A stair makeover.

So I have mentioned roughly 52 times that our dogs are ruining the carpets. Specifically on the stairs. Our stairs have a turn in them and have 4 half landings and our stinkerific hound dog loves to sleep on the first landing. And often the boxer is right above him on the next landing. So not only does it make for treacherous terrain as one comes up or down the stairs--since they don't move as you gingerly step between their paws or that perfect little gap under their chin, it also makes for a stinky stairwell and some funk-nasty dirty dog carpets. After trying to mask the smell with various spritz's of fragarence we finally decided enough was enough. I convinced Robert that tackling the project was indeed doable. And yesterday--I had had enough and got busy on the stairs. First off let me just say that my choice of days to start a project is sub-par. We have had guests all weekend and therefor sheets to wash, towels to wash, and kids to watch. So yesterday was not really the best day to jump up and decide to start ripping out carpet. Though really with 4 kids there never is a "best day". So arming myself with a half dozen blog posts touting that this was in fact doable and also doable for relatively little cash flow. I busted out the brute strength I keep hidden under my motherly physique and yanked and pulled and tugged and grunted and groaned and managed to get every last bit of carpet ripped off that stinky stair case. I discovered that A)carpet is suprisingly dusty and B)the flooring under the carpet on the stairs is not crummy old ply wood but in fact real wood. Like toss some stain on it and call it a day wood flooring. Can I get a Holla! Cause Holla! First off I had no intention of doing the whole "new tread" thing. My plan was to slap some paint on those bad boys and sing praises to the makers of paint and that was that. But now.  Now I have 2 options pick out some stain OR paint. And also? I don't need to sand a thing because there wasn't a drop of glue under that pad so again Holla! So we are finishing up the first portion of the great stinky stair redo. Right now I have passed the needle nose pliers over to Robert and am requesting that he finishes up yanking out the 4961 staples that were holding the carpet in place. My hands are calling it quits and really wishing I had thought to toss on some gloves. Blisters and scrapes and a wee bit sore. So here's where we are. Carpet and carpet pad is gone. Carpet tack strips are 100% gone and staples are 50% gone. Next step is vacuum the mess again and again and again. Wash it all down and then fill in the holes and then decide the next step. Paint or stain? I am thinking stain the treads and paint the risers. We will also repaint the molding that goes up the staircase and the spindles and what not at the top. Of course in doing that we will also have to do the same for the railing over the foyer area as well. So for some pictures eh? So I took the before picture with my big camera and the rest with my cell phone...but you get a general idea of what we are working with here...

This is the first portion of the steps...not too bad looking and I can't show you the landing properly it just doesn't show the dirt in the picture....and if I had smell-a-vision I would pass that thru too but alas...

 Kitty girl checking things out...

 This guy was a big helper...seriously he pulled up several of the tack strips...(that's Zachary)

Now onto...pulling staples....

Twelve on Tuesday.

1. I forgot today was Tuesday multiple times today. 2. I also put peanut butter in the freezer, an entire bag of grapes, and a brand new container of strawberries. And the ice cream? In the fridge. Friends. I am tired. 3. Though here I sit at nearly 11 while the baby is sleeping and I should be too. I also just need some time to reflect and unwind from the day. 4. Summer is here. 5. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of busy and I am really needing some days of not busy. Or maybe just 6 solid hours of sleep...that would work too. 6. Gavin's birthday party last week was a success. I would like to share some pictures with you...eventually. 7. I also really need to take pictures...I am upset with myself because the picture taking is only happening with my phone. I have a fancy pants expensive camera and I am taking pictures with my phone. What the what. 8. We have new neighbors and last night they brought over home made ice cream for us. How nice is that? {Robert put that away--no worries it's frozen} 9. My 6 month old is fast approaching both crawling and his 7 month. Both of which make me sad and happy. 10. I am struggling with the idea that Jakeb is 10 and that over half of his childhood has past. And the idea that in 10 years when Nolan is Jakeb's age...Jakeb will be 20. TWENTY. 11. I would really like some ice cream now...but 11 o'clock at night is not ice cream time...at least not this night. 12. I am going to sleep now--maybe ice cream for breakfast will be ok.

