Project Playroom COMPLETE

Goodness sakes, that took long enough!! We started this project in mid January and it's now the end of February. It was a LOT of work and we did have to put it on hold for two weeks while Gabe was on a business trip.

Here's a reminder of where I last left you... We had started the project, then I gave you an update.

In my last update, we just needed to finish the painting. After finishing the painting, we played a little Tetris with figuring out the best way for the shelves to fit together. Yes, they were all the same, but since we built everything ourselves, they weren't all exact. We stacked them, then Gabe bolted them all together and anchored them to the wall for the best stability and to ensure safety.

We figured out how we wanted the bottom three large cubbies to go first.

Next Gabe drilled the holes to bolt it all together and Alena would then vacuum the sawdust in order to keep the carpet cleaner.

We set them up and I did some touch up painting on any spots that needed it.

Whew! Already looking so good! The hardest parts are finally done and now we just had to put all the totes and books in and we're good to go!

We took our children's movies, books, toys, games, and puzzles and arranged them in the best way possible. I had wanted the books to go on the second shelf, but then the kids had a hard time reaching the tote handles on the third shelf. So we ended up putting the books on the third shelf since they can reach the bottom of the book to pull it out.

DONE! Here is how we currently have everything set up. Gabe and I will use the top shelf and the top of the storage unit for ourselves. We put the children's movies up top too because we don't want them reaching them. If they were accessible to the kids, I'm afraid they would be pulling them off the shelf and helping themselves (and possibly ruining the discs).


The children's books are on the third shelf. I currently have even more books that would probably take up another three cubbies that I'm trying to figure out what to do with. I did pick some out to donate but we all love books and I hate to have to limit it now.

The totes hold most of their toys. They have Lincoln Logs, coloring supplies, Alena's "make up"/hair supplies, matchbox cars, puzzles, and other random toys.

The bottom middle cubby holds all their puzzles. We had at least 25 puzzles and as I was trying to get them all to fit in that one space, Gabe had the idea to take all the boxed puzzles and put them in Ziploc bags. So we cut the picture off the box and put that and the puzzles pieces in a bag, then put them all into the orange bin. We left out the wooden and cardboard puzzles that do not have a box and also a couple floor puzzles that would have required more than one Ziploc bag. As you can see, it saved a lot of room utilizing the bags!

I now need to label all the totes so the kids know what goes where, making finding and cleaning the toys a breeze.

We are starting the thought process for making another one of these for the opposite wall. That one will look the same except the middle won't have cubbies. Instead, there will be a fold out table where the kids can color or play games at. I'm not sure when that will happen because Gabe will be gone the first two weeks of March on his last business trips before the baby arrives. And of course, after he comes home, we'll be waiting for the baby and our time is going to get crazy!

I'm so excited to have this project done and just love the results! What do you think? This was our first BIG project and even though it's not perfect, it came out just how we envisioned it.

Wordless Wednesday

Boys and their toys...

32 Week Belly Bump

How far along - 32 weeks  Keep in mind that this is according to the early ultrasound date. If I go by my cycle dates (which is what the midwife goes by), I'm actually 33 weeks. Either week is fine since we will not be inducing and the baby will come when it comes.

Weight gain - 12 lbs! I have already gained the same amount as in Christian's pregnancy. If I keep up this one pound per two weeks, I'm looking at 16ish pounds. I predicted a 15-20lb gain so I'm right on!

Morning sickness/nausea - Not at all.

Movement - This baby is the BIGGEST mover of all three of my pregnancies! I am thrilled to bits that the movement is so good and strong but goodness! Give momma a break once in a while (preferably in the middle of the night so I don't have to wake up to you tap dancing on my bladder)!

Contractions - I usually get 3 or 4 a day that I notice. I like to concentrate and practice breathing through them even though they aren't painful. Anything I can do to help get ready for the real deal.

Pain -  Seeing the chiropractor has helped a lot with my back pain. When it hurts between my shoulder blades, Gabe will crack it and that helps. He will not however, touch my lower back because there's just no easy way to do it.
 I have started having pain in my hips while laying in bed. I frequently have to switch sides which means I'm waking up more at night.
This is only minor but right around my belly button, I can really start to feel the skin stretching. I'm praying for no stretchmarks!
I am having more and more pain in my pelvic area. It hurts the most when I have to use my legs for anything, like switching positions while sitting or laying, standing up, or even when getting pants on and off.

