The Deck (Part 3)

More updates on the deck!

Jonathan and Dad are continuing to work on the deck. It's become more difficult as our weather has gotten hotter. Most days they have to stop working by lunch time because it's really too hot to be working outside. Since my last post about the deck, we've also had a few more activities/events on the weekends that have kept us busier.

My last post was at the end of last month and the guys almost had all the support beams done.  The following weekend was our Mullinnix family reunion, so we weren't home for anything to get done on the deck. I'm only counting weekends that we were available to get things done....so that leaves us on:

Weekend 7: Jonathan finished the support beams and bought some of the deck boards (he goes through the whole stack of boards to make sure he only gets nice looking ones...so this in itself has taken quite a bit of time)
Weekend 8: Jonathan and Dad started laying deck boards (It was a REALLY hot day, so they had to call it quits earlier than they wanted)
Weekend 9: Finished laying boards on the lower deck

Weekend 7: Finishing the support beams with Tiger's help. The boards up front weren't attached yet, just laid out to get an idea of what was coming!

Weekend 9: (Friday) The boards closest to the back door had already been fastened into place. My Dad came over and cut boards the correct length so they could fasten more on Saturday. 

Weekend 9: Saturday evening, we got to enjoy the lower deck for the first time! 

This afternoon, Jonathan and my dad have plans to go purchase more deck boards. They are hoping to get enough to do the top deck next weekend. While all the boards are down on the lower deck, Jonathan still has to go back and put in more screws to keep it secure.

There's still a lot to be done, but I'm super excited that we can use the lower deck already! I can't wait to start putting my pots in place and put out some outdoor furniture!

On a side note, Caleb is beginning to have a tough time with Jonathan working outside most Saturdays. This weekend, Katy and I spent some time together while the guys were still working outside. I think Caleb enjoyed having someone to play with besides Mommy! Aunt Katy is a good tower building helper : )

"GO...."

Caleb is very into his Duplo Legos! He is good at making towers and cars. Check out the car he made yesterday (without any help) and how he was playing with it!

Blessed

In this busy season of our lives, Jonathan and I often reflect on how blessed we are by the wonderful family that surrounds us. I thank God every day for the support he's built around us. I hope those that read this don't mind, but I'm spending time on this post being sentimental and reflective - something I thing we all should spend time doing regularly.

In no particular order (and no offense to anyone not mentioned)... I thank God for....

My Dad: He has spent countless hours helping Jonathan on the deck in our backyard. The past two Fridays he has come over to cut boards while Jonathan was at work so that they could get more done on Saturday. I'm thankful for his patience, his time and the time we've gotten to talk while they take breaks or finish up at the end of the day. He constantly reminds me that he and my mom are available to help us as we get closer to Aaron's arrival. It's such a blessing to know he truly means it when he says to call if I need anything.

My Mom: Last Friday, while doing laundry, an almost new, value size laundry detergent fell off my washing machine and spilled all over my laundry room floor. Simply putting down towels to contain the mess before it spread and wiping off two items left me in pain. My mom came over and cleaned up the whole mess, spending well over an hour on her hands and knees wiping up laundry detergent (which is rather difficult to get up if you aren't aware) and trying to make sure the floor wouldn't be too slick for me to walk on. She then spent a while at the sink wringing out towels and trying to get most of the detergent off of them. She did this all without complaining while telling me to go sit down. Besides that huge help, she's been watching Caleb so I can make it to doctor appointments and called me earlier this week just to remind me that she was around if I needed any help. Again, it's so nice to know she's available in these next few weeks.

My Mother-in-Law: Since Caleb was fairly little, Mal has always come babysit on Wednesday mornings so that I can have some time to not just be Mommy. I don't think she realizes how much I appreciate that time each week. I get a chance to do some volunteering at the church and run errands when needed. She constantly reminds me that she can stay longer if I need her to and I can tell Caleb has a lot of fun when she is here. That time each week gives me a chance to regenerate and refocus. The weeks that other things come up and I don't get that time are truly longer and more difficult, it's amazing what just a few hours can do for the spirit. She also has been reminding me that she's around if I need some help and is looking forward to continuing Wednesday mornings with Caleb so that he gets some good one-on-one attention after Aaron arrives.