Lemons.

A couple weeks ago a bought a big bag of lemons.  A year or 2 ago I made home made lemonade and the guys were all yum and so was I.  Squeezing the lemons {by hand} isn't that hard but it's not that easy but it really is it's just not as easy as one 2, 3 scoops and shake shake your done.  A few days ago we tossed out the bad lemons and today I {finally} squeezed the good ones.   I have lemon hands and I think some lemon on my arm.   Eventually I will mix up the simple syrup and stir, stir and be done.   And in 2 days the lemonade will be gone.  But  in the mean time I get props for hand squeezed home made real lemonade.   Then I will say I should make it more and I might but I probably won't...but maybe I will.   I am turning a corner with things.  With preparing things ahead of time or from "scratch".   I don't like the cost or the crud in the easy stuff.   So we are trying to do better...but all the while not doing better.   We have made dinner at home 2 days this week.  Which I think is 2 days more than last.
I struggle to keep my desk clean and struggle to not yell at the kids too much and struggle to get rid of the dust and the cob webs.   But every once in a while I toss together a good meal or a fun day and it makes it all ok.
I don't pretend to have it all down pat and I am quick to point out my flaws and faults.  But we do ok.  I lose my temper and I hope the home made muffins or giggling makes up for my probably too harsh words.  I am no "super mommy and no saint."    But I make a delicious lemonade.

Twelve on Tuesday.

1.  2 more days of school for the boysies....insane that this school year is over already.

2.  I am looking forward to summer but a little nervous about my patience...sleeping baby + rowdy boys= dangerous territory.

3.  Planning on doing some sort of weekly "schedule" for us...I am hoping that will help alleviate some of the chaos and what not that often ensues without structure.

4.  I say "schedule" loosely--I don't plan on scheduling the summer away.  No worries there.

5.  We are getting afternoon showers lately...we got them nearly everyday the first year we moved here...I say this as the thunder is rolling in now.

6.  My dogs are terribly scared of thunder.

7.  I really REALLY need to get back cooking these days...badly.

8.  The boys had field day last week and I must say I am impressed....Zachary brought home 7 ribbons--two 1st places, three 2nd placers, and two 3rd.  Gavin brought home three 1st place ribbons.  Jakeb opted out of field day and spent the day with Robert at work.

9.  The wind is really kicking up.  The draw back of big trees all over the yard---worrying everytime it gets windy.

10.  I am dosing myself up with a cup of coffee, hoping it gets me thru the evening and motivates me to cook dinner.

11.  I need to get on the ball with teacher gifts---like 2 weeks ago.  I do this every year and then finally say forget it and do gift cards.  Which is what they would prefer anyway.

