New House, Fun Times, Easter and Silver Stallion

We have been busy busy around here.  Forgot to say, but Joseph started walking as soon as we moved into the house.  It took him a long time (14 months) before he started walking, but he hasn't stopped.  he makes laps around our island.  I think he may be a natural soccer player because any ball that is near him he has to kick.  He is pretty athletic already.  

On Friday we bought a new mini van.  We got the Honda Odyssey Tour Elite.  It is absolutely awesome.  I have nicknamed it the Silver Stallion, but I am thinking that sounds a little naughty which may be a good and bad thing.  I mean I have to have some excitement in my life since I have now moved into the mother mobile.  It is a great vehicle.  I feel really comfortable driving it and I think it looks great.  There is a picture below.  

Also on Friday, we got the last of our stuff from storage.  We also got our rugs and breakfast table.  Things are starting to come together.  I am slowly feeling like this is home.  It is has just been such a disaster that it hadn't yet felt homey to me.  I think in the next week or so it is going to start looking and feeling great.  

My mom came in town on Thursday night because we were supposed to go to Kansas City to celebrate the end of Passover with my family there.  However, with the crazy weather that came through on Friday night and the potential for more storms we were a little worried about going and driving in non-stop rain. Then I woke up on Saturday morning and I felt terrible.  I was having serious stomach pains, nausea and my sides were killing me.  It felt like someone was jabbing knives in my right side.  We decided it was best not to go and my mom took the train to Kansas City.  I really wanted to spend some time with family in Kansas City and I am really sad we didn't go, but I also was in no shape to be driving.  By Sunday night I started to feel better and today I am in no pain at all.  I guess I am about to grow again, which is great because I am already feeling huge.  

We had a great Easter.  Samuel had three Easter egg hunts and got tons of candy, which I promptly packed away today while he was at school.  Out of sight out of mind right.  Let's just hope that works with Samuel.  He doesn't need all that sugar.  

I better go.  Joseph is standing at my legs screaming because he wants me to pick him up.  Enjoy the pictures.

Joseph loves the drawer with all our kitchen towel. 

As soon as we moved into our new house, Joseph started walking.  He hasn't stopped since then. 

We finally set up the castle that Justin and Charisa got the boys for X-Mas.  They love it.  Actually I think Joseph loves it more.  He plays in it everyday.  

My little niece, Haidyn.  I watched her for a little bit last week and then today.  She is so cute.  Big huge blue eyes.  I love her lots, but it has taken Joseph some time to get used to not getting all the attention.  

Savta came for a little visit and Joseph was super cuddly.  

The Easter Bunny came to our house.  Samuel was the happy cute bunny.

Joseph was the mean possessed bunny.

Samuel thought it was fun to run all around the house because he didn't want us to take a good picture.  

More running

Now to the fireplace.

and off the fireplace...

Easter Day with their cousin Haidyn.  

Samuel loves squeezing everyone.  I think everyone's face in this picture is hilarious.

The only family picture we could get.  Not very good!

My new Silver Stallion.   I am loving it!!!

Emerging in more ways then one

I am finally emerging from the moving boxes I have been under.  We moved two weeks ago on Monday.  Moving to this house was probably the most stressful terrible experiences I have had in my life so far.  I have no idea why it totally pushed Dave and I over the edge but it did.  It was terrible.  So terrible that I found my first grey hair the other night.  It was solid white and it was right in front.  This move aged me at least 10 years.  I am hoping to get those years back but finally starting to relax in our new house.

I had no idea we had so much shit.  When we had decided to put our house on the market again, last August (that was before we decided to build and didn't put it on the market) we got a POD and filled it up with miscellaneous shit from our house.  Then once we closed on our new house Dave and I started to move smaller stuff over.  I probably did at least 8 car loads myself and Dave probably did 4.  I thought we had moved a significant amount.  I was totally wrong.

We hired Dielman Moving to move us.  The actual movers were awesome, but the management was absolutely terrible.  They treated us terribly and I ended up calling one of the head managers and completely bitching him out.  We will never use them again even though they were the cheapest and the movers were awesome.  The customer service was beyond disgusting and I never want to deal with them again.  I guess it doesn't matter because we are never moving again.

We ended up having three moving guys and one truck, then they realized that we were going to need more then one truck and it was getting later in evening and they thought it would be best if a few more movers came and helped get everything packed and taken to our new house.  The movers finally left around 8 pm.  We were all exhausted.

