Getting There...

We're pretty excited with what we accomplished this past weekend. We planted & mulched & I think it looks pretty darn good for amateurs.

I'm really looking forward to how things will look in about 2 to 3 years. Right now everything is so small, but I'm sure it will fill in nicely.

For Christmas Hub's parents gave us the three statues that we set next to the birch tree. They are 3 little boys; one with a football, one with a basketball, & one with a baseball. At least the little guy with the basketball could pass for girl if we do have a baby of the female variety--just so she doesn't feel slighted.

We still need to get the caps to finish the retaining wall & need a little more mulch to fill in here & there, but for the most part, the front is DONE! Now we have to tackle edging the sides & the back. Probably no more planting this season. Plants are not cheap. It was pretty pathetic--Hubs & I made a quick trip back to the landscaping place last night to pick up three small ornamental grasses. $50 later, we were pleased with the look of the pretty grass, but feeling a little foolish since we spent $50 on three small sprays of grass. Geez, that's a new pair of shoes!

Hey, where's Bubs? He kinda blended in for a moment, that was until he started yelling and not listening to Mommy & Daddy. You know what Bubs? Maybe you could learn a little something from these three guys. Look how well-behaved they are. No talking back, no running into the street, no trampling freshly planted shrubs.

Although definitely the naughtiest & the one with the cheesiest smile, Bubs is by far the most adorable of the bunch!

I know my name!

Big news in the Becker house....Bubs learned how to say his name. Sometimes he says "Griffin", but most of the time it is "Griffy". I know I'm slightly biased, but I think it is the cutest thing.

Progress

We were able to get some major yard work accomplished this weekend. I know, it may not look like much, but we really worked our butts off. Oh, OK, so I guess my a$$ is still here--but Hubs & I did work VERY hard. My back and forearms are killing me. I might have overdone it on the lifting & such, but I figure I lug around Bubs' 30 pound body daily, so what is it going to hurt for me to rip up some sod & carry a few 10 gallon buckets of dirt? It's good to get a workout in during pregnancy, right?


My FIL rented an edger, and that wonderful little machine went all around our house to make it easy to place the pavers. So much nicer than digging up that dirt/sod with that trusty old shovel. When we laid the sod last summer, we didn't lay it right next to the house. We left a little strip bare that we filled in with mulch so Hubs wouldn't have to mow directly next to the house. Well, I wish we would have done everything all at once---sod, edging,planting, mulch---but unfortunately we have to budget for those things and didn't have enough cash last summer to do everything. It was sad (and hard work) tearing up the sod in the front yard & around the trees. You spend so much money to put the sod in, and then we end up ripping it up. What a waste! While I worked on pulling up the sod, Hubs placed the retaining wall blocks.

He still needs to fix a few spots, but overall I think it looks great. Next weekend we'll go purchase our plants, get some filler dirt, and start planting.

We did get ONE area completed today. Around the mailbox. It felt good to finish something!

I think the hardest part was edging around the trees. Unfortunately, we still have one more tree to do in the backyard. We know we have a lot more work ahead of us. We need to put in the pavers on both sides of the house & do the backyard. I'm thinking we probably won't be planting all the way around our house this summer. Too much work & too much money. I would be thrilled if we could get the front completely done by the end of next weekend---mulch & all.


We did have time for a little fun this weekend. Besides hitting the casino with friends Saturday night and going to a graduation party on Sunday, Saturday afternoon Hub's aunt had a family get-together on their farm. Two of his cousins had babies a week or so apart, so we were able to meet both of the little girls. Bubs could have cared less about the babies. He was far more interested in the cows....

and the pi$$ed off bull (it did charge the fence)....

and his latest obsession, the tractor. He loves tractors. Talks about them constantly. It gets old. Hubs is thrilled. At least he isn't obsessing over Barbie. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Seriously.

Joys & Concerns

OK, so you know at church when the pastor asks if there are any joys or concerns you want to share? Well, it has been a few Sundays since we've made it to church (not that I would get up and discuss these issues in front of the congregation--i'm not much of a public speaker), but I thought I would use this forum to get a few things off my chest. Here goes:

ON THE FAMILY FRONT
JOY: I'm thrilled to say, Husband's brother and his wife are also expecting a little baby B. Rachel & Keith are due early January 2010. Bubs is super excited to FINALLY be getting a cousin! Congrats Keith & Rach!

