See, even Cole is pumped about the prospect of a new house
Needless to say, life has sped up a little bit. We're 3 weeks away from the big move. The military arranges for our belongings to be packed and moved, but we elected to move some of our own things as well. Brian's friend Nathan kindly lent us his trailer and since Brian has to make 2 trips there and back over the next month, we figured, why not. This way, we have some of our stuff waiting for us and we won't be quite as dependent on TMO to deliver our things promptly.
This was also an excuse for Brian to purchase and install a hitch on his truck. He procrastinated and the night before he planned to leave, he was STILL installing that stupid hitch. It took a lot of trial and error and about 18 trips to Walmart and AutoZone trying to find parts, but they finally got the wiring to work. On the plus side, now we've got all kinds of shiny new tools that he can hang on his workbench and probably never use again. Wait...is that a plus?!
11:00 at night and they still look happy
Also in preparation for the move, I threw a garage sale with my friend Lisa 2 weeks ago and got rid of some more stuff. It's nice to weed down the clutter and moves are good incentive. I will also readily admit that I'm addicted to selling our stuff. I get some sort of high off getting money for....well....crap. "You mean, you want to pay me money for this Marine Corps themed grenade ice cube tray we've never used?!" Rock on.
Brian tackled some huge projects immediately, including putting an epoxy on the garage floor, sealing the driveway, steamcleaning the carpets, taking care of the yard, and digging out Caden's sandbox. Early to rise and late to bed, he worked his butt off...and loved every minute of it. I talked to him every day and anxiously listened to everything he had to say about it. By Tuesday, he was urging me to pack up the kids and come join him for Labor Day weekend. It sounded like a good idea, but I also knew just how much works that entailed. So I refrained from giving a solid answer.
His masterpieces, the driveway and the new garage floor
If you had asked me Wednesday, I would have said very politely, H*LL NO. Caden was the absolute naughtiest he has EVER been. Every time I turned around, he was doing super cool things like unrolling the toilet paper or running with a scissors (true story). I thought going outside might help but he argued with the other kids and wouldn't share his toys. And he didn't take kindly to my reprimands. He glared and yelled back and even hit.
WHO IS THIS KID?! Surely he's not mine?! He's also anti-nap but this is one day he needed one. I tried to lay with him and all he did was play. This just further aggrivated me. It was one of those days where you remind yourself that you LOVE being a Mom! Cole was not particularly in a great mood either. Needy and fussy. Double whammy.
BUT...the day from h*ll finally ended and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I was shocked to wake up to Cole's fussing around 4:30. A 5-HOUR STRETCH! What a surprise. Then Cade woke up happy and NORMAL. That sealed the deal; I decided we were going.
Cole's first road trip
It took me ALL morning but Cole napped for 3 hours and Cade was an angel, watching SpongeBob and playing on his own.
Mom, that bouncer is still a gift from heaven (Check out his blue camo "fatigued" shirt from Great Grandma Klindt...too cute! Thanks GGK!)
We finally got on the road by 1. The boys behaved beautifully. Cole slept and Caden quietly read books and played with his trucks. Apparently I'm entirely GPS dependent because without it, I got ridiculously lost. Some things never change. It was dark by the time we arrived. But how exciting to pull in my driveway and know I was HOME!!!
Brian continued to work on projects here and there and I organized the garage with 8 billion plastic gray totes. Caden got acquainted with the new space. It didn't take him long to get comfortable with zipping in and out of the backyard...maybe TOO comfortable. We caught him out in the front yard at one point. Whoops...we kept the front door locked from them on.
We got Cade his own tools and he had fun helping Dad
Free reign in the back, and he loves it
Apparently we have a friend also. It's a lovely garter snake named Toby. I told Brian we most certainly are NOT naming the snake and that it must be removed from the backyard pronto. I also met an assortment of friendly spiders, frogs, lizards, and cockroaches. Sooooo...I guess that's something about the warmer climate that I will have to get used to. Not ideal for a squeamish gal like myself. I hesitated to cross the backyard knowing Toby was lurking.
