Vivienne's Weekly Photo #17

Week 17 has come and gone.  Vivienne continues to charm us on a daily basis and is getting stronger every day.  We are still working on perfecting tummy time and mastering the hand grab.  She is a pro at grabbing her left foot, almost a pro with the right.  She loves to spend time in the evening in the backyard with dad inspecting the trees, listening to the birds and feeling the breeze. We try to take walks in the evenings after dinner while it is still on the cooler side.  She loves for me to read the touch and feel Cuddly Animals book that a dear friend sent to her.  She is such a happy girl and makes our hearts burst with happiness when we hear her laugh and squeal with delight. 

   
She has gotten very comfortable with the weekly photo process and loves to watch me unfold and spread out the weeks fabric.  This week's outtakes are simply of her having a great time.

I can't get enough of those rolls on her arms and legs!  And that hair is getting so long, she loves to caress it with her hands.
 

A New Gate

After we completed the new section of fence in our back yard, we had some leftover fence pickets to deal with.  Devin decided to reconstruct our gate on the opposite side of the house.  Good plan, it was in desperate need.  

The gate had completely fallen off it's hinges and was virtually impossible to open and close due the the major dragging on the ground.  The hardware was still in decent shape and was salvageable so Devin replaced the entire section of fence that the gate was on since we had enough pickets.  

Devin removed the hardware and cleaned it up a bit.  Removed any rust spots with a grinder and applied a nice clean coat of spay paint to make it look better and protect it from the elements.  Good ole Rustoleum in a hammered finish did the job. 

As the hardware was drying, he went to work demolishing the old fence.

He left the old posts, since they were in decent shape.  When it comes time to replace the adjacent section of fence with new metal posts, this section will be attached to new metal posts as well.  But for the time being the old ones work.
 

So he measured and cut the cross pieces out of a couple of pieces of treated 2x4 that he picked up from Home Depot...

and started installing them on the posts.  Leveling them as he went.  

Then he started adding the pickets with the help of a trusty string link like we used for opposite side fence construction. 

  

When he got to the actual gate part, he basically built it in place.  He first attached the top and bottom cross pieces and a couple of pickets to the post with the hinges and then added the rest of the pickets so that they would be in line with the string line.  

 

Once all of the pickets were up, he added the cross braces for the gate.  

 

Oh and of course he had help!  I assisted with a few of the details while Roxie and Chloe baby sat. 

 

Devin finished it all up with the newly refinished hardware.  I think it looks amazing, especially in contrast to what the old fence looked like.  You can see by our neighbors section what the old was.  

The refinished hardware looks awesome in the black hammered finish.  

 

 

And the gate works beautifully now!  

Awesome work hubby!

Vivienne's Weekly Photo

This week's photo is a little late since we spent the weekend at my mom's.  But better late than never.  This week marks Vivienne's 4 month birthday!  She is so good at growing and is having such a good time doing it.  After getting back on schedule with her sleeping from our trip, she is back to her happy self.  She has also discovered her voice and is screeching out of excitement.  I think she has also grown longer because she sits a little taller in her exersaucer.  She loves to fly with her daddy and dine with her mommy.    

This week's outtakes are pretty good.  This is her "I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMille" look.

This one is her reaction to Sophie the squeaking giraffe.  She thinks she is so funny!

 

 

 This is her so excited talking look. 

This girl has provided us with 4 months of pure bliss and we look forward to much more.

Mother's Day 2013

This year marked my first Mother's Day as a mom.  It is by far the best feeling to be honored for being a mother and I wouldn't change a thing about it.  This year we packed up our little family and headed west to my mother's house.  It was such a blessing to be able to spend this special day with my daughter, mom and grandmother.  It thrills me that I am able to share our precious baby girl with my granny and Vivienne is very lucky to be able to spend some time with her GG.  

We took the opportunity to snap a few of these pics of the 4 generations all together.  

I will cherish them always.
 

Vivienne took the liberty of crafting me some very special Mother's Day artwork with a little help from her daddy before we left town.  I can't wait to get them hung on the wall.
 

It was overall a very special weekend for our family.
 

It was also the perfect opportunity for Vivienne to wear the dress her Gran D made for her!  She looked so cute in it!  
 

Thanks mom for being so wonderful! 

Vivienne's Weekly Photo

Week 15 and nothings stopping her now.  Vivienne is such a joy and she is having a great time growing and learning everyday.  We have actually heard her laugh real laughs lately which makes our hearts sing.  Her motor skills are getting more and more fine tuned as she continues to grab toys and "help" you read books to her.  She is very interested in her furry siblings and will stare at them and smile when they get close.  She is also learning how to DIY with mom and dad as she has been watching lots of work going on lately.  

  
She was so happy during this photo session which is great considering she was coming down with a small cold and ear infection.  Nothing can keep her from smiling and laughing at her Sophie Giraffe...she loves her squeeks!

She has also been in full tongue mode lately, especially when it comes to spitting out her medicine.  :(

  

I simply adore this happy girl!