Hail Storm

Friday evening was a bit rough on our house.  A really bad storm came through and ate up all the plant life.  Oh and our gutters.  Yay for being a home owner!  Actually, it is usually a great experience, but then something like this comes along and ruins my day.  It won't be an expensive repair since we have plastic gutters.  I'm more upset about the time to repair.  Travis will have to go to the store, get the materials and then take the time to cut them to fit, get the ladder out and put them up. 

Normally this wouldn't bother me very much but I'm feeling less and less productive lately.  Travis picked up the pace this weekend and really started to help me out around the house and with Mila preparations.  He is on-call at work this week and weekend, which means he won't be around very much as it is.  Meh, I guess that's life.

So, back to the storm!  I tried to leave work a little early Friday in hopes of missing the worst of the storm.  Sadly, it started raining on my walk out to the car.  It was only sprinkling, but the 60 mph winds made it feel like I was being stabbed by needles.  Walking is hard enough as it is, add head wind to that and life gets harder.  It was pouring by the time I reached Aiden's daycare.  I ran from my car to the building (killer on my lower back) and a mom was standing in the doorway with her two kids.

"Careful!" she said. 

Careful?  Because I might fall?  Or because the exercise might hurt me?  I feel horribly guilty all the time about my lack of physical activity.  I know several pregnant women who have exercised their entire pregnancy and they are just fine.  It just struck me as funny.

It was back to a sprinkle by the time I pulled off at our exit.  I had a flash back to after hurricane Ike when the trees were damaged.  There were so many green leaves strewn across the road that I couldn't tell where the road ended and yards began.  Travis got off early, so he was already home talking to our neighbor about the storm.  Aiden and I walked around the house assessing the damage.  All my large-leafed plants look like they were taken out by a shot gun.  I felt like with all the leaves and branches in our yard that there shouldn't be any left on the trees, but they actually don't look bad.  The only expense to us is replacing three gutter sections.  Though I don't think we'll be home free until we see how the roof handles the next rain.  It looks fine, but you never know.  Oh and the garage could use a fresh coat of paint.  Looks like someone went to town with a pellet gun on the siding.

Sorry in advance for the sideways/upside down photos.  I keep meaning to try loading them using another computer, but I either forget or don't have time.  So here they are if you're up for turning your head or flipping over your computer/phone.

Swiss cheese gutters

Everything was coated in green leaves

Aiden wanted to eat the hail.  I used to eat snow when I was little, but now that we live so close to a refinery, I said no.

Shot gun blasted

The culprits



+18 lbs

Just a quickie...  Our tax refund finally came through so we're going to IKEA this Saturday.  WAHOO!!!  Although, I don't know when we'll find the time to put together all the furniture (don't worry Alexa, I didn't forget about you) because I REALLY want to work on the yard Sunday.  I've got a BUNCH of stuff that needs to be planted ASAP.  I'd hate for all our seed planting work to go down the drain because I couldn't find time to complete the task.

Sometimes I wish I could just flip this belly around to my back so I could get work down easier.

31 Weeks: A bathroom mirror impromptu photo

Croton, Begonias and 4 o'clock

Last Wednesday I ended up being sick.  I already had a doctor's appointment scheduled for that day.  I was going to drop Aiden off and go into work in the morning, then leave for my appointment before lunch.  Instead, I laid on the couch feeling like I was going to die while my dad took care of everything for me.  I am SO lucky he was around this past week.  He brought Aiden down to daycare for me.  Then he came back, picked me up and drove me to my appointment.  I was feeling really achy, so the thought of having to wield a steering wheel was highly unappealing. 

After my appointment (weight is good, nothing important to speak up), my dad bought me lunch and then I passed out on the couch for the afternoon.  I had set my alarm so I could wake up in time to get Aiden.  But a few minutes before it went off, my dad walked through the living room saying he was going to pick up Aiden.  He had spent the entire day working in my yard, taken care of Aiden and then came home to make me dinner.  The dinner part is even more fortunate because Travis ended up not getting home from work until 11:30.  I would have had to take care of everything by myself that evening had my dad not been around.  THANK YOU DAD.

I was super busy Thursday and Friday.  I actually can't even remember what we did.  I need to pull out the camera and see if it gives me any clues.  I do know that my dad built a new plant bed between the patio and the chain link fence next to the driveway.  He and Travis are looking for soil they can remove from around the yard to build up the area around the raised walkway that now leads to our front door. 

Having that plant bed already makes the area seem more finished.  I'm planning to move some bamboo out from under the awning of our house and planting it there.  I found out in the past few weeks that it is a full sun plant, which explains why it hasn't grown very much back in that dark corner of the house.  The bamboo will double as a barricade between our play area and the busy concrete driveway. 

