Getting ready for BBD!

The other weekend it finally occurred to Jeff and me that ready or not this baby is coming. We've been so focused on getting the kitchen completed and work that we hadn't really done much to prepare for the baby. Now before anyone freaks out we have attended our childbirth classes and have been reading some books, but as far as getting the room ready that hadn't happened. In our defense we had house guests for the past month and a half so it also wasn't a convenient time. (I'll let you know if I think of any other excuses) :)

With our house guests gone and the due date getting closer we started to get our butts into gear. We got rid of the couch in my office and moved the guest bed into the office. Next we called the in-laws to employ their services for a weekend! With four grandchildren already, John and Sue are experts at preparing for a new baby's arrival!

John and Jeff painting the room blue.

Sue and me sorting through all of the baby clothes to put them in order of size.

By the end of the weekend the room was painted, all of the baby clothes and linens were washed, the crib was up and the weeds in the front were gone (thanks Sue!). All in all it was a very successful weekend and a great time to catch up with John and Sue before the baby comes! We still have a lot to do to complete the nursery but we're slowly getting there!



Sacramento Retirement Party!

My Uncle Wes recently retired from CalTrans after working there for 30+ years. To celebrate his retirement he did it in true Lum fashion with a Pig Roast! All of my mom's family made the long drive up to Sacramento from Southern California to help celebrate. We lucked out and only had to travel a few hours!

I love the expression on Kendall's face. Ashley calls it her "Blue Steel" face!

Do you see the resemblance?

Auntie Mary and Kendall with her first pig!

Daniel and Ashley.

Auntie Mary a.k.a. "The Baby Whisperer". Your services will be needed in about a month!

Uncle Randy (one of the pig roasters) enjoying a rare moment to sit down and relax with my mom.

Sisters! Enjoying a rare moment sans kids!

Daniel and Grandpa, more than likely scheming together!

Cousin bonding. BBD likes to give Kendall kicks while she rests on my belly! Can't wait for these two to meet!

Daniel and Uncle J playing around on the grass. These two have so much fun together! They even dress almost the same!

The next day we all went to dim sum to celebrate Popo's 84th Birthday. It was so delicious and we all stuffed our bellies for our drives home.

Happy Belated 4th!

Jeff, Barley and I traveled down to Santa Barbara for the 4th of July weekend and our last trip before BBD's arrival. We enjoyed the gorgeous weather and time with friends and family. My parents recently bought a condo in Summerland (about 15 mins south of SB) and had lots of work done on the deck and exterior. Luckily the work had just finished the week before so we were able to spend some time down there with the family.

Brian and Dad enjoying cocktails and appetizers on the deck!

Mom grilling up dinner!

You just can't beat these views!



It was so nice to relax from all the stress of work and daily life. I think the ocean view and vino also helped!

"Uncle J" getting in some baby practice with Kendall.

Barley loves going to Summerland where he spends his days sunning himself on the deck.

We spent one night at the condo and then headed back to SB to spend some time with Jeff's parents who had just returned from a trip to Peru. We had a great time time making them dinner at their house and catching up on all the adventures they had on their trip! We had a chance to visit Grandad and Granny at each of their respective residences. It was so nice to see how much Granny is enjoying her new residence where she seems to be flourishing and making new friends!

For the 4th we celebrated with the 51st annual Parejo Drive Block Party that takes place in the middle of the street at my parents house. This was always a favorite tradition of mine growing up and I'm excited to bring our little one next year! The kids had a great time riding bikes in the middle of the street and it was nice to catch up with all of the neighbors. Jeff also had a chance to spend some time with his nephews Sequoia and Kai and joined them at Stow House for some 4th festivities.

Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures until the end of the night. So here is Kendall wishing you all had a wonderful 4th of July!

Kendall - 2 months

Just wanted to post an adorable picture of our niece Kendall that I took when we were down in Santa Barbara. She is now 2 months old and super sweet!

Kitchen Remodel

I am happy to say that we are making lots of progress on our kitchen remodel. Here is what it looked like for about a month of total demo while they were working on plumbing, HVAC and electrical.

The sink will now be centered underneath the kitchen window.

The ceiling had to be ripped out too for new lighting.

Ripping up walls seems to always uncover other "issues". This particular wall revealed that the electrical for the bathroom (on the other side of the wall) also needed to be updated. Cha-ching, cha-ching. :(



Now for some progress that we can actually see...

Walls! Last week they started sheet rocking and painted.

Ceilings and lights! You can also see the plastic protective barrier to keep out some of the dust from our makeshift kitchen in our dining room.

Today the kitchen cabinets are supposed to be delivered so I'll try to post some more pictures once they are all installed. Cross your fingers that all goes as planned and that the kitchen is completed by the end of July. I think my growing belly is a daily reminder to our contractor that we are on a non negotiable timeline! :)