12.  Baby is up!

This evening Zachary pulled out our pen/junk drawer in the kitchen to look for something and somehow managed to pull the entire drawar out as in the front of the thing came off and of course all the odds and ends in the drawer went everywhere. I wasn't inside when this happened fortunately because I am sure my head would have come off--at least momentarily until I remembered it was an accident. I tend to blow my top about things like that either completely or my initial reaction is anger and then a calm as I remember accidents happen and I of all people should know this. I break, drop, and spill things daily. So I don't mean to get so mad over things like that but I do and I try not to. As I was picking things up (after Zachary had cleaned up most of it) I found a little card with some "words of wisdom" and my plan was to toss them on the blog because they are definitely things I could remember. But now here I sit and the card is downstairs and I am not. So instead I am mentioning it but not actually writing it out. I will some other time. Gavin's birthday party is Sunday and I am feeling pretty good about getting everything done we need to. The lack of car kept me from being about to bounce around all week picking things up here and there and instead I had my list ready and waiting on Thursday. And I busted it out. Some days I can focus and stay on task long enough to get things done and others I peter out pretty quickly. Yesterday I even managed to call the garbage company and get a bigger recycle bin "ordered" which has been on the to do list for 4532 days. I like items like that because I feeel like a tool for not calling and not calling and then I get it done and feel like I conquered the world. I also managed to get the oil changed in the van and hit up 93 stores getting my items I needed for the partay on Sunday. Did I mention Nolan is darn awesome? No? Well in case you wondered--he is. And really the cat napping works to my benefit on busy days because I know that the 30 min nap he squeezed in is all he would get normally anyway so it's not sleep stress. Next on the conquer the world list is figured out how to explain to the IRS why we don't owe them 14K because that letter we got last week suggesting that we do is bogus. I goofed on our 2010 taxes and left a form off and now need to explain the error. No biggie I get why it's messed up and I know how to explain it...I just don't know how to explain it on the handy dandy form they would like me to send them. Oy. Also if anyone would like to come over every night to cook for us arouond 6 that would be superb. I cannot seem to get a handle on the kitchen tasks again. Not that I ever did much anyway but for reals we haven't cooked a proper dinner at home in a shameful amount of days {weeks}. I am toast by about 3:30 everyday so dragging my rear into the kitchen to prepare a decent dinner is just not happening these days. I have made some delish muffins and other tasty treats but no dinner. Oops. Well the eye lids are getting heavy---catch ya in dream land.

Hi.

Just a quick hello this evening because I felt like jumping in and saying hi.  We are doing the mad rush countdown to summer break.  Fast approaching 2 months of crazy days and more stress than I should allow.  Rachel needs to find a chill pill....but that's always a work in progress.
I always look forward to the break and this year is no different.  I look forward to sleeping in and lounging the day around the house with the boys.   No school projects or room mom duties just us kickin' it.
I don't have much to say er, rather I do but I would rather not whine more and I am tempted to start whining about my whining but I think that's a terrible circle I will find myself in and I may lose my mind.
I don't have much to say about the adoption tasks either...I haven't started on the new dossier just yet.   Well that's not totally true I did get our deed for the house.  That's a foot in the right direction and I will say I am proud of myself for waiting like I have.  I want to jump in and get to it and get it done in record time like I did before but I really don't want to leave my baby boy---but then every time I say that I think about our other baby clear across the ocean who sits there waiting while we wait for the baby on this continent to get older so we can leave him for one tiny week...yet she or he is waiting alone and it breaks my heart.  And I think Nolan will be fine and he will but we just need more time for growing and for saving.   It is what must happen....June 1st is my official "get er done" date.   I would like papers to be flying across the sea sometime in September or October.
And also I would like new floors....we have too many pets and one especially stinky dog who likes to sleep on the carpet on the stairs.   Enter stinky stair well, I may go crazy on the carpet one day and Robert might come home to bare floors on the stairs.  I am sure that will at least smell better than what we have there now.  No good!  The carpet upstairs is just fine but down has gotta go.   But also?  Well also we have really got to figure out the no car situation.  Because as it stands right now we are down to just 1 set of wheels.  And while most days it works just fine others it doesn't.   Like I kinda don't mind having no where to be because I CAN"T be anywhere...there is a little bit of "peace" knowing I can't leave to go shop or go run errands or just that I have to stay home and chill.  However it is just pain in the rump that we have to contend with when I do need the car.
Hmmm it seems I am whining but really I am not...consider this like a to do list?  No?  Ok maybe I am whining a little but more I am just rambling about all the to do's we need to do.  Right so moving on...
Nolan is making me think he might crawl sooner than I was thinking he would...as in almost getting himself on all fours and hanging there if he is put on all fours.  He sits there looking around and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head while he contemplates his next step and if he has the strength to lift a hand and move forward.   At this point he doesn't and while crawling is exciting I reminded the big bros today that we aren't quite ready for a crawling baby just yet!  
I do however have a sleeping baby so I am heading to my bed and going to RElax.
Enjoy your night!