My dad bought four croton plants to plant in front of the wall in that new plant bed.  I bought some red wax begonias to plant in there as well.  My dad planted a bunch of seeds for me a week or so ago.  They're all sprouting and we were able to plant the 4 o'clock seedlings already.  I still need to plant the poppies and hopefully we'll be able to afford purchasing a plant here and there so we can fill in the rest of the bed.  My dad sat down with me and we prepared a landscaping blueprint so I know exactly what I need and how much of each.  I'm so excited I can't stand it!

It's been raining a bunch here, which was a huge bummer because we had planned on working in the yard a lot this weekend.  There was a break in the rain Saturday morning, during which time my dad and Travis put together a new gate for the wall that we never got up.  I think they did a really good job!  It's not a heavy duty gate, but it will be better than the two chairs I had setting there to deter Aiden from leaving through there.

I took this photo while under protection of an umbrella. The lakes were forming.



Museum and a Nursery

SO BEHIND.  Last weekend we went to the Houston Children's Museum with my dad.  I had a Groupon that was about to expire, so we needed to get that out of the way.  My dad was only availabe in the morning since he had plans with Ariel that afternoon.  We got up Saturday morning and got on the road right away. 

Aiden really seemed to enjoy the museum.  We've been there with him three times before.  Twice while he when he was younger and we went to the Tot Spot, a section geared more towards babies and toddling toddlers.  Aiden has quickly outgrown this section.  Last time we went, we hung out outside in the water play area.  This time, we hit up the make-believe section.  They have all these different rooms that are set up as some sort of a business and your child can go through and act like an employee. 

First, we hit up the bike repair shop:

Soooo, should I keep posting these sideways photos? Or are they not worth it?

Second, we went through the emergency area - ambulance (complete with an injured dummy for shocking with paddles), police car and police station.

Oh look.  This one is normal.  WTF.

Third, was the grocery store.

Aiden really got into each place.  At the grocery store, they had baskets for the kids and a grocery list so they could walk through and pick out the items from their list.  Aiden pulled a 'Travis' and picked up a few extra items.  Travis is known for randomly needing Oreos on his rare trips to the store.

Fourth, was the diner.

Oh this one is completely upside-down. Awesome.

Travis sat at the bar while Aiden made him lasagna and got him a milk.

Soon after that was the meltdown.  It was lunch time, but he through a fit when I said we had to leave the play area for a bit to get something to eat.  I knew he was hungry and we were approaching nap time.  I hoped that we could just get him to the snack bar and then he'd get better after he ate.  Sadly, this did not happen.  He kept crying so we never got into the food area.  We decided it was probably best to just leave.

Aiden passed out in the car, THANK GOD.  After we'd been on the road for a bit, I asked my dad if he wanted to stop at a nursery on the way home.  He'd mentioned he wanted to ask for advice and ideas on filling in the new plant beds that we created next to the sidewalk.  I was hoping Aiden would stay asleep, so Travis could nap as well. 

Unfortunately, Aiden woke up with an intense need to poo a few minutes after my dad and I got out of the car.  Of course he didn't actually poop during the first visit to the bathroom.  He started complaining about his tummy hurting so we rushed back to the bathroom.  Of course, by this point a line had started.  Thankfully Aiden was wearing a Pull up because he had diarrhea before we were able to get on the toilet.  He was so distraught about not making it to the potty.  Plus, he was uncomfortable from his tummy ache.  Poor guy.

My dad and I tried to get some advice while Aiden played in the car with Travis.  We got stuck talking to a woman who was all too ready to talk plants.  After 45 minutes I had to just cut her off and say thanks.  She kept talking for a few more minutes, which made my neck itch with irritation.  Aiden slept for the ride home, but it was not nearly a long enough nap for him.  I felt good about the good parts of the day.  I guess it was all worth it.  Ha.

Phone Photo Catch Up

We've been busy with my dad here.  Lots to do!  One of the things he surprised us with is a new sidewalk to lead from our driveway to the front door.  When we put in the new wall this past summer, it blocked the view of the front door.  So people who have never been to my house before may have trouble deciding which way to walk.  This sidewalk solves that.  It also created a flower bed for me to add some landscaping.  I can't wait to spruce up the wall.  I've got some plans in my head.  Hopefully they turn out as good in reality.  Some of the plants I'd like to use are not availabe yet.  I'll purchase those when it gets warmer.

The sidewalk is not quite finished.  The project was supposed to be two-day deal, but turned into a week.  We still need more pavers, pea gravel and soil to level the ground around the new raised portion of the sidewalk.  No walking in puddles to get to my house dangit! 

I love how a project starts as laying a few pavers and turns into leveling the land in my front yard.

Stupid sideways photos.  I don't know how to fix them at all now.  This happened on my home computer as well.  AHHHHH.