I could go on...there's GG - she fusses that she doesn't get to spend enough time with Caleb and spoils me rotten. Katy - she is hoping that Aaron waits until the scheduled c-section because she's already asked for the day off so that she can watch Caleb all day. Kristen - she threw me a lovely baby shower and spent a lot of time to help us prepare for Aaron. Derrill - he plays with Caleb anytime we're over because he truly loves him... and then friends that keep showing up with diapers and other goodies just because they love us and keep asking if there's anything we need!

I would be lucky to have any one of these people around me, but instead I am blessed beyond belief to have such amazing support all living so close to us. There are many others, some in states far away and others just an hour or two, that I know are praying for us and supporting us in so many other ways.

How blessed is our family! Jonathan, Caleb and I are so appreciative of you all. Thank you for your prayers, your support and your love. We are so blessed!

Buds

A few weeks ago we made the decision to make one of our cats an outside pet. It was a tough decision, but after a few days he really started to do well out there. It was hard to figure out what to do, Tiger had recently become more aggressive with Caleb and I felt like it was a full time job to make sure Caleb wasn't getting scratched or bitten. That was our main reason for the change. He has always been horrible about chewing on plastic, but it was something we just dealt with. No plastic baggies could be out on the counter, plastic shopping bags had to be immediately dealt with, no balloons with streamers... all things that we could deal with, but it's been so nice not to have to check things all the time the past few weeks.  He explores and is doing things he never would have done inside... like jumping to high places and really seems to be happy with the change.

On the lower part of the roof (over our bedroom) in the middle of the night

Considering going to the higher part (Jonathan talked him down)

Laying on the tiles above the fireplace (one of his favorite places)

Besides worrying about how Tiger would do outside, we worried about how Orion would do staying inside without his brother. We could have put both outside, but had several reasons not to. First, it didn't seem fair to change things for Orion when he isn't a behavior problem. And second, Jonathan and Caleb are both extremely attached to Orion (he's more like another toddler than a cat). How silly I was to worry, Orion seems to be more at peace since Tiger isn't around to attack him during naps! One things I didn't expect from all of this was the relationship that would develop between Orion and Caleb. A few times a day, I'll hear Caleb start giggling from wherever he's playing. When I go check, Orion is rubbing against him over and over again. This is usually the beginning of both of them chasing each other back and forth across the living room. Orion gets exercise and Caleb loves the attention!

Yesterday, while they were playing, Orion decided he needed a break. His faithful friend took a break and patiently waited for him to be ready to play again.

