Small and Simple Things

Sometimes it's all about the small miracles in life. I had to take Neil in for another hearing test the other day. Usually we both leave there in tears and with me wondering why I even bother. Maybe it was the tootsie pop that I brought with me to keep him happy, but he cooperated so well! I was actually pretty shocked at how well he did. I was so grateful for a pleasant appointment!

 He found this comfy blue chair to plop himself on while we waited for the audiologist to do his thing. No tantrums today!

Another typically hard thing for Neil is haircut time. He still doesn't like it much, but he is getting so much better. I think I might just survive this toddler. He's starting to turn a corner and I can see the light.

Yesterday was our 12th wedding anniversary. It was hard to spend the day apart. That's never happened before. It definitely made me miss Chris even more. I did get some kid free shopping time and even scored myself these tasty chocolates from Goody's. I had never been there before and it was a pretty nice little candy/ice cream shop. It was my mini celebration of sorts I guess.

 It's pretty cliche, but time really does fly by. I can't even remember what it was really like before I had Chris with me. We were such babies when we got married! I'm sure everyone thought we were way too young. So far so good. I'm nervous for this next chapter in our lives coming up, but I know that as long as I have him then everything will be ok in the end. Happy anniversary sweetheart!

All things considered

My life is a crazy roller coaster ride of emotion right now. I'm up one minute and way, way down the next. It's hard to sort through everything that I am trying to keep track of. I've always prided myself on being organized...but this whole moving across the country thing is kicking my butt.

I've needed to catch up for a while now, so please forgive this really random post. The more I procrastinate the more daunting it was becoming. So, I want to start fresh. Here we go...

 This was back to our pumpkin carving night. We had so much fun with the family, and Claire free handed this pumpkin snake all by herself. She even carved it out. She is really becoming quite the artist.

My princess Grace turned 6 this October. I can't believe how much she has grown and really changed into a big kid with quite the spunky personality. We moved to Oregon when I was big preggo with her, so she kinda marks our life here. We tend to measure the things that have happened here by her age. I am so grateful for her and how she is always such a good helper. With only half-day kindergarten, she gets to spend lots of time with me and her brother. Life just wouldn't be the same without her quirky facial expressions and little miss sassy attitude. Love her to pieces!

 For her birthday we decided to keep things pretty simple. She invited some kinder friends to come play and have lunch after school with her at the local pizza and play joint. Thankfully, one of my friends came along too, which made it nice for me while the kids played. Grace had a blast and loved all her new monster high dolls! Other than that, we had a family party night at Grandma's house complete with a soup bar and lots of tasty homemade rolls. We had to spend quite a few nights that week out of the house while it was being shown to potential buyers. It also made for too many fast food dinners.

 Pictures from our fun quadruple date night! We met up for Chinese food, and boy did we pack it away! So much food, and a fun lazy susan in the middle to make sure all the food was shared around the table. After we ate, for some reason we thought it would be fun to go run around like crazy people at a laser tag place. I did have a lot of fun, but we were all so full from dinner. We played two games and pretty much got crushed in the second by some hardcore laser taggers. After tag, and after taking group selfies, we headed to the Moss house for dessert and games. We had such a fun time!

I can't even describe how much I love these friends of ours. I can't even type this without getting emotional. I'm so so sad to be the one leaving them. I never in a million years thought that I'd be the one to leave this area. They have been my rock and support through so much over the last few years. These ladies know how to have a good time, they make me laugh until I can hardly breathe, and can listen to anything I throw at them. I definitely need some more ladies night before I'm gone for good. I don't know how I am going to survive without having my friends just down the street.

 On a lighter note, Grace finally lost her first tooth just in time for her dental appointment. Two more are already loose. She is excited for the prospect of some more tooth fairy income.

My badge from work. When I left my job in Utah, they let me take my badge with me. Not so here in Oregon. I guess it makes sense for security and whatnot, but I had to turn it in at the end of my last shift a couple of weeks ago. Let's just say, it was a very hard and significant thing for me to do. I've worked as an L&D RN for almost 10 years now. It has become part of who I am. Even though I am a little excited to spend more time at home, I feel like I am losing part of my identity. Just another part of this whole move thing for me to mourn. At least they took pity on me and let me do a c-section on my last day. It's kinda my favorite kind of birth to be the nurse for. Maybe someday I will work again, and perhaps change to the OR? Who knows. 

We have a family pass to OMSI that we need to get our money's worth from, so on one of our last days with daddy, we headed out there to play. We had a really fun time since it was a weekday, and the place was fairly empty. The girls got lots of time to explore with dad while I chased Neil around. 

We went to eat at a small sandwich shop in Portland called Lardo. It was only alright. That evening the kids had a sleepover with Aunt Katie while Chris and I did some Christmas shopping and hit up Cheesecake Factory for dinner. After that we saw Ender's Game at the theater. Then headed home to get some sleep without having to wake up with any kids.