Then the real madness began.  The unpacking of the boxes and organization of everything was overwhelming.  I am still not completely unpacked or organized.  It just seems like the days fly by and I just barely touch things.  My goal is to work on the basement in the next few weeks.

I know I am a little nuts when it comes to organization, but it is driving me crazy to have clutter.  We still haven't gotten our POD back and I want it soon.  We don't have a microwave right now and some furniture.  I think I will feel better when we have everything in our house.

We just put our other house on the market.  That will be a relief once that is sold as well.  Dave and I spent two weeks cleaning, painting and clearing out as much as we could out of the old house.  We still have stuff in the garage, but we are just going to wait until it is sold before we clear all that out.

I promise to post pictures soon, but right now things are just so messy.  We are also getting our new kitchen table on Wednesday and hopefully all our new rugs by Friday.  Once those come it, things will start feeling and looking much better.

I am absolutely exhausted.  I am trying to catch up on as much sleep as possible, but I am having a very hard time sleeping.  Stress really interferes with my sleep.  Hopefully I will be posting happy pictures soon.

Found time

I know I said I wasn't going to post, but I needed a break.  I have been packing and moving little stuff to the new house since Sunday.  I think I have moved about 8 car loads.  However, if you look around my house you would have no idea.  My house is still a disaster.  We have stuff everywhere.  I am trying to throw stuff away that I know we will not use or hasn't been used in a long time, but I am not making much progress.

The movers are coming on Monday, but I really wanted to get lots of little stuff out of our house and organized in the new house.  Every box I take over, I am trying to unload and put away, so I am not completely overwhelmed once we move in.

I am feeling stressed about all of our crap.  What is scary is that I know it is going to get worse because not only will Dave and I continue to accumulate stuff, but now the boys are starting to as well.  This is never going to end.

I am just trying to stay positive and thinking about how wonderful it will be to move into our new house and have everything fresh and so clean clean.  So excited.

Blogging on hold

I am not going to be doing any blogging for the next couple of weeks.  I am trying to move smaller items into our new house all week.  I just packed a car full now, but I am waiting for Joseph to wake up so I can take it over.  Movers come on Monday to move the entire house.   I am going to be busy organizing and cleaning and putting things together at the new place.  Plus I am not sure when we are going to get our Internet hooked up in the new house.  So much to schedule.

I am hoping to get things all cleared out in our current house by next Wednesday, then we are going to have cleaners come to do the house and the carpets and titles.  Then we are hoping to put the house on the market soon thereafter.

The next few weeks are going to be madness.  I am getting anxious and freaking out about getting everything done.  I now it will happen, but when I look at how cluttered our house is, the idea of moving and reorganizing it all is very overwhelming.  I have no idea how we have accumulated so much stuff.  It is crazy.

I am off to pack and Joseph is finally up, so I am going to move the first car load of the day.

What a day!

I started off the day feeling like a complete idiot.  One of our babysitters texted me last night about babysitting on Saturday.  I had asked her many weeks ago about babysitting on the 26th.  She wanted to confirm that she was babysitting on Saturday.  So I looked at the calendar and I thought for sure this Saturday was March 19th.  I told her that we could use her both this Saturday and next Saturday, thinking it was the 19th and the 26th.  She texted me again last night and said that she couldn't babysit on April 2nd.  I was confused and told her that we didn't need her on the 2nd.  Then we proceeded to text back and forth about dates for babysitting and finally I said that she must be a week off because this Saturday is the 19th not the 26th.  Then I looked closer at the calendar and realized I was the one who was completely fucked up.  I am telling you, I don't know what is happening to my brain.  I am totally loosing it.  I have a few reason why I think I am screwed up, but really that list could go on and on.  

So anyway, I felt like a complete idiot and it was only 6:30am.  How stupid!

After my ridiculous date mix up, then Samuel and I decided we needed some Zen time, so we did watercolors.  He was making paintings for everyone. 

We have been just hanging out all day because the weather is completely disgusting out.  It snowed in the middle of the night.  I can't believe that the beginning of the week was almost 80 and then it is snowing by Friday.  

In about 30 minutes we are going to be closing on our house.  Finally!!!  I am so ready to move in and get out of this house.  We got a babysitter on Sunday and we are moving some boxes and putting up organizational shelving in the basement.  My goal is to be as organized as possible in the new house.  I don't want things piled all over the place with no order.  I am so ready to move in.  It is so exciting.  

Here are a few pictures from Tuesday and today.  