Waiting to play until Orion finished getting a snack

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful, sweet, amazing husband! I could never have asked God for a more caring, devoted, fun father for our children. Caleb is blessed beyond words to have you and I know the same can be said for Aaron from the moment he arrives. We love you so much!

~~~~~~~~

I hope we have shown Jonathan how much he is loved today! It's hard having Mother's day and Father's day on Sunday...we are so busy with church in the mornings. After this year, we've decided to celebrate those days at our house on the Saturday before so that we can do more. 

Regardless of that, we were still able to have lots of fun today! We started out the morning as usual, serving at church, attending the 10:30 service and then home for lunch and nap time. Jonathan wanted to get out and work on the deck when Caleb fell asleep, but I put my foot down! For one, it's too hot in the middle of the day and, second, how could I let him do that much work on Father's Day?! 

After Caleb woke up, we went over to GG and Papa's for some family fun. Uncle Derrill grilled hamburgers and fried french fries and onion rings. We ate and then let Eli and Caleb have some fun in our makeshift pool! 

Building with Daddy 

Caleb and Eli in the "pool"

And here are a few videos from "pool" time. It was hard to narrow down which videos to share, he was having so much fun! 

We got home and it was just about time for Caleb to go to bed. I've tried to force Jonathan to relax today, but he's currently out working on the deck...he's a bit stubborn sometimes : ) As I said before, I hope he enjoyed his day. We tried to relax and take it easy with family. I hope he knows how much we love him! 

Happy Father's Day honey! 

Cute & Crazy

We sure had a fun evening here in the Lutz household...here's a small glimpse into our crazy, fun life!

We started out putting ice on an ouchie. Right after dinner, Caleb attempted to open a cabinet in the kitchen and managed to hit right above his eye pretty well. He made a few fussy noises, but we noticed the bump was getting pretty big. The only way Jonathan could put ice on it was by taking turns with Caleb. (Added note: he had a large bump above his right eye and a smaller one above the left.... hence both sides of his forehead being iced!)

Daddy's turn

Caleb's turn

If you click on the picture, you can kind of see the spot above his eye. This was after the ice, so most of the swelling had gone down. Hopefully it won't be a bruise tomorrow!

After that, Caleb had a ton of energy so Jonathan set up some soccer "goals" and they played with the soccer ball for at least 30 minutes (probably longer). 

Once Caleb tired of that game, he found the airplane Jonathan had made out of duplos and flew that all over the downstairs! 

(If you turn up the sound pretty loud, you can hear the engine noises Caleb was making!)

After that was time for pajamas and then Jonathan and Caleb went upstairs for a book and prayer before bed. Most nights he talks to his bear for at least 30 minutes before he falls asleep, but tonight he fell asleep within a few minutes of going to bed. I guess he was worn out! 

Hope you enjoyed a small glance into our evening. Every day is different, but we always try to have fun! : ) 

Countdown: 4 weeks (and 1 night)

29 days... 4 weeks (after tonight)... about a month... it all sounds crazy soon! As far as being prepared goes, we're ready when Aaron is.

• The pack 'n play and his blankets, newborn clothes, and burp cloths are all in our bedroom. We haven't set everything up, but we'll do that either right before we leave for the hospital or right when we get back. 
• The car seat base is in the car ready for the car seat to be set in as we leave. 
• Arrangements have been made for Caleb's care while we're in the hospital. (Between my parents and my sister - he'll be well taken care of/spoiled rotten!

A few of the non-essentials have been taken care of as well. 

• The crib has been moved into Aaron's room, his bedding has been cleaned and put away. 
• The closet in his room has been emptied and organizers put in place so that as we clean and put away bigger clothes, we are ready. (I don't plan to use that closet until he sleeps upstairs, probably around 3 months old)

There are a few more things we'd like to do soon, but none of them are big projects. We need to bring the bouncy seat and play mat down from the attic, but that should only take 10 minutes. The box of bottles needs to be sanitized and put away. That's really all the other things I can think of at the moment. Neither will take long, but they aren't essential for when he arrives either. 

Aaron and I at 35 weeks. 

I'm still doing pretty well, but getting fairly tired. As to be expected, my legs and back are pretty sore most of the time and the heat feels pretty intense... but as I've said before, things could be much worse. Caleb and I spend as much time as possible indoors and do any errands we have to do as early in the morning a possible. I do plan on reminding Aaron many times during his life that I carried him through one of the hottest May/June time periods on record for our area during a severe drought!

I had my last doctor's appointment this past Thursday. Everything is still checking out good. I'm still measuring big (38 cm), but I managed to loose 2 pounds. My heartburn has gotten a little worse lately and I'm finding it hard to eat much, but I'm working on eating more small amounts through the day. I'll go back again in two weeks and then start weekly appointments. 

