Still Prepping...

As part of my nesting madness, I'm trying to tie up every loose end I can think of, knowing my brain is about to fall out when this baby arrives. These efforts have resulted in some notable triumphs and failures - plus lots of fun with the kids we already have...

Let's start with a triumph: After living with a crack in our kitchen countertops for the past 4 years, I finally decided it was time to look into fixes. I called 1-800-CORIAN to see who they'd recommend. Turns out, there's a 10-year warranty on Corian IF you can prove the installer was certified. So, I started the hunt with our HOA property manager, then the Franklin Register of Deeds, then the builder (Drees), and finally back at DuPont. The end result? Our home was officially 10 years old on June 5, 2012 -- and I was calling on June 15. The reason it's a triumph? The warranty is good until the end of the last month -- 6 days from now. The bottom line: They're fixing it for free!

Next, a little cool refreshment: Because we can find any excuse for a little ice cream - in this case at Sonic celebrating the new bunks...

Some manual labor: Even Josh (seeing my productivity) said maybe I need to get pregnant more often. ;) Lately, I've been mostly cleaning inside and hiring help for outside (painter for windows, mason for steps, roofer for...well, you get the idea), but I've also been utilizing some little hands that seem pretty excited about the new chore chart (and accompanying nickels).

Here Noah is just pitching in to finish what the professional masons left "undone" when they re-mortared our front steps.

Headed to the mailbox (one of Noah's real chores).

To justify another party:

The grand opening of a local candy store = free sugar = we're there, baby.

Work hard, play harder:

Noah has always been into tiny toys and big imagination...

Aaron is our rock-and-roller. Someday, he'll be thanking us for living in music city.

 And know when to cry uncle:

Our sweet 2-yr-old is strategically resistant to potty-training. He'll sit on the toilet anytime, anywhere, but refuses to put anything in there. Instead, he holds it till bedtime and his beloved diaper. Even his adoration of chocolate could not hold sway against diaper-love. When I told him "Poo-poo in potty first, then chocolate!" He replied, "No chocolate." So, we're gonna take a few months off, have a baby, and then revisit at a future date.

Because there are more important things than poo-poo:

And we just can't wait to hold one of them.