Meet Millie

Millie is our new puppy. I've said it before I'm not much of a dog person. I'm really not.

But Mille is cute. Kind of. I will try hard to remember to feed and love her. I will try hard to not to give her away when she poops out the food I tried hard to remember to feed her.

But! this is the last time I leave Jace alone with a laptop when visiting Gilbert. Jace has taught himself how to direct the laptop to www.Craigslist.com. And when he calls me at Old Navy and says to stop by Wal-Mart on the way back, he has a surprise and needs me to pick something up, I will stall, cry, tear up my debit card and then probably buy the blasted dog food. Jace wins. Every time.

So to recap. Caring for 4 hungry children (we should stop here and point out- one of those hungry children is 2 months old), 1 husband with new found computer skills, and 1 barking 6 week old puppy does not make Lindsay brave (and definitely not smart). It only means that sometimes Lindsay does not get a choice. Sometimes she takes one for the team. Her adorable, babbling, bacon winning, dog loving, single pink glove wearing team.

By the way...let's not try to put a number on Millie. I have decided I'm no longer taking inventory on my life. When you ask me at the grocery store how many times I've moved, how many houses I've lived in, or how many dogs/pets I've owned, or how many times have I lived in Snowflake....I will simply shrug my shoulders and act very confused. Of course, this new life strategy is for my sanity/reputation only.

Milestones

2 Months

Macy has been waiting a long while to dress Mikael in this shirt. She and I find the shirt hilarious. Navajo county hands these bad boys out. For free. Any thoughts? Makes me wonder. Would a low income mother contemplating the the convience of formula or the benefits of the breastfeeding see this shirt and think "True. True. I'm convinced." Nope. They may have to see Mikael in the shirt to be convinced. Isn't she the picture of health? I want to eat her for breakfast.

4 Years

This guy turned 4. Yes, he is tall for his age. Yes, he loves the wii and pbskids.org more than his family. Yes, he still sucks his thumb, while holding his blue blanket.

And yes, we still can't get enough of him.

I worried how he and I would get along after the baby was born but he has been a champ. He loves his "tinsy, little baby" and tells me at least twice a day that my "tinsy, little baby is crying." He waits patiently all day for "those other kids" to come home. He is the sweetest boy.

Happy Birthday foofie pants! We love you.

The House Tour Continues. Follow me this way......

to the master bathroom. The old layout only had a sink and toilet and a water heater closet. That handy Jace moved the water heater across the hall to make room for a tub/shower. Still tiny but much more functional.

Master Bath Before:

Master Bathroom After:

Master Bedroom Before:

Master Bedroom After:

The king size bed barely fit. Less carpet for me to vacuum.

Laundry Space Before:

The original fireplace in the front family room became more closet space for our master bedroom closet and a water heater stand in the laundry space.

Laundry Space After:

This space has officially become the mudroom as well. Jackets, purses, backpacks, shoes, and dirty clothes all come off here. One family sized dirty clothes basket on wheels resides here.

I hope shelves will eventually adorn the back wall and my iron will stop wiggling to the front and hopping to the floor every time I wash a large load.

Hall Bath Before:

Yes, that hole in the floor was there when we purchased it. Jace and I are always amazed at the conditions people will live in and tolerate.

Hall Bath After:

The only linen storage in the house. Custom built by my Uncle Lamell.

Girls Room Before:

Our children were horrified that their parents would buy a house that had writing all over the walls. You'd think they'd have a little more faith than that. This ain't their first remodeling rodeo.

Girls Room After:

Artwork on the walls is coming soon. A lot of my walls are what some would call "bare." It takes me a while. I really only buy and/or hang things that I LOVE. And what I love is "Junk". The more unique the better. And they don't sell that at the local Wal-Mart.

Boys Room Before:

Boys Room After:

Who is in love with the vintage picture of the chin-up competition? Noah and Ezra are. I bet.

That concludes our tour today. Thanks for stopping by. We are offering attractive financing packages, if you will step this way, we can show you how affordable home ownership can be.

Oh wait, this house isn't for sell. Not yet.

Not that I know of anyway.

We are about 1/2 way done on the Show Low project. Can't wait to show you that one. Jace just called and said the garage that was framed today is big. Really big. Like we should of gone smaller big. Crap. Does he think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight with that news? I'm this close to driving myself there to see this BIG garage in person.

I have a disease. I have had it my whole life. I studied Better Homes and Gardens as a child (and adult). Just stepping into Home Depot makes my heart race. I love the smell of cut lumber and hardware stores. When I go anywhere I'm studying people's homes. And yes, I have probably studied yours. What do I love about your house? That goes into my mental "love that house" folder. What would I do different? Would I tear out that wall and paint the siding a different color? Maybe. I lull myself to sleep at night dreaming of what pictures on the wall or trusses I could rearrange. I dream of houses I haven't built yet. I am sometimes jealous of Jace's work. He gets to talk about houses all day long with contractors and homeowners (he also gets to snake out toilets and other glamorous things). If I could have any job and get paid for it - it would be making the world a prettier place - one house at a time.

Jace loves to make a buck and doesn't mind moving. He knows I would follow him to the end of the Earth. Throw these facts about him and my above mentioned disease into a pot and there you have our life. Or as I sometimes call it.....our predicaments.

Even though you've probably already driven by....

I am documenting the largest project we have accomplished yet this year, aside from Miss Mikael. We bought this small house in the middle of town for a song - with no intention of moving in. The 1st day of school was coming fast. And a new baby was headed our way. We had to make a decision. This was to be our new home - our tiny, new, and probably temporary home. We had 8 weeks to make it work. And of course my Jace pulled it off......

