The packing is over. The move still has a long way to go, but we’ve done the hardest (?) part. All of our belongings are crammed in 16′ of space, waiting for us to call for them to be delivered in Texas.
My man is somewhere between Ohio and Little Rock, Arkansas. He will reach our new city sometime tomorrow. The kids and I are mostly settled in Connecticut with my parents. Saying goodbye to my man ranks among the hardest things I’ve ever done. We hope to see him in four weeks, but it might be longer. There will be miles and miles between us. He starts a new job, buys a house, paints and replaces carpet before I get to see him. Sounds like too much stands between us! This is best, though. I can’t imagine making the kids live in transitional housing for a month in a new city. Here, they are spoiled and loved by Nani and Papa, plus countless friends. Yes, it’s better that we’re here. But we miss Daddy! There is a hole in our family.

However, the sun is shining, and I think it’s 10 degrees warmer here than it is in Vermont. I’m done packing. I can rest now, without my mind racing with things to be done. I don’t have anything to do. Just take care of my kids and spend time with my parents. I think I can handle that.

Emotionally I’m doing okay. Physically I’m exhausted! Last night I slept from 10 til 5 without waking! I have no idea if Buddy cried (I’m going to guess that he did). Maybe this physical exhaustion will lead to him sleeping through the night. If that’s the case, then Yay for coma-like exhaustion-induced sleep!

Packing the truck went incredibly smoothly! We had several guys from church help. They had everything loaded quickly! Then it was just a matter of packing it so that we paid the least we could (we paid per foot). The men impressed me! It was like a giant game of tetris. Meanwhile, some friends cleaned the house for me. I kept saying “thank you”, but those words just don’t express how much I appreciated all the help. By Thursday night I was ready to roll into a ball and cry until I slept. I truly couldn’t have done it without the help. I have some pictures, but they are on my parents’ camera. I’ll work on getting them loaded eventually. Right now I’m going to catch a short nap before Buddy wakes up.

Sorry if this was disjointed and wordy. I haven’t been this tired in A LONG TIME! Considering I haven’t slept well since Buddy’s birth, that’s saying something. So please forgive me….

The weather this weekend is beautiful! We’re in the high 60s, sunny, slight breeze…gorgeous!

Yesterday afternoon my man threw a surprise birthday party for me. My friend invited me to have a picnic with her and her son. When we showed up I felt incredibly blessed and loved. So many friends showed up. I know weekends are busy. My friends have Little League, work, new babies, etc, but they showed up to celebrate with me. So special! Since I won’t be here when I turn the big 3-0, my man wanted to give me a chance to celebrate with my friends in Vermont. What a sweet guy!

This afternoon my little family went downtown to see the lake and mountains, to experience this gorgeous place one last time. We enjoyed it so much! We bought supper and ate it overlooking the lake. After dinner we got creemees (for you non-locals, it’s just a soft-serve), which will probably be our last for quite a while. I got a maple/raspberry swirl creemee. It might sound gross, but seriously, it’s so amazing! I am fairly certain those aren’t in high demand in Texas.

We move Friday. Friday, folks! How did this come so quickly? I think I’d be more okay with moving if we were heading to Texas as a family. Instead, my man goes to Texas and starts work. He’ll deal with the house stuff, too. Once we close, the kids and I will join him. It will be at least three weeks, maybe more. Boy, I’m gonna miss him! I know the kids will miss him, too. We’ll spend the time with my parents. I’m looking forward to being with them, watching my kids interact with them. But I can’t wait to settle into our new house, get to know our new area, and be together as a family.

So thankful for this weekend with my family. So thankful for the beautiful weather. Now a few pictures, then I need to cut my man’s hair, do some packing, and go to bed!