That's really all there is to report around here as far as Aaron goes. I'm feeling a little anxious about all the unknowns (how will Caleb react to new baby, will Aaron be easy going or more fussy, etc.), but I know God is in control of all of it. My being anxious won't change anything, so I keep trying to remind myself of that. As my dad has always said, "Worry about tomorrow when it gets here"... no point in worrying about things I have no control over. 

Beyond that, life goes on as usual around here. We're continuing to do little things around the house that we'd like to have done before Aaron arrives, but, if he were to come tomorrow, we're pretty much ready. (Not that we want him that early....I'm ready to meet him, but he needs a little more cooking time!) 

Updates: Big Boy Bed & Projects

Big Boy Bed:
Caleb is doing great in his big boy bed! We're now on day 4 and have barely had any problems. We've kept the crib in his room so that we can remind him if he doesn't stay in his bed, he'll have to go back to the crib. So far we haven't had to use the crib once.

One night (it may have been Tuesday... but I could be wrong), we checked the monitor around midnight and noticed he was asleep on the floor. We're guessing he fell out of bed, but since it's so close to the ground, he just curled up and fell asleep with his bear and blanket where he was! He never cried! At some point in the early morning hours, he woke up and got back in his bed. When we woke up the next morning and checked the monitor, he was in bed asleep. (Yes, we are the parents that would rather he sleep on the floor than disturb him by putting him back in bed)

Besides that, there's really nothing else to report on. He is sometimes awake for 30-40 minutes before he falls asleep at night and hasn't tried getting out of bed. When he wakes in the morning, he sits in bed and waits for me or Jonathan to get him up. It's been a great transition and, as I've said before, it's really helping me not have to pick him up as much.

Projects: 
I shared a few posts ago about my new silhouette machine and the fun projects I was working on. I've been playing and learning since then, but didn't want to constantly update the blog on my crafts! As many of you know, Jonathan and I operate on a weekly cash budget. The hard part about that is I can't go buy materials for new projects until I get my allowance and sometimes there are more important things I need to get. So I'm kind of at a stand still for some things I want to do until I can save up. I've been having fun playing with the design program on my computer though and making lists of future projects.

I shared the big bro/lil bro shirts I made a few weeks ago, but still needed to do the sewing around each letter. I finally finished the first one tonight! I started on it pretty soon after I posted the pictures, but got frustrated when my stitching wasn't as nice as I wanted and distracted myself with some organization projects around the house. I finally started working on it again last night and finished today. I love the way it turned out, I just can't focus too much on all the details...it's been a while since I've done such detailed sewing and you can tell I'm a bit rusty. Guess that means I need some more projects to help me practice : )

We couldn't get Caleb to be still for a picture. So this is the best we could do! I love the way it turned out and I'm glad we got a shirt that's a little big now so he can wear it longer!

I enjoyed the project and am looking forward to finishing Aaron's onesie soon. That's really all the updates from around here. We've been having fun organizing upstairs and spending a lot of time at GG's house. Jonathan's also made a lot of progress on the deck...but I'll let him get a bit more done before I update on that!

Big Boy Bed - Day 1

I keep having to warn myself that at some point this transition is going to hit some bumps, but so far it's been seamless!

I worried all morning about Caleb's first nap in his toddler bed. After he got mad last night about being in the crib, Jonathan and I agreed that I would at least try. I was prepared for constantly getting up and me having to put him back in the crib to hopefully get some kind of nap.

When we went upstairs for nap, I asked Caleb if he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed and he ran to it as fast as he could! I told him he had to stay in his bed, no getting up, and then left the room. I sat on the couch upstairs and not two minutes later he crawled out of bed. (Thank goodness for video monitors!) I went back in, calmly took his hand and put him back in bed and said, "If you don't stay in your bed, you will have to sleep in your crib." He replied, "no". So I left him and sat on the couch upstairs again, ready to get up as soon as he crawled out of bed. I watched him talk to his bear for a few minutes, sit up and look around, and then lay down and go to sleep. I was sure he'd wake up after a few minutes and we'd be doing the same thing over again, but he stayed asleep in his bed for his whole two hour nap!

I snuck in and took a picture of Caleb sleeping during naptime... I love how he curls up to sleep! (The light was off, the flash on my camera is just super bright!) 

I checked the monitor constantly during naptime, but he slept just fine. As he always does, he woke up a few times and moved/stretched, but he never got out of bed. When he woke up, he fussed for a minute and then started talking to bear again. I couldn't believe he even stayed in his bed until I came to get him!

Cute boy right after I came to get him from his nap! 

