What a weekend!

We have had a busy and productive weekend. On Friday afternoon we made a trip to Hanna's Nursery to check out some shrubs and flowers in person to try to determine exactly what we wanted in our front yard. We have had plans for a long time to pull up the yucky shrubs left by the previous owners and start fresh but neither Chris or myself has a green thumb so we have put it off until I couldn't stand it anymore. Here is a picture of the house with the shrubs it came with.

So Friday we paid a visit to our local nursery but learned very quickly that we did not know exactly what we were looking for. We did pick out some shrubs but changed our minds quickly when we saw that they were $300 each! My champagne taste strikes again...

So we ended that trip with more questions than answers but I know what I like when I see it so we planned to visit some other places the next day. Saturday came and we made a trip to Lowe's to get the paint for Walker's toddler room (more on that in the next week or so). Then we headed to Home Depot to get more bark for Walker's outside play area we built a few weeks ago. We started the outdoor play area project a couple of weekends ago and we bought 14 bags of bark to fill the play area. After several trips to Home Depot, we finally completed our project this weekend with a grand total of 53 bags of bark. Below is a picture of his new play area. That huge tree provides so much shade - it is the perfect spot! We plan to get a big wooden swingset for Christmas (from Santa, of course!) and add a full size picnic table to the area. I think we're off to a great start so far and Walker loves it!

While we were getting the bark at Home Depot, we took a peek at their shrubs and flowers and I found exactly what I was looking for, partly. I am going to plant mums in the front and I think Hawthorne's behind the mums. The mums are perfect because they are colorful and compact. The Hawthorne's are great because they are evergreens and will not lose their leaves in the fall and winter. Plus, they will bloom once a year and will add even more color.

Sunday was spent cutting down the yucky bushes outside and painting Walker's toddler room. We had planned to get our new plants this weekend but that will have to wait until next weekend. Here is a picture of what the house looks like now, without the yucky bushes and waiting for it's new accessories.


I think it really opens up the look of the house and makes it look bigger. I can't wait for the pops of color and to get everything in and looking pretty! Slowly but surely we are crossing items off our to-do list.

Friday Five: Things I Want My Son to Know

1. You changed my life.
From the first moment I saw you, my life was forever changed. I was forever changed. You taught me the meaning of unconditional love. You continue to change my life every single day by showing me new things and just when I think I cannot love you more, I do.

2. Be Proud of Who You Are.
You are so little right now, not even two years old. You have changed so much since you were a baby and I am enjoying the front row seats of watching your personality grow and develop. I do not know what kind of boy or man you will be. I do not know if you will be laid back like your Daddy or high strung like myself. What I do know is that no matter what, you should embrace and be proud of the person that you are and know that I will always be proud of you and love you.Always.

3. There are mean people in the world - strive to not be one of them.
From an early age you will learn that there are good guys and bad guys. Fairy tales, movies, and books always have a bad guy. The problem with real life is that the bad guy is not always so obvious. The bad guy in real life doesn't always have red eyes, an evil laugh, or a snake following him around. Sometimes in real life the bad guy ends up being your best friend, your boss, or even a member of your own family. Have a kind heart, speak kind words, and strive to be a good guy.

4. Be a Gentleman.
It took me having you to understand why moms have such a hard time when their sons start dating. I look at you and still see my little baby and I am sure I will still see my little baby when you are no longer a baby and more like a hormone-filled teenage boy getting ready for your first date. Be a kind boyfriend. Open the doors for her, buy her dinner, offer your coat, bring her flowers, call her for no reason, tell her she's beautiful, and don't say I love you unless you mean it. Those three little words do something to girls that boys will never understand. But if you do love her, tell her. Always be honest. Guard her, protect her, stand up for her. And if your feelings for her change, still be kind and honest with her but do not lead her on. Remain friends. And it's never okay to date any of her friends.

5. One day, you will understand.
One day, years from now, when you are holding your newborn baby for the very first time, all of a sudden you will understand the love your Daddy and I have for you. Until this moment, you will know that we love you but you won't really grasp the intensity of our love until right then. And you will finally understand why we did the things we did for you, why we punished you when you needed it, why we wanted you to be a great man, and why we loved you at all times. You will understand in that moment the love that a parent has for their child that cannot be fully understood until you become a parent yourself.

Say What?!

When I was pregnant with Walker, I was amazed at the things that people would say. I couldn't believe the things that people would say to an already hormonal, emotional, tired, hungry, pregnant lady. I usually brushed it off or had an occasional meltdown and forgot about it. Now that we have baby number two in the oven, I thought it might be interesting to post some of the things people say this go around.

My friend Jennifer just posted some of the things people said to her when she was pregnant. I hate these things were said to her but it is refreshing to know that the lack of couth in regards to dealing with pregnant ladies is not limited to my circle of friends, family, and acquaintances.

So far, I haven't had too many things said to me but I am only three months along. I am sure this list will grow at speeds comparable to my waistline.

1. "So I am assuming this was planned?"
First of all, this is a downright rude thing to ask anyone but what makes this especially rude is who asked this question. We had just announced our pregnancy and this was someone's response to our big announcement. My response? "Yep. 15 months in the making." Second of all, even if we had not been trying for fifteen months to have another baby and it was an "oops", why would we want to broadcast that? All babies are gifts from God and we would have been just as happy if this baby had not been planned.

2. "So....still pregnant?"
Seriously? I could not believe these words came out of someone's mouth. They flowed out as easily as, "The weather's nice today." What a way to start a conversation. Yep, still preggers. But if I wasn't, I'm sure that's the way I would want to make that sensitive announcement.

3. "Well at least you didn't try for four years."
At least. Here's the deal - when you want a baby and you are going month after month after month not getting pregnant it doesn't matter if it takes six months or four years. My response to this person was exactly this: "Four years or fifteen months -They both suck. When you want a baby and you can't have one, it sucks." Are you telling me your pain at fifteen months was different than your pain and longing for a child at four years? I doubt it. I will never understand why some people strive to bring you down at happy times in your life.

So far, that's all that has been said to me that has rubbed me the wrong way. I hope this list doesn't grow. What's funny is to think about the people who have said these things to me and to realize that none of them are my close friends or my immediate family. They are all people who have brought me down at other special times in my life. I don't guess I should be too surprised but I remain hopeful that this list will end at number three.