The first weekend my dad was here, he made us pancakes for breakfast.  He made his infamous Mickey Mouse pancake with raisins for the eyes, nose and mouth.  Aiden got to watch him make the cake.  He LOVED it.  He ate the entire thing.  He refused to let me cut it though, so it was quite a mess. 

We had a mini-Valentine's Day party after my dad got here.  He bought us lots of candy and cards.  Ariel came over with alcohol gear from the bar.  Not the most ideal thing for a child to be wearing, but Aiden really enjoyed the wrist bands from Jagermeister.  They turned into arm bands when he got a hold of them. 

Showing off his muscles.  He had to concentrate to "flex".

Aiden has also found a friend in Phage recently . He's our male cat that has always been really easy going.  I think we're going to have to get male cats from here on out.  The females are all too spastic for me.  Anyway, Aiden loves to give the cats each a treat in the morning when he wakes up.  It's so cute.  I told him they only get one each, so he gives them each one and then the cats beg for more.  Aiden throws his hands up in the air, gets this high-pitched voice and says, "There's no more.  That's all." and he puts the bottle back in the cabinet.  Love him.

He also likes covering Phage up for nap time.  He finds every one of his blankets he can get his hands on and tucks the cat in.  Phage just lays there and takes it.  Even if Aiden accidentally lays on him too hard.  He just yelps and waits for Aiden to get off. 

On Saturday and Sunday mornings Aiden lays in bed with us and watches cartoons.  Phage has started plopping down right in Aiden's lap and basking in the attention.  Such a needy cat.  Thank goodness Aiden is here to help.

PS - We're trying to grow Aiden's hair out (in case you didn't notice the shag).  We haven't quite decided how to cut it since his hair is still baby fine.  His hair IS a little wavy, but I was sort of thinking something like this or this.  It's a work-in-progress, I guess.

I can't wait for our grass to grow back

The wall is coming along!  We started painting the wall this weekend.  We chose a shade that is between the dark grey of the stucco and the light grey of the mortar that holds the "stones" up on the exterior of our house.  If I didn't have the white of the trim to compare it to, I'd say that wall is white.  

We used paint rollers, so we still have to go back through with a paint brush to get the cracks, corners and edges.  I need to do a closer inspection to determine if we need a second coat.  It was really difficult to paint the stucco because of the texture.  

After we're done with the grey, we'll be painting the wood trim black to match the house.  You can sort of see the black shutters and soffit of the house...  

This next photo is the view from the end of the driveway.  I'm hoping the black trim will help give the wall some definition.  We are also planning to put in a walkway from the driveway to the front door and lining the wall with bushes.  That will have to happen next spring since we need to attend to some interior home improvement first.  Now that Callaway is not around to scrape up the trim on the doors and Sagira's not around to scratch off the paint of the doorways, I think it's time to repaint!

This gap in the wall is where that gate is going to go after I bring it home from Illinois.  Man, I hope it looks okay.  Buying a gate in Illinois while I'm in Texas is sort of like planning a wedding in Illinois while I'm in Texas.  Only smaller scale.

We're in the home stretch!

Going well so far

Sagira is still living with my friend. It's been a little over a week and supposedly she's only had two accidents. Once was just like she did before and the second time was a stress-induced diarrhea. She got a bath and blow-dry. I PROMISE that Sagira wasn't a big fan of that. She may have been okay playing around in the bath (she isn't freaked out by water like most cats - it's a Bengal trait), but I'm SURE that blow dryer freaked her out.

Besides that, the new owner is enjoying her. Sagira is slowly warming up to her and her family. The owner's other cat still hisses at Sagira regularly, but hopefully she'll get over that soon. THIS COULD BE AWESOME.

---

The wall is coming along smoothly. Well, sort of. I was painting on the stucco primer Sunday and we found two spots that didn't attach to the pressed board. We broke it off and Travis patched the large holes last night. I primed the rest of the wall and Travis caulked most of the trim. He's going to finishing caulking the rest of the wall tonight and he also plans to prime the trim. I will have to wait until next week to finish priming the stucco because the new patches need to cure completely.

Rain is in the forecast for Thursday, so we wanted to get the wall as close to air tight before then. We've done the best we can with fresh stucco on the wall. After the priming and caulking is finished, we will paint! We are painting the stucco grey, to match our house. I'm not sure what color to paint the trim. We were planning to do black to make the trim on our house, but my dad has been trying to convince us to choose a lighter color. He said we don't have to do a stark contrast to match the house exactly. I'm not sure what we'll do yet.

It's coming along!

Step #324 complete!

The stucco is done!!!! Wahoo!!!

