5 Weeks to Go!

Our baby girl is on her way, in just over a month. (It's time for the lovely belly shot.) I find myself fantasizing about amazing things like: taking the stairs two at a time, lying on my stomach, washing my hands without being squished up against the counter, going to bed without having to pop several Tums, etc. At the same time, I know the level of chaos around here will only rise with a newborn, so I'm trying to savor this time with my other three.

This makes me excited.

This makes me excited too.

Abby and Katie were so thrilled to donate some stuffed animals to Baby Sister's room and arrange them for her.

This makes me kind of excited . . . there's going to be a lot of diaper duty around here, since Alex probably won't be potty-trained for a few more months. {But we learned this lesson the hard way when Abby was two and Katie was born: having two kids in diapers is much easier than having one in diapers and one "halfway potty-trained." Um, yeah--that wasn't fun.}

Summer 2011

With Abby starting school tomorrow (2nd grade!), it feels like summer is officially over. It's been a scorchingly hot one here in St. Louis, but we've survived! Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to:

Keeping cool with the slip-and-slide and wading pool

Celebrating my birthday (Luke, Abby, and Katie cooked up some great plans!)

Working on craft projects (ironing designs onto these little bags)--and yes, a few summer days have been spent in nightgowns or ballet leotards when we're not going anywhere!

Dressing up (here's Fireman Alex with his favorite gingerbread house, toting around his "special things")

Attending library activities: here's Abby dressed as Hermione for a Harry Potter library party. (We've certainly kept them in business this summer, with our semi-weekly visits!)

A visit to Suson Farm and Park (on one of the super-hot days; we barely lasted one hour!)

And, of course, a visit to our awesome zoo . . .

Good times!!

Purina Farms

In July we had a fun outing to Purina Farms (as in Purina dog food). It is about a 40-minute drive west of here, but it is close to Camp Rhythm, the day camp where Abby spent three days with other kids who have surgically repaired heart defects. So while Abby had fun at camp, Alex, Katie, and I met some friends at the farm and had a great time.

Being obsessed with vehicles and machines, Alex was content to play with this little tractor for much of the afternoon. In fact, he mentions at least daily that he wants to go back to the farm and dump corn out of the tractor. I think it may have been the highlight of his summer!

We loved petting this soft, friendly bunny.

Here are some of the animals . . .

. . . and some of our friends (doesn't Alex look thrilled?!).

Katie loved swinging from this rope.

Feeding the piggies . . .

A family of sheep . . .

. . . and Katie tearing it up on a mini-tractor! We also got to watch a dog show and take a ride on a wagon pulled by a tractor. We were worn out by the end, but it was a fun day. (And, like so many fun places in St. Louis, it's free!)

Hard-Won Victory

At last . . . our major home remodeling projects have come to an end! I'm amazed by the magic Luke has worked. (If radiology falls through, he's got a future in home improvement! Oh, wait . . . I forgot about all those medical school loans.) Anyway . . . drum roll, please . . .

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After:

It looks awesome, doesn't it? First, Luke tore out the linoleum floor and tiled it. Next, he and his brother, Lance, built these concrete countertops. Luke cut our sink to convert it to an undermount sink and installed it with the new countertops. The last touches were the black tile backsplash and the replacement of all the cabinet handles. (A final detail to come will be a black moulding around the floor.)

Bathroom Before:

Bathroom After:





Quite a transformation, isn't it?! This one was a d-o-o-z-y. It involved demolishing the peach-colored tile and the plaster behind it, rebuilding the walls and tiling them with the floor, reworking the plumbing (several times), and building the concrete countertop for the vanity. I think it's absolutely beautiful! We're sure grateful for all the friends who pitched in with this. (Oh, and I did paint the walls--other than that, my contribution to the remodel was to keep the little ones out of the way and keep the rest of the household running smoothly!)

The moment of the remodel I'm sorriest to have missed? Luke walking into the Rockin' Gators Bar down the street and asking for 3 empty brown beer bottles (to crush into the countertop above). According to Lance, you could hear the bartenders' laughter from out in the parking lot.

The moments of the remodel I wish I could have missed? Uh . . . better not go there. It's done, and we survived. (Barely!)

Summer

Last week was unusually, pleasantly cool (for June in Missouri!), and we had a fun outing to our favorite park:

So far, we're enjoying the summer! We've had some fun outings and playdates, have almost completed our remodeling projects (pictures are coming soon . . . ), and have haunted the local library at least bi-weekly. Abby is a voracious reader and is working on the Harry Potter series and every American Girl book she can get her hands on. I've been reading some of the American Girl books too, and they're great! They are well-written, aimed at a grade-school audience, and each one gives insight into a different period of American history while teaching good values. I would highly recommend them (although we're probably backing ourselves into the inevitable corner of buying one of the $100 dolls someday!). 

The sad part of this spring/summer has been watching so many of our dear friends move away, mostly because they have finished medical school or residency. We're really going to miss them!