Weekend Warriors

Well, my husband and I finally decided to tackle what was suppose to be one project this past Saturday and that was to start and finish a stone walkway along one side of our house. We knew from the beginning that this was going to be quite a task, but we were up for it, especially when we found out how much money we could save by doing it ourselves.

This first picture is all the materials that were delivered by Lowes. The delivery guy said the weight of everything was way over 1,500lbs and he advised me (us) to be VERY careful as we worked. He said he had NEVER delivered an order this large to a house where the homeowners where doing the project themselves. Not very reassuring.



Materials:
Landscaping Lining
2 flats totaling 195 stones
1 flat of 75 bags of sand (40lbs each) 2 bags leftover
1 flat of 75 bags of rock (40lbs each) 5 bags leftover

As you can see from the picture I look nice and put together, needless to say that's not how I looked by the end of day. We started early in the morning, 6:15am, with our first delay by 7am. The bottom of the gate was too low. Therefore, we had pull out the saw and extension cord and cut off a few inches, I'm sure our neighbors enjoyed waking up to a very loud saw at 7am on a Saturday. Other than that we had no more "hick-ups".

About half way through the process I realized that I was doing almost all the heavy lifting while Fred was sitting on the ground with the fan blowing on him smoothing all the sand and rocks and emptying some of the bags. Somehow, this continued throughout the day! What's even funnier is that he was thinking the same thing. Neither of us said anything I guess because we were so focused on making sure that the walkway was straight. LoL

It took us from 6:15am - 4pm, with only a 30min lunch break to Chick-Fil-A for some protein and a big, tall glass of tea to complete the walkway (and a refill). :-p We were grateful to Chick-Fill-A that they were handing out free full size chocolate chip cookies, the sugar gave us a power surge to continue on.

Here are some pictures of us during the process and the final walkway....





Amy and the beginning on lifting bag after bag of sand

                                                                                                      

Final Product of walkway (angle view)

Once we got back from lunch and reevaluated things we realized we had over purchased by quite a bit. So, we had to make a decision....1.) load everything in 2 cars, drive to Lowes, and unload it to make our return OR 2.) we could do another walkway but in the backyard like we have been talking about??? We were planning on doing this in the Fall or next Spring. See, we are into Phases; we are currently on Phase 2 (as this is our second spring/summer in our home).

We decided....let's go for it! So, at 6pm we started a new project and yes, we were already about ready to drop from exhaustion and back pain, but thought as long as we don't stop we'll be ok. With about 2-2 1/2 hours left of daylight we got busy, again.

I gave Fred a sweaty kiss for good luck and enegry and we started with Project #2 of the day.

We pulled/dig what little grass, and I do mean little, (really all dirt) and then Fred laid out the path that he wanted. The rest was history. I mean really, after 10 hours of laying stone I think we have it down to a science!

Final Product.  We just need some flowers.  We finished just as the sun was going down!

Like I said as I started this blog. What I looked like at 6:15am and what I looked like at 8pm are SIGNIFICANTLY different, but hey dirt washes off. It may take more than one bar of soap, but that's ok. :-)

**Side note: Sunday morning - We didn't wake up until 9:30am and Fred literally had to help pull me up to a sitting position because my lower back was so locked up! My back/shoulders were completely sunburn (didn't think about that). We were both completely "out of it" Sunday and are very proud of our work. I also have a NEW FOUND RESPECT for anyone in the landscaping, irrigation, pool, or construction business. I couldn't imagine doing this all day everyday.

What to call the Grandparents

Cast your vote...

We've started thinking about "titles" that would fit each parent.  If you have a favorite let us know.  We'd love to hear what everyone thinks.

Amy's Parents -

Amy's Mom

Grams
Nana

Grandma

Amy's Dad

Gramps

Pop

Fred's Parents -

Fred's Mom

Nonna "Nonni"
(Italian for Grandmother)

Gami

Gammie

Fred's Dad

PaPa

Grandpa

Funny Dad's

Let me start by saying my dad and father-in-law have probably been then the most vocal (in a good way) as we wait for Baby "E".  While everyone else; family, friends and strangers have been nothing but supportive in asking how things are going, if we need anything and praying for us these two guys have given me/us input almost constantly.

My dad, who lives locally tells me weekly, sometimes daily, baby items that are either on sale or about some product that he has seen on tv that I should purchase.  He'll tell me that this "item" will make my life so much easier.  He says he knows this because they didn't have this "item" when either myself or my brother were that age.  He also gives me advise on what to do and definitely what not to do!

I can't begin to tell you how many times he has told me that Fred and I are "not allowed" to buy a Tricycle as this is something he is going to buy.  He wants Baby "E" to know this is coming from him.  Not sure why it's so important, but ok.  :-)  He has also told me that he plans on seeing his grandchild weekly and attending all events, whatever that might be.

Then you have the whole naming the baby .....  He has figured out at least 10 different ways to tell me that if it is a boy that a good, strong name would be..... Robert Dean.  Yep, that's his name.  But, don't you worry, he's given me his fare share of girl names that he likes as well.  It's quite funny.