So....now we are just waiting. We have an accepted offer on the house, already had an inspection. Just waiting for an appraisal now. Then it's closing. Somehow I need to find a way to get Thanksgiving and Christmas sorted, keep the house functioning like normal, organize what we need to pack/not pack, figure out all the crazy moving stuff like starting/stopping utilities, etc. and find somewhere to live in VA. Oh, and do most of that on my own. 

Okay, I think this was therapeutic for me. Felt good to just write it out. Today was hard. We finally found a place we wanted to rent and then found out it was taken already, just this morning. Like if we had put in the paperwork just last night we could have had it. So, back to square one. Again. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Halloween: Mom Fail

Things are a little crazy around here as you might imagine. We are trying to get so much done in a short amount of time that things like Halloween just sort of snuck up on us. At least we already had our costumes picked out ahead of time. And, to be fair, we did make time for the classic pumpkin patch trip out to Lakeview Farms, which was a lot of fun. Until, that is the next day when I discovered that my camera was missing.

The always popular caterpillar tractor ride. 

Neil carried this tiny rotten pumpkin around the entire time. Thankfully, I found a similar one to switch out with it when it came time to buy.

My girls in the bright autumn sun! Love Oregon!

I knew that I had my camera when we got back to the cars in the parking lot. That was the last place I had seen it. I figured it was probably a goner with all the cars that drive through that field on a busy Saturday. Fortunately, when I called, someone had turned it in. I'm so grateful to that random stranger! Thank you, thank you!

The next week we took our pumpkins to Grandma's house to have a carving party along with cookies and cider. Claire got really creative and free handed a snake on hers. She's a pretty good little artist. Pictures are coming. The first of my failures.

On Halloween, I worked all day and didn't make it home until 8pm. By then, the kids were just walking in the door freezing and tired from their trick or treating exploits. They had full baskets of candy and were ready to warm up and get to bed. I was a little bit disappointed because I thought they'd be up for another round with me. Oh well. Claire was a big helper and even did her own makeup for her cat costume. (using my eyeliner...) Grace opted for Pocahontas and Neil straight up refused to wear the dinosaur costume that I had set out for him. I'm sure glad I didn't spend big bucks on his costume. I guess he looked a little weird trick or treating in his regular ol' clothes. He managed to get plenty of sympathy candy out of it.

Here is the fail...I didn't get a single pic of them dressed up that night. I feel like an epic failure. You only get a few Halloweens with your kids when they are still young enough to let you dress them up and walk the neighborhood with you. To add insult to injury, I got a phone call about 9:30pm...."so, are the kids coming over soon?" It was Grandma wondering if they were going to trick or treat at her house. Ummm...ooops. "sorry, they are actually already in bed." Geez, I just couldn't catch a break. Somehow I managed to ruin it for myself and the grandparents.

I guess that's just how it goes when I am gone all day. Note to self...don't work on Halloween in the future. Oh, and yeah Grace's birthday was a couple days before....still need to get some pictures together from that. It's a work in progress.

Transformation and Transition

So, we have lived with carpet in our dining room and near the kitchen for almost 6 years now. We've always talked about doing something different but we were usually too chicken to actually do it. We had our eye on cherry laminate flooring at Costco and it finally went on sale...so we started.

 Had to move all our furniture into the other room. Felt very cramped for a bit.

Pulled out all the carpet, pad, and baseboards. What a giant pain! Millions of staples to pull out. At this point I am beginning to wonder what we got ourselves into.

Finally starting to lay the floor. It actually was pretty easy on the straight sections. Just lots of measuring and cutting involved.

 Had to redo the whole kitchen area too. So that meant pulling out all my appliances. Sheesh, this is getting to be pretty involved. Hadn't even started the living room yet!

We finished the kitchen, bathroom, and dining area including putting up all the baseboards and re caulking everything. It all was looking so nice. Then we took a nice little vacation to Disneyland. When we got back it was a whirlwind session of flooring to get it all done. The living room actually went tons faster. Mostly just a big rectangle. We are pretty happy with the results. It looks so much nicer now, and I don't have to worry when the kids spill all over the place. I learned a lot about renovation and I feel much more confident in taking on home projects now.

Looks like new! Which is good because now it's ready to list on the market. :(  Yes, we are moving. Chris accepted a new job in Arlington, VA. Crazy, I know. I never once in a million years thought we'd be leaving this beautiful area. We will miss so much here! All our family and so many good friends. I am still trying to adjust to the idea of it all. So much to do! If you know anyone who needs a nice townhome, with great new floors...send them my way.  :)

Happiest Place on Earth!