CONCERN: Last Thursday my MIL fell and dislocated her shoulder. To make matters worse, she then threw out her back Saturday morning. Luckily, her back is doing better, but she isn't going to be able to do much this summer. No golf, no landscaping, no picking up Bubs---eek, no doing her hair or putting on her own makeup for quite some time! She's not very good about just sitting around---so it is going to be a VERY long summer for her. Hopefully she makes a VERY quick recovery.

ON THE HOME FRONT
JOY: Husband & I are going to do some much needed landscaping this weekend.

CONCERN: Husband & I are going to do some landscaping this weekend. You would think we were some sort of experts since we did the landscaping at our Washington house & at our Muscatine house, but sadly, we are not. Plus we had some SERIOUS help from Hub's parents. Unfortunately, we are on our own this time. Hopefully when we are done it will look spectacular.

JOY: I finally got some flowers for my basket & that damn bird hasn't come back since I doused my faux flowers on the door with bug spray.

CONCERN: The area still looks a little blah. I'll have to work on finding a little something more for the entryway. I was thinking about painting our house number on the 1st step & then maybe our last name on the second step. We'll see. Hubs gets all weird when I do something semi-permanent like that.

ON THE POTTY FRONT
JOY: Bubs is telling us when he has to "pee" or "poo-pee".

CONCERN: Unfortunately, he tells us a few minutes too late. BUT---I think it is great that he is able to recognize when he is going potty. I'm not holding my breath that he'll be trained by the time baby B. comes along----but a girl can dream, right?

JOY: Bubs is smiling for the camera. (as he is on the potty)

CONCERN: This is what Bub's "smile" looks like. I'm hoping it improves before his senior pictures.

ON THE PREGNANCY FRONT

JOY: I'm almost 12 weeks pregnant. Almost out of the 1st trimester. Almost feeling back to normal.

CONCERN: My belly is fat. Not PHAT. But FAT. I'm already popping out. I'm already out of my regular clothes and into my super fat pants. I washed all of my maternity clothes this weekend to get ready for the inevitable. I got ginormous when I was pregnant with Bubs. I was hoping to not gain as much weight with this kid.....lofty goal I guess. Oh well, that is what Weight Watchers is for, right?

ON THE JOB FRONT

JOY: Work is busy, but busy is good. I've been able to enroll a lot of patients in my clinical trials---so hopefully that means job security!

CONCERN: Since I've been pregnant, I've been frequenting the lavatories at the hospital often. VERY often. I've noticed that at least once a day I hit a toilet that hasn't been flushed. I realize in some homes people are all about water conservation, and live by the rule "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down". Fine. But do that environmental goodness in YOUR OWN HOME! I am sick of looking into a toilet bowl and seeing & smelling NASTY urine. Please people, in public restrooms, flush the darn toilet.

Well now that I got ALL of that off my chest, I'll be able to sleep better tonight. Thanks for listening!

Weekend Projects

So, I was a little more ambitious this weekend. I seem to have more energy than I've had the past few weeks. Might have had something to do with the fact that Husband let me sleep in both Saturday and Sunday. Oh, and I took naps BOTH days. What a life! Here's a little project I threw together Sunday afternoon. I had another antique chair I got from my MIL. I spray painted this one black also. I thought about painting it a fun funky color, but I figured I'd start with black and see how I liked it. I put together my cheapo Wal-mart table that caught my eye a couple of weeks back when I was supposed to be grocery shopping. Threw some books & a lamp I had down in storage on it. I found the little pillow at Dollar General. This area really serves no purpose, because honestly, nobody is going to sit in the chair & read. I'm hoping one day my money tree will produce enough cash for me to afford the buffet I'm wanting to put in that space. Until then, this will have to do.The other project we tackled involved some dark curtains & the Bubster's room. Our hope is that with the dark curtains, Bubs will sleep past 5:50AM on the weekends. Little stinker!