Today = garage sale day!
I am not a garage saler. I go to the neighborhood sales, but I’m not out there every Saturday searching for sales. So when it comes to having my own sale, I’m not quite sure what I need to do.
On Wednesday I put an ad on Craigslist and immediately got responses asking for pictures and descriptions of items. (I didn’t give them. Come on. I’m trying to pack my house up. Just come to the sale!) My mom and I priced items and got things sorted on Thursday. Friday we reposted the ad on Craigslist, made signs, got change and tables, and made sure things were set for early this morning. This morning when I got up I could tell it was cold. Then I looked outside…. Snow laid on the ground and was falling from the sky. Snow, people, snow! On April 28th! We bundled up, put up tables, and put out items, all the while wondering if anyone would come.
The sale was scheduled to start at 8, and at 7:45 no one had stopped by. (I’ve been told people come early and to be ready.) I had knots in my stomach; we just had so much to sell and I didn’t want to have another sale next weekend. Right around 8, though, people started slowly arriving. Most of the day we had a steady stream of people. The best part? Things sold! We had furniture, clothes, yard stuff, kids’ toys, and a bunch more that I can’t remember in my exhausted state. When my dad and I left at 2 to pick up our signs, we only had one overstuffed chair left for big items. Ten minutes later, on our return, my man told me he had sold the chair!

I still have some things I want to sell on Craigslist…a jogging stroller, some wool coats and ski coats, a snow blower. Hopefully those will sell quickly. But overall, we are so thrilled with how well the sale went. Considering how cold the day was, many people came out. Of course, I froze all day! My dad got me a hot chocolate around 8:30. I had a bowl of soup around 10:30.
Now it’s 6:20. Buddy is fast asleep. Baby Girl is on her way to bed. I am going to relax in the bathtub then watch Bones in bed.

Ahhhhh….

How did you spend your Saturday?

This weekend the kids and I drove to CT to meet up with a good friend of mine. Her husband and I grew up together (and crushed on each other in middle school. Ha!). The kids did well on the two four-hour trips. On the way down, Buddy started screaming about 30 minutes from my parents’ house. I jumped out of the car when we got there and told my parents, “This is why we are flying to Texas instead of driving!” He was not happy to be in his seat for so long!

Saturday night my friend and I got to go out without kids! Kelly has three kids. Her oldest girl was born about 14 hours before Baby Girl. Her twins were born two weeks after Buddy. So we totally get where the other is in life right now (well, except that I can’t imagine having twins!). We went shopping for a while. Then we went to The Counter for dinner. Oh my! I am still dreaming about how yummy it was! After dinner we headed to Pinkberry for dessert. Again, so yummy! The best part of the evening, though? Just being out with a friend, relaxing, talking about our kids, enjoying a meal without interruption. I think we both needed it so much! My man and I get out every once in awhile, but it’s not often that I can go out with a friend. We felt spoiled and refreshed! In fact, Sunday morning, we were trying to figure out how we could do it again before we headed home.

This morning Kelly and I got together again…with the kids this time. Our girls have fun together, and the babies talk to each other (when Buddy isn’t trying to climb over the twins). After lunch I put two tired kids in the car and off we went! Again, my children amazed me! They are such good travelers!

Now we’re home. I know I have packing to do. But for this evening I’m just going to sit and relax. Driving four hours wears me out!