Now everything from here is a piece of cake. We just have to put up the trim, paint the wall, build the pergola, put in the lights and outlets, and then open up the chain link fence to connect the new fenced in area with our existing backyard. I know that sounds like a lot of work, but compared to what we've done so far, it's a cake walk. And I can help a lot more than I have so far. Actually, I am completely capable of painting without Travis' supervision, thank you very much.

The main obstacle left on our plate is the gate. We left an opening so you can get from the front door to the fenced in area easily. My dad priced prefab gates before he came down to visit us in July, only to find out that not a single store in the area sells prefabricated fence gates. Apparently that concept is more popular in the north. We CAN order them online, but they are so expensive. My dad was thinking about mailing us the one he found at a store near him. But it cost more to mail it than it did to buy it. The last two options available to us are bring it back with us on a plane when we go to Illinois in October, or have our friend Chris R. make one for us. He is a torch wielding artist that could probably make us a fabulous custom piece. We are currently weighing our options.

Last weekend while sitting on the patio, I saw a lightning bug. Lightning bugs are ALL OVER in Illinois in the summer time. I had actually completely forgotten about them until I saw that one floating over our house last weekend. I had a nostalgic moment when I remembered catching the bugs in a glass jar with my sister. Then when we went to bed at night, we would set the jar on our nightstand and watch the yellow butts crawling around in the leaves and sticks that we had so thoughtfully placed in there.

I was thrilled when I saw another lightning bug last night while we were working on the fence. It was walking on the ground, so I ran up to investigate. Right away I noticed that there were two bioluminescent dots on it's back. The lightning bug I grew up catching had an entire abdomen that lit up and then flashed intermittently in the night. In my teen years, I used to hate when one would smash on my windshield. As soon as I ran the wipers, I had smeared bioluminescence all over my windshield.

The bug I found last night was a creepy monster of a beetle. Nice try TEXAS.


I would like you to also note the ratio of dead to live grass in this photo. Now imagine that over 30% of my yard. Stupid drought.

Anyhoo, I did some research and found that these TEXAS lightning bugs are called click beetles. Wikipedia says that the lights shine constantly and then get brighter if touched by a predator. The one we found last night must be dumb because his lights dimmed and he rolled over on his back like he was playing dead. Weird. Apparently the eggs and larvae are luminous as well. Wouldn't that make them easier to spot by predators? Maybe all the beetles are dumb.

The New Stuff

Day 3 in the new lab. I'm still doing work for the old boss and I'm still doing training, so there's been a lot of running around. It's going to take a little getting used to this new building. And I think I need to get a new parking spot. It takes me 15 minutes to get to my car from here! I know half of that is just trying to get out of the building, but it's just too much. 30 minutes of my daily commute is WALKING. It's silly.

I'm also really digging this new car. I love that I don't have to get grossed out about finding someone else's dirt in the car. That always freaked me out. My biggest struggle with the car is the lack of space in the back seat. It's so cramped when I try to get Aiden in and out. He is completely capable of getting in and out on his own, but he's a stubborn, hard-headed child. Reverse psychology works wonders on him. As long as he thinks it's his idea, he'll do just about anything we ask of him.

My dad said Callaway is doing really well in Illinois. He was more clingy than normal in the beginning, but apparently he's gotten better. He has had trouble dealing with the thunderstorms. I guess they upset him as much as the pellet gun next door bothered him here. My dad is learning all of Callaway's idiosyncrasies. Like you can't leave him tied up to anything with a cloth leash. He WILL chew his way out of that. And he always has to be in the same room as everyone else. He will whine for hours if he is locked in a different room or outside. My poor dad. HA.

Travis and I got more stucco done on the wall Monday night. We developed a system where I mix the stucco and he applies it. Pretty much by the time I'm mixing one bucket, he's ready for another. Travis thinks we have four more nights of work. I'm not sure that I feel the same way. I have a feeling that moving the cyclone fence is going to be a pain in the fanny. I do, however, feel that we are in the home stretch!

BRAND NEW

Here's the wall as of yesterday:

The white wall on the left is painted with primer. The gray wall on the right has been primed and covered with stucco. I'm bummed that we can't paint the stucco for a month, but we'll survive. There's lots to do still besides paint the wall.

This is going to be repetitive for my Facebook friends, but here you go anyway...

The car dealer we've been working with was not at the dealership last night. Without him, they accepted part of our counter-offer. They said we could take home the car we would like to buy if our dealer accepts the other portion of our counter-offer. Travis is going to call him today to see what he thinks. If all is well, then he's going to go ahead with buying it tonight.

2011 Mazda CX-7
Pearl exterior, black and tan interior

No turbo engine means less pick up at acceleration, but much better gas mileage (20/28 mpg!)

