Thank you, Mom

Trey loves Grandma

David went to Europe to 2 1/2 weeks with his parents. I was so happy that he was able to spend this time with them. I would have loved to go with him - we had had the cash for the trip saved since April. But we decided that it would be a lot more work than fun to try to travel with a 27 week pregnant me and a toddler (who normally transitions and travels very well but not when he is tired - we would have spent much of the trip getting adjusted to the 9 hour time difference). They were doing a lot of traveling through 4 countries in a short amount of time, and I think the decision for me and Trey to not go was a good and wise decision. There will be days in the future when we don't have little ones and then we can go on trips like this together. Thank you, Tom and Barbara, for taking David on this wonderful trip - I know the trip meant a lot to him - more than any of us probably realize.

So the dilemma with David going was how would I work while he was away? Who would watch Trey while I worked at night and slept during the day? My mom graciously offered to come out to Arizona and stay with me and Trey so that David could go. If she had not offered, I don't see how he could have gone. I really appreciate her willingness to come out. She flew in the day David flew out. And then she left the day David came home - they even had layovers together in the Detroit airport.


Mom cared for Trey in a wonderful way. They went to McDonald's together and on little errands. She took him to the library for ToddlerTime. She helped make dinner on nights that I worked. She cleaned the house for me - even washed the windows inside and out. She bought Trey some new plastic plates and new sippy cups. She helped me purchase and hang new blinds for our bedrooms - the other ones had been up for years and were all sun-damaged. She cooked some meals ahead for us for when the baby is born (her lasagna is the best). I am so thankful for this time we had together. I have been really homesick lately - worried a little about having a baby so far away from all of our family. This time really encouraged me. Mom gave up a bunch of things at home so that she could come help us - thank you, Mom, for coming to stay with us. We love you.

Bath time - Trey loves a captive audience

Projects

It seems we have been working on projects since we moved to Arizona last summer. I have made a list of what I wanted to get done. I wanted to put pictures up of some of what has been done. Just for a quick reminder, this is what our place looked like about a week after we moved in (click here)

This is a dresser that I sanded and stained to match Trey's crib - this is before I started

This is during the sanding - it took me about 4 days to sand it down

We have bought all of our furniture for Trey (and for ourselves) used, so our crib didn't match his dresser. I have been wanting to stain his dresser to match his crib since he was first born

The finished product - the dresser matches his crib perfectly

I have painted the entire house - 3 bedrooms , kitchen, bathroom, and family room. It took me a couple months during Trey's naptime and around my night work schedule. But it is finally done and we are happy with the results. We are so thankful that God has provided us a place to stay. We used to think to that we had "free housing" - but it is anything but free. David puts in a lot of hours as the caretaker in exchange for our rent. And putting in a lot of outside hours mowing, tending to an orchard, etc in the Arizona heart is no easy task. If he was actually paid for all the work he does, his pay would be much more than our housing expense. I am so thankful for his hard work to provide us this place to live.

David changed all the outlets and the lights switches in the house. He changed out ceiling fans. He also pretty much gutted the bathroom - the drywall had gotten wet above the shower and he had to rip that out and put up new drywall. He did a great job.

I am looking forward to some day have our own place to do projects in. But for now, I am content to be here. We have more than what we need, and it is such a blessing in this economy to see God's hand providing for each of our needs in an abundant way.

The bathroom completed - we found the vanity, sink, and mirror on a closeout on Craigslist for 1/8 of what the retail price had been

Painting the kitchen cabinets was tedious but it brightened up the kitchen a lot