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

Big news here on my little blog! We are relocating… to Texas! Now, I have a lot to say about this, so get ready.
First, I have NEVER had any desire to live in Texas. I don’t even know if I’ve ever thought about visiting Texas. I am a northerner, through and through. I love winter. I LOVE fall! I know I’ll miss apple picking. I know I’ll miss the first snow and dreaming of a white Christmas. But it will be nice to be outside so much. It’s hard to have young kids in the New England winters when we’re stuck inside so much.
Second, we love where we are right now. A year ago we couldn’t wait to leave. We were desperate. We had no family here. Our friends had moved away. We wanted out. We were so disappointed when nothing opened up for us to move away. In fact, someone asked me, “Where do you want to go?” My reply? “Anywhere that isn’t here.” In the last year, though, things have changed. One of the biggest changes for us was  finding a new church. We felt immediately at home. We made friends quickly, found a local “family” in our home group, and wondered why we hadn’t made the change sooner. The other change for us was moving closer to my man’s job. He was spending an hour a day in the car. We moved 0.6 miles from his office. If the weather is nice, the kids and I walk to his office. (His office is at the town park and pool.) We became part of a community, walking to the library, attending special events. Both of these changes greatly affected our way of life. For the last several months we’ve felt so at home and so happy to be here. When this job in Texas came up we knew we’d be giving up a place we had come to love.
Third, we are excited. Way up here in New England is beautiful. I love it. But there isn’t a lot to do. On cold winter days or rainy summer days, we are stuck at home. It’s okay once in a while, but this week, for instance, will be cold and rainy all week. Our options are the mall or Walmart. We will have two zoos, an aquarium, a botanical garden, a children’s museum…just to name a few. I am thrilled about the shopping and the parks!
Fourth, my man gets a raise with the new job! I know it’s not all about money, but whew! It’s expensive to live ’round these parts. The salary increase is an answer to prayer for our family. We’ve been wanting to save more for us and for the kids. Now we can.
Fifth, the job practically has my man’s name written on it. It’s marketing and recreation…the two things he loves to do most. His excitement is contagious, and I’ve definitely caught it for him.
Sixth, the tornadoes that hit Texas last week? Yeah, they went through the town we’ll be living in. The worst I’ve dealt with, nature-wise, is a blizzard and hurricane remnants. Not sure I’m ready for tornadoes or bad thunderstorms. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, though.
Seventh, I do NOT want my children to be southerners! No offense to you southerners out there. I don’t want my kids to be the ones that say, “I’ve never seen the ocean or snow.” What!? Those kids always shocked me. How could you grow up not seeing the ocean or snow? We will do what we can to keep their northern roots strong!

Am I nervous? Oh my, yes! Am I overwhelmed? Yes! Do I hate packing? A million times yes! But I’m also excited. I’m looking forward to what God has for our family in Texas. I hope we meet some great people quickly. I hope my kids adjust well. I hope Baby Girl makes a friend right away.
The next several months will be hard, exhausting, and full of a range of emotions. I am doing well so far. I know there will be days when I just cry. This is not a little move; this is a big deal. And I’m not going to pretend that we’ll just move and life will be normal right away.
I dread saying good byes. I dread packing. I dread finding a new grocery store, doctor, dentist, friends, etc. Know what, though? God is still God in Texas. I know He won’t leave us, even if we move 31 hours away from the place we currently call home.

The other night I was reading to Baby Girl from her Jesus Storybook Bible. We read the story of Jesus calming the sea. The following few sentences got my attention.

Jesus’ friends had been so afraid, they had only seen the big waves. They had forgotten that, if Jesus was with them, then they had nothing to be afraid of. Not matter how small their boat — or how big the storm.

Not that our move is a storm, but I know I will be afraid in the weeks and months to come. I’m comforted to know that Jesus knows and is with me.

So, if you’re ever in Texas, give me a call. I’d love to see a familiar face!

During a check of facebook this afternoon I saw a friend’s post:

Please pray tornadoes just hit my parents house and I can’t get ahold of my mom

Now, this makes me stop and pray no matter where her mom is. However, in this situation, her mom’s house is in the town we were just visiting in Texas. I mean, we were just there two days ago! We heard there was some damage at Six Flags. The same Six Flags that was in one of my pictures. It’s just crazy to realize that there is some destruction in the very place I was just days ago. Some of the things I saw look so different now. I remember feeling this way while watching the flooding from Hurricane Irene. Places I had visited were completely gone.

My heart aches for those who have to pick up the pieces from the tornadoes today. Of any natural disaster, tornadoes scare me the most. It takes mere seconds for complete destruction.I’m thankful that we went over the weekend and are home. I’m thankful that our flight was Sunday and not today or we’d be stranded in an airport with a baby.

Oh, and by the way, my friend got ahold of her mom and their house is damage-free.

We’re home. And boy, that was a long, short weekend. I was gone for 48 hours. I flew to Texas and back in 48 hours. I think about the pioneers who traveled west in covered wagons. What would they have thought to hear that people would travel 3,400 miles in 2 days? Pure craziness.

