I'm Dreaming of a Warm Spring!.....and a Fun Summer!

It's amazing how nice weather can boost your spirits and energize your body. Brennan and I spent about an hour today swinging on the front porch. It was so nice to see neighbors out and about, and trees and flowers about to bloom. While he napped, I worked a little in the backyard. I have several outside projects planned including painting, planting, and playing. Right now my biggest goal is eradicating weeds that had a chance to fester before we bought the house. Mike got a great start on this last fall, so my job is much easier now and I want to keep it that way. I met with a consultant yesterday to pick out paint colors for the house, which I'm very excited about. I'm going to do some painting myself I guess, though I don't look forward to that part. Some will have to be done by a pro I think. My favorite part of the work will be planting. I hope to start a perennial bed and maybe a couple of raised beds for herbs and vegetables. All of those are just plans though because the best part comes in late May when the pool is opened. While I can hardly stand to think about summer because it means my time at home with Brennan will be ending soon, I find a bright spot in thinking about the fun we will have. He already has a float, a swim shirt, and swim suits. Hopefully he will love the pool as much as he likes his bath. We're planning to have swim days every week, where we invite friends over for the day. Plan to come and join us pool side for some summer fun!

Let's Make A Deal!

Today was the mother of all consignment sales, Kids Market in Huntsville. I went one evening last fall, but that was nothing compared to today. Brennan and I arrived at 8:45 for a 9:00 start time. I was amazed when I pulled into a full parking lot at the old Linens and Things and jumped into a line that wrapped part way around the parking lot. There were at least 100 people already there. There were people with empty laundry baskets, empty strollers, empty bags, and empty shopping carts from other stores, all ready to snag a deal. I'm still a newbie to this, so I showed up with a baby in my stroller and a list of what I hoped to find.
I had learned the layout of the sale from the last time I was there, and when the doors opened the race was on. I had decided to hit the big items first and finish up with clothes. First I found an exersaucer for $10, several toys, a Johnny Jumper, a swim float, and clothes. The clothes ranged from practically perfect Polo shirts for a 1/3 the new price, to brand new with tags rompers, to shorts, shirts, and sleepers for $1 or less. I'm pretty picky about what I choose and everything has to look new, but that was no problem here. I have found at other sales that there is tons of little girl stuff, and a fraction of that for boys. While there was still a ton more for girls, the boys were well represented here as well. After five hours, a good part of that spent in the only down side-long lines, I came away feeling like I had found some great deals. I also learned a few things along the way. If you go:
1. Take a bag or basket if you plan to buy clothes. A lot of people had rolling laundry baskets or baskets with a belt attached for pulling.
2. Leave the kids at home if possible. Brennan was great, but it would have gone faster without a stroller and trying to maneuver everything was a challenge. Older kids seemed to have a lot of temptations also with so many fun things around.
3. If you want good deals on big ticket items, get there early. I got the exersaucer I wanted, but was amazed at what other people were finding also. There were high end cribs, strollers, highchairs, etc.
4. Look through other sizes too because things are sometimes stuck back in the wrong place.
5. It would be a great place for teachers to get books. There were bins and bins for $1 and less.
6. If you are expecting a first child it would be a great place to get the things that aren't used for long such as: a bath tub, Boppy, portable swing, bouncer, regular swing, bassinet, and maybe even bedding (there was new Pottery Barn Kids bedding still in the package). I know I wanted to register for a lot of these things, but I could have bought a few of them for very little and then registered for other things instead. It would also be a great way to finish out a registry after the showers if the timing was right, or to buy a 2nd for grandma's house.
7. Take a snack and dress comfy for this one. I thought I would be there a couple of hours at most, but it was so much fun and I was finding such good things that the time flew by.

If the Shoe Fits...

Have you ever found the perfect pair of shoes that you want to wear everyday, everywhere, with everything? The more you wear them the better they feel, and you only occasionally want to try on another pair. Motherhood is fitting like the perfect pair of shoes for me! I've always known that I wanted to be a mom, and practiced a lot with my dolls when I was little. There came a time when I was about 30 though that I questioned whether I would get to be a mom. I even considered giving up that desire for another person. The turns my life was taking did not match my plan. I was so scared that I would miss the chance to have a baby, but I chose to trust God that his timing was much better for me than I could ever imagine myself. In his time, and in his way, he blessed me beyond anything I could imagine. He brought a wonderful husband, the opportunity to live close to my family again, and now a precious baby boy. How could I ask for more! He's also shown me that becoming a mom at my age is perfect for me. I'm more patient and less absorbed in my own desires at this point. I feel more settled and confident in who I am. I find great joy in having to drag a stroller out every time I go shopping, planning when I will leave the house based on when Brennan has eaten, and spending most nights relaxing at home. It has been great to reconnect with childhood friends that are also moms. That mom connection has given us a renewed friendship as adults. There are the days when I want a break, and sometimes my mind wonders back to when I got plenty of sleep, got the laundry done, and running errands was a no brainer. But I'm also reminded of how much I miss B-man when we go to an event and he is held by other people even for an hour. I'm so thankful to have this opportunity, and pray I will never forget how blessed I am.