We never got around to hanging curtains in his room. In fact, the only room in the house that has curtains is our bedroom. I have a hard time deciding on curtains. I always have grand ideas of making my own, but I just never get around to it. We decided Saturday AM that this kid waking up with the teensiest bit of sunlight shining in his room was going to have to stop. What happened to sleeping in until 7? Oh, how we miss those days.

I found some heavy navy curtains at Target. Hubs hung them Sunday afternoon. I seriously hope they do the trick, because next weekend it is my turn to get up with little man!

A Day For Mothers

Happy Mom's Day!!

I've been enjoying Mother's Day--Husband let me sleep in & fill my plate first at brunch (although I think it is more work to get your plate first because then you have to share your food with the kid....so maybe that wasn't a nice gesture, maybe it was a strategic move to get out of feeding Bubs...hmmmm.)

Anyways, Bubs wasn't into eating because right across the street was a large playground. Grandpa B. pointed it out to Bubs before we went into the restaurant. Not smart Grandpa, not smart at all. 1/2 way through the meal Bubs had a meltdown and wanted desperately to go outside and play. Luckily Keith & Rach happily grabbed him and let me finish my meal in peace. Thanks guys!
So last night Hubs & I had a little date night. We played some golf, ate some pizza and got some groceries. Very romantic. I don't think we've had a date in years where we didn't end the night at Super Wal-mart stocking up on the essentials. Last night we were celebrating our anniversary. Tomorrow I will have been married to my sweet man for 7 wonderful years.

For our anniversary (and Mother's Day), Hubs surprised me with a new set of golf clubs. I think he was seriously worried I was going to quit the game---but if he bought me some expensive golf clubs, I had NO choice but to keep playing.

Pretty sneaky, eh? The clubs are awesome. Huge step up from what I was playing with.

And I got matching shoes! (bad picture though)

Well, I shot 50 last night with the new clubs. Not bad. I guess I'll keep practicing. It is amazing what a difference these new clubs make.

If my game isn't pretty, at least I'll be with my new green golf bag & shoes! Thanks babe!

Happy 7th Anniversary, Love of My Life!

This, That & The Other

I'm still here.
Just got busy with life.
Also, this baby is sucking the life out of me.
Bedtime is typically 9pm.
Wow, it's 9:15, I'm pulling a late one tonight.
Best hurry & give the weekend report so I can get to bed.
This past weekend we went to my parent's house.
It was nice to be back home & see everyone.
We stopped by my Grandma & Grandpa's house.
Grandpa E. recently celebrated his 89th birthday.
Bubs thought the birthday balloon &
the musical card were the greatest things.
No sense in spending tons of money on toys when
I can buy the kid a balloon & keep him entertained (& quiet) for days.

I'm glad we were able to spend some time with my family.

I know they were thrilled to see Bubs.

When we got home Sunday, Grandma & Grandpa B. were at our door.

Surprise Bubs!!

You now have your very own "WEEEEE".

He calls all swing sets a "WEEEEE".

We have to avoid driving by the playgrounds in town.

He screams "WEEEEE" & then gets mad if we don't stop & let him go down the slide.
Luckily our high school babysitter's family was willing to part with their swing set.

We are so very grateful!

Do you know how much those suckers cost?

Yikes!

Grandma B, Grandpa B. & Husband worked on the swing set while Bubs took a nap.

We still need to get another swing & a sandbox

but not too shabby for the super low price of FREE!

Bub's reaction was hilarious.

He couldn't believe this was HIS swing set!

I was looking outside tonight after Bubs went to bed.

It is hard to believe this is my yard,

with my swing set.

I feel like such a parent.

Don't get me wrong, it is a great thing.

It is just hard for me to believe that I'm a mature (most of the time), 30 year old mother of 1 and a quarter children.

Makes me smile.

So since I've been exhausted beyond belief, I have done very little around the house. (just ask Hubs) I haven't even put together a cute little table I got a few weeks ago. Pathetic! Hopefully after the first trimester my creativity & energy will return.

While the family was working on the swing set Sunday, I spent some time with a can of black spray paint. Don't worry, I did it in a well ventilated area as to not get the baby high on the fumes. This little antique chair in my entryway needed a serious face lift. Now I just need to fill my basket with some pretty flowers......and get some sort of poison to kill the damn bird that keeps trying to make a nest in the basket on the front door.