Wohoo, random & rushed!

We got the official all clear to close today! Holy man do we have a lot to do. More packing! I have reserved the truck, set up the utilities and did a little more packing. We don't know when the official close is, I know we have been penciled in for Monday! The only thing I am sad about is in waiting so long to set up the internet connection it appears I won't be able to connect to the internet until the 9th! AHHH!!! So I guess this spot will be dead for a while. :( We are going to head down to NC on Sunday, have the final walk through and praying we close Monday! BTW-Sunday is our anniversary, pretty fitting to be driving the truck down...if you have known us for a while you might know that we spent our first anniversary driving from Utah to SoCal with lab equipment from a government test. We know how to party around here.
Yesterday Gwen was bitten by some kind of ant looking thing that caused her ear to swell today (FYI-bug bites take 24-48hrs to swell!) She has been amped up on Benadryl since then. Eric came over and played with the kids and I got more packing done. I think I still need more boxes, so that will likely be my first mission of the day.
Random and rushed, that is all I have time for right now!

The craziness that is everyday!

As I have mentioned before we are trying to move, this week it is not going well. (so if you are still reading this and you pray, please add us to your list!) I have several issues with this, my own personal way of dealing with things may not be the best...I get depressed, lose all hope and then come up with an idea and things are better. Granted this doesn't sound like a problem, but the process takes several days to play out. And during the intervening time I have children to take care of (but I don't feel like cooking/cleaning, etc) and packing to do and generally just want to be left alone, which is obviously not possible. The kids have been great, super "easy" to take care of, not too whiny not too cranky, and when I have stuff that has to get done, I can do it they will leave me alone (to run downstairs get a statement scan and send off to the people). Sure, it is not all "peaches and cream" around here, but we are having a relatively good time I think, and I am no longer considering "fight or flight" scenarios. Of course, maybe now would be a good time to start a letter writing campaign to the corporations who make you jump through hoops and then leave you hanging. I have 2 that I would like to send blazing letters to...of course do companies really care about customer service anymore, I don't feel like the customer is always right, is what they promote anymore!

But onto my kids, 'cause that is what you are here to see. These are from the last 2 days, can you believe it, current pictures! I know! This first picture I think is super cute of Nate. It is getting harder and harder to get pictures of him, he wants to be right in my eye when he sees the camera. I get this look alot, doesn't he just look sinister, but so cute! I feel like this picture is fairly typical, Gwen running around in circles, Nate playing with a toy.

This one is also fairly typical, Nate, distracted by the toy he sees, forgets about the toy in his hand.

We needed a musical interlude, apparently.

Back to the corn popper, or as Gwen calls it the "vacuum".

Trying to turn the popper around.

He's got it worked out!

See, more running.

This is Nate's new game, well Gwens also. Putting something on the head and he smiles and giggles and walks around with it.

Gwen is putting on "sunblock", I know, they are stickers, she was kind enough to put some on me also. We had to walk around like this. She decided today that she would use stickers instead of sunblock. I did get her to put sunblock on her before we went for our afternoon "constitutional" to the "big old playground."

Nate still playing with the cake topper...actually this was after our walk, and nap. I think the kids are really enjoying the plasticware that I haven't packed yet.

Hi Nate!

He is so much fun right now, he blows kisses, gives kisses, and is always so happy, he is trying to be the death of me and I am looking forward to moving somewhere with a lot less stairs! He also loves to say "hi" and we are teaching him new syllables, which he will repeat incessantly.

Routines

The problem I have had with the last couple of months has been the routine is off. I don't like that not that I like routines, but what I have found with kids is everyone is happier if their is a routine. My current problem is that I have them napping too late so it has them going back to bed an hour later than I would like it.

This picture is from the other day...I was laying on the floor and Nate tripped over me and landed on his back, and just laid there for a long time...long enough for me to stare at him, turn on the camera and take his picture...and he was completely unphased by the whole thing.

Now we have "outside" time mid-day. I think this must be why Gwen has started to take afternoon naps again...I am wearing her out.
We have been going outside from 1 to 2-2:30ish (as long as we don't have errands to run).

Today we took out some toys and played out front so I could take care of some yard work Eric left for me.

