renovations, gym, and family

So, the tax check came in, and now it's gone. I guess that it just how it works though. We did a lot with it this year, and I'm excited for that. This is the first year that we have really put money into our home (we have lived here two years). Before this house Chris never wanted to put money into where we were living because we were just renting, but now that we own this house, he is ok with the idea. So we budgeted out our money, including 1000 for some remodeling for which I am super excited about!!
A few weeks ago we bought a water heater off of Craig's list for $40 dollars. It was about 5 or ten years old but only used for 3 months of the year because it was at a summer camp. We looked it up online and this water heater sells for 500 brand new. We hooked that up this past weekend and it's awesome!! It it 10 gallons more than our last water heater and the water is sooo much hotter. It is also taller and skinner so it takes up less space in our house.
Two weekends ago Chris's dad came up here to help us put in an attic door. The attic door we currently had was about 1X2 foot hole that you could barely look through much less climb through. So we went to Lowe's and picked out an attic door, as we were loading it into our cart, one of the employees mentions they have one on clearance that someone else returned. That saved us 30 bucks! We had to move one of the lights in our house to make room for the attic door, so we bought the cutest light ever to replace it (we just moved it over about two feet). It looks like a lamp hanging down.
So, we got the attic door in, put flooring down in the attic, put in a new light, and moved everything that we have been storing into the attic (like baby clothes). It was a busy week/end. That week we also went out and bought some new curtains (I figured we have been married 6 years, we should have curtains) and some new bedsheets. Apparently we can 't use the sheets at wal-mart or k-mart because for one they just come off the corners and for two, Chris can rip through a sheet.... I don't know how he does it, but the boy literally ripped a huge hole in the flat sheet one night. So we have to same up money to buy nicer sheets... but oh, they feel so good and are totally worth it!
This past weekend Chris's dad came up again and we were able to hang the sheets, put the hot water heater in, and get set up for the next project. The next project is to build a folding table on top of the washer and dryer and put doors over the front of them so that Stephan and the new baby can't touch the buttons. Then we are going to put a closet in next to that. After that we are boxing in the water heater and putting in another closet on that end of the room. Then, we will be able to make that room a play room for the boys.
Soon after that is done, we are moving Stephan's bedroom door onto another wall and building a closet in his room as well. So, we have LOTS more work to do, and it's happening!

On another note Chris and I started going to the gym. I've never liked the gym, so it was kinda overwhelming at first. I went two weeks, then took last week off because of all the work going on at home. But I went back today and was surprised to find that I missed it. I felt really good when I was done. It helps that I finally talked to the doctor about me working out while being pregnant, and that I didn't really have to stress out about it. That allowed me to push myself a little harder than I have been, and I'm going to work up my numbers. Before I walked a mile and then did 1 1/2 miles on an elliptical. Today I pushed it to two miles. Not a whole lot, but really that is all I have time for in my hour of day care.

Today was Monday, and we are trying really hard to have family home evening. It's something that we should have been doing all along, but had trouble getting into it. Now with Stephan, and another one on the way it seems so important. We are working to have FHE consistently. So tonight we went back to the gym and played in the pool with Stephan. He has a swim class on Saturdays now, but the last (and first time) we took him he was scared to death for some reason. I think it was because he was to cold. So we figured we would take him a few other times besides when he class is and get him use to it. So we took him tonight and the boy went nuts. he was still shivering the whole time (he even had a fleece jacket on) but he was laughing and then we let him play on the ramp and he ran up and down that splashing us and giggling.. totally the cutest thing ever! I have so much fun just hanging out with my family!