December 2012, the calm before the storm

Ok. I admit it...I've been a super slacker in this whole blogging thing. Alas, I'm going to try and get up-to-date over the next week and then get back on track.

Trisha and I successfully finished our maternity class at the beginning of December. It was a grueling 5 weeks in which we made the trek up to Covenant each Tuesday night. We got to visit the labor floor, pre-register, and watch horrible videos on the process of child birth. Luckily, this also solidified Trisha's idea of wanting the drugs. Neither of us were interested in experiencing the moaning and groaning for hours of intense labor. I also earned my nifty "Coach" hat and a nifty certificate letting us know we were "ready" to become parents.

And then the waiting began. It seemed like the last 4 weeks of the pregnancy was the longest. The diapers were stacked, the nursery was finished and Trisha's poor swollen feet were growing bigger by the day. Patience isn't my best attribute and I was so ready to meet him. Even though we knew he wasn't due until January 7th, we were VERY ready for him to get here. Luckily, we convinced the doc to schedule one more sonogram at 37 weeks. He was so much chubbier than the last pictures and was projecting a weight of 6.5 lbs. Unfortunately, we never got any really good pictures of his face. Before, it was always his hand in the way and this time he decided to be sucking on his foot.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells!

After some cookie decorating and last minute shopping, we made it to Christmas. Now, you haven't truly experienced gift giving until you become part of the Tyler household. First, we started with the 5 little ones and they are (mostly) old enough to be excited about ripping into the presents. Three 50 gallon trash bags full of wrapping paper later....its the big kid's turn.

The presents keep coming and coming. It really is a grand event. Trisha's parents start shopping in the Spring and don't get finished until the day or so before Christmas. Santa also visited Trisha with a letter explaining that he was going to be visiting the Kirkpatrick household next year for a different person. But, because this was her last year, that he hoped she'd be happy with her present anyways.

Christmas was truly magical this year but Trisha and I both realized that this would be the last time we celebrated it for US. Next year, we would have a little one of our own to shower gifts on. Next year would be our first chance to start some long-lasting Kirkpatrick traditions of our own. 2013 is going to be the year that changes our lives forever.

 

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Our Wedding Book

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It's been a busy 3 weeks!

In order...

It was so nice being at home for the weekend for the first in 4 weeks. Got to sleep in on a Saturday morning and catch up on a few hours of recorded tv. Luckily, we also got to take advantage of a cherished few hours spent with our friends wishing Kevin a safe and quick trip overseas.

I was very excited to receive my new Nest thermostat and get it installed on the same day that we also got our foam insulation installed in the attic. I wish I had the Nest installed a week or two before so I could see the energy savings but I guess I'll just have to see how well the insulation works according to last years electric bills. Trisha is loving the Nest because it has an iPhone app that let's her control the temp from bed. I've always been the one that is always hot and she's always cold. Well, the table are turned.

Trisha came home from work that day and let me know that there was a very strong smell in the house. I guess I hadn't noticed too much because I was at the house during the foam installation but we agreed she didn't need to stay overnight breathing in the fumes. So I took advantage of the situation and killed two birds with one stone. My least favorite activity in recent years is painting and that's just what I got to do. I painted til almost midnight and then assembled the furniture the next morning. SJ's room is turning out to be pretty awesome though! Once again, I'd like to remind everyone how great my wife is for letting me have my way with this nursery.

Halloween came and went. Trisha and I got a little taste of family as we met our niece and nephew at the pumpkin place to get some pics before they were off to the park. It was fun watching the excitement onTrisha's face on Halloween evening when trick-or-treaters came to the door. It just reminded us that we get to celebrate all of these fun Holidays in a very new light very soon.

Then there is baby.

It seems that about everything that is happening in our daily lives revolves around SJ. We got to register at Babies R Us and Target over the weekend and it quickly reminded us that we need A LOT of stuff. I'm going to have to get a second job to be able to afford all of the strollers, highchairs, diapers, baby Toms, etc etc

Also, last week was our first "expecting parents" class. I don't know how long it's been since I sat in a classroom for 2 hours and listened to an instructor. We learned all about distinguishing the right time to go to the hospital and where to go when it comes. I think tonight we're going to be learning breathing and massage because we were told to bring pillows. I told Trisha to make sure and get some new pillowcases so we didn't have drool or whatever on them. Well Trisha walks in and tosses them to me and sure enough, she had to pick up the one print that made us look like "that" couple....leopard print.

