Tuesday, June 25, 2013

We like to move it, move it...

We like to.... MOVE IT!

Well, "like" might be too strong of a word, but like it or not, we are once again in the process of moving.  This go around we are moving locally from one neighborhood to another within the same county.  Also for a change of pace, we are moving ourselves with only the help and kindness of our friends and our church family- but not our Uncle Sam. This will be our 4th move in our 7 1/2 years of marriage and of course coincides with our 4th pregnancy.  If this trend holds true, then we will never move again!  HA! 

So anyway, I will share some photos of our new home once we are settled in a bit, but I thought I'd share some things that I have learned, or am currently learning, in case you find yourself in a similar situation some day. Besides, I don't want to forget what it feels like to be in this situation myself.  :)

1. Ask for help.  I'm still learning to do this, but it has become ever more clear to me that it is important to recognize my limits and seek those who are willing and able to help.

2. Accept help when it is offered.  We are so blessed to be members of our church.  No joke. I have had offers from people to babysit, clean, load the truck, etc, etc. It can be difficult to accept help sometimes, but I am so appreciative of the spirit in which it is offered and genuinely try to allow people to help however they can, because it just makes all of us feel good, ya know?  I know I like it when people let me help them.

3. Sometimes it is better to pay someone else to do it.  We have a piano now.  And we know pianos are heavy, and delicate, and expensive.  So we are paying a professional insured company to move our piano rather than try to do it ourselves.  It's not cheap, but it costs a lot less than a new piano.

4. Make a plan.  For our last week in the house, Rob and I sat down and wrote out a sort-of master schedule for the week.  When the piano is being moved.  Where the kids will be each day. When the windows should be washed. When to move the garden plants and goldfish.  When the Internet is being hooked up/shut off.  There are just way too many details to attempt to remember them or even have them on separate lists. I need everything in one place.

5. Expect to eat out.  Tonight I made a pot of broccoli soup and hopefully I'll get dinner on the table tomorrow night as well, but after that it will be cereal, sandwiches, and take-out through Saturday.  It is not our ideal, but I can't face washing dishes on top of everything else and the fridge, freezer, and cupboards all need to be empty and clean. It won't kill us, right?

6. Expect things to get broken.  Every time we move, something gets broken.  Last time I broke two things while unpacking that I shed a few tears over... and already this time I had a potted pepper plant tip over in my minivan, make a bit of a mess, and kill the plant.  It's gonna happen, so I need to just do my best, take a breath, and move on.  (This is my personal pep talk today.)

7.  Life will continue to happen even though you are moving. Jake got his first tick bite today.  There is a girl's night out tomorrow night and I have book club on Thursday.  Over the weekend Charlotte spiked a fever.  It has been difficult to keep on top of all that needs to be accomplished, and frankly, we're not going to. Obviously, the tick bite and fever were urgent and important- so they were dealt with immediately. Girl's night out, on the other hand... well I'd love to go, but we'll see how I am doing when the time comes.

8. Pregnancy changes nothing- and everything. I don't know anything about anybody else, but I like to think that I can do whatever I decide to do.  And I can.  BUT... when I am pregnant I get really tired around 2 pm, I need to put my swollen feet up at some point, I can't lift as much or take as many trips up and down the stairs, I need to drink more water, and I drop things more. (I'm clumsy to start with.) So I just try to balance my "mind over matter" with my "knowing my limits" and get it done. Also, it is super easy to fulfill those nesting urges.

So, those are my thoughts, for what it is worth.  :)  No matter what happens, in the end we will be in our new home, our baby will be born in a few months, and all will be well.  Until next year?

Thursday, June 13, 2013

all about my dad: a pop quiz

I thought it would be fun for Father's Day to give the big kids a little quiz about their dad.  I asked them individually so they would not hear each others' answers.

Charlotte:

My dad is __24__ years old.
My dad weighs __200__ lbs.
At his job, my dad does: make money
Dad's favorite color is: orange
My dad likes to: throw pillows at me
My dad likes to say: sweetie-pie
My dad is great at: cuddling with me
If my dad won a million dollars, he would: take us to Monkey Joe's 100 times
I know my dad loves me because: He loves me!  He just does.


Toby:

My dad is __19__ years old.
My dad weighs __24__ lbs.
At his job, my dad does: get money
Dad's favorite color is: purple
My dad likes to: play UNO with me
My dad likes to say: what the?
My dad is great at: throwing pillows at me
If my dad won a million dollars, he would: buy footballs or something with it
I know my dad loves me because: he is so cool

Sunday, June 02, 2013

Tybee Island & Savannah

Over Memorial Day weekend we made a short trip to Tybee Island, GA.  We hadn't been there before, and I didn't do too much research beforehand, so there were some surprises along the way- some pleasant, some less so.  Surprise #1: be prepared to pay. There is NO free parking on Tybee.  Day 1 we actually paid someone $20 to park on their lawn for 4 hours. Day 2 we arrived much earlier and got a spot at a more reasonable meter rate.


The walk to the beach wasn't bad though.  Just a couple of blocks. Surprise #2: pack your lunch. There is nowhere near the beach to get food or drink.  Thankfully, I had packed us a cooler of lunch, snacks, and drinks for the day we arrived and on our second beach day we picked up subs at IGA in the morning.  Jakey LOVED the beach.  He loved the "dirt" as he called the sand.  And especially the fact that he could dig in it for hours and no one minded (unlike when he digs up my garden plants at home.)

Toby was pretty happy about being buried in the sand.

Jakey would go, go, go until he could go no more.  Then he would come to me and say "night, night" and I'd wrap him in his Superman towel and he'd sleep for about 30 minutes before getting up and continuing on his way.  I am so glad our kids are such easy travelers- I know not all 21 month olds would be so reasonable.

Can you see that purple speck in the middle of the photo?
Yup, that is Charlotte.  She was not interested in being buried in the sand.  Or the sand at all for that matter.  She is our water baby 100%.  I had to drag her out to eat, drink, and reapply sunscreen.  She socialized, splashed, and swam until she was barely able to walk back to the car.  The tidal pool in the foreground was the perfect spot for Jake to splash and play without being pounded by a wave, and all three of the kids spent time lounging there with other little ones.

On day 2, Toby got his revenge.
(With a little help from his mom.)

All things considered, Tybee Island is not going to be a beach spot that we are in a hurry to return to.  Edisto was much more simple to get to for a short trip, and Outer Banks, NC is still our all time favorite (US) beach vacation place.

Surprise #3: Savannah.  I like it.
I am not a city dweller by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had to pick a city to live in, I think Savannah would be way up on my list.  We had some hotel credit saved up, so we stayed at the Country Inn & Suites in Historic Savannah (for free.)  Since I was thinking "beach trip" I didn't plan to spend much time in the city, but each evening after cleaning up and changing clothes we headed out for dinner and a stroll.  And it is really such a beautiful, green, friendly city.  People talked to us everywhere!  People played games and music in the city squares, and jogged with their baby strollers through the park!  The houses and buildings are colorful and historic instead of gray and blah!  It was kinda awesome.
 
Look at these trees!

Surprise #4: if you want to eat at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's) you must plan ahead and make a reservation. Oh well.  I didn't do that.  So I guess we will just have to go back to Savannah again.  :)