Easter Visit (Part 2)

It seems that it's been a long time since Easter weekend, but I'd promised to put up photos, so here they are!

Two of Baby Fleming's cousins:
Caden (3 months) and Caroline (4 months).
How cute are they?

We were so blessed by being able to share the weekend with friends and family, and we were showered with many wonderful things for the baby. One of my favorite gifts was from my Grandma Moulds. Mom found my old baby blanket that Grandma had made and packaged it together with a new quilt that Grandma made for Baby Fleming. Quilting is something that Grandma passed along to me, and I am so excited to share these quilts with our baby.

I didn't get any good photos of Tom and Mary Anne's house decorated for the shower, so if anyone has any, please send them my way. You can see a little bit of the decor hanging on the mantle. Mom, Lindsay, Kelly, and Amy collected some washcloths, blankets, socks and onesies to hang on clothesline in the main rooms. It was precious, and all of the decor will get to be used for the baby. Too cute and very practical. Great idea, girls!

Kneppers/Flemings

Flemings/Flemings

Home Improvement News

Recognize this?

I think all of you knew this, but four years ago Brian and I bought a purple house that was filled with garbage. We chose this house because of its location, its potential, and because it was filled with garbage we knew we could kind of afford it. We've put a lot of TLC into our home, and over the past few years we've repainted the exterior and 90% of the interior, replaced all of the flooring with ceramic tile/laminate hardwood, updated the appliances, installed new light fixtures, reestablished the front lawn, added a drain and path along the north side of the house, built a bar, and retiled one of the showers. We did all but a few of those projects ourselves. We both love this kind of thing, and we're getting pretty good at it, but there are a few things that I think are worth paying people to do.

One of these projects was completed last week. Up to that point, we had only two major projects remaining on our list: fix the backyard and renovate the master bathroom. We decided to tackle the backyard first. It only took a week, and it was well worth paying other people to do it. It's so nice to have a normal space back there now, and we've taken full advantage of it so far.

I thought you might like to see the transformation for yourselves.

Brian had marked off our plan for the patio before we got started.
You can kind of tell what condition the backyard was in up to that point.
It was not good.

Dirt's here! Not the greatest surprise I've had in my life, but luckily
having a giant dirt mound on our front curb was short-lived.

You're not going to leave it like that, are you?
Apparently, the answer would have been "Yes" if Brian and I hadn't been
adamant about incorporating a grade into the new yard.
I'm no dirt looker or anything, but I think I see a problem with this. You?

Day 4: Lisa begins breathing again.
The workmen added a nice slope to the yard, and they got started on the pavers. Progress!

Ta da! Welcome to a little bit of heaven in our backyard. Washers, anyone?

Baby Steps towards a Baby's Room

Brian and I got busy this weekend and removed the guest bed from what will be the baby's room. Okay, he moved the bed. I "supervised." It's nice being able to see the space without the giant bed in it, and so far, he hasn't complained about being cramped with the guest bed in the den (bless him).

So yesterday I took another big step and ordered the dresser and put a deposit on the crib. The baby is actually going to use what is now my dresser, and I ordered a new one for me. Long story, but the short of it is that the dresser I have now will be perfect for a little one, but isn't so perfect for me. I'll pick my new dresser up in a few weeks, make the switch, and we'll be one step closer to having a place for baby to call his or her own. We've got a lot of work to do, but it's all work that I'm looking forward to doing!

This is the crib that we're getting, but it will be in "espresso" finish.

This will be the baby's dresser (minus the mirror).

Easter Visit (Part 1)

We had the most wonderful trip to St. Louis. We got to visit with family and friends and meet our new nephew, Caden. To top it all off, Amy, Lindsay, and Kelly threw me the most special baby shower. It was great to be able to share my baby bump with everyone, and we were showered with lots and lots of goodies. I think we might actually be ready for this baby now. No, wait. Reality check. We’re nowhere near ready.

I’ll put some more photos up this weekend, but until then, here’s a photo of the cake and one of my mom (and me). She looked absolutely beautiful, and this Grandma-to-be was right in her element with all of the babies around! Do you think that expectant grandmas have a glow, too?

Our friend Erin made this beautiful and delicious cake. It was chocolate with cream cheese frosting and chocopan. How adorable is that?!

No, she's not asking for handouts. I caught her in the middle of putting lotion on her hands. Sorry, Ma.