The Rainsbergers

The house

2009-11-09T17:00:00.002-05:00

The house has grown in the last few months. The progress is slow and steady. Since these pictures were taken the roof is complete and we have a garage door. The siding is coming this week and I am thrilled to see the project turning into a real home.

Soon our VERY frequent trips to Menard's will be worth it as we can turn on more than a plain light bulb and maybe flush a toilet.

I've got a ton of ideas of how to decorate and can't wait to get started.

Gavin grows...

2009-11-09T16:51:00.000-05:00

Gavin is 2 months old. Time is flying. As you can see he is now giving us the best smiles. He is also growing like crazy. As of 2 weeks ago he had gained 4 lbs since birth. He is healthy, and for that we are thankful.

We did take the kids trick-or-treating, Gavin slept the whole time...and as you can see did not enjoy picture time. Adelyn was a great monarch butterfly. Her wings would bounce as she ran up to the houses.

I came into the living room one day to find Addie reading to her little brother and fortunately was able to catch a picture of the moment.

The proud big sister is happy to hold her little brother for mommy. "Say cheese" :)

Changes

2009-10-01T16:20:00.005-04:00

I just wanted everyone to know that things are going well in the Rainsberger household. Adelyn had a hard time adjusting at first but is doing much better. I am feeling great, however, I still don't have the energy I think I should. I do lots of laundry and wash a lot of dishes, however, it is a challenge just to get myself cleaned up without many interruptions let alone, keep the house neat and tidy. Gavin is doing good also. He is a bit gassy and is still adjusting to night/day time in the real world, but his schedule is improving. Jayson is working his real job and on stuff for the house. For some reason he doesn't feel as rested in the morning as he used to, but he is doing a great job and is being very helpful. My maternity leave is already half over....very sad, but it is exciting to see Gavin growing and changing already. It is also a blessing to see Adelyn's obvious love of her little brother. I am trying to take 1 day at a time and enjoy the ride.

Excited Big Sister

2009-09-10T19:36:00.003-04:00

He's Here!

2009-09-10T15:28:00.003-04:00

Gavin Philip Rainsberger is here! He was born on 9-9-09 at 4:35 PM. He weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 20 1/2 in long. As you can see in the picture he has some bruising and abrasions on the top of his head from the vacuum. The Doctor had to really pull to get him out because his pulse started to weaken during the contractions. It ended up that Meghann was really close to having a C section because the cord was wrapped around his neck one time.

Other than that Meghann had a relatively easy delivery. She was induced at 7:30AM and didn't really start hard labor until 3:30 PM. Meghann and Gavin are doing very well.

Adelyn was very excited to see her little brother, she couldn't wait to hold him.

Progress on the home front

2009-09-07T15:26:00.001-04:00

As you can see we have had a lot of help with the process. Here Luke, Adelyn and Courtney are helping to prepare the ground for the foundation. We like to keep them hard at work. :) Actually they love to do anything that allows them to get dirty and this project definitely has offered a lot of opportunities.
We had a company out of Michigan, Superior Walls, precast and set our basement walls. This was something new for our county so it was and exciting step. There are wood studs on the inside so when we are ready to finish the basement we can hang the drywall directly to the existing walls. They also have enough insulation so that we do not have to add any additional unless we choose to.
The men setting the walls used the huge crane to life each section from a trailer bed and set them precisely where each needed to go.

Jayson, my dad and Dave all were a big help in setting the floor trusses. We have rough framed the bedroom, bathroom and mechanical room in the basement.

Since these pictures were taken we also have a sub floor and steps into the basement. The kids started school about 2 weeks ago and after about a week of safety classes they have put up most of our exterior walls. The process is exciting and it is amazing how easy it is to spend money. We have had a few surprises, spending more here, getting a good deal there....so our hope is that it all works out in the end.

We are still awaiting the arrival of the baby, and are hoping for this week. His big sister is ready to meet him, as are mommy and daddy. We will post the important information when we have it.

Doing well

2009-06-15T18:24:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone, just wanted you all to know that we are doing well, just busy. The pregnancy is going well. We are expecting a boy in September and we are both growing as expected. Jayson built Adelyn a swing in May which she is enjoying as well as her friends. We are getting closer to starting our building project which is exciting, but makes me nervous also. I am currently looking for the battery charger for our camera battery....when that is found we will update our pictures. :)

New House

2009-03-31T17:15:00.007-04:00

It looks like we are going to have a busy year. Meghann and I have been offerred a great opportunity by school district where I work. Because of the state of the economy the high school's Construction Trades class does not have a home to build this year. So, we are going to take the opportunity to have them build us a house.

We are really early in the process, but things are looking pretty good. Intrest rates are really low, so are lumber prices and we are getting a great deal on land since we will be building on a portion of the family farm. We are very excited and nervous all at the same time. We will probably break ground sometime in June 09 and have the whole project completed by the middle of May 2010. The house will be just under 1800 sqft with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a full basement with a walkout.