Tuesday Twelve.

1.  It's sheet washing day...Yay.  Ok not really Yay...though I will say Yay! that I am sticking to my "schedule." Which is a loose schedule but one that seems to occur naturally anyway so I am going with it.

2.  I had a birthday last week...I didn't mention it for no reason other than I just didn't.  Now that we have a kiddo with a May bday my birthday isn't on the forefront of my mind.. that and I am older...but I do still love me some birthdays!

3.  We are finally getting to Gavin's birthday party this upcoming weekend...he's excited!

4.  Speaking of party---I probably should, you know, make some plans for the party--as in cake and what not.

5.  8 more days of school left....I am conflicted about it this year.  Usually I am stoked for summer break and I certainly AM stoked but also feeling a bit overwhelmed with the thought of the chaos that could be the next 2 months.   Right now I am sitting in a silent house with no noise other than the tap of the keyboard and the birds outside.....HOWEVER I have the rest of forever to enjoy a quiet house--I suppose I should enjoy the noise and chaos while it's here.  I am certain I will miss the quiet all too soon.

6.  I am still unsure how it's going on JUNE.  What.The.What.

7.  Did I mention Gav's party is here...like at.our.house.  Did I also mention we invited his class and soccer team?  Yeah not thinking on that one....Our house isn't tiny but it isn't that big either.   Let's pray for sunshine or at least no rain because outside is the plan!

8.  We had a Mother's day brunch this past Sunday--it was so very nice and everyone visited and chit chatted and just enjoyed each other.  My grandmother made it up all the way from South Florida...she's pretty amazing.  

9.  My Mother's day was good.  The boys gave me the little fill in the blank mother's day letters which are always my favorite.   My favorite line from Gavin's was "My mom is so smart she can even do things like 8x8=64"   and my fav from Zman's was "I love my mom because she is adopting a girl".  He's so excited...if he could fly over and grab her right now he would in a heart beat.  I wish it was that easy.  Jakeb is too cool for such letter's...but he did give me great hugs and helpful hands.

10.  I have been sitting here for 5 minutes trying to decide what to put here....I have so many thoughts but nothing short and sweet.

11.  I have been overwhelmed lately....partly why I have posted much--I don't want every post to be about how I feel I am struggling to stay afloat.   Especially when it's all over silly things like dirty toilets and unorganized papers.   Especially when I know that I am being ridiculously hard on myself.

12.  I am also battling with what to do about the 6 month olds lack of nap taking skills. Some days are ok and some just flat out stink...My options are to deal with it and end my day with nerves frazzled or let him cry and end my day with nerves frazzled or carry him around a carrier and end my day with nerves frazzled and a sore back.   Do you see my dilemma?  

6 months.

Half way to a year!   The baby boy is 6 months old as of yesterday and while I can't believe it's been 6 whole months since he was born it also seems as if he's been here forever.  He is 6 whole months of awesome.   Everyday we marvel at the happiness and ease that this little guy is.   Despite his sleeping "issues" he is the happiest baby we have had and the other boys were pretty darn happy.   One smiley look at him and he offers the biggest grin.   He screeches and screams and yells and giggles.  He also whines and lets you know rather quickly he's not a happy guy.

His personality is emerging and I am loving seeing it.  I think he's going to be a fun loving happy boy quite similar to his big brother Zachary.  His eyes appear to be turning brown and his hair is filling in with a golden blonde under all of the dark brown.   It's also just as crazy as ever...and likely fast approaching (or maybe well past) trimming time, though I am trying to hold out as long as possible!

At 6 months he is sitting with ease and grabbing anything and everything that comes with in his reach.  Over the past 2 weeks I have offered a few mashed foods to him and despite his what appeared to be eagerness to eat solids he clamps his mouth shut and refuses to eat them.  Thus far he has had Avocado (the first solid), Pear, and banana.  His least favorite of the bunch was the banana and I am wondering if he is going to swear off fruits like his big brother Gavin...the sweet of the banana seemed a bit much for him.  He has mastered drinking from a straw and sips water quite happily.