Lastly, we were so excited when our latest sonogram happened. We may get one more according to our doctor but typically this would be our last. I'm already understanding what they mean, when people say that they think their kid is the cutest. Apparently SJ likes his hands because almost pic we've got of him has his hands in front of his face. Trisha was pushing him around and getting on her side to get that one great photo but he just wouldn't move his hands.

Got a few decent ones but I was only concerned with one thing. I wanted to make sure that everything was still there and I got another pic to let me know things were still on track.

That's MY BOY!

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King Stud.... Not just my nickname

I kid! But seriously, do you know what a king stud is? Neither did I until this weekend but we faked it pretty well in getting the doors and windows in successfully.

Doors in - check

Windows in - check

Loft complete - check

Last thing was to put the siding up and this one was a doozy. Now truthfully, this would be a very simple task if not for the mountain. I've undertaken a monumental task by deciding to build the cabin on the side of a mountain. In each step of the build, it has produced some sort of challenge in moving to the next step. In this last step, the road side of the build is only about 12 feet from the ground to the top of the wall. These panels went up quick and we were feeling pretty good about ourselves.

With small enclosed walls up, it really gives you the feeling of an enclosure.

On the mountain side though, it's about 22 feet. This makes its slightly more complicated to put up with only a 16 foot ladder. We decided to leave it to someone who has the right equipment and know-how to put it up safely. Luckily, my man Troy (who will be installing the trusses and metal roof) can do that very task. And that's a good thing because the top panels and even the middle panels were difficult nailing in at that height.

After 4 weekends of hard work, I'm not going to miss driving back up there on Friday. We had a plan to get to a point where we couldn't do any more work (safely) and we succeeded. We poured concrete columns, built the subfloor and installed the siding on the framed walls. It has been so rewarding having my father-n-law (and bro-n-law) by my side in completing this task. It will be a few more weeks before we head up there again to get the tyvek up and make sure everything is sealed up for the winter.

 

 

 

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The name of the game is... Overkill

Once again, the three of us were up at 5:30 on Friday morning and on the road up to the mountains. We spent the whole of Friday fixing what we had done wrong last weekend. Getting a 16x24 level surface on the side of a mountain square isn't an easy task. But we got it close and a builder from the area (who is going to tackle the roof because I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid) came by and looked at it for us. At this point, we are flying with no permit or respect to code but he explained that I might want to start getting those ducks in a row for issues later on down the line. That was a blow because if the inspector requires blueprints, I'm going to wreck my budget finding an engineer. The silver lining with his visit was that he said the concrete piers, pressure treated lumber, and all the screws and brackets we've used were a bit overkill but would only help us in the long run with the inspector.

 

We worked up until we couldn't see the lines for cutting and thought that might be a good stopping point in the evening.

This thing is solid. We installed staggered floor joints every 4 feet and then screwed the advantech osb on the "correct" way (going opposite direction of the joists) to keep the subfloor rigid. Here is Greg lying around on the job.

Once we got the subfloor done, it was time for an old timey barn raising. The general rule is one person per 8 feet of wall but that is for 8 foot ceilings. This bad boy is 10 feet all and there were lots of groans getting that first wall raised and braced.

And we kept going...

 

And going...

And going until the four walls were up, nailed down, braced every which way to get plumb... And then bracketed (which is once again overkill, but we decided you can never have enough brackets). We got the cripple studs and loft supports up so we only have the joists left to do.

All in all, this felt like the most productive weekend up there. Maybe because the walls and loft give it the almost appearance of an actual structure. I could already picture where the stairs and wood stove and kitchen were going to layout.

