Milestones: 2 Months and 6 years

The Gal and I on Thanksgiving Day

Sometimes I wonder about this blogging business.  It can take up so much of my time (if I'm posting regularly).  But then I read an old post from my old blog and I'm so glad I have a record of our lives.  But there is no way I can keep up 2 blogs.  I love remodeling my houses and reading other house blogs but the season of life I'm in now requires 98% of my time.  The season of 5 children and a husband.  I would still like to post about all the work (the indescribable amount of work) we have put into this house but also expect to see a lot more of our family life here.  I will change the blog title if that makes you feel better.  ;)  With that said......

Elijah is 2 months old!  We have hit the mark in time when I can no longer keep track of his age in weeks.  So sad.  He already is so predicable and consistent.  We feed, change, sleep, and repeat. I love him.

And Ezra turned 6 last month!  We were in St. George, UT for a Baum family reunion on his big day.  He is the sweetest kindergartner.  He is so practical, safe, stubborn, hard to impress, helpful, smart, and handsome.  I love his calming presence.  I heard him on my iPhone the other night, asking Suri when his Dad would be home from work.  He really wants to play the piano.  He loves his younger brother and I often catch him staring, smiling, or talking to Eli.

We love you kiddo.  Happy birthday!

p.s.  You know what is way cooler than facebook and way easier than blogging?  Instagram!  Catch more of us on Instagram, username: lindbm.

Milestone: 2 years

I never knew what the big deal was.  Two babies in diapers.  How hard could it be?  Whoa.

I swear that's all I do all day long.  Change diapers.  Happily.

This little lady turned 2 on Sept. 21st.  A week or so before the baby came.  And she is exactly that.  A two year old. 

We laugh at her talking, her singing, her dancing, her book reading, her cat loving, and screaming all day long.  I admit she is at times hard to be mad at, even when she deserves my full wrath.

She has had her world turned upside down, these past couple weeks.  She had no idea where little Elijah came from but she was sure glad to see him.  She has not stopped kissing and loving on him.  I am grateful she decided not to take her anger confusion out on him.  We are working on her sleeping in one bed at night - most of the time it is with her sister, Macy.

I find myself counting to 5 a lot lately.  And shaking my head.  When and how did this happen?  Amazing.  When did my life go from busy Mom to just flat out crazy?

Was it when Mikael came?

Was it when we took on this giant remodeling project?  Or the ones before this one?

Was it last March, when Jace purchased the other plumbing company?  And our lives changed drastically?  I'm drowning in paperwork and he is working hours we haven't seen since we were first married.  Gratefully.

And what will a sweet baby named Elijah do to my sanity?  How will I ever have the time?

Well, so far he has been nothing but sweet.  I am grateful he has forced us to slow down and enjoy this chapter.  There are certain moments in the day, when my lap is full of babies that love me, that I love being home - I love being their Mom and Jace's wife.  I just wish that was all I had to do - sit on the couch and love babies.  I'm probably going to have to tell Jace to hire another secretary and maid.

He is here.

We will call him 

Elijah Lewis Baum

Sunday, September 30, 2012 8:21 am

9 pounds 0 ounces 21 1/2 inches

Much to my delight, labor started last Saturday night, one week early.  It was my best delivery yet.  I am always amazed, no matter how many times I do this, how incredible the experience of giving birth is.  I fall in love instantly and wish I could spend all day doting and staring at him.  He is a quiet, content baby.  It is like he knows and was saved to be our #5.  He patiently endures his siblings fighting over him, poking him, breathing on him, and his older sister Mikael's screaming fits.  He can sleep thru it all.  He was born on my Dad's 60th birthday.  His middle name comes from and in honor of my Mom.  Lewis is her maiden/middle name.  Our lives have changed again at the Baum household.  Some of us are adapting to the change better than others.  I will write more on that later.  We are so thankful for our healthy, beautiful boy.

100 yard dash



Mikael and Livi - 4th of July 2012

There is a story told in my family.  My Mom still wants to cry when she recalls that day.  It was spring 1983, my Mom left her 4 little girls in a running van and with heavy steps made her way inside her Dad's house.  She was 9 months pregnant with #5, who would later be known as Addie.  Back in that world of no car seats, 2 year old Lindsay made her way to the front seat, and somehow managed to take the van out of park.  The van that was now in reverse was headed for a nearby ditch or beyond.  When my Mom noticed the now moving van - She ran for her life.  The van beat her to the ditch and stopped.  I have heard her describe the terror she felt many times.  I can only imagine.  Her girls survived, without a scratch but my Mom was in bad shape.  She had to be picked up and hauled into her Dad's house.  She could not walk.  Her pregnant hips had given out on her after her 100 yard dash.  Two grown men hauled her to the bathroom and sat her on the toilet.  My Mom was on the brink of hyperventilation, extreme humiliation, and imminent labor.

Labor did not come that day.  Or the next.  Addie would arrive on her due date a couple weeks later and my Mom's hips and pride would eventually heal.  I would assume that my Mom caught a glimpse that terrifying day of how much her life could and would change with the birth of her 5th child.  I'm sure she contemplated her predicament.  I'm sure she wanted to take me out and beat me.  I'm sure she cried to my Dad that night.  5 babies would be a lot of work and worry.  And maybe, just maybe running after that van that day would not be the only time as a mother that she would feel like she was in the sprint of her life.

And so now, here I am, 9 months pregnant with my 5th child.  I'm at times terrified.  Hyperventalating.  Eating humble pie.  And sprinting toward the finish line.  (The finish line less than 3 weeks away)

So please excuse my long absence? 

And please excuse the following photos.  They have nothing to do with this post.  Here is just a glimpse of what we have been up to:



Mikael - Milwakee airport June 2012

Noah - Lake Powell July 2012 - Was quite the wakeboarder this year!