Look, Gwen pushing her brother

she makes me far too nerous though because she has the ability to push up on it and get a wheel off the ground...

but at least I am not the one pushing him around!

Here is a video of Nate playing with the bike himself. You can tell he is torn, play with the bike or go get the chalk from my sister and the neighbor, chalk is something I am not supposed to have, but I like to put it in my mouth!

Nate and Gwen talking to the distracted by the neighbor girl...

The neighbor was trying to teach Gwen how to climb a tree...good luck! Gwen's strong suit is not climbing! I just missed the picture of Gwen swinging from the bottom limb. :( (Sorry watching Nate, what can I say!)

the deck

A couple weeks ago we heard the ice cream man. Apparently this is a great big deal, if you could see how Eric ran out the house and down the street with Gwen, and you know what, they brought nothing for me! :(
But onto the rest of the post, as you can see we were taking stuff off the deck and putting in storage, and letting Nate play outside while Gwen ate her ice cream, he first decided to play with the hammer.

As usual he had to taste the hammer to see what it actual is.

Oh, just realized I was taking pictures...

Ew, what's that!

What's in there?

Eric just making sure Nate doesn't bonk his head.

I'm in!

Well, now what?

Now how do I get out?

Daddy let me back in!

Hi Mommy!

Maybe I should try this again, it was fun last time!

Well, maybe not...

Packing

packing and more packing. I wish I could say there was an end in sight. I am beginning to wonder if there will ever be an end date. Of course, it would help if we were going to make our closing date. :( It appears the cards are against us. We have had several things stand in our way and it has been many ups and downs and frankly I am not sure my heart or stomach can take much more of this. But through it all the kids have been very good. They have played well by themselves so I could endlessly be on the phone and pack and do whatever else I have had to do. One day this week while Nate was napping I thought I would pack, I set Gwen up with some painting, but she didn't last long and thought she should "help" me!

She made a train of boxes.

When we paint around here, we take of our shirts (when we are under say 5) that day she was wearing a dress, all day I looked for it, couldn't find it. The next morning I found it.

along with some books she apparently wanted to pack up.

Dr. appt

Here are the vital stats:
Weight: 22lb 7oz (50%)
Height: 28.3/4in (25%)
How does this compare to his 9 months stats...that is a 1lb, 15oz. and 1/4in.
Today's Dr's appointment was rather hectic. It shouldn't have been, I was there early, they were apparently running late, which meant they ran too close to Nate's nap time. :( Also, they have the hardest time measuring his length. Everytime they measure his length 3-4 times, basically, at some point he shrunk...ok not really, but I suspect when they orignally measured him at the hospital it was wrong and since then they are having a problem getting him in the right percentage. The CRNP was talking about getting him back in, in a month to check him out, but we are moving, so I won't have to do that. Nate is hitting all his milestones and so I am not sure that he is having a problem weight/height wise. Some kids don't adhere to a chart! So, maybe when I start seeing a real Dr (or someone I actually like in NC), we can discuss such things, but measuring someone who doesn't stay still, is very subjective and since I had the issue with Gwen "not gaining enough" when she was a baby, which I think is attributed more to scale variablitly than actual true numbers I don't put much stock in the whole thing anymore. (But, that is just how I feel!)

Lessons learned

Over the last month or so I have had the opportunity to learn some things, some of these things I feel the need to jot down, so as to not forget them in the future, because I have so much going on, I could lose these valuable lessons at any time!