Then you have Fred's dad.  Fred's parents live out of state, but we talk to them weekly.  Every week he'll ask Fred if there's any BIG news.  Of course not .... do they really think we wouldn't call and tell them if something happened!  We'll be screaming it from every mountain top (ok - hills since it's Tx), texting, emailing and making phone calls.

Anyway, last weekend he asked Fred "how much longer he was going to have to wait until we made him a Grandpa"?!  He said he's tired of waiting!  How awesome is that.

These two guys, are so funny and cute.  I love hearing how excited they are in becoming Grandpa's.  It brings such joy to my heart.  This will be my dad's 1st grandchild and my father-in-law's 5th.

I can't wait until Baby "E" is actually here and I get to introduce our baby to these two men.  What stories and love they both have to give this baby.  I'm not sure who will have more fun the baby or the Grandpa's.  You can bet there will be lots of pictures and video.  :-)

From My Husband's Point of View

My husband came home Tuesday and told me about this radio interview he heard with James Dobson on Family Talk and mom/authur, Julie Barnill.  The following is told from my husband's point of view and he was laughing the entire time......

A mom and her toddler where at home one morning when the toddler poked the mom in the rear and said, "mommy you have a big butt".  Her mom proceeded very patiently to explain to her that we don't say things like that to mommy or to anyone else!

So, the morning proceeds and they are now in the grocery store.  Well, you got it.  The toddler once again, pokes mommy in the rear and says VERY LOUDLY, "mommy you have a big butt."  Well at this point mom exploded in the middle of the store and yelled at her toddler.  Mom was mortified and of course the toddler didn't know what she had done and started screaming.  Not a good ending, but unfortunately a very common situation. 

Of course, we all laugh when we hear these stories because they're funny, but whether we're parents (and have been embarrassed by something our angelic children have said/done) or whether we have witness this, we all know where this poor mom is coming from and the frustrations she feels.

The point of the interview was that after one too many volcanic eruptions/meltdowns she decided that there had to be a better way to deal with situations like and the "angry mom" dilemma, thus her book, "She's Gonna Blow! Real Help for Mom's Dealing with Anger" (available on amazon).

My husband, because let's face it at the core of it he is "male", not only thought this story was hilarious but thinks I should read this book before the adoption is final and that our MOPS group should read it as well.

My thoughts are this..... 1. why does he think I should read this book, is he trying to tell me something?   2.  if I read it, shouldn't he be reading it along with me, you bet your bottom dollar :-)  3.  I think it's funny and strange that he thinks our entire MOPS group should read it.

Sweetie, I love you and I do find the story amusing, but I'm not sure we should be giving blanket advise since this parenting thing will be brand new to us, I'm just saying.  No matter what it's funny to see things from a man's point of view!  LoL

***Here is a link to website containing the interview that I believe my husband hear*** http://drjamesdobson.org/Broadcasts/Broadcast?i=fa704842-3524-4e85-881b-331966d1de06

I'm reposting this from our adoption agency website (http://www.chosenchildtx.org/) because it's such an important topic and because I know that some of you reading my blog are currently working with teenage girls, teenmoms and are thinking about adoption.

If you have any questions, just ask.

 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

Apr 27, 2012 by Laura

The Chosen Child staff attended a seminar this morning on the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders or FASD). Dr. Toosje Thyssen VanBeveren, a professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the Univeristy of Texas in Dallas, has dedicated much of her studies to this topic and presented her findings in this seminar. We were very enlightened and would like to share some of the information that we gained.

While one mother who consumes alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to a baby affected by a FASD, another mother who has consumed alcohol during pregnancy may deliver a perfectly healthy baby. Sometimes, there is just no way to know ahead of time which child will or will not be affected. However, there are three factors that can contribute to these differences:

1. Amount of alcohol that is consumed
2. Individual differences in metabolic capacities in mothers and in unborn children
3. Timing of alcohol use:

a. Period of pre-implantation (conception to 10-12 days after conception), during which alcohol will not affect the developing organism.
b. Period of embryonic development (10-12 days to end of 8th week), in which all major organs and tissue will develop. Alcohol may affect the formation of these organs and tissue.
c. Period of fetal development (end of 8th week to birth), which is the time of growth and maturation. Infants exposed to alcohol during this time may be smaller and have lower birth weight.
Note: The developing brain is vulnerable during almost all nine months of pregnancy.

Alcohol is a teratogen, which is defined as an agent or condition that disrupts typical development and causes physical and behavioral abnormalities in the developing embryo or fetus. Teratology has four principles:

1. Death
2. Facial abnormalities and birth defects
3. Growth deficiencies or growth retardation
4. Central nervous system dysfunction, including damage to the brain

While not all of these are not guaranteed consequences of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, each one is a possibility.

If you are a pregnant birth mother, it is important for you to know the affects of alcohol consumption during this time in your life and to know that you have the power to prevent FASD in your child. Adoptive parents, we share this information, not to scare you, but to make you aware of the possible (but not guaranteed) results of a child who was exposed to alcohol in the womb.

At the very least, our hope is that you will research this topic individually so that you can become more informed.