School, A Party, and More Fixer-Uppin'

Maddox's first week at school was much better than I expected. He did cry, but it wasn't hysterical. And when I picked him up every afternoon, he was smiley and had fun stories about his friends, Harris and Jonah. Of course, there's also stories about kids like, "This boy reached into my lunchbox and bit my ice pack!" or... "This boy was so bad in class Mrs. Richbourg called his Dad!" But I told him that's just life...you have the good ones and the bad ones ;)

This weekend, we celebrated his 6th birthday! On Friday, we celebrated at school, on Saturday we had a little family party at Nana and Papa's, and then on Sunday we celebrated one last time at Trues' Sunday dinner.

 He wanted to design his own birthday cake so he told Mrs. Jenny Sharpe exactly how to make it: Chocolate icing, vanilla cake, chocolate sprinkles on top, a dirtbike on top surrounded by six candles, and with the words, "Happy Birthday Maddox! Love you." He was happy with the outcome!

He talked Jude into giving him his present early. So on Friday night, he opened the first gift - a little stuffed dog he had been wanting. 

 Maddox's favorite part, other than getting presents and a $100 bill (I wish I had a video of him realizing it was 100 and not a 20), was hitting the football pinata. Over and over. And over. Even Mr. Kevin took a turn. Finally, Papa had to "help" it pop open.

Week 2 at school started hard for Maddox because instead of walking him in, I had to drop him off at the car drop off. This change made him cry, and as I pulled off, I cried too! Guilty mama complex. Thankfully, today, there were no tears!!

He comes home every afternoon and likes to "work." This means cutting grapes with his arrowhead, riding Jude on the fourwheeler, and finishing off the day with a swim. 

Jude misses Maddox when he's gone. I'm his new best friend. This morning, we fixed up Clifford with a shot and medicine, and before that, Jude planted a jellybean garden. Haha, apparently candy is his kind of produce ;)

In other news, I passed my Civil Litigation exam with an A, which surprised me! That has been the hardest class for me so far. Now I feel relieved, and can focus on my fixer upper more. It's never-ending! From painting, to new floors, to cleaning out cabinets, to lights, a toilet....I could go on. And then there's all the unpacking on top of that. It IS never-ending, and often frustrating, but seeing the progress is fun.

Here's a glimpse at the nursery.

BEFORE: This room was painted a dirty off white, with mismatched molding, and peeling linoleum floors. It even had a funky smell. 

AFTER: I had carpet put in. Goodbye peeling, filthy linoleum! We painted the walls a clean white. My dad's friend, Kevin, took out the old molding and put in new molding, that I painted white. (I am sick of painting at this point!)

I hung some wall art, added a fluffy rug, and still need to get the crib put together. 

 Dad hung white shades, too, since the windows had no coverings. One of my favorite things about the room is the view. Hopefully, by the time Ollie comes, the room will be all done, clothes all washed, and 100% ready! The rest of the house is still a work in progress, but I'm learning that when it comes to a house...that's just the way it is. I'll post more before/afters later this week.

 

Summer is fading

Where did the summer go?

Tomorrow, Maddox starts Kindergarten at Pine Tree Hill. I was honestly nervous about him going to a South Carolina public school, but I had heard really good things about Pine Tree, and after we went to the Meet and Greet last week, I was relieved! His classroom is great, his teacher seems wonderful, and he sits at a table with a kid he already met at VBS earlier this summer. I hope it's a good fit for him. He seems much more mature, and actually ready, to start full-time school this year.

A huge chunk of the summer has been spent fixing up my house. It's coming along great and I can't wait to post some "before and after" pictures soon. Paint and flooring make a HUGE difference!!

Another chunk of the summer was spent at USC, trying to stay awake during my paralegal class, and then trying to keep up with all the assignments and exams. Somehow, I've managed to pull an A in three of the classes, and I still have three left before I can graduate. It's been stressful doing school with two kids and a giant belly that gets more uncomfortable by the week, but it'll all be worth it.

Of course, Mom feels like her whole summer was spent in the hospital with Dad, who seems to be doing much better now. I hope the Fall is better for all of us!

I'm excited for baking, pumpkins, holidays, crisp air, actually moving into my house, and sweet baby Oliver.

I know the boys will miss the long summer days, swimming in the pool, and lots of ice cream, but I'm ready for a change :)

Baby Birds

"Mom, it's two baby bird eggs! You have GOT to see this!"

Jude was screaming so loud in the front yard that I thought he had stumbled upon a snake when he first yelled "Mom!" But that is just Jude. He is my drama king.

He had actually stumbled upon a kid-level bird nest in a bush by the front porch. It was perfect timing. We closed on our house just three days ago, after weeks of endless paperwork, phone calls, faxes, and some obstacles. I thought it would never happen. But it did. And now, we have our first, very own nest! We love all the space, the cows across the street, and the oaks in the yard.  

HGTV has a way of making fixer uppers look fun, but let me tell you...I am already sick of paint, paneling and the words "water damage." But even with all the stress, it is exciting to put your own mark on a place. I just have to keep telling myself this is a journey and fixing a house exactly as I want it will take lots of time...and it WILL be fun. 

Today the new floors in the living room and hallway went in. I was so happy to see that old dirty, dusty blue carpet tossed outside.

 Meanwhile, the boys' room became a dust bowl as a family friend worked hard at re-taping and mudding some of the drywall. Taking the boys inside was next to a nightmare. They eyed shiny sharp tools, tracked sheetrock mud down the hall and found the giant roll of new bedroom carpet to be a great trampoline. We didn't stick around too long. (Next to go: that dark paneling!)

I will be pretty happy when this fixer upper is fixed!

And in other news:

-I am 28 weeks pregnant as of yesterday. Ollie is breech, feels huge, but I know he is going to be adorable and very well-loved! He is scheduled to arrive October 7 :)

-Dad is back in the hospital. That has been a huge anxiety for all of us! For months, he has been getting sicker and sicker, with yet another pleural effusion. They finally discovered the source: the pancreas. Now, it's making a decision as to what to do next. We miss Papa and Nana and hope they are able to come home soon!!

-I'm still attending USC every Saturday and should get my paralegal certificate in January. It's been difficult fitting in homework with everything going on, but I'm doing it somehow and making it work. 

-My Volvo blew up. I am currently borrowing my grandma's spare truck until I can have Ollie, graduate, get a paralegal job, and then an SUV to fit all these kids (haha). I was pretty bummed at first, but the truck is working out for now...and the boys love it. ;)

That's a mini update. So many people have wanted to know how are we doing, what are we doing, and what the house looks like, so...I will try my best to keep up here. We love you, family and friends, and without y'all, we wouldn't even have this nest.

"I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you are not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." F. Scott Fitzgerald