Our little man Cole is growing like crazy. He's almost 7 weeks old. I still have his birth announcement on the fridge and I don't even think it looks like him anymore. He has really filled out...I mean, REALLY filled out. Brian was a chubby baby and apparently Cole is following suit! He's started cooing and smiling which is pretty awesome. He still loves to sleep in my arms which causes problems with me ever getting anything done. He's a cat napper so he's in and out of naps frequently. If I try to lay him down he's usually awake within 10 minutes. He's sleeping well at night though...goes to bed around 10:30 or 11, up around 3, and again around 6 or 7. I love to look at him and kiss him. He's so darn cute.
Those are some defensive fists...apparently the ducks ticked him off.
Hey bright eyes, it's 11...go to bed.
Nicole took his 1-month photos and they turned out really good (as usual...she's amazing). Here's a preview:
Photography by Nicole Benitez, Perfectly Posh Photography
http://www.perfectlyposhphotography.blogspot.com/
Caden's growth surprises me every day. He chatted with Brian on the phone today and answered all Brian's questions. "Hi Caden!" HI DAD! "How are you today?" GOOD. "What have you been doing?" PLAYING WITH LANDEN. My smile just kept getting bigger as I listened. He's growing up! Brian noticed the other day that I told the restaurant hostess that we needed a table for "3, with a baby." We used to say 2 with a highchair or booster, but he prefers the adult chairs now. I'm not sure when it happened, but he's officially a rough, tough, dirty, and loud TYPICAL little boy. I get a lot of "Watch this Mommy" and he'll do something awesome like jump over a truck. He likes to pretend too. He cooks meals at his play kitchen and serves me pizza and pancakes. He makes pictures with his stickers and builds towers with his legos. He plays football and his tackles pack more punch all the time. Such a busy kid! And man, he's such a good big brother.
Sharing his "sammich" with little bro
"It's okay pumpkin"
Cole started crying and Cade was sympathetic...what a look
Brayden and Caden, partners in crime...Cade is really going to miss you in NC Brayd :(
Brian's solution for a rainy day? A cardboard fort that consumes the entire house.
Despite all the fun, being a Mom of two little ones can be challenging...I won't lie. Some days I feel like I don't get much of anything done except feeding and holding Cole. And while I feed and hold Cole, Caden efficiently and methodically trashes the house. Brian probably wonders what the heck I've done all day when he gets home from work and it looks like a tornado hit and I haven't even thought about supper! Hmm, I wonder too?!
But, I feel such overwhelming love for them that of course it's worth it. I'm soooooo glad I'm home with them. I just wish I had a clone. Too bad the Catholic church denounces cloning...I'd take one in a heartbeat.
Brian's life has been a whirlwind between having Cole, preparing for the move, the end of the fiscal year at work, turnover with his replacement, and the end of his race season. His last event is this coming Sunday. It's his "big" race and he was excited, but then he had a significant setback. He had an accident on his tri bike a couple weeks ago. He was flying down a hill on base at 30 mph and his bike hit some unexpected gravel. He managed to lay the bike down to save both his bones and the bike, but it was at the expense of his skin. He's healing up pretty well now but it took a good week and half before he could get back into a normal workout routine. We're just glad he's okay...it could have been MUCH worse. I'll let you know how the race goes.
DANG.
I'd like to get biking again soon myself. I have been on a couple runs and even took the boys out for a 2-miler with the jogging stroller earlier this week. It's definitely heavier and I got a good workout in, that's for sure. Caden fell asleep and Cole stared at me with wide eyes. I think he dug it.
Hope you all had a nice Labor Day weekend. Here's a couple "bonus" photos of my fam.
Kyle and my sis at Jen's 5-year class reunion
Jeff has taken up a new hobby...tractor pulls! He placed 1st with his 720.
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