New addition...

2009-03-23T21:19:00.002-04:00

Jayson and I felt that his siblings were getting too much attention with their new babies over the last few months.....So we thought we would announce that we are expecting another baby in September. This are going well...I am 3 1/2 months along and other than fatigue, overactive emotions and heart burn, I feel very well. There are days I forget that it's happening. I am starting to expand, but unfortunately don't appear obviously pregnant to those who do not know. I can't wait to feel the little one move and get the firm rounded belly so I don't feel like I have to explain the reason why I am gaining weight. :) We just wanted you all to know and we will try to keep you posted when we have more interesting information.

Disney on Ice

2009-03-23T21:17:00.000-04:00

1 week after Addie's birthday we (grandparents and aunt, Jayson and I, and the Mousketeers) went to Ft. Wayne to watch Micky and Minnie's Amazing Adventure. We got to experience The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan (to name 3 of 5 movies) on ice. The kids all did great, even the little ones. The adults had a wonderful time watching the kids and singing along.

This was a fun way to extend Adelyn's birthday celebration. It was a day full of great memories and lots of smiles.

Adelyn is 2!

2009-03-23T19:55:00.001-04:00

I know, I am 3 weeks behind schedule. :) It has been a little crazy around here the last 6 weeks or so. But first things first....Adelyn is now 2. She is independent, talented and very dramatic. We have some very good times and some very frustrating times but I wouldn't trade any minute.

As you can see Adelyn is happy to be sharing her big day with the mousketeers. She became very fond of Micky Mouse Clubhouse about a month before her birthday. We had a good time celebrating. She is very interested in singing, playing with dolls and "doing things herself."

As you can tell it was a big day. This was taken after the festivities. She went home, took a good nap and was still recovering the next day. We love you Adelyn. Hope your next year is full of even more discoveries and excitement.

January at the Rainsberger's

2009-01-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

This year has already been interesting and January is not even over yet!! Adelyn has been potty training for 2-3 weeks and is doing very well. It was scary for me to start the process, but I guess she was ready because she has had very few accidents. We are getting the pleasure of visiting many of the employee rest rooms around LaGrange. :)

Jayson had a birthday on the 12th, we ended up with only 1 picture of him, taken by Landon, and many of the children. (Funny how that happens). Jayson is now 28 and is aging daily. 3 days ago he woke up with a headache and a stiff neck, so he stayed home from work. By the time I got home he could not turn his head or move much in any direction. He looked rather funny. I took him back the the same doctors office I had just left and he got some prescriptions. So for the last 2 days he has been moving a little more, but mostly sleeping from the muscle relaxers and pain medication. I didn't realize that people age quite this quickly. :)

Adelyn is entering the terrible 2's. Here is a picture of her happy....probably because she is doing what she wants to do. It is very interesting dealing with all the drama and independence from a growing little girl.

Here was Adelyn showing off her little blue caps. They were left over from a project that daddy was working on and she was very proud to have gotten one on each of her fingers. Adelyn is also learning how to say her name. Adelyn Grace comes out pretty easily...but Rainsberger is taking her a little more time. She also knows mommy and daddy's first names and is quite proud of herself apparently because she likes to use them.

2008 Family additions

2008-12-31T14:38:00.006-05:00

Jayson's family has been blessed with children this year. The grandchild count went from 3 to 5 in a matter of 2 weeks. There are now 4 girls and 1 boy.

Adelyn was very happy to meet baby Lexy.

Here is Uncle Jayson holding Adelyn and her new cousin Lexy Lynn. She was born to Jayson's sister Jayme and her husband Ben on December 26, 2008. Lexy weighed 7 lbs 11 ozs. She is the couples 3rd child.

Aubrey Elise was born to Jayson's brother Justin and his wife Jessica on December 12, 2008. She was 8 lbs 6 ozs. They live in Oklahoma so we have not met her in person. We are glade to have her in our family and are looking forward to seeing her. She is the couples first child.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-31T14:28:00.000-05:00

We hope everyone had a good holiday season this year. Our Christmas was fun. It was great to see all the kids able to open their own presents and excited about what they got. This was the first year we did not have to travel out of our county and we were blessed to not have to travel far in the cold icy weather we had.

Here are Adelyn with her 2nd cousins Luke (17 m) and Courtney (4 yo). We got very lucky that they were all smiling and looking in the same direction. We spent Christmas Eve and Meghann's parents' house and had a wonderful (noisy) evening.

Christmas morning Adelyn got a few gifts and was eager to test them out. She wanted to share her unopened gifts with the dog, Charlie, but was not quite as willing once they were out of the boxes and bags.

We spent Christmas afternoon at Jayson's parents' house and Adelyn had a good time with cousins Landon (4 yo) and Lily (16 m). The Santa hats did not stay on long, and the girls were ready for naps by the time all of the presents were opened, but it was a great day.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-04T13:29:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Favorite Things

2008-10-11T21:13:00.001-04:00

Here is a picture showing some of Adelyn's favorite things....Cheez-It's, Juice, and drawing. She could color for hours. She prefers to use pens and markers, of course, but most often gets to use crayons. It is much easier to clean her up, and the area around her, if we can avoid ink.