Our long anticipated trip to southern California finally came. We had a blast! All of my fears about whiny kids, naughty Neil, and sheer madness were thankfully unseen. That's not to say that there weren't moments, but it was a huge success! I was especially grateful that Neil actually had a really great time and wanted to ride all the rides with us. At all our other fair like trips he has refused or been scared to death to ride things, so I was worried that he would hate our trip. To my great surprise he loved the rides. It was really fun to be able to go on almost every ride together as a family. Totally worth it!!
I want to start by saying it is crazy hard to get decent pictures in Disneyland. It's tough just to get out your camera while keeping track of kiddos let alone snag a shot when they aren't distracted by all the wonderful sights around them.
We arrived in Orange County at 9:30am and managed to get our rental car and head into Anaheim. We stopped for some supplies and lunch, then headed straight into the park. It was pretty hot that day, like 90's. It was great going back to shorts weather, but walking in the heat made us buy a few more ice cream treats. :) Since we knew that we had 5 days, it was nice to take a relaxed approach. We spent most of our time in Fantasyland that day. Neil's first ride was Dumbo, and he thought it was great! He very quickly learned the routine of parking the stroller, hopping out to get in line, and then jumping back in afterwards. It was just the 5 of us that day, and we were able to have tons of fun and keep everyone happy. We headed for the hotel and some dinner in the afternoon before going back to the park for some late night fun. We even stayed to watch Fantasmic and the fireworks. It was a really long day for us!

The next day we were joined by Grandma and Grandpa Phillips! It was great to have them with us! Another pair of adults to help keep eyes on the kiddos is always helpful. We headed down to San Diego to visit Sea World. I have always wanted to go there, and now I can finally check that off my list. Our favorite parts included the manta ray exhibit where you can pet the mantas, the dolphin show, and of course the shamu show. The kids really liked the rides too, and not having to wait in lines for them. 

I think I'm good now. I really enjoyed our day at Sea World, but once was enough. Thanks to Chris for putting up with my need to see Shamu. He wanted to buy me this stuffed whale, but thankfully I talked him into just taking my picture with it. 

The rest of the week was back to Disney! We hit up California and Disneyland many many times over the next few days. One highlight was getting to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater in Radiator Springs. We were able to go right up to them before a line started. It was perfect. Neil was in heaven! It was super cute. I wish I could have gotten a better picture.

We rode almost every single ride, we ate a lot of treats, and we saw all the shows. We stayed busy the entire time! I am amazed at how resilient the kids were. We got up at 7am everyday and played hard until 9 or 11 every night. There was lots of walking, and even one rainy day in the middle, but we all had a great time. One night we splurged and ate dinner at Cafe Orleans and had their famous monte cristo sandwiches and mickey shaped beignets for dessert. Mmmm!

The kids loved all the parades and getting to see all the characters, especially the princesses and Minnie Mouse. One night we stayed for the Halloween Party that they put on. Neil went to the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa and the four of us got to spend a few hours together going on all the big rides like Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, and Space Mountain. We also checked out the specially decorated haunted mansion. It was fun to be able to get on most of these rides with very little waiting. It was much less crowded during the party. There was a special Halloween parade and firework show as well. We also got to see several of the villains out that night. It was nice to spend some time with just the girls and explore the park in the dark!

Our very last night was pretty special. We saw Radiator Springs all lit up just like in the movie. We rode the cars and got to stay for the World of Color show. Disney does a really good job with their shows. I was impressed. We bought all of our souvenirs and called it a day. We were exhausted, but wish we would have had more time. There is so much to see and do! I'm so glad that we made the trip. I think the kids all had a great time, and we did as well. Maybe someday we'll have to go back. 

My Man of Iron

This year has been a crazy journey of training and races for Chris. He has worked so hard and come so far over the last twelve months. I'm super proud of him! Especially for sticking with it even when the rest of us indulged in sweets galore or pure laziness.
A few weeks ago he ran in the big Hood To Coast race with friends from work. He had three legs of running and he had a blast doing it. We picked him up at the beach when he finished for a 5 day camping trip. Thinking back, we won't be doing that again. It is too hard to recover from a big race and set up camp on the same day.
All of his races, training, and healthy eating were getting him ready for his half-iron man race this last weekend. It was held out at Foster Lake in Sweet Home, OR. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive there. Since it was such a long drive, and the race started early in the morning, he decided to get a hotel for the night down there. He went by himself since we had a busy Saturday with three soccer games and a birthday party for the kids.
The race itself was a 1.2 mile swim (in the lake), 56 mile bike ride, followed by a 13.1 mile run. Pure craziness! I can't even imagine doing it. The more I thought about it, the more I felt bad about him being down there all alone with no one to even see his great accomplishment. I managed to rearrange our activities and found a way to get me and the kids along with Chris's parents down to the park to cheer him in to the finish.
The park was gorgeous. It was a smaller event so it was nice for the kids to have space to run around especially after such a long drive. We made it there about 30 minutes before he finished. The best part was that we totally surprised him. It was really fun to see him coming and cheer him to the finish line!

 Good job honey! We knew you could do it! Way to persevere. You are our rockstar!

Afterwards we enjoyed relaxing by the lake while he recovered a bit and ate some food. The kids had a blast playing in the swimming area of the lake. I didn't bring them swimsuits, but they had fun pushing the limits on how far I would let them go out. At least the weather was pretty perfect. It was a great day! Now he needs to come up with some new goals for the next year! 

Also some pretty awesome art pieces!