Samuel looks a little crazy in this picture but I just love Joseph's face

Of course, now Samuel looks so cute and Joseph is freaking about because Samuel is squeezing him too hard.

Very busy this morning painting pictures

He was quite serious about his painting.

This picture just makes me laugh.  He was right in the middle of telling me what he was making when I snapped this picture.  So funny.

Joseph is just happy!

Love this picture too.

This picture just cracks me up because I was trying to get both of the boys to smile when I took this picture and only Samuel really got into it.  I love his happy smile!

Recent Favorite Photos

Like Father, Like Son.  Love this picture

The house is further along then this, but it gives you an idea.

Joseph chilln' in his Michigan hat

My big boy!

Joseph checking out Haidyn

Samuel at the movie Tangled with me.  He loves his popcorn

Joseph new naptime antics.  Standing and changing the music instead of sleeping

Joseph loves his soccer ball.  

When I look at pictures like these it just makes me realize how different looking they really are.  

Making Faces

Walking around

11 month picture

Another happy 11 month old

Boys cooking us dinner!

Snow Day and Monkeys, maybe even Snow Monkeys

We have a snow day today.  Although it doesn't look that bad outside to me every single school is closed here in St. Louis.  They said on the news the roads are really bad and slick and it is supposed to get worse because the weather is going to continue to drop all day, but it just seems like any little bit of snow we get around here everything shuts down.  I know it is better safe then sorry.  I guess we are going to be baking cookies and playing lots of games today.

As I mentioned before Samuel has been having lots of nightmares at night and is waking up 3 to 4 times a night.  Last night was better because I think he just called out a few times and we only went in once.  Two nights ago he finally told us why he was scared when he went to bed.  He called Dave back upstairs after we put him down and he was so scared and said there were monkeys in his bathroom.  Dave took him into the bathroom, turned on the lights and walked around and showed him that there were no monkeys in the bathroom.  He seemed to be fine, but then about 30 minutes later he was calling me into his room.  He again was pretty scared and said that although Daddy told him there were no monkeys in the bathroom he was sure there was a little baby monkey and that the mommy and daddy monkey were there too.  I told him that there were no monkeys and everything was going to be fine.  He ended up going to bed, but he continued to wake up many times in the middle of the night.  Then last night when we put him to bed he again said he thought there were monkeys in the bathroom.  We have this nightlight that my Uncle gave to Joseph that is a turtle and projects stars on the ceiling of the bedroom and we have been putting it in Samuel's room to help him at night.  Last night Dave told Samuel that there was no way that the monkeys were going to get him because they are really scared of turtles and the turtle would protect him.  I think that really helped because as I said he only yelled out a couple of times last night.

I think he is having a combination of vivid imagination and night terrors.  I have noticed many times when I run into his room at night that he is still asleep, but yelling out.  His pediatrician had told me about the possibility of these happening.  The problem is that a kid will have a night terror, still be asleep, but freaking out and you basically have to calm them down until they wake themselves up and then as soon as they are out of their dreaming state they go right back to bed.  This is just hard because Dave and I are so tired from waking up all the time.  Hopefully he will get out of this stage soon.  I read some stuff that night terrors can occur when the child is going through a growth spurt, so maybe he will grow soon and everyone can get some rest.

Joseph is now 11 months old.  He is cruising along furniture and pushing around his walkers, but isn't quite ready to let go and walk yet.  He is talking up a storm though.  He is so different then Samuel in that way.  He clearly says Mama, Dada and ball.  He says other things randomly, but he is just so much more verbal then Samuel was at this stage.  Samuel didn't even say Dada until he was over 2 years old.  Samuel preferred to sign things.

I need to post some pictures soon of the boys and our house.  Things are really moving with our house.  Today the painters are coming to do the first coat of paint.  The interior doors were delivered yesterday too.  They look awesome, I am so excited.  Next Monday, the flooring guys are going to start installing our floors.  They are starting with the tiled areas, then the wood floors go in and then the carpeted areas.  I can't believe how quickly things are going.  It looks absolutely wonderful.  I have been really happy with the building process.  We have only had a few issues, but I think that is pretty good.

Lastly, I have finally had time to read a few books.  If you are interested in a really easy entertaining ready you should pick up the Hunger Games Trilogy (Hunger Games, Catching Fire and MockingJay).  They are considered young adult books, but they are pretty gruesome.  Once I started I couldn't put them down.  The first two books I was able to anticipate some of the story line, but the third book surprised me throughout.  I only anticipated one part at the end.  I really like books that aren't predictable.  I read all three in about 2 and a half 3 weeks.