This picture isn't just cute, it represents more of her favorite things. She loves hats, flip flops (but most any shoes will do), painted nails (toes in this example) and water. I know she isn't in the water here, but we were on our way to the pool. Great grandma has a pool and it is just across the road. Adelyn loves to be in water, especially the bath tub.

This isn't the best quality picture, but I just LOVE the way she is looking at Daddy.

We have such a hard time capturing the smile we see so often. I will cherish this photo for ever. She is really becoming daddy's special girl and this picture shows it. Jayson and Adelyn do a lot of fun things together, including practicing new dance moves, and Adelyn has some intersting ones.

At the car wash

2008-10-11T20:52:00.001-04:00

Adelyn is a great helper. This particular day was gorgeous and Jayson wanted to wash the car. Addie doesn't like to miss opportunities to play in the water, so she was more than willing to help.
She even got some of the soap and water on the car which was helpful
Her hair is a bit crazy, because, this was after breakfast and she is wearing the same thing she slept in. It was probably good, because she gets very involved in her work and her clothes often reveal her efforts.
It's amazing how much more fun projects can be with the right sidekick.

Adelyn and the kitten

2008-10-11T18:04:00.000-04:00

As I said in the first post, Adelyn loves baby animals......and she holds on too tight around their necks.

This kitty is one of a litter of three...
We've wondered if something is "special" about this kitten, because it will put up with ANYTHING without a fight, and is always willing to come back for more.
We've all enjoyed watching the relationship between Addie and the kitten. It's one of the many reasons she likes to visit Memaw and Papa's house.

Summer Fun

2008-10-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

This summer was full of lots of activities, including home improvements, birthday parties, a trip to the zoo and time spent with friends and family. Since we are just starting our family page, we would like to highlight a few of the best memories we've made this summer.

Summer Renovations

2008-10-05T21:10:00.001-04:00

We decided to make some changes to our upstairs. We tore out a wall at the top of our stairs to add in a large closet for Jayson and I. Adelyn is always wanting to help so we did allow her to do a little painting. She was more interested in putting extra paint on the brush and door than spreading it around properly, but her help was appreciated none the less.

We also decided to deconstruct this chimney that was in an extra room of our house. The plan is that it will one day be Adelyn's big girl room. The chimney was solid and had a layer of plaster on top of the brick that we chipped off before taking this picture. For some reason no one wanted to help Jayson and I with the project, but it really went well considering. Jayson's thumb nail is almost healed from a brick injury, now three months ago. I could not wait to hit the bricks with the sledge, it was more fun that I thought it would be. It is probably a good thing we don't have more things to tear appart. We made a huge mess but now the room is ready for paint and is on the schedule for beautification this winter.

Luke and Lily's Birthdays

2008-10-05T20:32:00.000-04:00

We had two birthdays to celebrate this summer. Luke turned 1 on July 25th and was nice enough to share his first cake with big sister Courtney and Adelyn. They enjoyed eating the candies off the top and a lot of icing, I don't know that they got into much cake though.
Luke is a bit ornery and I just couldn't resist this picture. It must have been taken before dessert.
Adelyn's cousin Lily turned 1 on August 12th. She did not share her cake, but Adelyn enjoyed helping her open her presents.

The Zoo and Fair

2008-10-05T20:15:00.000-04:00

We visited the Detroit Zoo at the beginning of August. It was a fun day, but VERY warm. We stayed in the polar bear exhibit a bit longer than the rest. Adelyn is doing her best to stay cool.

We also took Addie to the 4-H fair this summer. She loves animals, especially little ones. She very much wants to hold them, but every time we let her try, she holds on too tight around their little necks.

Adelyn loves tractors, big and little. She would not let us walk by this one without testing out the drivers seat.

Family and Friends

2008-10-05T20:00:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful time staying with Mark and Tamera this summer when we came up for my cousins wedding. We were thankful for their hospitality and Adelyn enjoyed spending time with baby Grace. (Adelyn refers to most children she sees as "baby" even those much bigger than her)

Meghann and Adelyn having fun at the wedding reception.
Adelyn apparently does not want to pose with daddy, but she didn't mind drinking most of his Pepsi.
Addie and Courtney are the best of friends, but often have problems sharing their favorite toys. This was at a 4th of July party at out house and they had a great time playing together.....once they solved the problem with the bat.

We enjoy "horsing around" with the kids. I could only go several rounds but the laughter was infectious.

Landon is 4 1/2 and has an opinion about EVERYTHING. He only knows how to pose one way apparently, but is fun to have around. He definitely makes life interesting. Lily is not quite sure what is going on in this picture, but she has learned to tolerate life with big brother, and is learning the how-to's of an older sibling. She will be a big sister come December.