In the Blink of an Eye

It's hard to believe it, but our little guy turned two months today! I feel like those two months have passed in a blink. Brennan is so much fun. His personality is starting to come to life. He loves to show his beautiful smile to everyone, and is ready to start laughing at any time now. Tummy time has become more enjoyable for him. He likes to lay across the Boppy and talk to Bert and Ernie. He seems very proud to be able to raise his head so high and steady. A few of his firsts this month include: staying with Nonna while we had date night, celebrating Valentine's, celebrating Mommy's birthday, a trip to school to meet Mommy's class, sleeping all night in his crib, a professional portrait sitting, trip to Gam's, a play date, a birthday party, exploring the backyard on a nice day, and having to be taken out of church (which seems to have become a habit). Some of the things he enjoys are: laying in mommy's arms, standing up in mommy's lap, getting into mommy and daddy's bed in the morning for cuddle time, bath time, reading books, tummy time, trips in his car seat, strolls around the neighborhood, sitting in his highchair, only his Mommy's arms when he's so sleepy, and watching the big kids play where ever we are. He weighs 13 pounds, and is wearing 3 to 6 months clothes.

Our life has continued to change and evolve with Brennan's two months. The top ten:
10. sleeping more than three hours at a time---we are up to five hours some nights
9. being sad to put away the moses basket I've waited so long to have, and then could only use for two months
8. marking the spring consignment sales on my calendar
7. getting up early to go to consignment sales, but not actually getting there early because things just don't always work that way
6. cooking dinner while making up silly songs to entertain B-man
5. feeling baffled by the sizing of baby clothes...how does a two month old already wear 6 month sleepers?
4. spending more time in the hall at church than in church, and wondering who else will be hanging out in the hall too
3. feeling like I fit in with the other mums around
2. exercising to a walking video because it can be done with my arms full of a cuddly little boy
1. that precious smiling face

Nonna's Night

Last night Mike and I had our first date night since Brennan was born. On the way Mike gave me a funny card, The New Baby's Owners Manual. It had a note for a spa day of my choice in it. We started with dinner at Bonefish. The Bang Bang shrimp appetizer had been calling our names all week. After dinner we stopped by The Chocolate Crocodile for dessert. Mike was super excited to have a chocolate covered twinkie. I loved the chocolate covered smores. It was great to be out on the town, and feel like an independent adult again. Of course my mind, and some of our conversations, went to Brennan from time to time. He has recently become pretty attached to his mommy, so I wasn't sure how his evening with Nonna might go. Apparently he was quite the gentleman. He talked to her awhile, then fell asleep, and woke up just before we got home. Lucky for us, because she's now eager to stay again.

Mission Accomplished

The kitchen project is finally finished! It took a day longer than I expected, but that's not too bad all things considered.It took a coat of dark primer and three coats of paint to cover. I also decided to paint a built in cabinet that was white and didn't show up very well. I have to admit I had an exhausted mommy melt down somewhere in the middle as well. There's nothing a good cry can't fix. You know, sometimes those big girl panties just don't fit! All in all I'm very happy with the results. It's amazing how color can change the whole feel of a room.

Watch Out House Here I Come!

I have finally gotten my creative energy back! I think Brennan may be an architect or engineer when he grows up, because he sure borrowed my creativity while I was pregnant. I usually love creative projects, and they normally come quite easily to me. While I was pregnant I had no good ideas, and the ones I had were always a little off. Not good timing for buying a fixer upper or decorating a nursery! As a result I have not been happy with the paint colors I've chosen, or much else, for this house.

The last few weeks I've started to feel a change. My mind is constantly coming up with ideas for the house. We are getting ready to tackle one of our bigger projects, from a long list of big projects. We are trying to decide between turning the basement into a large family room and play room or updating the outside facade. I have a plethora of ideas for both, maybe too many! Doing the basement means: a large living and entertaining space, a safe place for kids to play, new stairs, new carpet, new furniture, and one floor of the house basically done. The outside facade would mean: new windows and lower energy bills, replacing wood features with vinyl (some of which have rotted), painting what can't be changed to vinyl, and new paint colors of our choice. All of which would give us peace of mind in knowing the outside is well maintained and looks like we would like it to. We could also get a tax credit for the windows this year. There are pros to both ideas, and both will get done eventually, but deciding which to do first has become a dilemma. A good dilemma none the less, and an exciting one since we get to see progress.

For now, I decided to tackle repainting our kitchen tonight. We painted the cabinets white and walls a light blue last summer. I'm okay with the cabinets, but haven't been happy with the walls from day one. I've planned to paint it an apple green, the same as our last house's kitchen that I loved. This kitchen is small though, and just doesn't seem like an apple green kitchen. Today I decided I would like it to be Bittersweet. Bittersweet is an orange/red color that I bought for our bedroom. Our bedroom turned into a large project with the discovery of a leak in one wall, so the paint hasn't been used. I've known that I would like the kitchen this color, but wasn't ready to commit to it. Tonight I committed! By this time tomorrow it should be complete. We are so excited to see the results!

Maybe I will fall in love with this house yet!