Buddy and I flew out on Friday afternoon. We flew out of town while President Obama was giving a speech at the local university, so we passed Air Force One on the runway. The first flight was about an hour. Easy peasy. We had about 1 1/2 hours for a layover. I ended up taking the umbrella stroller for Buddy, and I carried a small duffel bag and my backpack. We checked a car seat for free. Carrying the bags on the layover got to be a little hard, but it wasn’t too bad. We boarded the second flight and went back to the second-to-last row of the plane. On both flights I had an empty seat, though, which made things much easier! The second flight was four hours. I told myself Buddy would sleep a little bit so it wouldn’t be too bad. He slept for the first 45 minutes or so and that was it! Trying to contain a squirmy 9-month-old for over three hours is exhausting to say the least. A few times I just wanted to sit and cry. He was SO well-behaved. He played, he laughed, he smiled at everyone around us. But the fact is, holding a 9-month old for that long gets hard. He wanted to get down and crawl. I wanted to put my head back and sleep. The last thirty minutes of the flight were the quietest, because he played with a little orange car. During landing the car flew off the empty seat and headed toward the front of the plane. While waiting to deplane I asked a few people if they saw it. No one did. I looked as we walked off the plane, but with a baby and two bags, it’s hard to do much searching. I thought we had lost Buddy’s favorite “quiet” toy. As I’m calling my mom and telling her about the lost car, the man who sat next to me came up and handed Buddy the car. He had searched for it while he walked off the plane. What a sweet man!
By the time we met my man it was after 9 pm according to our body’s time. My exhausted Buddy had slept 45 minutes since his morning nap. After a quick stop at Sonic (yay!) we got to the hotel and put the tired baby to bed.
We spent Saturday running around, seeing some sights, visiting friends, and staying busy. Then this morning we were up before 5 to catch our plane at 6:45.
My man flew home with us, which was a blessing. I wouldn’t have made it on those flights without him. Buddy was, believe it or not, tired. But my man has the perfect touch, and he was able to get him to sleep. Still, traveling today proved to be difficult. It’s so hard to fly in confined spaces while worn out.

All in all, great weekend. Visited a new place. Saw old friends. Watched my man drive in a new city. Admired my son’s resiliency to a complete schedule disruption. Yup. A great weekend.
However, as we got off the plane, I told my man, “I am not flying or traveling for several months.” Who am I kidding? I am going to Connecticut with the kids in two weeks. I just can’t stay home for long, can I?

Here are a few pictures:

I got to go to The Container Store! I always see stuff from them in magazines. Let me say, I felt like I was in heaven. I love organizing. This little bathroom organizer made me smile. Cute. Different.

The view from our hotel. That’s Six Flags, Rangers Stadium, and the Cowboys stadium in the background.

My boys sleeping as we landed at home!

Yup. That’s how creative I’m feeling today. My post title is “Wednesday”. Wow. It took a lot of brains to come up with that one. I’m on the couch, thinking about my to-do list. I say thinking about it, because I’m clearly not doing anything about it. I did fold the laundry and do the dishes. Baby steps.

We’ve been so busy lately. We’re really getting to know people and get involved in our new church. We have home group every Tuesday night. I have Bible study for three weeks on Wednesday mornings. We’ve enjoyed having company and going to friends’ houses. Of course, with the gorgeous weather we were outside as much as possible.All this fun has left me tired but full of good memories.

We also have a weekend trip coming up. My man, Buddy, and I are traveling this weekend. My man is going a day earlier than I am. So on Friday I leave my Baby Girl with her grandparents, climb on a plane with Buddy, and try to keep him happy for a four hour flight! Oh my! I’m tired just thinking about it! Then we have a busy day Saturday, including visiting friends. Sunday, early morning, we’re back on the plane for four hours. But we’ll be home with my parents and Baby Girl right after lunch. Whew. Again, I’m exhausted just thinking about it! I don’t want to check a bag for two nights and one day. So I’m trying to figure out what to take with me as a carry-on that I can carry while I push a stroller. Paying $50 for luggage for two nights just seems crazy to me. I’m not sure I can pull a suitcase and push a stroller. Maybe a duffel bag over my shoulder? Any ideas from any of you?