It looks like our total payments (between the car note and insurance) will be an extra $20/month. BUT. We only have to put $500 down (instead of $700 for four new tires on the Murano) and we should pay off enough in 3 years to get a new car IF we want to. I love this car so much more than the 2008 Black Cherry version. I love that there is no way it has been in any car accidents. I love that everything is new and fully functional - no stains, no smells, no scratches, no dents. Oh and it has tinted windows and a nicer sound system. Both were items Travis was going to request in the 2008.

I've got my fingers crossed for tonight. That said, I won't cry myself to sleep if we don't get it. Although I have a good feeling we'll get it for what we want. Ugh, I hate buying a new car!!

On the Fence

As of right now, I still don't know if we are going to get that Mazda. Although, we should know by tonight. Travis went up to talk money last night and we weren't too happy with their offers. They are offering $2000 less than the NADA recommends for a lower quality Murano. I am aware we've had some problems with the Murano in the past, but as far as I know, there's nothing currently wrong with it aside from the fact that it needs new tires. And those don't cost $2000.

We still have the Mazda, so Travis is taking it up there tonight with a counter-offer. If they don't accept, then we're going to decline. If that's the case, then we'll probably wait until we get our tax refund next year to put down on a new car. I'm in no hurry at this point, so it's not a big deal.

I really like the Mazda though. My biggest problem with their offer is that it would put us under for even longer. I like this car, but I would like a bigger vehicle in a few years. We wouldn't be able to get out of this car for 5 years and that's too long for me. If we wait until next year, then I might aim at getting the CX-9. It's pretty much identical to the CX-7, but it has third row seating.

My foot is doing much better today. There is only a bit of swelling right around the bite.

Things are moving fairly swiftly for me at work. I start in the new lab on Monday, but I will be coming back periodically to do work for my "old" boss, aka The Boss Man. I've been busy with training and getting signatures approving my training and that will continue for the next year probably. I'm only making the first steps now. I'm looking forward to a change of venue and daily tasks, but I will miss my old lab. I really get along with The Boss Man and I know how this lab works. The new boss seems really nice, so hopefully that lab will be just as awesome.

I keep meaning to take a photo of the wall progress, but I haven't yet. We need to buy a gallon of primer paint, which I am planning to get tonight. Travis has stucco up on about a third of the wall. I think he's getting pretty good at it!

We keep making changes...

Last Wednesday Travis was working on the wall again and I mowed the lawn. It has rained enough lately the grass decided it would start growing again, and our yard was much overdue for a trim. It has been neglected lately due to all the work on this wall. While mowing the lawn, I came across two fire ant hills. The first I didn't notice until I was coming back to pass it. That was about the time I felt the first bite. By the time I could dig under the tongue of my shoe to smash the little bugger, he got me again.

I used to have severe reactions to fire ant bites. I finally went to the doctor at one point and she said I have hypersensitivity to the bites, which means that my reaction gets stronger each time I get bit. Oh and there was nothing she could do to treat it. I just had to wait it out. But after I had Aiden, my allergy seemed to have gone away. Aiden turned 2 July first. Between the time I had Aiden and now, I have been bit by a fire ant three times. And I never had a severe reaction. Until this past week, that is.

The bite itself swelled into a welt that night. Thursday morning, after my walk into work, half my ankle had swollen and after my walk back to my car after work, the rest of my foot swelled up. Friday was the worst of it. It was so swollen that I couldn't put my foot flat on the ground. It felt like it would burst with the pressure of it. This is what it looked like Friday night (with a little petechial hemorrhaging around the bite):

Every day the swelling seems to go down a little more. It gets worse when I walk a lot or when I'm in the heat for too long. Today the top of my foot and ankle are still swollen, but at least I can pull my foot up now. I haven't been able to bend my ankle for four days! Oh and I can wear shoes again.

To top it all off, I misused some crutches on Friday and severely bruised my underarms. Who does that?! The muscles in my shoulders were so sore on Saturday and Sunday. So stupid.

Saturday afternoon during Aiden's nap, Travis started looking through AutoTrader. In case you don't know, that's a website for advertising vehicles for sale. We were planning to start looking for a replacement for the Murano in December, but there are several things that need to be done on the car. Since it would be annoying to drop $1500 into a car that we are planning to get rid of in a few months, we decided to look into getting a new car now. The four main points for us are lower payments, certified pre-owned, large trunk space and NO BLACK INTERIOR. We live in southeast Texas. What was I thinking purchasing an all black car?!

We had one car in mind when we went to the dealership, but we decided to look at a couple other cars. We looked at a Mazda CX-7, Ford Edge and Ford Explorer. The Mazda CX-7 won. We liked it better on the inside and it comes with some perks being a certified, pre-owned foreign car from that dealership. (Like free oil changes for life!) The problem was it was 8:30 at night and we had Aiden with us. He was delirious since it was 30 minutes after his bedtime. I told the dealer that we would come back Monday to deal with the financial side of things. That's when he offered to let us take it home for the weekend while they keep the Murano for appraisal.

