Chubs

Recently Joe (and I, I must admit) have started calling Molly chubs. Yesterday she had her four month appointment and we were justified in the new nickname. She has caught up, and even surpassed, Cassidy's four month stats, despite having started out 1.5 inches shorter and 1.25 pounds lighter!!! Crazy. She now weighs 13 pounds 6.5 ounces (Cas was only 13 lb 5 oz), is 24.5 long (same as Cas) and her head is 15.75 in (same as Cas). I do realize that those she is still relatively a lightweight but I feel proud to know that we've gained almost four pounds since her two month appointment. My visiting teaching companion, our teachee, and I joke about how my companion produces cream while my teachee and I produce skim milk. So the big weight gain really boosts my confidence in my ability to produce enough.
Us girls are sick, yet again. I feel so bad for Cassidy because she is also cutting two molars on top of the illness. And poor Molly sounds so hoarse and stuffy and so pitiful when she cries. It breaks my heart. Cassidy keeps waking up partially and crying out. Next time she does wake up fully a little Tylenol should help.
I wanted the fence up by tomorrow but I don't think that will happen. Tomorrow I'll get the stringers and pickets painted and hopefully attached. Maybe it'll be up tomorrow, but if not than by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. I can't wait to get the plants in the ground.We did get a lot of weeds pulled today so that was good. With the next 10 days looking gorgeous in terms of weather I can't wait to see what gets accomplished.

Fun stuff

This is Molly on April 19th. Isn't she getting so big? She is really starting to stand well and likes to sit up on our laps. So cute.


This is Cassidy and her friend Ella (Cassidy calls her "A-ya", so funny) from April 12. Cassidy started bouncing then Ella started bouncing. Don't you love the roll off the step? Cassidy asked for Ella for the next 3 days. It was really cute.

So Joe and I are moving ahead with some projects at home. The first is a little picket fence in our back yard to keep the kiddies out of the garden area. So far we've sunk the posts and primed the pickets. We are waiting on the lumber to dry enough to cut and make the stringers to which we will attach the pickets. I'd love to get that project done before we plant our "garden". All our plants are sitting on our patio table and are waiting to get in the ground. Hopefully it'll all be done by May 1st. That is my goal. What day is May 1st? Well, by the end of next week, whatever the date my be.
The BIG project we have just decided to undertake is... add a second story to our house. Crazy, we've talked about it now and then ever since we got married. Well, with the economy down and just two kids at home we thought the time is right. So first we have to design what we want and then get a structural engineer to tell us what we need to do to the house and foundation to be able to add the second story. That and all the needed structural reinforcing (as well as the guest bath remodel) will be this year's project. That and getting all the permits and the city stuff done. Next spring and summer we will rip off the roof over the area where the second floor will be and then add the floor joists, do the framing, drywall, yadda yadda yadda. I'm already picking paint colors and fixtures for the bathroom. In total I think we are going to try to add about 800 square feet, it'll be 3 large bedrooms, a large closet for storage (our house has almost NO storage), a bathroom and the stair case obviously.
I know it will be nuts and crazy but I am SOOOO excited at the prospect of more room. We have the smallest house model in our subdivision but we will probably end up having the largest family (cross our fingers) so obviously we need more room.
So I am going to post a slide show of the progress of all our house projects. There may be long stretches without updates but bear with us. Hopefully by next summer the picture of our house from the front will look much different.

Happy Birthday!!!

So today is Joe's 33rd birthday. He can't believe it. It's a repeat of Easter unfortunately, the kids are still sick, again, and so we are celebrating at home and will celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa next week, when everyone, including Grandma is healthy. Opps there's Miss Cassidy waking from her nap.
Love you Joe.

It's been too long

Today ended up going very different from what I thought this morning. Last night was rough. Cassidy woke up crying around 11p, Molly was hungry about 12a, again at 4a, then she woke up (if she ever fell asleep) around 430a needing to be reswaddled and rocked back to sleep. Cassidy talked on and off from about 5a on. Joe got up with her and then he left about 6a to go skiing with his dad. Cassidy came to bed with me, that lasted till 615a when Molly wanted to get up too. After a night like that, all I wanted to do was go back to bed, but that didn't happen. Fortunately Molly went back to sleep about 7a. She woke up around 830a and I decided to give her a bath. While I was bathing her I remembered that some old friends played volleyball at a local chapel from 9-11a. Oh that sounded like fun, so I got the girls dressed, changed into work out clothes and hit the road.
I don't remember the last time I played volleyball, really played, with people who know how to play. I'm sure it was before Joe and I got married. I think it'd been even a few years before that that I had done drills. Well that's what we did today. Drills. It was so FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a blast. I already feel it in my legs. Isn't it great??? The girls were able to come because there is a babysitter who only charges $2!! What a deal. There were about 8 kids there. Cassidy wasn't too thrilled but it was good for me to find out that she needs to be around kids without me more. Molly was a doll, after I feed her.
I had so much fun. It is so good to get out and do something that is so me for a change, something that was me longer than I've been a mom or a wife. Something that I enjoy but don't get a chance to do very often at all. We will be going back, hopefully weekly.