Since naptime went so well, we decided to try bedtime in his bed too. I was a little more concerned about this time because he wasn't acting very tired yet. Jonathan put him in his bed and, except for a brief attempt at escape before Jonathan even left the room, Caleb never got out of his bed! He laid there talking and playing for around 40 minutes and then fell asleep.

Like I said before, I'm not taking this lightly. I'm sure we'll have some tough days, but I'm so glad that our first day went so well!

UPDATE: Caleb did great all night! Around 11, he started to fuss and Jonathan saw him (on the monitor) scoot out of bed and start crawling on the floor. We are pretty sure he was searching for bear and not really completely awake. (He was crying while doing this) Jonathan went upstairs and helped Caleb get back in bed. He laid awake for around 20 minutes, but didn't get out of bed and fell back asleep on his own. That was the only disturbance. When he woke up this morning, he stayed in bed until Mommy came up to get him at 7:30. On a personal note, it was so nice not having to lift him out of the crib this morning and, since he was already on the floor, he chose to walk down the stairs. He always wants me to carry him in the mornings and it's getting more difficult.

Big Boy Bed!

Oh my.... Caleb really is a big boy, isn't he!?!

We recently (very recently) decided to go ahead and get Caleb a toddler bed and see how things went with it. I don't want to push him into a bed before he's ready, but it would be great to use his crib for Aaron and not have to buy a whole new one.

Jonathan bought a used bed on Thursday evening and put it upstairs in Aaron's room until we could clean it up. On Friday, when Caleb woke up from his nap, I took him to look at it and said, "this is your big boy bed!" Keep in mind, it was just the frame, the mattress was standing against the wall. Caleb ran into his room, got his bear and blanket (the only things he sleeps with) and came back to climb onto the bed. I quickly put on the mattress, threw a quilt over it, and Caleb got SO excited!

This is the first picture I've ever gotten him to say "cheese" in! Such a cutie : ) 

This afternoon, Jonathan got the bed all cleaned up, tightened screws, and put a sheet on the mattress. He went ahead and put it in Caleb's room. The plan has been for it to be there for a few weeks and then we'd try letting Caleb sleep in it for a few nights and see how it goes. If he's not ready, we'll put him back in the crib for a bit longer. I'm completely prepared to let him guide us with this transition. 

When I put Caleb in his crib tonight he got really mad and kept pointing at his big boy bed. I was planning to wait a few weeks for him to try it out, but maybe we'll try nap time tomorrow and see how it goes. (In the meantime, after a few minutes he did lay down and go to sleep, but he sure was mad at Mommy!)

I'm not sure Mommy is ready for this transition, but it seems that Caleb is. I guess we'll have to see how the next couple of days go!

Mullinnix Family Reunion '11

Every 4th of July weekend, my dad's side of the family gets together for our annual reunion. I'll likely be around a week away from Aaron's arrival around that time this year, so the family decided to move it up a month so that Jonathan, Caleb and I would still be able to attend. We are so thankful that everyone changed their schedules so that we could all be together (I think Grandpa liked it because we could celebrate his birthday too!) My cousin's kids were the only ones that couldn't be there. I'm sorry we missed them, but at least we get to keep up with them on facebook!

The "early-birds", from left: Dad, Granny, Me, Katy and Mom (Grandpa was hiding somewhere and Jonathan was taking the picture)

The group kept growing: (from left) Katy, Thomas, Mom, Eli, Kristen, Me, Dad, Grandpa, Granny

By lunch the whole group was there!

Grandma giving Caleb a cookie

The men playing dominos (around the table: Thomas, Jonathan, Dad, Grandpa)

I borrowed these last two from Kristen's blog, the boys are good at sharing their toys! 

Caleb played with Eli's toy most of the time we were there. 

Eli borrowing Caleb's coloring book. 

All the planning in the world can't account for your child's sleeping patterns! Caleb typically wakes up between 7:30 and 8 at home, but we had to get him up early and get him in the car around 6 on Saturday morning. I was sure he would fall back asleep and sleep in the car for at least an hour if not two. Well, he dozed for around 20 minutes during the ride, but nothing like I expected. I really thought if he slept in the car on the way there he could last until 3 or 4 and then sleep on the ride home. With the short doze we didn't make it that long though. Unfortunately, we had to leave at 2 to avoid a complete meltdown, but that's the way things go when kids are involved!

In the past, we have always gotten up early to drive there (around 2 1/2 hours) and stayed the night so that it wouldn't be too much driving in one day. I'm having so much trouble sleeping now that we decided it would be best to come home the same day so I could sleep in our bed. Wow, over 5 hours in a car is a lot! We made it, but I've had some back pain and leg cramps today. I don't think we'll be going very far for a while!

We had a great time at the reunion. It was nice to sit together and hear what everyone's been up to. We celebrated Grandpa's 83rd birthday this weekend as well. We are so blessed to have chances to hear more stories from our grandparents' lives now that we are old enough to bother to listen!

We're looking forward to next year's reunion when Aaron and a new cousin will be joining us!