Painted

The stairs are done...

Up close and personal...

Chloe's sandbox is complete...we just need to finish painting the lid, but at least it is full of sand so Chloe can enjoy it!! We are trying to finish up a bunch of little projects around the house before Chloe's birthday and before the little mister is born. It is very time consuming but also fun (and it feels so good to see these projects come together and be completed).

Photos of the Prop

Here are some photos of the prop Dan!!

Rose garden

Side and part of backyard...you can see Chloe's sand box down below the rock wall (Nate made her sandbox, all we need to do is fill it with sand which we plan to do very soon).

The fishin' is good at the pond now...

More local wildlife...a pheasant.

Nate made a fire ring and we made a fire in it the other day. It was fun!

Primed

Stairs are primed and ready for paint.

Nate placed some pavers at the bottom of the stair case as well so that the ground is more even. We will eventually fill in the whole bottom area with pavers and replace the railroad ties with a nice stone or brick retaining wall. One step at a time.

Stairs Complete...Sorta

The handrail is coming together...

Nate sure is working hard...

Some finishing touches...

And they are complete...just need to prime and paint. I have had some of you ask for the prego belly shot...so here it is (30 weeks prego tomorrow). If you click on the photo you can really see the belly up close in all my chubby glory!:)

Doesn't the stairs look great!!?? I am so proud of Nate...he has never made stairs before and he did such a great job! I can't wait to see what it will look like when it is all painted.

Stairs

We wanted more access to our side and backyard (our deck only provides one way on & off of it via the front of the house) so Nate is making stairs to go down from the other side of the deck. This way we will have more immediate access to the lawn, pool, duck pond, & Chloe's outside toys, (we are going to put her playhouse down near her sandbox so that we have more room on the deck for a gazebo and patio swing). So here are a couple of photos of the project. We always seem to have ongoing projects around here. 1st Nate poured the concrete pad for the stair case (he also drew all of our initals and date on it before it dried), he then bought the wood necessary to complete the stair case and measured and cut everything and it was a perfect fit...it is so nice to have a handy husband who also likes to do these projects...thanks babe!

Here he is putting the project together...even in the rain; what a trooper! (he said it was fun, even in the rain)

It is all coming together...

All steps are in place...woohoo...:)

This is still what it looks like from the top of the deck...Nate will finish this project this weekend by cutting an opening in the deck railing so the steps are accessible for going up & down from the deck & he will make the railing extend on either side of the stairs going down.

Here is the team...and boy are they the best team around!! We will paint the stair case as soon as the weather turns nice again and the wood has dried out (we hope to have it painted before Chloe's birthday in April).

Monterey

Nate & I went to Monterey last week for a few days. We thought it would be nice to get a little vacation in before mister is born. Chloe stayed with Gpa & Gma Britting, & boy did she have fun...& so did we!! It was my first nite away from Chloe (& we went for two nites) so that was a little tough on me, but I think it was good for all of us. We went to a couple of movies, ate some great food, went to the Old Fisherman's Warf, went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, visited CSU Monterey Bay, took the 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach, went to Salinas for breakfast at Margies one morning, & walked around the local mall. Below are a few photos of our trip (these are all from the Monterey Bay Aquarium).

Nate in front of the kelp forest tank.

Where's the fish? Pretty cool!

Bat Rays

A photo of the prego lady out on the observation deck.

A diver cleaning a tank (kelp forest tank) just before feeding the fish...we also watched the tuna tank fish get fed.

Spring

I know it isn't official yet, but, it feels like spring and we love it! I just thought I would post a few cute photos of the Chlo-meister...the 1st one was taken a week & a half ago when the weather was a little cooler (in fact not 15 miles from our house there was snow on the ground & it was hailing at our house) & the 2nd photo I just took this afternoon (it is in the upper 70's at our home today). Enjoy!

Update

So, I thought it was time to do a little update on us. Chloe just had her 22 month doc app yesterday & all is good. Her vitals and development are all normal and her doc was really pleased (me too!) She is just under 25 lbs which puts her in the 35% for weight and she is 2' 10" tall which puts her in the 74% for height. She got one shot and didn't even flinch (that's my girl!) She doesn't have to see the doc again for a year now (she is now considered a child, no longer a baby...they do grow so fast.) Chloe's eye prescription changed to bi-focals and we think they really help. We are hoping this will do the trick and correct her eyes, but surgery is still an option. Chloe talks all the time and says new words daily. Her favorite is still being outside wondering all over the prop, feeding the ducks, riding in her wagon, etc. We are really enjoying the spring-like weather around our place. I can't believe she is going to be 2 years old next month.

Except for some numbness in my hands and soreness in my shoulders when I sleep at night, I am feeling pretty good. I am just about 28 weeks (yea...3rd trimester...) and feel the baby move constantly (which can be fun and uncomfortable...mostly fun). 2.5 months to go and we will be meeting the little mister. My belly just grows and grows (you can see it in the photo above). Chloe wants to kiss and touch my belly and says "baby" and "brother" all the time now, it is so cute! I know she is going to be an excellent big sis and a wonderful helper to me. I am glad that I haven't felt sick for about 3 weeks now and am hopeful the nausea has now passed.

Nate is doing well. He is busy working and being a wonderful husband and father (he helps me so much, I am so greatful!!) He is taking him and I on a little vacation next week to Monterey. Chloe will be staying with my folks for a few days and we are excited to get away! This is the first time we have left her overnite, so it will be different but fine. She loves spending time with the Grandma's & Grandpa's!! And they love it, too!!