Mikael's "baby" - That cat has a special place in heaven for putting up with her

Family Pic on Pioneer Day 2012 (some of us in costume)

Mikael and Ezra bike riding on the newly poured concrete

1st day of school 2012 and a house still under major renovation

Mikael has a slight obsession with books right now

Jace's favorite past time - breeding.  Anything.  Me.  The llamas.

I do not like sheep.  Jace does.  They get out of their pen every time Jace leaves town.

Jace buried the trampoline this summer.  That baby can help herself to a few jumps whenever she feels the need.  It's fantastic.

This past week.

We managed to get all of us in one Easter picture.  All looking in the same direction.  This is a huge feat people.  

I also weaned this 19 month old baby this week.  I know what you are thinking, "that's not normal."  But I'm here to say that it is very normal at the Baum house.  Macy was weaned at 16 months and my boys at 19 month and they are nothing but perfect gentlemen.  (Ahem.)  I'll admit that this time around I was thinking it was never going to happen.  And my sisters were going to be able to give me crap at every family party until Mikael went to kindergarten.  But we have made it through this week, me and Kaels.  Baby steps.  That's how we do it.

I also had a major urge to spring clean take over this week.  I vacuumed.  I mopped.  I dusted.  I organized.  I washed all the winter wear and put it away.

Then it snowed yesterday.

Hoping that urge strikes me again tomorrow morning.  Either that or a cleaning lady knocks on my door.

Smells like spring

We have been practicing with our sprinkler system.  Turning on every zone.  Checking for broken sprinkler heads and even coverage.  The smell of wet dirt has made my heart so happy.  We weren't here last year for the all the fruit tree blossoms and the sight of them has me so excited at the prospect of trees hanging heavy with fruit.  I am reminded why we bought this old place.  The potential is amazing.

One of the local hardware stores where we have an account has recently made the mistake of selling baby chicks, feed, and other exciting products.  As I was inputing bills this week for our plumbing company, I noticed invoices with material named "Pearl White Chics" and "Chicken Stratch" feed.  Not exactly what plumbers need to fix clogged lines and such.  That Jace.  And he says I am the sneaky online shopper.

Good thing its Easter.  I stopped in town yesterday and bought a new skirt for the occasion.  Now we are even.  He said his Easter present will bring us eggs and happiness for years to come.  I told him my new skirt will bring me and my closet happiness as well.  Who cares if you can't eat it, right?

The baby chics were ready to move out doors today on this Easter sabbath.  The air is warming up and small, soft feathers now line their small bony bodies.  Jace rounded up a couple chicken wranglers to do the job.

Happy Easter!  I'm so grateful for this time of year and the opportunity we have to start anew.  I hope there is a dust storm of commotion at Mi Casa in the coming weeks.  We need a new roof and a new septic tank by June.  New windows would be lovely as well as new exterior paint, planted grass, and shiny, white baseboards.  Not too tall of an order is it?

Project: Life

Sometimes there just isn't a lot to post about on the home remodeling front.  Sometimes life is paramount and by life I mean birthday parties, sick babies, crappy weather, and laundry.  There have been behind the scenes negotiations between husband and wife about combining the 2 blogs for simplicity sake.  Some seasons of my life require all my energy and time and little is left to worry about paint colors and which way the toilet should face.  Here is a few pictures of my life in the past month.

My Noah turned 8 last month.  He constantly impresses and surprises the pants off his parents.  We love him and wish we had 4 more just like him.

At our house, when you turn 8, it means we plan another big day for the baptism.  Lots of family, lots of food.  All Noah wanted for his birthday this year was a black "sweater" for church.  "You know the kind with the secret pockets..."  He wears his new suit coat proudly every week to church.

And here we have Mikael.  Doing what she does best - playing "office".  And since my office is right off my front door, I have lots of explaining to do when guests come knocking.  She can have my desk cleared off and on to the floor in about 2.5 seconds.  Don't even get me started on what she can do with a basket of folded laundry.  This baby was sick this month.  Throwing up and diarrea for 7 straight days.  I felt horrible for her but thought I was going to lose my mind.  Thankfully, an antibiotic took care of whatever was causing it.  But it has literally taken weeks to get my house and life clean and back in order.  Sort of.

Jace did manage to get a few house projects done without me this past month.  Fixing steps, repairing sheet rock, moving toilets, and installing our new/permanent appliances.  And have I explained the turquoise table in the middle of the kitchen?  It is obviously a temporary island.  It covers and semi hides the water and electric pipes coming up out of the concrete floor.  One day a custom island will replace our turquoise table.  Soon I hope.  We literally eat 75% of our meals here.  It is quite comical trying to fit all 6 of us around it.

And while I love the look of my new stove, I'm sorry to say my other stove worked better.  Dang it.  I have almost burned the house down 3 times and melted the babies high chair tray.  The front control touch screen is sensitive.  And I don't think I have ever mentioned my finished concrete countertops on the blog.  For $180, we are pleased with the result.  We learned a lot and we are enjoying them.  Now, I just need to make up my mind on back splash tile and find a better hiding spot for the microwave.

My new counter depth fridge.  Can't say it enough.  If you are contemplating spending the extra cash for one - do it.  I can't believe how much nicer this fridge looks, than my older fridge that was regular depth and stuck out like a sore thumb.

And wait I lied.  I did do one decorating project.  It took me 3 weeks to get Jace to cut and then trim it to the right size but I'm loving the cork board in my black ikea frame.

Spring break is around the corner.  I have told Jace we are headed to the valley with or without him.  Hopefully with.  4 kids are much easier to manage with him.  I am ready for a break from this wind (and snow storms!) and my dirty house.  I need a trip to Ikea and Target.  Thats all I ask for and a little sunshine.