This & That Thursday

* I've pretty much used up all the packing boxes I have at home. I hit up Walmart for more today and plan on calling Publix tomorrow.

* We're stressing about the move. We stress over getting everything packed. We stress over getting the house ready to go on the market. I stress about how long the house will wind up being on the market. Matt is also stressing about the last few weeks of school. **BUT** These stresses are what we've been wanting for 9 months! :)

* I packed up picture frames/decor in the girls rooms today; Julia said, "My room isn't pretty anymore."

* We're actually having spring weather this week. Chilly at night and in the mornings but a warm SUNNY day. Fabulous.

* I've really gotten into this website called "Couponing to Disney." After our house sells, I am going to start planning a trip for us. Seriously. I want to go while the girls are still on the young side.

* I have the last 2 weeks of HOUSE on DVR and I need to get off the computer and catch up on my favorite show! ADIOS!!!

And one more
* I just wasted 5 minutes waiting for Blogger to upload the picture of the girls. I didn't understand why it was taking so long until I looked and realized that I had never actually pushed the "upload" button. Hmmm...

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.

We're too cool for you!

TV time

What could be more fun than watching an episode of Dora the Explorer??


??????


??????


Watching Dora the Explorer from a laundry basket of course!

Frozen veggies

Thanks to my couponing, dinner preparation has become even easier. No longer do I feel the need to stress over something new and different to do with my vegetables. Instead, I just go to the freezer. I let Green Giant and Bird's Eye figure out something tasty to eat, and then I microwave it and put it on our kitchen table. Now, some of you may be all into serving fresh produce all the time instead of canned/frozen and of course that's great! I, however, do not feel this way. Right now, I'd rather save the money. These boxes/bags of Bird's Eye and Green Giant veggies wind up costing me just $0 - $.20 per bag - even the Green Giant Steamers! I can't pass up these easy go-to veggies!

Last night, the vegetable of choice was green beans with almonds. This box exactly.


They tasted pretty good, but I'll admit that the color was a little too green for me. I didn't check the bag, but I feel rather confident in assuming that they added a little something to the beans to make them stand out! You can't really tell from this picture just how green they were.


The girls, of course, weren't into pork, pasta/veggies, and green beans. Here's what Julia's plate looked like. Mandarin oranges, strawberries, and apple slices w/ peanut butter. I do keep plenty of fresh fruit on hand.

The Loophole...

Paci's, or B's as they are called in our home, are outlawed except for in the bed. Well, they have been until now. Audrey found a loophole in our "B's are only for bedtime" rule. She now drags her bedding into the living room, puts her babies in the makeshift bed, joins them (B's in tow), and settles down to gloat in her craftiness.

This & That Thursday

* We had a fabulously long weekend w/ Danny and Jimmie Kay. My broken toilet lid got replaced (at a price that CANNOT be beat!), the bi-fold pantry and laundry room doors were replaced, some blinds were put up, master bath sanding & painting was done (now finished!!), lawn mower blades were sharpened, and I had a TON of help w/ kitchen cleanup and childcare! woohoo!!!


* I've been packing boxes. Nothing is certain with our move, but it is likely. I decided that I'd rather get some of this stuff packed up NOW. Books, picture frames, and excess toys have been the first to disappear inside of a box. If things don't work out, I doubt will miss all of this stuff! (Well... I might miss the cute baby portraits!) I also packed a couple of boxes from my pantry stockpile!


* Where did I get these boxes for packing?? From our shed of course! For close to a year now, I've kept everysingle sturdy box I could find. Diaper and diaper wipes boxes make up the majority of my collection. These are so much sturdier than the free boxes you get at Walmart.


* Audrey called me a "bad Mommy" this week. Why was she mad at me?? Because I allowed Julia to sit in my lap. I offered for Audrey to come sit with us, but that wasn't good enough. If Julia was in my lap AT ALL then I was a "bad Mommy." :(


* It rained today. The trees and grass now look green again instead of yellow from pollen! The bad part was that the only rumbles of thunder of the entire day happened at naptime. It was the perfect excuse for them not to sleep. :( The girls went outside and played around in the light rain of the afternoon. Audrey got an umbrella for Easter that they had to try out.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!!!
Our celebration started last night when Matt received a phone call that was job related. It was a good call. NOTHING is definite yet, but there is a possible end in sight to the job search. Wow!

We started our Easter off with Worship/SS at FBC Opelika. Julia just loves her teachers, and I think Audrey does too. Audrey still cries whenever we drop her off, but they say that it's all a show for us and that she's OK within seconds of us leaving. Julia's teachers had her a cute little bag monogrammed with her name and a cross on it. I should have taken a pic to post but I'm not going to out of laziness. Dr. David and Mrs Kristine (Julia's SS teachers) will be deeply missed whenever we do move away. Julia really loves them.

After a Subway lunch Audrey napped and then we hunted EGGS! It was hot outside though - high 80's perhaps?? The girls didn't last very long playing outside and the four of us adults were ok with that. "4 adults?" you ask. Meme and Pop (Matt's parents) are in town for a long weekend helping us with a few things that need doing around the house.

I'll start cooking dinner as soon as this post gets published. Matt originally requested Lamb on the menu for tonight, but he's not getting it!

April Fool's!!

This morning I explained to Julia that today was April Fool's Day - a day we could play tricks on Daddy. She was still a little clueless, so I reminded her of the 'trick' we pulled last year~ hiding his boxers. I told her we'd think of something new to do today. While I was making breakfast, she ran in and said "I did it! I hid Daddy's underwears!" Well, at her insistence he went into the bedroom to see what she had done. Julia cackled with excitement when he found the 1 PAIR of boxers that she'd hidden under the bed.

Julia also decided to pull a trick on me. What did she do?? She pulled the covers of my bed down. Stop, Jules - you're killing me! I (of course) had to overreact to this pitiful 'trick.'

JULIA, what did you do???

Haha! I(iiiii) tricked you! (she said in a singsong voice)


To "get" her, I think we're just going to shortsheet her bed again. We did this last year, but I don't think she remembers.