operation curb appeal

When we moved into our house, our front steps looked like this:

They were already not in the greatest shape, mostly due to water damage. We don't have any gutters on the house, and rain comes straight down on these steps - not to mention the snow and ice issues we have in the winter. Bricks were already loose, so last summer, Pete removed some of them so no one was seriously injured coming in our front door. That meant our steps then looked like this:

They have looked this way since last July. It was a little hazardous for the trick-or-treaters last fall and pretty ugly to boot.

This spring, we started the process of trying to find someone to fix our steps. Easier said than done. People wouldn't call back, wouldn't show up to give us the estimate when they said they would, etc. Very annoying. At my wit's end, I called a place simply because of the name - Meyering Concrete. I figured we were probably related (we are - McBain origins) and it couldn't hurt. They were great to work with and their estimate came in at an agreeable price. So yesterday, they came and now our front steps look like this:

We are thrilled with the results. They dropped the top step down about six inches (which means we'll be able to open the front door when there is snow on the steps) and made both steps wider (bringing us up to code and enhancing our curb appeal). We'll be installing a gutter above so we won't have further water damage issues, plus we also have a new storm door to install. After that, we'll be painting the front door. The storm door process is already underway so I'll post pictures of that soon. And I can hardly wait to paint the front door - hopefully that will also happen this week. Stay tuned...

pregnancy...so far

Since I've hit the 24 week mark, and I haven't blogged hardly at all about being pregnant, here are some of my thoughts on pregnancy:

• For me, the first 12 weeks were definitely the roughest - and I had it easy! I've never, ever been exhausted like that. And the constant nausea wasn't fun, but it was doable.
• There's nothing like hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time.
• Beginning a baby registry is overwhelming. There is so much gear you can get, and it's hard to know what you truly need.
• But it's still fun to register!
• We could have registered for a baby bathtub with whirlpool jets. If I can't have whirlpool jets, then neither can our baby. :)
• It's fun to buy maternity clothes too.
• I didn't know I could be this hungry. The amount of food I can put away is a little embarassing.
• I crave chocolate chip cookies from Panera - it gets intense sometimes.
• I love feeling (and watching) the baby move.
• Except when he pushes on my ribs and makes it a little hard to breathe (and I still have a long way to go before he's born!)
• I'm so grateful for ultrasound technology - it's amazing to see your baby's face at 20 weeks.
• Hormones are funny things, resulting in more breakouts and more tears. Fortunately, I'm blessed with an understanding, patient husband (too bad he can't stop the zits).
• My belly button is on its way to being an outtie, and that's a little strange.
• It can be hard to sleep sometimes - getting comfortable can be a challenge.
• We are looking forward to meeting our little boy face to face!

snips and snails and puppy dog tails

It's a boy - and we have the pictures to prove it (I'm going to have someone at work scan them in for me so I can post the ultrasound pictures here - hopefully soon). Actually, we have what we think is pretty incontrovertible evidence that it's a boy, though my doctor did caution us to buy clothes in a few neutral colors just in case. But at that point, he hadn't seen the ultrasound. We'll see if his tune changes after we talk about the ultrasound.

The fun part about finding out the gender of our baby is the ability to call him and pray for him by his name - it makes it that much more real (though it still doesn't feel all that real yet). The hard part will be not accidentally spilling the beans on his name in casual conversation - I'll just try to be very careful.

I think one of the major things contributing to this process not seeming real is that I haven't had a significant amount of time to reflect on it (or maybe I haven't made that time?). I go to the doctor, I've bought the maternity clothes, I can feel him moving, but I don't know how far this has all sunk in. Part of it is that work is so very busy and stressful right now, and I'm pretty spent by the time I get home and falling asleep on the couch around 9:00. I think I need to begin journaling through this to capture my thoughts - and manage my stress level.

From the wilderness

Hiking in the wilderness with everything you need to survive strapped on your back is quite the experience. I loved it and hated it at the same time. There were times when I thought "I should do this more" and other times when I thought "I'm never doing this again"

I had been waiting for a spectacular sunset but there were no clouds so the sky didn't light up at all but after the sun had set the sky had this incredible blue glow.



This is a picture of the lake that we spent two nights camped right next to.

Horseback Riding

This post was supposed to go out before the wilderness trip but the wi-fi at the ranch was acting funny again so I didn't send it. (I'm currently plugged directly into the router - that works much better.)