I said sure! Why not?! So here it is:

2008 Mazda CX-7 Sport

Black cherry exterior, black and tan interior

Turbo charged 4 cylinder with AWD

Seats 5, large storage space, good gas mileage and in our price range!

While we were talking to the dealer Saturday night, we let Aiden roam free in the cars. It helped corral him so we could focus more on our conversation with the dealer. Now Aiden things the car is a jungle gym.


It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the Murano has, but I need to let go of that. Lower payments = less fancy buttons and switches. It also has less leg room in the back seat, but after we get another car seat back there (maybe in the next year?) it won't really matter. We're hoping to get at least three years out of this car before we need to upgrade to a larger vehicle. By that point, we should have two loans paid off and will be able to afford a nicer SUV.




Auntie Ariel is coming up tonight to hang out with Aiden at home while we head to the dealership to talk money and do a little haggling. I think it will be a lot easier to negotiate a few items this time since it's not imperative that we get rid of the Murano today. We have eight months to find a good deal. Crossing my fingers that they don't figure out what a piece of crap that Murano really is.

A Few Changes

My dad left Wednesday night after we had all gotten home from work. He wanted to drive through the night (less traffic, means better time) so he took a couple naps throughout the day to prepare himself. Ariel, Travis, Aiden and I all waved goodbye as he and Callaway drove off that evening. Aiden started screaming crying as soon as Callaway and Gpa climbed into the car. Callaway sat in the back seat and just stared at us with his tongue lolling out to the side. Travis was upset to see him go, so of course Ariel and I started crying as well. It was all very horrible. ON my birthday. Ugh.

We ordered pizza for dinner and tried to forget about it. In the long run, I know it will be good for us. Hell, it's good for me in the short run. Most of the times when I think about Callaway are the times I had to take care of him: feeding him, him waking me up first thing in the morning to be let out, him knocking Aiden over trying to get in the back door when we get home at night. I also think of him when I see his race tracks in the yard and the dog bombs he's left behind, or when I see the trellis he tore out from under the house, or when I see the crappy flower pots I'm using because he broke our nice ones.

I'm sure this all makes me sound like a complete asshat, but that's the relationship I had with Callaway. Travis is the one who had anything more than that and it makes me sad to think he won't have that. I do get a little sad when Aiden opens the door to the garage when we get home and yells for Callaway. Or when we drive away from the house, Aiden still says, "Bye, Callaway!" Oh that one breaks my heart the most.

I think Callaway will be better off with my dad. As much as Travis loved Callaway, he didn't have much time to spend with him. My dad works from home most days and when he has to go to a job site, he just takes Callaway with him. My brother his home from college for the summer, but when he goes back to school, my dad won't be alone now. He'll have Callaway to take care of, and that makes me feel so much better for the both of them.

The other big thing going on in my life at the moment is my job. My future changes every other day. One day I'm moving to another lab, the next day I'm going to take an administrative position. As of today, I'm staying with my current boss, but getting paid from a different group, meaning my work might change a little. The reason things have been changing so frequently is because everyone has to arrange for funding me, and sometimes it doesn't work out. With less than two weeks until my pay ceases, I am getting more and more anxious about my status. I have confidence that I will have a position here at UTMB come August 1. I just don't know where I'll be.

Travis has spent every other day working on the wall. Most days he doesn't need my help because he can do the stuff himself faster than he can tell me how to do it. I plan to help tonight though, since we'll be putting the plywood up on the other side of the wall. I can always hold up a board without being told how. Travis ran electrical through the wall so we can eventually put up lighting and outlets.

The wall looks great so far. I think our biggest test will be with the finishing touches. If we do a bad job putting on the stucco, then we'll have to stare at it for as long as we live in this house. I really hope this looks as amazing in real life as it does in my head!

Sort of like the Great Wall of China...

... this is the wall that never ends. I've lost track of what days we did what. But I do know the order. First we set the poles:

Then my dad and Travis built the concrete brick wall.


We have been working on this wall every single day since I can remember. Will it never end? It took them 24 hours of labor over the course of 3 days to complete the brick wall.

Right now, we can see just over this brick wall (see the following photo). But we are making it taller with wood from here. This portion of the wall, which will surround the grill, will be about 8' tall. There is a short portion of 5'-wall that will be on either side of this tall wall. The rest of it will only be about 4' tall. This tall brick wall will give Travis some privacy while he stands at the grill. We didn't want to do the entire wall really high because we still want to see the neighbor's trees and it would be nice to maintain a breeze within the yard. If we go too high, the wind won't be able to reach us.

I'm sure the preceding paragraph does not do our plan justice. I will post photos later so you can see what I mean.

