34 Weeks

We are in week 34 of pregnancy. 

I ended up with just 4 sessions of physical therapy for my sacroiliac joint pain.  The PT had recommended a maternity belt as well which has done wonders.  My main issue now is lack of sleep.  I am up throughout the night and cannot get comfortable.  I've tried our bed, guest room bed, baby room Lazyboy and the floor.  Just call me the wanderer.  And wouldn't you know, I normally can't sleep well at naptime either.  Anyone have good under eye concealer recommendations?!

Attic Reno 12

Much has transpired on our attic project since our last post.  We worked on trim.  Corner pieces were primed and painted in addition to all the trim work, of course.  We tackled the corner pieces on a Saturday morning/afternoon.

 Justin also worked on the closet drawer and cubby areas to get them installed prior to the carpet arrival.

 Additionally, Justin built and installed a bookcase that sits in the sitting area.

Then came carpet removal of existing carpet in the hallway, stairs and porch.  We had decided to replace all the carpet and have one carpet throughout the house beginning from the attic and making its way down the step to the ground floor.

 The porch carpet had no padding underneath making for a rough play space for Kale.  We were excited to make this area more comfy and inviting.

As if we didn't already have enough work on our hands, we decided to paint the porch too before the new carpet came in.  Many thanks to D's parents for help with carpet removal and painting!  (This baby is sure to love DIY with all the painting and home improvement I've been involved with while pregnant!  Note lovely face mask!!!)

 Carpet arrived yesterday.  We love it and are so glad to not have to worry about stepping on tack strips going up and down the stairs anymore!!

 The attic now feels more like a room.  Just a few finishing touches in the bathroom and the closet spaces and it will be complete.

 And the porch.  As soon as Kale was up from his nap yesterday and the carpet layers had left, he was moving his guitars back out to his area!!!



King Kale

It was another fun Halloween.  First off, Papa had taken a couple of days off of work to work on the attic project so he was home with us all day on Halloween.  Kale and I made a homemade pizza for supper (pizza is becoming our holiday tradition for many holidays, it seems...) and used pepperoni pieces to make a jack-o-lantern face on top of the cheese.  Kale thought that was pretty cool!

 The original costume plan was a cow, picked up at a second hand store.  Due to my growing pregnant belly, I was going to dress as a pumpkin and Justin as a farmer to complete a "farm theme."  However, Kale tried the costume on a few weeks prior to the big day and we found that the size 4 cow was too tight and Kale did not like it one bit.  The day was saved with a cape my mom had made Kale for his birthday.  We easily turned him into "King Kale."

 I traced a Burger King crown onto poster board paper, printed up the letters, and bought a packet of gems from Walmart to glue on.  He wore a pair of pants and sweatshirt already in his closet and I bought a .99 cent plastic tablecloth that I cut a piece out of and stapled around his waist to make the "sash."  The smile was all his own.

 The evening was cool, but not cold.  It certainly didn't compare to the beautiful weather of last year, but it could have been a lot worse.  Here's Kale heading into our neighbor's house for his first loot.

 And a second neighbor's house who had a special treat bag all ready for him.

 And some good friends in a neighboring town where Kale felt at ease to ask for a second piece of candy...

It was a great evening.  We were even able to stay at two homes for about 30 minutes each, visiting with friends while Kale played with their toys.  And while Kale walked through a neighborhood, he said several times, "I love trick-or-treating."  Great family memories.

Halloween Hike

It was a beautiful evening for a Halloween Hike at our local nature center.  Our guide was a wolf carrying her lantern.

 Along the way we met "pollinators" such as a bee, bat, hummingbird, monarch and moth, and the wind who shared how they aide in pollination.

 We went with friends Joan and grandson, Treyton.  These two three year olds wanted to be the head of the pack, sneaking their way around the wolf!

 After the hike we enjoyed hot cocoa and cookies...

 face painting...

 and other fun.

 You'll notice my growing belly at 24 weeks.  I was startled to see myself in this photo.  Think I need to cut back on the Oreos.

 A highlight for the boys was the apple press.  They got to take part in throwing in apples and watching the juice come out.  It tasted SO GOOD!



Fall Around Our Farm

We've had some fall fun around our "farm" as Justin likes to call it.  Scarecrow assembly resulted after reading some scarecrow books from the library.

And the great pumpkin harvest.  Kale was a big helper this year.  He tried with all his might to lift all of them, even the BIG ones.

Happy Fall, ya'all!