He is still opposed to napping for more than 30-45 min at a time.  Occasionally he will stretch it to an hour but more often then not thinks that a 20 min nap is sufficient.   We rock him to sleep and when he's feeling especially feisty we can sing him a song and he calms down and drifts off to sleep.  I need to increase my song repertoire as all I can think to sing is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"...I do however know all the verses.  At night he goes from waking once to waking 3 times to once in a rare blue moon sleeping nearly all night.  Though his "waking" is less him waking and more me waking.  He is a snuggly snuggly snuggler and seems to give hugs with all the snuggling into my shoulder and arms that he does.  He also seems to be giving kisses and attacks our cheeks with a big open mouth.  This month he has started making more consonant sounds...we have heard the classic "buh buh buh" as well as a few "muh muh muh"s  I like to pretend he is saying "Mom".

At 6 months he loves his toys and will sit and play with toys for a "long" while on his play mat.  He also wants my iPhone so badly he can't hardly stand it.  Though he would just like to chew on it, he's not quite activating apps yet.   He thinks his brothers are the bees knees and gets quite excited when they come play with him.  His stranger anxiety that he had so young seems to be lessening and while he's not jumping into strangers arms he isn't crying at the sight of them as often.  At his 6 month appt yesterday he weighed in at 17lbs 5.2oz which puts him right at average weight and 26in which puts him at the 25% which is a bit below average height.  Which is right on track for a kiddo from this family.

He is everything we never knew we needed and everything he should be.  He is an amazing little guy and we are so very thrilled that he jumped into to our wild bunch!  Happy Half Birthday Nolan!

Six.

My little blonde cutie has turned SIX.   I know every birthday they have I marvel that yet another year has just gone by and I am of course doing the same again--how is he six?   Fast approaching first grade and in the last few weeks has become very 6.

Gavin, Gavin, Gavin--this child is one of a kind.  At 6 Gavin is a big brother and proud of it.  He is finally not the only little one in the house.  Something that I think his big giant personality had a hard time with...so little no more.  Gavin is reading at 6 and doing addition that leaves us very impressed.  He is happy and helpful--most of the time.  He is still quite a grump in the mornings but typically perks up after some food is put in his belly.  He still goes to bed with ease.   His hair is the longest it's ever been and is looking mighty cute.  I told him this yesterday and he looked at me and flipped it with the cutest grin.   About that grin--it's a cross between mischievous and very genuine but 100% adorable.
Describing Gavin has always been harder for me because I don't want to make him sound like he's not the awesome guy he is...but Gavin is everything.  He's silly and he's fiesty.  He's calm and he's goofy.   He's friendly and he's shy.  He is calm and he's wild.  He's moody and he's joyful.  He's proud and he's humble.  He is just Gavin.   And he's perfect at it.
He is very much a perfectionist and has the neatest handwriting I have ever seen.   He can draw things that often amaze me, mostly because he goes from never drawing to just drawing.  He colors better than I do.  He is loving himself some cash flow and I am certain we will soon be turning to him for loans.   He is generous and caring.   He adores everyone of his brothers and loves being around them.  Watching Gavin grow and change is so cool...I can't think of a better word.  Amazing?  Yes of course.  He is such a neat guy.  Gavin has been so much for us as they all are but Gavin our 3rd boy is something special and what we needed and always need.   His bright blond hair and twinkly blue eyes and his love and trust and his calm are perfect for every bit of all of us here.    Happy 6th Birthday to the best 6 year old I know...We love you Gavin!

ETA: That green jammied Boot picture is my new favorite picture of him....I want to crawl thru the picture and scoop up that toddler boy and squeeze him and squish him and keep him that tiny and sweet forever and ever.