After completing the brick wall, Travis started on the wooden, 4'-wall. He had it framed and half of it covered in plywood in one afternoon (Sunday).

We made a giant size Jenga game out of the post leftovers.

My dad has offered to take Callaway home with him. He knows how much all the animals have been stressing me out lately and I think he has secretely wanted another dog ever since his elderly dog passed a little over a year ago. Cody was a black lab mix who was about 30 pounds lighter than Callaway. I think that Callaway would be a good match for my dad. Callaway is needy and my dad needs someone to take care of now that all his kids are out of the house.

I am not sure if we will be sending Callaway home with my dad yet. Callaway is Travis' dog and he gets to make the decision. I know he doesn't want to give up his dog, but at the same time, we have had some serious issues with him lately and I've run out of ideas on how to handle it. We found out this weekend that our creepy neighbor two doors down has been shooting his pellet gun in his backyard. Callaway goes absolutely bezerk, inside or outside, when that gun starts going off. And I swear, Creeper goes out 20 times a day. Sometimes he just opens his back door and stands inside, with the gun hanging out the door, just to pop off a few rounds. I don't get it. It's annoying, but not illegal, so there is nothing we can do about it. We could go over as nice little neighbors, but I'm worried that will just make it worse.

This is probably why Callaway so frantically escaped his kennel a few weeks ago, and destroyed all the plants on my back porch, and escapes from the yard EVERY OTHER DAY. Last week he escaped from the yard and it took an hour of searching to find and catch him. My only other option would be to buy a metal frame kennel to keep Callaway in on the inside of the house. If we leave him loose in the house, he'll go nuts every time that guy shoots the gun. I feel bad for Callaway. I know there could always be something that might scare him, but right now this one is in our face.

My dad is planning to head back home Wednesday, which means Travis has until tonight to make his choice. This could be very sad...

Sunday Funday...

The Sunday after Aiden's birthday party, we spent the entire day working on the wall (aside from the couple hours I had to run into work). Over the course of several hours, I dug one and a half post holes. Tuesday night, Travis did eight in two hours. I don't know why I even wasted my time trying.

After Aiden woke up from his nap, I threw on his swim trunks and let him loose in the yard. It was nice to have that redneck kiddie corral leftover from the party. See that orange construction fence in the background? It's hideous, but awesome for parents with small children. The good news is we won't need it anymore after we get the wall up.

Ariel even came over to help us in the afternoon. She took a break to chase Aiden around. It will be nice to have Auntie Ariel around as Aiden gets older. She is so great with sports and active fun. Perfect for a little boy!

Sooooo much concrete. While I was "digging the post holes", my dad and Travis dug a hole for the footing. A portion of the wall is going to be 8' tall, so we need to have a nice, strong foundation to keep it from topping on us while we sit on the patio.

The Ward's left their mark, although you'll only be able to see Aiden's hand print after we build the wall.

When they were done pouring the concrete, we called it a day. We snacked and relaxed for a bit before Aiden went to bed. Soon after that, Ariel, Travis and my dad left for Ariel's softball game. I stayed home and got stuff together in preparation for our 4th of July celebration. I fell into bed like a log around 11 o'clock. Apparently, everyone else got home soon after that and stayed up until 2 in the morning, chatting on the patio. It's funny how much use that patio is getting lately and we haven't even made it a private area yet!

We're enjoying our yard

We try to find time to relax in the hammock. Aiden really likes going for a swing in that thing. He absolutely refuses to sit on my lap though. Independent stinker.

The tomato plants are thriving in our garden. We planted them too close together to use those metal cones for them to grow into. Instead, we stuck some dowel rods in the ground and tied the plants to it. Seems to be working well. We have some green tomatoes growing. They're only the size of large marbles, so we've got a ways to go.

The onions and peppers are not doing very well. It seems like all the plants against the garage are doing better. We thought it might be because they get more shade, so Travis built this partial sun cover for the garden. The white trellis sticking up in the front are for the cucumbers. My favorriiittteee...

We tucked Aiden's new sandbox into the corner of the house in the front yard. After the wall goes up it will have more privacy. We are hoping to eventually put up a swing set next to it as well.

My dad, Travis and I had a teleconference last night to discuss more options for the wall. We were originally planning on doing a stucco wall. That is definitely still in the running, but we are worried about the grill smoke staining the wall. We are trying to come up with solutions for that. At this point, we are thinking about putting tile in the grill nook. That would be easier to clean than stucco. We are also contemplating a prefab vinyl wall, with some sort of metal surround for the grill nook. The vinyl would melt, so that would not be an option around the heat (hence the pressed metal).