Before:

And after:

New siding, landscaping, windows, roof, driveway,and a framed in garage.

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After:

Most of the cabinets were salvaged. Painted and rearranged.

Dropped ceiling was tore out and new lighting installed. Ikea butcher block counter tops. I'm loving them.

Dining Area Before:

Dining Area After:

Entry/Office Area Before:

(as you can see most of the before pictures were taken after a lot of demo. sorry about that. blame it on the heat. and the pregnancy.)

And After:

Two small closets were tore out to make room for my office.

Family Room Before:

We tore down a wall that separated the family room from a very narrow hall way. See the hanging light switch box? The wall ended there. We tore out a fire place. See the new framing on the back center wall? It was there. We also replaced the large window with french doors, they open onto a newly poured patio in the back.

Family Room After:

Want some more?

Come on back for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry pictures. We will have a lesson on how to fit 6 people under a roof this size. Not a easy task. My garage could furnish another home. How do I keep ending up in these predicaments? We'll talk about that tomorrow as well.

Blessing Day

Her Dad gave her a sweet little blessing this morning in front of our families and congregation.

Her dress was a hand-me-down from her cousin. I forgot the headband at home.

Today I was relaxed. I was happy. I was extremely grateful. For her. For family. For gospel. And a loving Heavenly Father.

It is unfortunate that my other children's blessing days were not as cheerful and relaxed. I am just now learning to be relaxed and grateful for what I am and what I have.

Dang it.

Mikael,

You should know that today was that is was a happy day for our family. We publicly thanked Heavenly Father for you. Your Grandpas and Uncles stood in. We ate Cafe Rio tacos and pumpkin cake. Everyone agreed you are positively plump. Growing fast. You slept all day. Never messed your dress. And smiled at your Mother approximately 13 times day. Your Father can no longer pretend he does not notice that I am positively your favorite.

Love,

Mom

1 Month and 617 diapers later.

We are still in love.

We officially changed the spelling of her name to Mikael and her diaper 12 times everyday for the last month. Mikael hates a wet diaper, a dirty diaper, and is allergic to Huggie diapers. She prefers sleeping in a sweaty ball right next to her Mother. She is kind of starting to look like someone. Don't yet know who. Macy? Me? Time will tell. I swear she has smiled at me a couple times. Noah is no longer afraid to hold, talk to, and kiss her. Ezra never was. He has walked into the room a couple times toting her in his arms like a football. Macy is of course the best help and was surprised to learn that Mikael will not be playing Barbies with her anytime soon.
I have loved being home with her and Ezra this month. It has been a quiet, peaceful month. Newborns always slow things down and I have been so grateful. The time I'm forced to just sit and be still with her is just what I needed. Newborns remind us of what is important in life. My heart has been so thankful for her, her health, and all my blessings. Mikael has taught me, just like all my other children did, that I want to be a good mother. I hope to be the Mother that she needs. I hope I will know how to help her. And how to love her.

But for now.....loving her comes easy. Helping her at 3 in the morning is not as easy but still a pleasure.

Looked who graced us with her presence.

Mikale Jaree Baum

September 21, 2010 8:16 pm

7 lbs. 12 oz. 20 3/4 inches

She is tiny and lovely. She is cut from a different mold. We have no idea who she looks like yet and we have decided to keep her. She has been so quiet and sweet today. She has no idea yet how much she is loved.

Her name?

Jace chose both names. While pregnant I wasn't convinced but as soon as I saw her, Mikale was the only name that came to mind. I couldn't even remember the other names on the list. She was named for two of our favorite people. Her Grandpa Michael Seaman and her Aunt Addie Jaree. If I haven't said it before about these two, let it be known - we are big fans. We love and admire them both. Mikale has big shoes to fill. We are so thankful she is here.

As I type.....

I am in labor.

Impressed?

Don't be.

My labors consist of laying around a hospital ALL day waiting for someone to hook up a pitocin I.V., followed quickly by an epidural.

But none the less, today is the DAY! I have waited exactly 40 weeks for this day and am so looking forward to sleeping on my back tonight without passing out.

Of course, my Jace came with me this morning....but he is already off again. Have I told you he can't sit still very long? He decided to close on another fixer upper today. Today! He has important papers to sign and fax. He told me he has a good feeling about this house, even if right now the kitchen has rooster wall paper and it smells like poop. Soon enough that will all be fixed. House pictures are coming soon.

Jace has also told me that he will come back for me today. Me and his 4th child.

I love that guy.

I'll keep you posted.

p.s. who is impressed with Show Low's hospital's wi-fi? And no, we still do not have a name.

By the way....

We live in Heber these days. Jace sold my house in Chandler. We had talked about it for months and in the end he won. Again.


But the hotter it gets and the more pregnant I get, the smarter I think that man is and his decision to take the check and run. Home. To the cooler mountain air.


Life has slowed down. Most days we are bored to tears in Heber. Ezra wants nothing more than to "go home" on most days and "see his Imran" (our 35 year old Chandler neighbor). And the older children attempt to give each other wedgies all day. Long.



But life is good. I loved my barn house. My neighborhood in Chandler. My neighbors. My ward. My children's school. But I have had zero sadness (except for you, Addie). My children now swim in their underwear on our weekend fishing trips.


And one of the main topics of conversation these days is...

HER.

We are getting a "sister" baby. We can't wait to meet her and as Ezra says see her "tinsy toes."

Oh, what to name her?

This summer's forecast doesn't predict very many more bored days. Jace and I have purchased some fixer uppers. Oh, how we love a challenge. Before pictures coming soon. After pictures following soon after.