4 things to mention:

1. Buy at least twice as many screws as you think you might need. We found out the uber wireless nail gun that I'm borrowing from a buddy doesn't like the hot dipped (overkill) 3" nails so we ended up screwing most of the structure together (big overkill)
2. Mad props to my brother-n-law Greg. Saturday night, we went to Applebee's and had a sampler appetizer. He went to town on the boneless buffalo wings and blue cheese dip but ended up waking Ted and I at midnight with his loud projectile vomiting from the bathroom. He was a trooper on Sunday working through the ick and finishing strong helping us lift the loft supports in place.
3. It's an odd but wonderful feeling getting to know your neighbors. Trish and I haven't met any of our neighbors in Lubbock, but I already know 4 of my neighbors on the mountain on a first name basis. I would usually feel bothered having to stop what I'm doing to have to entertain small talk and pleasantries with each and every person that stops and gets out of their car to introduce themselves and wish me good luck on the project but instead I'm finding comfort in it. This mountain is truly shaping up to be that place where I can build life-long memories with my friends and family.
4. Last but not least, I have to lift my wife up on a pedestal. She is truly an amazing woman to let me spend the last three (and several more in the future) weekends working on our cabin. Being pregnant is no easy feat and I always come home to a spotless house and big hugs. She knows all of this work is for the little beast she's growing inside of her and the future we want to give our children that doesn't just involve the concrete city we live in. Love you babe

 

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Who has 2 thumbs and just bought $4,000 worth of windows and doors for $500? This GUY!

So starting off, I think Craigslist ROCKS! I've found a cute little pot belly stove for a great price and I feel that I've practically thieved these brand new windows. They're from a contractor who measured an entire house wrong and can't use them. Makes no difference to me because the large windows are going to look great as I frame them into my new cabin.

Recapping this weekend, Ted and I had a newcomer in the way of my brother-n-law decide to brave it out and come play builder with us. Good thing, because we had to build 24' beams of pressure treated 2x12's and lift them into the brackets. The first two were easy but would have been a bear with just two of us. The last and highest beam had to be slightly disassembled to get it over our heads and into its space.

We had originally planned on spending the first day bringing some fill down the hill to level off the ground of the bottom two rows of piers, but Mother Nature had other plans. You see, she decided to rain for a few days all over our dry mounds of ground that should have been easy to push down the hill but instead formed a massive muddy clay blob.

After two trips of tossing heavy mud onto a tarp and pulling it down, we decided we'd once again recruit our mountain angel (Dave Swope) to get his backhoe and push it down for us. So off we went to building. Once we got the aforementioned mega beams up, we made quick work of marking off our subfloor plan and laying down the pieces.

 

We got the trusses lined up and set on just as we heard the first thunder roll down into the canyon. It was quite comical to see all of our faces look at each other with an urgency to finish up before the storm hit. But we got'er done and felt very accomplished just as the rain came on.

 

It makes me happy and eager every time we pack up and I take the last pic of the trip to remind me of how far we've come but how far we've got to go. If all goes well, the three of us will embark once again in the dark of Friday morning to head up there and spend three days getting the 4 walls and the loft up.

 

 

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2 men, 4 days and 7,620 lbs of concrete

Well, the last few days have been crazy. Ted (the best father-in-law in the world) and I drove into Alamogordo on Friday afternoon to sign the papers on the land and then scooted up the mountain to try and measure off the spots for the footers. It's a little different trying to level everything out when you have a 8 foot decline from the top of the building site to the bottom, but we joined intellects and got it done.

 

We rented a two man auger from Home Depot and only had about 12 hours until we had to drive down the mountain to return it. The auger quickly got nicknamed "The Beast"

She dug through that mountain soil ripping up small roots and rocks all the while tossing us like rag dolls. We just decided to hold on and enjoy the ride and after the first couple of holes, mastered the machine.

The mountain fought us on 3 dig spots. 2 had big roots that we have to cut out and unfortunately we didn't see it in the beginning, but a tree stump was smack dab in the middle of the third. Luckily, we made great friends with Dave Swope and he brought in the big guns to help us out.

 

Now let me tell you one thing about concrete....

it's friggin' heavy!

I purchased 127 of the 60 lb bags in order to get everything done. The problem was, each bag was handled many many times. Had to pick it up at Home Depot and put it in the truck. Had to take it off the truck and set in the staging area. Had to pick it up from the staging area and trek down the mountain to the second staging area (which it is not easy doing because gravity wants to take over). Then had to pick it up to dump it into the mixer.

I know for a fact that I've never worked harder in my life than I did on that mountain...but we got it done. And we're going to make the trip again this weekend to build the subfloor. Luckily, I've recruited another delusional soul to help out so things should be a little easier this go around.


