Catch up

Wow! So it's been almost 2 months since I've updated.  We've been busy as usual, so I'll try to catch up on everything that has been going on.

May was busy with work during the week and working outside on the weekends.  We have wanted to build a flower bed along the back side of the house for awhile now and finally decided to do it.  We were going to get a landscaper to do it, but it was more expensive than we thought, so Jeff decided to tackle the immense project himself.  With appropriate supervising from me, of course! ;)  We got yards of dirt and mulch delivered to the house, Jeff dug out the grass/clay/various building materials left by the builders and trash, hauled away said grass/clay/various building materials left by the builders and trash, filled in the hole with dirt, added a border, then put a weed barrier on top, then planted all the new plants and mulched on top of that.  We added a small bed in the back corner of the yard and planted some azaleas there.  We had extra (lots of extra!) dirt and mulch, so we (Jeff) tended to the front flower bed, mulched around the trees we have AND made two garden areas in the backyard (which we will plant something in next year).  We did all this for the same price that we got quoted for just digging a new flower bed and adding the dirt and mulch to it.  That's it.  Jeff worked really hard and I think it looks great!  This was my Mother's Day present and he worked on it for a long time.

Dirt and mulch piles in the driveway

The beginning of the digging stage

What it looked like before 

Charlie and the dogs helping

The pile of clay 

Border is in

Plants strategically placed

Where the azaleas are going, before the bed is finished

All done!

Another view

Another project Jeff tackled was remaking our old picnic table.  The one we had was about 30 years old and was pretty rickety.  I wanted to remake it the same size (it's pretty big) and make it more sturdy.  So Jeff got to work and remade it and it's awesome! Very sturdy and waterproof, so it should last forever! 

New picnic table, prewaterproofing. You can see the garden boxes in the background.

We've also been doing some rearranging in the house to get ready for the new addition that will be here before we know it!  The guest room is no longer a guest room. The bed has been taken out and the closet and dresser cleaned out and filled with baby clothes.  We have purchased a futon that we put in the office so that is where guests will stay when they visit.  Our next step is to paint the room, which should happen sometime this week.  We are going to move Charlie's crib in there at some point, but haven't decided when to make that transition.  I really like him in his crib! But he will be moving out of there shortly so we can put it in the other room.  

Last week we went on "vacation" with my family to Galveston.  I'm not allowed to travel very far, so that's as far as we went. We stayed at Jeff's Uncle's beach house for the week and did a few things in Houston and some in Galveston, many of which we had never done before.  We went to Discovery Green, the zoo, the beach, Moody Gardens Rainforest and Palm Beach.  The boys also went to an Astros game one night, while the girls stayed home with the kids.  We went on a couple of boat rides into Galveston Bay and rode the golf cart around.  The kids had a blast and I know the adults enjoyed themselves too.  Here are a few pictures from that:

My sister and Charlie

At Moody Gardens Rainforest

Nicki, Grayson, Charlie and Kirsten

Jeff and Charlie and the dinosaur exhibit

Grayson, Nicki, Mom, Charlie, Me, Kirsten

Now for a baby update:

I'm currently 34 weeks along.  I had an ultrasound today to see how big the baby is measuring.  We found out that he's breech, measuring 2 weeks ahead and weighs about 6.5 pounds. (For reference, Charlie was born at 37 weeks and weighed 6.9) We're praying that he'll turn at some point in the next few weeks. I'll have another ultrasound at 37 weeks to see if that has happened and we'll make plans from there.  I've been feeling good. Having contractions here and there, mainly when I'm walking around and they'll stop when I sit down, which is good.  I was slow to gain weight at the beginning of the pregnancy (with Charlie I was at a steady pace of a pound a week from the 2nd trimester on).  This one I'm gaining it all now towards the end.  For instance, from my appointment last week to today I have gained 3 pounds!  That's a lot!  But I'm not swelling anywhere so it must be going straight to the baby.  Hence the measuring 2 weeks ahead.  So lots will be happening in the next month or so.  Never a dull moment around here, that's for sure!