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
