Nesting, with help from our parents

With the help of our parents, we've been getting ready for Ren's arrival.

Paul's dad Wally recently stayed with us for a few days to get a jumpstart on a mini reno in our basement. We're carving out a little space in our basement (from our family room) for an office. Currently, we have filled-to-the-brim bookshelves in our spare bedroom in the basement and in Ren's room, with other office stuff located in Ren's room and our basement familiy room; we decided it was time to consolidate all the office stuff in one space so that we can actually get into Ren's room and furnish it for his arrival.

This reno gave Paul the excuse to rip out the circa 1970s fireplace and mantle that he was itching to get rid of. It really was a hideous thing. The guys then framed the walls, did the electrical, put in a pocket door frame, and put up drywall. Paul is now doing the mudding and sanding. Next steps will be to paint and put in cork flooring (throughout the entire basement living space). Once the flooring is in (at least in the office), I can then get to work moving our books into there, etc. I can't wait till it's finished because I'm incredibly anxious to furnish and decorate Ren's room. But I have to say that I'm thrilled with how much progress has already been done on the new space. Paul and his dad worked so quickly AND tidily! I expected our basement to be a complete mess during this whole time but they neatly cleaned up after each step.

Claire really loved having both of them working here; she often called out to them, "Hi boys!", or "Nice work, boys!". Sometimes, before they had a chance to tidy up a mess, she'd walk over and spout out a line from one of her favourite TV shows (Big Comfy Couch): "Hey, who made this big mess?!" Her answer was always, "The boys!".

On the weekend while Paul and his dad were working, Paul's mom took Claire to our community centre to enjoy a Christmas party. Together, they coloured, went on a wagon ride, shopped and met Santa! I met up with them in time for Santa's visit, and then together we perused the tables of handicrafts. I left them for a few minutes to make a purchase and found them shortly later buying little bracelets! Claire got two, Joanne got one to match one of Claire's, and then Joanne treated me to a bracelet as well! It was really sweet to see Joanne and Claire pouring through a basket of toddler-sized bracelets until Claire found the ones she liked best.

My mom is also helping us prepare for Ren. She is an experienced and passionate quilter and of course, only too willing to make a quilt for her new grandson. I had been searching for the right quilt pattern for a while and finally found it online. Ren's referral said he likes cars, so that's what he's getting!

I had a chance last week to pick out the quilt fabric:

My mom will be visiting us after Christmas so I'll send this all home with her. It won't take long before we have the quilted product back; Mom often sews and stiches from morning till night. I can't wait to see the finished product! I feel so fortunate that both of my kids have / will have beautiful quilts made with love by their Grandma.

Thank you, grandparents, for your contributions! You have each contributed in a way that is unique to you and your personal talents. We are so grateful for your help and involvement in our lives and the lives of our kids.