I’ll write again when I’m home…eventually. Hopefully I’ll have some pictures and good stories.

Hope your week is going well and you have fun plans for the weekend!

This poor lil blog has taken a hit the last few weeks. We’ve had fairly warm weather, and we’ve been out enjoying it! I feel that I’m finally more human lately. Truthfully, the adjustment to two kids has been hard on me. There were days when I felt that my house would never be clean again. I still have plenty of those days, but I also feel like maybe we will have a “normal” life again. I know the sunshine helps, too! But here’s some of what’s going on:

- Buddy is doing better with sleep. He’s still up a few times, but most of the time he cries himself back to sleep. Baby Girl is on a weird kick lately. She’s up until 8:30 or so (bedtime is 7). She just plays, talks, whatever in her room. Then she’s up at 7 in the morning. Of course by afternoon she’s exhausted, so she falls asleep on her own. And the cycle begins again at bedtime. Not sure what to do about it. We’ve been outside, running around, and still she’s up late. Today we skied, played outside, and went on a walk. If that doesn’t work, then I have no idea.

- I have a cold or allergies. Blah. I figured out this morning that in the last 4 years I have had 4 months where I could take meds; the rest of the time I was pregnant or breast feeding. If I could take a decongestant and get a good night’s sleep, I could take on the world! Oh well. I’m not willing to give up breast feeding, so I’ll deal.

- We went to watch maple sugaring this weekend. Baby Girl saw an episode of Curious George where he makes maple syrup so we thought she’d enjoy watching the process. She seemed to like it. We even got to try the sap right out of the tree…no taste, really. We bought ourselves a quart of the real stuff. When we first moved up here I felt so guilty for buying Aunt Jemima, but it’s cheaper! I’ve converted, though, and will probably never go back.

- Baby Girl started her next session of swim lessons last week. She is doing great! She in a class with older kids, but she’s doing everything they’re doing. I’m so proud of my little girl.

I had to toss this picture in…

Looks like he’s really trying to find the best book (to eat).

Okay, was that completely random enough? I hope you’re enjoying the warm weather! We’ll be outside as much as possible again today!

Have a great week!

Several weeks ago, my man took Baby Girl up to the mountain. We’ve been meaning to get her skiing for awhile now. We wanted to take her last year, but I was pregnant, we were moving, life was crazy. We also lived much further from the mountain. Anyway, they went a few weeks ago. Buddy and I stayed home, anxiously waiting to hear how she did. I got a text when they left the mountain.
“We’re just leaving. She did great and had fun!” I was so excited to hear all about it. Baby Girl loved it! She wanted to tell everyone that she went skiing (or skating, as she sometimes calls it). My man took pictures and even video taped them going down the bunny hill. The video wasn’t for the weak of stomach. Imagine trying to video while skiing and holding up a three year old.

I was so happy that she did well but also so disappointed that I didn’t get to see her. Saturday when we found out that the weather would be sunny and in the mid-fifties, we decided it was the perfect day to get back up to the mountain. After church Sunday, we packed everything up, ate dinner, and got in the car. Buddy was asleep before we pulled out of the driveway. Baby Girl talked for the first part of the trip; I think she was trying to stay awake. And of course, she fell asleep about 3 minutes from the  resort.

I enjoyed watching her get her rentals. Those boots are too cute! I loved seeing her with her helmet on. Watching her get on the magic carpet was so special! Just watching her experience this made me smile. She loved it!

And, I’m gonna brag, but she is GOOD! She doesn’t have a whole lot of fear. Dada taught her to laugh when she falls. (She even laughs when others fall, which might not be great. Hey, we don’t want her crying every time she tumbles down.)
I’ll stop talking now, but I’m posting a video. Please ignore my goofy voice (does anyone else hate hearing themselves?) and the sometimes bumpy filming. I was carrying Buddy in the Bjorn while skiing down the mountain. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be.

Baby Girl skiing

Isn’t she good?  (And isn’t that giggle the cutest thing you’ve ever heard?)