My dad is in the process of finalizing some stuff at work. If that all goes well, then he should have some time off to come help with the wall. He is also working on getting quotes for the different wall types to see what we're working with. The prefab wall would be soooooo much easier, but I think the stucco wall would be more unique and personalized.

Here's a mock up my dad made of the new wall from the patio side.

Looks like a smiley face, right? I have a hard time seeing past that. The eyes are lights, the nose is a window to the front yard and the mouth is the only grill option his computer program has. We'd really like to do the pergola as well, but it will of course depend on cost. I was thinking about building benches to place on either side of the grill nook on which to place potted plants. That's something we can worry about down the line. I'm already trying to accessorize this new yard and we don't even have it yet!

Best Sunday Ever

I have been so tired. I can't really remember not being tired. I've been trying to figure out why and I've decided it's because I don't sleep well. I was talking to my dad about this problem while I was sick and he recommended taking NyQuil to help me get some rest that might help me recover quicker. The thought of taking a drug that would knock me out gave me anxiety. Travis doesn't wake up for anything. He doesn't wake up for Aiden screaming, he doesn't wake up with me pushing him, he doesn't wake up with his own alarm! His alarm wakes me up, then I wake him up.

Because of that I am convinced that if there is a fire, or something wrong with Aiden, or someone breaking into our house, it will be up to me to wake up Travis and to take care of the situation. I finally broke down this weekend and asked Travis if he would let me have drugged sleep once a month so I can catch up a little. So now, every fourth weekend, I am going to take a Benadryl before I go to bed on Saturday night and Travis is going to get up with Aiden in the morning.

We gave this a try for the first time this past Saturday and it was A-MA-ZING. I set my alarm for 9 am (I didn't want to sleep the day away), popped one Benadryl, threw on a sleep mask (GREAT recommendation Alexa!) and laid back to enjoy the ride. Usually I get up at 6:45 with Aiden. On Sunday, I woke up at 8:30 to Aiden talking in his bedroom. I decided that I felt rested enough that I would just get up with him and let Travis sleep in longer. Sleeping in until 8:30 meant almost two extra hours of sleep and I was happy with that.

I rolled over to make sure Travis wasn't getting up and HE WASN'T THERE. Travis got out of bed and I DIDN'T WAKE UP. We got lucky and Travis was up going to the bathroom when he heard Aiden talking, so he didn't have to worry about Aiden not being able to wake him up. I was a little disoriented when I realized Travis wasn't even in bed. I can't tell you the last time he moved in bed without my knowledge.

I decided I would just lay back and wait out my 9 o'clock alarm. At 8:45, I was awake, but was still feeling the relaxing effects of the Benadryl so I turned off the alarm and just laid there, staring out the window. I finally rolled out of bed at 9:05. NINE OH FIVE. Ugh, it was sweet bliss!

I got dressed, went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and do the morning deed before heading out to the living room where Travis and Aiden were watching Thomas the Train (worst children's show ever, but Aiden LOVES trains). I took Travis' spot on the couch and he ran to McDonald's to grab breakfast for us. It was such a lazy thing to do, but I just happened to be feeling lazy. Actually, lazy isn't the word for it. I was rested and relaxed. Not tired, just relaxed. Not stressing about what the next step in our day was, not rushing around packing bags to go somewhere. Just sitting and enjoying it.

We ate breakfast at the kitchen table, then headed outside to enjoy the cool weather. Travis quickly got to work on the patio. Aiden followed him around with his Home Depot tool belt and tools from Blair's birthday party this year.

I was looking back through my posts and I've come to the conclusion that Travis started digging the trench for the drainage system that will divert water away from our usable yard on April 23rd. Three weeks later and the patio is complete!

After the patio was dusted with sand and watered, Travis grabbed a beer and collapsed on the ground. We let Aiden cool off by playing with the water hose.

Now all we need is the privacy wall to block us from the street view. I realized Sunday evening that we will still be able to enjoy the patio without the wall because we can watch Aiden can playing on the concrete drive while we sit in the shade of the patio.

We christened the new patio with a grilled dinner of Buffalo wings, pasta salad and melon. Aiden was a bit cranky by this point because he refuses to nap these days, but we still enjoyed our meal. I think we both will appreciate not having to walk around the fence to get to the patio. Also, it will be nice to leave our patio furniture out there all the time instead of packing it back in the garage at the end of the day.

I felt like we've been working on the yard renovations for months. Years maybe. I am so grateful to have Stage 2 done. (Stage 1: Drainage system. Stage 2: Patio. Stage 3: Stucco wall.) But, I think Stage 3 will be the most stressful. There are so many decisions to be made about the foundation and the inner make-up of the wall. If we make the wrong decision, the wall might sink and/or crack.

My dad emailed me the post layout yesterday, but I think we'll take a few days off before we get started on that. I need to take advantage of all that rest I got Saturday night!