I am about to start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.  I plan on starting those this weekend.

I will post some pictures later.  Everyone stay warm and safe!

In a funk

I don't know what my deal is lately.  I have no motivation, but have lists and lists of things to do.  I am so tired.  I also have a complexion like a kid going through puberty.  I think my hormones have gone nuts.  My entire face is breaking out like crazy.  I haven't seen it so broken out since I got pregnant with Joseph.  And don't go getting any ideas with that comment.  I am absolutely not pregnant again.  I think that my hormones are trying to get back to normal.  That could be why I feel like I am wiped out.

I spent the morning at our new house meeting with blind and shutter companies to pick out shades.  I decided to go very simple right now and just cover all the windows and then once we are in for a while I can decide if we want curtains or any other special window treatments.  I am not the kind of person that likes windows without shades.  I like to have privacy, but I also like a lot of light.  I think I picked out some pretty good stuff.  Now I am just waiting for the bids to come back.  Kind of scared about that.

They are making some great progress in the house.  They are taping and mudding all the drywall and should be done by Monday.  The siding on the outside will also be done by Monday.  Painters are coming on Tuesday to do the first coat of paint and then the flooring will be started a week from Monday.  Every time I go through the house now, I just get more and more excited.  I can't wait to get into the house.

Now I need to come up with something for dinner.

9 months old

Joseph turned 9 months old on Sunday.  He right front tooth completely broke through the skin on Monday, so now he has two bottom teeth and two top teeth.  Today he kind of started crawling forward.  He has been pushing himself around backwards and rolls around to get things, but hasn't really made much effort to crawl.  Today he actually crawled forward to get a toy.  He still prefers to cry and scream until Samuel throws him a toy or I pick him up, but hopefully soon the crawling will happen more often.  He is actually trying to pull himself up and tries to walk when holding my hands.  Maybe he will move quickly from crawling to walking since it has taken him so long to start crawling.  I looked back at my blog posts and it looks like Samuel started crawling at 7 months.  I am not surprised that it is taking Joseph longer.  He is much more laid back then Samuel ever was.

On Monday I took Samuel to get a new pair of running shoes.  He only had one pair of shoes that fit him and I wanted to get him some running shoes.  The last pair of shoes I got him were in August and he was measuring about 8 and a half, so we got him size 9 shoes, they were supposed to last him through the winter at least.  Well, when he got measured on Monday he was almost a 9 and a half, so we got him a size 10 shoe.  I can't believe he is growing so fast.  We are flying through shoes and clothes.  I also just got him size 4 pants, the size 3 were starting to ride up on him.  I just can't believe how much he is growing.  I look at the shoes and clothes and I think that there is no way he can fit into them because they are so big, but then he puts them on and they fit.  When did my little boy become a big boy!

Here are some 9 month pictures of Joseph and some pictures of Samuel playing in the leaves.  

Joseph at 9 months old

Samuel was having so much fun jumping in the leaves

They are moving pretty quickly on our house.  The walls started to go up on Monday.  They should be working on the framing of the roof by Monday.  Everything looks great so far.  I am starting to get anxious about moving.  I think I am going to start packing stuff up soon.  I figured books and little things can start to be packed.  We might actually be in the house close to the beginning of the year.

We have walls! This is the front of the house

This is the back of the house, the middle is the living room, to the left is going to be Samuel's room and to the right is the Hearth Room and Kitchen

Busy Weekend

We had a wonderful and busy weekend.

We celebrated Dave's birthday on Thursday, by having Mexican food for dinner and ice cream for dessert. Samuel was so excited for Dave to blow out his candles. On Saturday we picked up Oma and Opa at the airport and hung out and relaxed. Oma made Halloween place mats for us and a train pillow case for Samuel. Sunday we went to see Thomas the Train (see below).

Here are some pictures.

Cute picture of Joseph and George:

Birthday evening. All my boys:

I found out earlier in the week that Thomas the Tank Engine was going to be in Granite City, IL. I got tickets for all of us to see Thomas. Samuel had so much fun with all of us. You can just see his face in all the pictures. I think Joseph had a great time too. The one thing I love about being a parent is being able to experience new and exciting things through my kids. Just seeing the excitement in Samuel's eyes made the event so much fun. Here are pictures:

Here are a few pictures of the house this morning. They are getting ready to pour the foundation tomorrow. It is so exciting.