Sleep - This is getting much more difficult for me. With my hip pain, I have to move around more and I get up more to pee. This means I get less of the restful sleep I need. Also, I will wake up and realize that the baby is going crazy in my belly!

Stretchmarks - No. Thank God!

Maternity clothes - Of course. I've even started to wear some of Gabe's t-shirts because my maternity shirts don't quite cover the bottom of my belly and I don't like the draftiness of that.

Food cravings/aversions -  I get cravings but rarely act on it because that would involve going out to eat and we just cannot spend all that money. Not really any specific aversions.

Eating/drinking - Not much to say about this. I can eat and drink pretty much what I want and feel fine. Caffeine is iffy because it can upset my stomach but I try not to have too much of it anyway. There are times where I have to remind myself to eat a snack or a meal when I'm just a tiny bit hungry. My hunger can go from barely there to raging in no time.

Boy or Girl - I am constantly calling this baby "she and her". Don't know if that's some sort of sign or what.

Lowlights of the week - The difficulty in sleeping and sitting comfortably. We found out that Gabe has two more business trip before the baby comes. I'll be 36 & 37 weeks so we're praying this baby stays in!

Highlights of the week - Gabe came home from a two week business trip this past weekend! I was happy to have him home because I am exhausted! I don't quite know if I would classify this as a "highlight" or TMI but it's exciting nonetheless. I've started leaking from my breasts which excites me because I know that my body is preparing for the baby and I am so looking forward to breastfeeding again!

Anything to add - We still have not gotten anything ready for this baby. No car seat yet either. We're honestly not stressing out about it. Maybe because this is our third time going through all this? I don't know but it feels good to be this calm about everything.

This is the only 31 week picture I took.

32 Weeks

Beauty Surrounds Us

We've lived here in Arizona for a little over five years and I love our scenery. At times it can be somewhat "ugly" if you're looking at the surface. It's not very colorful except for a few short months during monsoon season. There is mostly dead weeds, small shrubs, cacti, dirt, and everything seems to be a shade of brown.

But open your eyes and mind a little and look past that and you will see beautiful mountains, clear blue skies, and small wildlife. If you look a little harder you will find plenty of colors in the birds, bugs, small plants, and desert flowers.

The other week when we had snow, I wanted to get a good shot of the mountains because they are just so beautiful when covered in snow. I'm not sure I did them proper justice but I tried.

I really like the flag that appears as if it is in the middle of nowhere in the above photos.

These were taken on the west end of town at the edge of the base. I then moved to the south side of town to take the next photos. I went as far as I could until I hit a dirt road and there was nowhere else to go but down a walking path.

Seriously, so beautiful.

Dear Baby

Before you were even conceived, you were loved, dear baby.

You were so badly wanted and mommy and daddy tried very hard to have you.

We would have done almost anything to get you.

And now that you are here in mommy's belly, we are still thanking the Lord for blessing us.

You are truly a miracle, little one. 

For you were almost gone before we knew you were in there.

Many tears have been shed for you.
Tears of sadness, heartbreak, joy, happiness, and love.
You are a dream come true, dear baby.
I wonder what you will look like.
I wonder what you will act like and how you will behave.
I love feeling you kick, sweet baby.
You are so strong already.
You're a very active little baby and mommy loves it.
Your daddy, sister, and brother have felt you move too.
We are all so excited to meet you, little one.
We can't wait to see when you come and how you come.
Mommy is hoping you take it easy on her.
We wonder if you are a boy or a girl.
You will be loved either way, dear baby.
You mean so much to us already and don't even know it.
You are the answer to our prayers.
Dear baby, we would go through it all again for you.

After three years of wanting,
countless tears shed,
seven months of fertility treatments,
thousands of dollars spent,
many prayers prayed,
wishing on every star,
and finally a positive pregnancy test,
you are here and we will never let you go, dear baby.


“We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him.”  – I Samuel 1:27