 

 

 

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Nitrates...an expecting father's worst nightmare

I like meat

Let me rephrase that... I LOVE MEAT!!!!!!

Since we found out we were pregnant, I have experienced a change in my meat intake. Studies have found that consuming meats containing nitrates can cause carcinogens and listeria inside the body which isnt good for the baby. And my wife is a super oven protecting her little bun from getting burnt.

Hot dogs, sausage, pepperoni, deli meats, bacon...the list goes on. 99% of these products in the stores contains nitrates and while Trisha doesn't eat them, that means for the most part, they aren't purchased from the store and therefore I don't get to eat them. Trisha has also acquired an aversion to chicken and eggs. They make her nauseous so that means that there's been pretty much only one protein on the menu.

BEEF- its what's for dinner

Now I like beef probably more than the average person but variety is something Ive come to look forward to. Now I don't say all of this to point out the massive amounts of cow Ive been shoving in my mouth over the last five and a half months, I'm explaining this because it prepares you for what would normally seem to be a very odd reaction I witnessed a few days ago.

I was on the couch when I heard the garage door open and Trisha stepping inside asking if I could help with the groceries. There was a different look on her face. A look of joy. A look of freedom. A look of.....meat! You see, Trisha had found a store that has pepperoni pizzas, sausage and other delectable meaty morsels without nitrates. It was like Valentines day, Christmas and her birthday had all come at once and she had plenty of grocery bags filled to the top that proved once again, we could become the carnivores we once were. The reign of terror has ended!

On another note, after countless times of watching the unexplained sexual commercial where the girl jumps out of her convertible, slams open the ice cream truck's back door and dives into a Magnum bar, we had to try them. These puppies are expensive but during the consumption, one could hear several moans coming from us and we partook of this sinful treat. We finally understand that commercial.

 

 

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The Walk to Remember

While we normally sleep until at least 10 am on Saturdays, Trisha and I were both up bright and early this morning. The Lubbock Alzheimer's walk was today and we had over 20 in our group. This is a special event to my family because we lost our loving Granmommy to the disease 2 years ago.

What a trooper. Just 7 weeks after a total knee replacement, Pepaw was ready to walk the 1.8 miles

 

 

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Return on investment

SJ got his dear ole dad lunch today! Remind me to give that kid a high five when he gets here.

 

 

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The FORCE is strong with this one

Boy, it's been a busy month! Trisha finally conceded and agreed to let SJ's nursery have a Star Wars theme so we got the furniture ordered and we've been scouring the net for awesome deco for the room. I did have to give up something I wanted though. SJ will not be the proud owner of the most awesome Wampa rug in the world.

Doesn't this kid look happy?

 

Next we move on to a few first for the Kirkpatrick family. A few weeks ago on a little adventure trip, we stumbled upon the Lovington Fair on our way back to Lubbock. At first, it was just supposed to be a quick trip in to allow Trisha to walk around a little and grab a turkey leg for dinner. But once I found out she had never been to a rodeo, we had to stay! We got to see all of the events and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. On the way out, we picked what had to be the best funnel cake we've ever had the chance to stuff in our mouths while listening to the free concert of Uncle Cracka

And for the other first...just last weekend, Trisha surprised me with a trip to a Cowboys preseason game. We had both been to the new stadium for Tech games but it really is spectacular to see it in all it's glory with 80,000 ans wearing the colors and screaming for the Boys. I think SJ was a caught off guard with all the noise and junk food we were making him experience all at once. Luckily, earlier that day in the hotel, I got to feel him kick for the first time. It's moments like those that make all the craziness that is pregnancy worth it.

 

 

Lastly, we once again bring to the point of what this blog is truly made for. A constant reminder (although I do admit I've slacked in that department) that this is the Kirkpatrick Adventure. Trisha and I were called crazy several times when we let people know we were remodeling the house 2 months before the wedding. What better way to move into the third trimester of our firstborn than to buy up some mountain land and build a cabin! That's right, by this time next week we'll be the proud owners of our own little slice of heaven nestled in the Sacramento mountains. Ted (Trisha's dad) and I will be busy little beavers over the next 6 weeks trying to at least get its weathertight shell done by mid-October. Neither of us have ever taken on such a project but we're pretty confident with ourselves in that we can get it done.

 

I'll definitely be updating more with the progress

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