Isn't He Lovely?!

My amazing Lands' End swim club decided to get me a gift certificate for baby pictures for Preston. I was so excited when I got the gift certificate! You have seen so many different adorable baby pictures and was excited to see what we could get of Preston. Venden Photography was so great! Dawn really worked with us so much and came back several times to try to get a few good shots of him while he was sleeping, however...Preston never wanted to sleep or stay asleep while she was here. If I were to do this in the future I would want to take pictures of our babies when they are only a few days old.

I love this little guy so much! He is adorable and totally takes my heart, even when he is crying. Neil and I have been so blessed to have him with us and trusted by Heavenly Father to take care of one of his little children. The  stewardship to be a parent seems a little scary at times, but then I look at that little angel face and forget

Here are a few good shots:

He wasn't really  happy about his picture being taken as you can see, however...we did get a few good shots. I can't wait to see him grow up and develop his personality. I am excited to be able to be his mother and learn and grow with him. We are so blessed!

Our First Official Father's Day

This year was Neil's first official Father's Day! Since Preston is so young and we just got home from the hospital not too long ago, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to go out and get anything...however, since my mother-in-law was here we were able to go and get Neil some cuff links for a few new shirts of his that needed them. Preston wasn't awake for the gift opening, but maybe next year!

Neil really has been the cutest dad I have ever seen. I know that I am totally biased, but I have loved watching him with Preston...how he just smiles when he looks and holds him, how he holds him so carefully and softly. He talks to him as if he could understand, telling him that they will be best friends and play ball soon. I am so grateful for him and what he does for our family. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband and father of Preston.

I am also so grateful for my Dad, as well as my father-in-law for what they have done to raise Neil and I and teach us so many important life lesson and for being our first hero's.

Here are a few pictures of our Father's Day:

I thought that this picture was super cute! I gave Preston the wrapped gift and he actually grabbed it! Fun!

 I thought that it was cute that in this picture it almost looks like they are looking at each other, father and son.

 Happy smiles! We are waiting for Preston to smile for the first time. Here are the cuff links we got Neil!

Baby's First Bath

We decided to bathe Preston last night. We meant to do it earlier, however...life and time got away from us. I was all ready to go with a towel out, fresh clothes, new diaper, etc. all on the counter next to the kitchen sink so that we could be quick with this whole process. I stripped him down, got his diaper off and then he was put in the sink. We filled it halfway full of warm water and then covered the bottom with a washcloth. He was a little bothered by being naked, but as soon as he hit the water he was such a happy camper! He seemed to really like it. Then, Neil got out the sprayer and Preston loved that even more! As Neil sprayed him down he opened up his arms and legs to feel the water rush on his little body. I thought this was hilarious! I wish we would have gotten a video clip of this. Next time I'll have to record his reaction to the water. I think he might be a swimmer!

Here are a few pictures of the event:

I haven't gotten many pictures with his eyes open, so I was excited about this one! He looks pretty upset I guess, but really seemed to like it all.

Isn't he so cute!

 Neil was getting the sprayer ready!

 And here we go! He lifted up both arms and made such a great face!

It's funny how things as simple as a bath are such a big deal when you are a baby, well...everything seems like a big deal. It is hard work and yet so much fun!

INTRODUCING: Preston Neil Spencer

Preston Neil Spencer

I know it has taken me forever to put these photos up and I apologize for that. Preston has needed so much attention and I have loved giving it to him these last couple of days. It is definitely a transition to have him here, but we are sure glad that everything went so well! Don't you think he is adorable!

Here I am right after the epidural (which I loved!). I was dilated to a 4 at this time, 100% effaced and he was at a +2, which means that he was ready to come see us soon!

He decided to join us at 7:45 in the morning on Tuesday June 7th. He was 8 lbs 6 oz. and 20.5 inches long. After the epidural it was only 4 hours till I was completely dilated, and then after 45 minutes of pushing he was happily meeting us. I was tired, but so so happy!

 And here he is in the bassinet after we were moved from the birthing unit to the family unit. After I fed him he was out like a light for several hours. We just watched him and kept thinking how amazing it was that he was really here with us. How amazing and yet so unreal!

After we made it to the family unit to stay and recover for the next couple of days a PR lady from the Mallards Minor League baseball team came into our room and told us that since today was opening night in a new stadium the Mallards were celebrating by giving away one ticket per season to a Mallards game for the rest of their life for babies born on the 7th. They came in and asked us if we were interested and of course we said yes. They then asked for our picture and then asked if they could put the picture up on their website. They also told us they wanted to feature our family at a Mallards game later on in the season and possibly on a channel 3 special feature. How funny is that?! We got a kick out of this whole thing since it was totally random!

