesday were delivered during the day too!!


I love watching Andrew work! He has learned so many things from just watching Brian work. He was having a particular hard time getting this piece of siding off. And after trying with just the pry bar unsuccessfully he would jam the pry bar in as far as he could and then he would get the hammer and get it in there just a little more and then really pull on it...I don't know alot of 7 year olds who have a grasp on the physics of leverage! =)





The Afters...




All the siding has an insulation backing that has to be removed and then to the dumpster and then all the siding will be recycled...



You can see here that there was obviously a much smaller original home...






Still smilin' after all that hard work!


Oh...the freckles...hard to resist kissin' that face even though it is filthy!!