2 weeks

I really am a basketcase. The last 2 days of our vacation I longed to get to my house so I could bask in its' comfort. Today, as I was leaving the condo I started getting teary about saying 'good-bye' to our fun filled vacation. I literally was walking down the hallway of our condo with tears in my eyes breathing deeply, blinking rapidly, and in general just doing my best not to actually let any tears fall. Then when we reached the house a few hours later I walked through every room thinking "2 more weeks... (sigh)... just 2 more weeks." :( Melodramatic? yes, but good grief I was sad.

A little while later I got on the computer and checked facebook. The first friend's status update that I saw really put me in my place. "Chemo starts in two weeks."

2 weeks until a move? 2 weeks until chemo???!!!
How silly my sadness seemed.
How trivial!
What was I thinking???

Thank you, Lord, for the change in perspective. How blessed am I to have no real problems right now? I'm healthy. I have 2 healthy children, a healthy husband, and a healthy extended family. Yes, moving can be hard, but come on VAL!!!

Going home

We've been out of town for 11 days now. I'm ready to go home. Our trip last weekend and our vacation at the beach has been great. We've had lots of fun and seeing my family was wonderful, but I miss home. I miss the familiarity and comfort of my house. Plus, I feel as if I really should cherish every second that I'm there since we're moving in 2 weeks. In fact, I'm sitting here crying right now just thinking about packing everything up and saying "goodbye" to a house that holds so many memories.

Perhaps I'm a little extra emotional right now (occasionally these things called hormones take control of me) but I've just loved this stage of my life so much that it makes me sad to see it go. Not everything about our lives in Phenix City has been wonderful. In fact, most likely everyone reading this blog knows just how trying the last few months (errr... 10 months) have been for us. But this house is where the 3 of us became 4. It's where I've seen my girls fall in love with each other. It's where countless laughs, hugs, and kisses have been shared. Perhaps my problem is more with being sad that the girls are getting older. Perhaps my problem is that I am now starting to feel the fleeting time that older adults always talk about. Perhaps I'm scared of uncertainty and therefore I'm wanting to cling to what I know and love. Perhaps I'm hormonal. Perhaps...

I do know that Sunday evening, we were all sitting on the couch in our condo watching "Good Luck, Charlie" (Disney sitcom) and I couldn't have been happier. I had my husband, my girls, and a blanket to snuggle with; it was perfection. Right then and there, I had a nice few moments of calm reminding myself that in 3 weeks (after we've packed, moved, and unpacked) if I can spend a few lazy moments sitting on our couch snuggling with these 3 people, then I'll have my home with me... even if it is 300 miles away.

This & That Thursday

* We're at the beach! WOOHOO! The one "problem" we had yesterday was that the girls were scared of these tile mosaic dolphins in the kids' Splashpad:

sooooo scary!

* I've noticed this week that Julia not only has my frizzy hair, she also has inherited my purply, blotchy skin. Sorry chick!

* I was rather sad earlier this week. Matt has a new church, the very thing that we've been praying for and wanting since last summer, and yet I about cried myself to sleep Monday night. We will soon be even further from home. Why couldn't we be somewhere that would make travel to and from our parents, siblings, and grandparents simple? I would really love to be near our family so as to actually help out when people get sick. I would love to be nearby so as to celebrate birthdays, holidays, and other special events in person. Hello??!?! 6 years of wanting to move closer, and all I seem to do is move further away.

* I was also rather sad that we'll be moving into an apartment. I'll be able to hear my neighbors; my neighbors will be able to hear us; we'll have to take a walk in order to find a grassy stretch big enough to play on; our living area will be significantly smaller.Way to focus on the negative, Val!!! There are positive things about the apartment: We'll have access to a pool all summer long; Audrey's bedroom will be bigger; I won't have to fork out extra $ to have a repairman come. See?? I can be positive!