• Sometimes when you are going through something VERY stressful it helps to ask what the lesson is that you are supposed to be learning, because then you might actually figure out what the lesson is.
• Positive thoughts go aLONG way to making things happen. (I guess I should have listened to my Grandfather, Father and Ellen...I might start making a positive board! Sometimes it takes me a LONG time to learn a lesson.)
• When buying stains, with children in tow, should probably remember more than just the color and what the can looks like.
• Wood tone does not equal semi-permanent
• When packing up the house, probably shouldn't pack up all your ratty t-shirts if you have to stain the deck
• Keeping the house clean for "showings" is a pain, when you have 2 small children, your husband is out of town and it is often raining.
• Children feel what you are feeling if you are stressed out, they act up and be crazy, so be aware and plan accordingly
• It is a lot easier to keep the house clean when you don't have any furniture, but the toys, OMG the toys!
• There is no amount of preparing that can prepare you for how much you have to do when you have to move with young children especially if you aren't sure when the move date is.
• Sometimes the only thing that will get you through the stress is putting faith in what you believe in
• Sometimes the only thing that will get you through the stress is friendship.
• When you make a "yellow" cake with cake flour, it will not turn out yellow.
• When you send your husband to NC with left over cake, and you are saving a piece for yourself, don't leave that piece out in the open where the kid (who never eats dinner) will see it, eat dinner and suggest we give cake to her brother the birthday boy, thus making you feel guilty that he got only 1 piece of his birthday cake and sharing your normal size birthday cake with your children.
• Life with husband home for 6 months and then gone for week, makes for a long week, especially when you have to do everything on your own.
• Husbands are awesome, when you find the right one!

ok then, all for now! Don't know if these lessons will help anyone else, but I hope someone can gleam something useful from this list.

Happy Birthday, NATE!

Well, we knew it would happen, Nate would eventually turn 1! And that he did. I think that turning a year old is a momentous occasion, not always for the kid, but for the parent, it is hard work getting through the first year, there are huge milestones and things to deal with, where you are convinced that you will never make it through, but we did, and we went from this... too this: Here's a picture of him first thing this morning...look already happy! Excited to start the day. He is definitely the happiest baby that I have ever birthed...I know you think that is not saying much, but seriously, it is one thing that almost everyone comments on, how happy he is.
So how has Nate changed in the last year. Well, he's walking! And man you better watch out because when he makes up his mind to get you, well he is going to get you. Although it is quite funny, because I don't think his steering is up to par yet, I took a video of him today (that i will hopefully download tomorrow) that shows that he wanted to come to me, but just kind of turned and didn't know what to do!

I have learned that I can't just put him down now, I have to put him down near the toys, so he can have something in his hand to walk with, he doesn't like to be toyless.

Nate "talks" also. He jibbers and jabbers and cares on. He says "hi" alot. He really likes it when people say it back. He is doing some signing also. He really seems to like it when you try to talk to him or communicate with him and he does know what you are saying. I have had to start telling him no and he will now walk away...it only took 1-2 days of positive reinforcement and much cheering!

You might be able to tell he now has 8 teeth, 4 top, 4 bottom. He LOVES to eat, and I am pretty sure he would eat all day. He is getting a little fussier about it, but he never really complains and he still prefers to eat himself, at this point I don't think he has any allergies. I also started him on a sippy cup of water. He is still nursing, several times a day. I am not convinced he is actually wants to nurse, I think he enjoys the quiet time with me, he often chats with me instead of eats.

I know, this is not of Nate, but I was trying to get a picture of all of us, and well, I am not so good with the self portrait.

Nate is sleeping pretty well, but our schedule is crazy right now with all these showings. He is sleeping from about 7p (ish) to 3:30 nursing and then waking up for the day between 6:30-7:30. Although I have been so busy with the moving stuff, I think I often sleep through when he actually wakes up because he just chats to himself when he wakes up (see previous paragraph on happy baby!...I mean toddler!) He naps 1-2 times a day depending on how often I can get them in.

He is in this very generous phase where he wants to feed me what he is eating. I remember the books talking about that, it is a sign of something I don't remember. I am more than willing to let him feed my because I think it is so sweet. Although really I wouldn't mind if he had a little less food in his mouth. Sometimes he does tease me and eat it himself, he gets a big kick out of that.

Nate adores his sister. I think he knows how to push her buttons and although I am not encouraging it, I definitely think it is something that he should do to her, because well frankly she has been taken advantage of by her for a while. He loves chasing after her and squeals with delight. I know the fighting phase will start soon, but I am definitely enjoying the adoration phase.

Now onto the cake slideshow. As expected Nate enjoyed the cake, dug right in, no questions asked. Several of my pictures wouldn't upload correctly, I don't know why. Also, I think the godfather got some good pictures. One day I will hopefully hit him up for those pictures.