This picture was taken when we stopped at a cliff during my horseback ride. A lot of what I see here makes me think of Andrew Peterson's song "Nothing to Say" and, in particular, the chorus. It goes like this - "...and the mountains sing your glory, 'Hallelujah!' The canyons echo, 'Sweet Amazing Grace.' My spirit sails, the mighty gales are bellowing your name and I've got nothing to say. No, I've got nothing to say."

one down, one to go

One more week (and a day) until Pete gets back. It's gone relatively fast, but I'm so ready to have him home. I think he's ready to be home too. His group left today for their wilderness camping experience in Glacier National Park. They'll return to the ranch sometime on Wednesday, so I won't be able to talk to him until then. That's going to be a little difficult for me - wondering if everything is okay and not knowing for sure until Wednesday. A good opportunity to pray and exercise some faith.

We began painting yesterday and the results are looking good so far. Pete and I decided to go with the trim color we have going downstairs (called "Pot of Cream") instead of a bolder color. It will unify things between the colorful rooms downstairs and colorful rooms upstairs. It sounds a little silly, but one of the changes I'm most excited about is new light fixtures and switchplates. I've been trying to choose colors and styles that fit the era of our house (instead of the boring plastic things we had), and I can't wait to see these things on the walls. Plus, it just feels good to do a job right - the previous owner(s) of this house were extremely sloppy painters. I don't expect perfection, but please, take two seconds to remove switchplates - don't paint over them! And tape is your friend so you don't get it all over things you don't want to (like the ceiling). They also got paint on the doorknobs upstairs, most of which I believe are original to the house. Grrr....

My parents have been absolutely wonderful helping out this week, from spreading mulch, watering plants, making a planter for our front patio, hanging new outdoor lights, sweeping the deck and painting. It's been fantastic.

Between painting and a busy week at work this week (I have my first Christmas catalog planning meeting on Thursday), I'm hoping the days fly by until next Monday when Pete comes back home.

Working in Montana

We did a some work yesterday taking down an old fence and then we took the guys in and they all bought a cowboy hat. I looked at some but really, I'm not a cowboy, the cowboy look does not become me and where would I wear it. I kinda wanted to get a souvenir but the cowboy hat wasn't going to work and then I looked at the t-shirts and they were all stupid so I'm not sure that I will come back with much of a souvenir other than my experience and my pictures and really, that will be enough.

We saw a bald eagle and I took a bunch of pictures trying to get a shot of him but he wouldn't let us get close enough and my camera's zoom only goes so far. In the process I took a picture that I really like and you probably won't see the eagle sitting on the fencepost unless I point it out to you but I think the picture is beautiful nonetheless.

From Montana

I have been kept very busy but it has been good. It is just amazing what I have seen and I have been taking a lot of pictures. Here is a view from a cliff looking down at the ranch.



This is me after the quad runner ride. I got quite dirty. It looks like I'm growing a mustache with that dark spot on my lip under my nose but that is really only dirt kicked up by the quad runner in front of me.

As Amy pointed out, the Wedgwood site is a good place to get an update and a few pictures of our trip but I'll keep putting a few of them up here too.

Pete

twice in one week!

Can you stand it? Another post - and not several months after the last one!

This one is quick - just wanted to point everyone to Pete's updates on Wedgwood's website. You can read about their trip and see some pictures.
http://www.wedgwood.org/Events/montana/Montana07.html

He'll hopefully still post here at some point.

I spent part of the evening with my parents, my brother and my nephew. My parents took Gavin to see Thomas the Train Live this afternoon as a birthday present, and then we gathered at their house for dinner. It was fun to spend some time playing with Gavin - he's such fun to be around.

Once I got home, I headed over to a neighborhood ice cream social. Our neighborhood is a good mix of young families and some people that have lived here for years - but more young families than anything else. It's amazing how having kids - or at least expecting one like I am - instantly builds relationships. Plus I received some good pregnancy, labor and delivery advice from a neighbor who has a 6-week-old. I'm hoping to cultivate some relationships with neighbors once the baby is born.

so much going on!

Pete is going to be posting from Montana sometime in the next day or two, so I thought I'd better jump in and get my two cents in. I'm posting from work, so no pictures. I'll work on that this week.

Pete left early Sunday morning for his 15-day Montana adventure. It was hard (I just don't do well with people leaving - never have), but it's fine now. It helps that work is busy and I've got some projects planned for the next two weeks, including some yard work and painting our stairway and upstairs hallway, with lots of help from my parents! I'm really looking forward to the painting project - it's desperately needed and one more thing to check off the home improvement list. That way, Pete can enjoy his time (and I know he will - it sounds like it's going to be amazing) and things can still get done around the house.

Of course, the biggest thing going on is the anticipation of our baby. Things are going well so far and it's so much fun to hear the heartbeat at our appointments. Our ultrasound is now scheduled for July 11 and we hope to discover whether our baby is a boy or a girl on that day. After that, we'll register! :) I think I've been feeling the baby moving - it's a little hard to tell at this point, but I know that will come soon enough. We are so full of joy about this and can't wait to meet this little person.

Okay, it's time to jump into another busy day. Enjoy the posts from Pete!