Ok, back to our vacation...
* I could literally feel myself destress as I carted our luggage out of the condo's parking lot Tuesday. I L-O-V-E the fact that we're vacationing in a familiar spot that we know and enjoy.

* Audrey has been catching up on sleep that she missed this past weekend. Tuesday night, she climbed right into bed (the TOP BUNK!) and fell asleep within an easy 5 minutes.


* Audrey's also been trying out her swim floaties for the first time. Last year she wore one of those flotation suits, but this year she's more of a big girl.


* and Julia?? Well, Julia's being Julia...


We're having a fabulous time. My mom (Mammy) drove in Wed. afternoon so the rest of this week will be spent with her. Yay!

We're moving!

The title of this post pretty much says it all doesn't it?

Next month, we'll be moving to Robertsdale, AL (lower AL, between Mobile and Pensacola) where Matt will be serving on staff at FBC. We'll be spending tomorrow looking for a place for us to live. Thanks for praying for us and supporting us during this "time of transition." We're excited about all that's ahead.

Pictures of the girls resting in the hotel:



Ahhh, don't the girls look excited about our weekend??

Hotel, hotel!

I just thought I'd write a few things about our time in the hotel so far!

* The beds in our hotel room are rather high. Audrey can't get into one by herself. I feel as if I have to toss her onto a bed at least once every 5 minutes.

* Hotel rooms aren't really entertaining for children. I brought a backpack of toys, but the girl's have pretty much been sticking to the TV. They've put on their high-heeled shoes they're so fond of, but it's just not as fun (i.e. LOUD) on carpet! Oh well - lots of TV, it's just one morning right??

* I didn't have to cook or clean up breakfast. Fabulous!!!

* Getting the girls to go to sleep last night took awhile. We started out with them in the same bed. Yeah... that didn't work. After we separated them, Julia went to sleep relatively quickly, but Audrey was up for a good hour more. Audrey's just so used to sleeping all by herself. Julia on the other hand co-slept with us until she was... well, actually, she still winds up in our bed at some point almost every night. So sleeping with other people in the room isn't unusual for her.

* It's now bathtime for the girls. I didn't bring any toys for them to play with - we'll see how long they can entertain themselves with hotel issued plastic cups and soaps.

This & That Thursday

* We've got a roadtrip coming up this weekend. We'll know Sunday afternoon whether or not we'll be moving in the next few weeks. EEEEEK!!

* I need to hit up Walmart for some swim floaties for Audrey. UGH - it pains me to have to pay retail price.

* The neighbors 2 pit bulls (actually they're mixes) were loose again this morning. That's 4 out of the last 5 days. I'm starting to get annoyed that we can't play outside without watching our backs every other second. One of the dogs usually just ignores us, but the other is more social and constantly wants to play. This morning, the social one came up behind Audrey and started sniffing her. She cried & screamed bloody murder. Once we were inside she said "puppy dog bite Audra shirt!" He didn't bite her (I saw the whole thing); she just has a limited vocabulary right now.

* Everyday at 1:53 pm (yes - 1:53 EXACTLY) Julia walks into the living room and asks me "That can be all my resting?" Once I say "Yes" she asks, "I have a piece of candy?" After we decide on a snack (sometimes candy/sometimes not) she asks, "Mommy, you want to play a game?" You can bank on this conversation every single day of the week. She likes routine!

* I've already gotten Mother's Day presents for our Mom's. I planned ahead this year.

* I need to go pack. I've officially packed for me and the girls already. ***BUT*** Since I always overpack by a major amount, I need to go weed out the non-necessities. I especially should do this with the grocery items I've packed.

Happy Thursday!

On the playground

As we were leaving the library this morning, we noticed that some friends of ours were playing on the playground across the street. The girls and I decided to join them for a few minutes. Later today Julia started recapping her playground adventure. Please note that when Jules started talking I was packing for our upcoming trip. That's why her room is a mess. She's wearing a swimsuit b/c she insisted on trying it on when I got it out to pack.