 Finally sitting in a chair and burping him after he ate!

 Neil and Preston were enjoying some ESPN tv during the day and bonding. The beds in the family unit were all queen size, so Neil was able to actually sleep with me in the same bed at night. It was so nice!

The hospital also gave us a "Celebration Dinner". We were so surprised by this, and so grateful. After we put Preston down they came in and set up our table for the two of us to enjoy a steak dinner: Steak, Baked Potato, Green beans, Side Salad, Rolls...with drinks, sparkling cider and raspberry cheesecake for dessert. It was a fun little romantic dinner!

This was taken as we were ready to go. Preston did not like being put in his car seat.

 But then as soon as you clicked the button he was asleep almost instantly. He seems to do this every single time we put him in his car seat!

Today Preston is 6 days old and we think we are already starting to see different parts of his personality come through. We have been so blessed to have this little guy join our family. It wasn't the easiest thing to get him here, but we are so grateful that he is!

Piano Overhaul: DIY Tutorial

After moving to Wisconsin my husband and I found that our house felt a little quiet without a piano. We hadn't really thought about much until we saw this piano at a garage sale for $100. Neil and I both tried it out and made sure it played well, etc. After that we left the garage sale, talked about it, then went back later that day to see if it was still there, and to our surprise it totally was! Neil talked them down to $60 and then we had to figure out how to get it to our house. Luckily the garage sale was only a few blocks from our house. We asked a friend to help, well...a couple of men actually, loaded it in their trailer and then had it delivered to our house that night.

Here is the whole process from start to finish! After looking online for tutorials and much needed suggestions we got started on the overhaul! Luckily I had a friend that was willing to help me out. Doing this project 7-8 months pregnant was a little hard, but when you have someone helping it makes it so much easier! Thanks Michelle! You rock!

Here is the before photo! It was in pretty good condition considering it has been in this lady's garage for a long time. The bench needed the most love actually.

 First we took it all apart, which means that we took off the top and everything that would be hard to paint attached. After we did that we had to clean it out. There were so many spiders and nasty dustiness. I thought that it would be smart to do this before we got too far along. You can take the keys off, however...I wasn't sure I would be able to put them back on in the right order or properly...so I just painted carefully around them.

 Then the sanding began! We sanded all the different faces of the piano EXCEPT the back. If you are wanting to paint a piano just know that you can paint everything except the back of the piano. That is what will change the tune and sound of the piano. After sanding we wiped it all down so that none of the dust got into the paint or primer.

 We taped the base of the legs, and pedals and then primed it. I used an oil based primer since it is wood. The oil just seals the wood so that latex or water based paint doesn't soak into the wood and affect the sound of the piano.

 Here is a photo of the pieces we took off and used the same method for.

After the primer has at least 24 hours to dry we painted our first coat of black semi-gloss paint. There were so many small grooves and different detailed areas that I got a really small brush in order to get those done well. I also got two small rollers that had sponge options instead of the more textured normal rollers. These were so nice! I would recommend a 4" and a 6" roller. It looks so cool with all the different faces taken off! Who would have known what a piano really looks like without the top on it!

 And here is the finished product! I painted the bench as well, which was all wood originally. After sitting on it and it being so hard I decided to upholster it a little bit. I bought some foam and fabric, then used a staple gun to make it all come together. On the under-side (which opens and holds music inside) I sewed another piece and used some spray adhesive to make it look finalized and beautiful even when you open it!

After completing this project I have discovered how easy it really can be to refinish or paint different furniture. Most people seem to use spray paint to paint furniture, however, I can't ever seem to get an even coat with spray paint, and I go through so many different cans! The other problem is that here in Wisconsin the winter makes it impossible to spray paint in an area that isn't well vented. It's also super humid in the summer, which makes it hard to have any paint really dry at all...along with wood-warping problems. So after you figure out how to fix something in good weather here we like to get it done fast!

Cost: $60 for the piano
         $20 semi gloss black paint
         $10 oil based primer
         $10 rollers and other supplies
         $5 fabric
So total: $105 A steal of a deal!

Now we just need to get it tuned so that everything is perfect! Let me know what you think of the finished product! I hope to do more projects like this soon!