middle to end of march 2011

The better part of this month was spent figuring out which area/subdivision/house we were going to buy our home in.  And, it was also the month where we put our current home on the market.  Needless to say, it was crazy.  Hence, the lack of photos taken.  But, we did manage to take some pictures of our little leprechauns on the Sunday before St. Patrick's day. (for some odd reason, I thought that Sunday the 13th was St. Patrick's Day and proceeded to pinch those without green in the parking lot on our way into church.  Oops.  My bad.  Sorry everyone who was pinched.  Please forgive.  It was an honest mistake.) 

Now onto the photos taken after church.  

Side note: Cal DID have socks on during church, but wanted them off in the car.  Upon realization that we were going to go outside and take photos, I opted to forego the socks and do shoes only.  Normally, we're sock people.  In case you cared at all (which you probably didn't).  

I was there too.  In a green skirt, no less.

Blast our STICK-LIKE grass!  Poor child.  It's amazing his hands weren't all cut up!  It's times like these I dream of the amazing UTAH grass...

No, Aaron didn't wear this shirt to church.  He opted to change (per his usual) the SECOND we walked in the door.  

I don't know what this song was, but it's pretty funny.

 

Aaron's mouth is the BEST in this one.

 The grill-meister.  Hard at work.  Well, hopefully not working TOO hard.  It was, after all, the Sabbath.

Cal's favorite Sunday activity... relaxing.  He looks mighty comfortable.  Wouldn't you say?

::: Random bath photos.  This first one of Tillie is funny b/c this doesn't look like Typical Tillie.  Her hair is SUPER curly (I think it was braided) and she was pretending to be a bunny with her pink bunny-eared-headband.  She's a nut.  But, we all have known that fact for quite some time.

Another random night.  Tillie and Cal LOVE taking baths each night.  It's one thing in our routine that they never begrudge.  They are big fans.  Unfortunately, often times I have to play REFEREE rather than lifeguard, b/c they are now in the delightful stage where sharing isn't cool.  Sometimes I feel like I should be wearing a whistle to break up fights.  Do any of you out there feel like that too sometimes?

Oh well.  Luckily, these were some HAPPY photos. 

Who needs bath toys when you can just have BIG CUPS?  hA!  They LOVE having a billion cups to play with.

I thought this was cool with the water.  Agree?  Agreed.

::: Like Aaron mentioned in another post, Tillie would love to PAINT all day everyday if we'd let her.  But, it's messy and Cal likes to be involved with her every activity---so if we pull out the mess, we typically wait until Calvin is asleep.  Matilda had been especially helpful that day while Aaron was out of town, so I decided to pull out a little panel and let her paint on something LEGIT that I could hang up on her wall.  She, of course, LOVED it.  I had fun recording her on the video camera while she painted it exactly how she wanted.

Oh, and another little tidbit: the jammy top she is wearing used to be mine when I was her age.  Pretty cute.  My mom made it for me back in the day.  I love the ruffles on top of the sleeves.

::: We were sad when our little neighbor, Cohen moved last year.  But, luckily for us, we got NEW neighbors with another little boy Tillie's age!  And, they happen to go to church with us too!  How cool is that?!  Tillie loves when she has the chance to play with Paul.  He's pretty darling.  Here are the kiddos outside playing with his new basketball hoop.  Calvin loves getting in on the action. 

It just so happened that Paul and Tillie had matching shorts on.  

As I type this, Matilda is in my lap saying, "Hey, we were twinners! And we both have sandals on!"  :)  She's a smart cookie.  

I, personally, love the rest of her ensemble.  If you've seen the movie, How to Train Your Dragon, you'll know that the main girl character, Astrid, wears her headband like this on her head.  Tillie is convinced that THIS is the proper way to wear a headband... "just like Astrid!"

Tillie loves these shorts and always wants to wear them.  Her dad has a similar pair too (I think that's the reason for her undying love).  Unfortunately, we don't have a belt for this little girl.  And, every time she wears these, they slide off her rear-end.  Here she is annoyed  that they are sliding off, yet again.  I had to snap a picture.  I was laughing SO hard when I saw her from the back.  You'll see why...

here's a shot of the backside.  So funny.  Uh oh!

Well, that's the story of March.  What a great shot to conclude a great month.  hA!

the tour

here are photos of our house as we were listing it.  I was sad b/c the realtor told me to EDIT the big gallery wall in our dining/living room area (and I had just made it how I wanted it), and she told me to do the same for Tillie's room.  Alas, we changed it.
Here are the photos I took the day the professional photographer came to take HER photos.  It's weird to have our ENTIRE house clean --- like EVERY closet, EVERY room, EVERY EVERYthing.  But, it's a NICE weird.

Our realtor wasn't a fan of all the cereal we had up top.  I had a feeling she wasn't going to be a fan.  So, she told me that the only cereal we could keep would have to be stored in a basket of some sort.  Lucky for us, I found a super cheap and BIG one at Ross.  It works.  Also, so weird.  She said we needed to add greenery at the top of our cupboards.  It's not really my style, and I hope this type of greenery was okay. But I still think it kind of looks lame.
Fortunately, I put our little blue chicken up there----whether anyone likes it or not.  I love seeing her every day.  It's like she's watching down on me all day, approving of EVERY decision I make.   hA!

the MAJORLY edited wall.  hopefully it's not TOO personal with all the photographs of us on there.  I also wanted to keep some of the original nail holes in the wall, so I decided to take a little furring strip and paint it with my new motto, "let's go play!"----it's a good reminder for me to stop whatever unimportant thing I'm doing and play with my kids. 

I didn't want the kids to pull out a bunch of toys since the house was in a state of perfection---so I plugged them into a movie.  :)  Works every time.  :)

I always feel bad when I see a photo of this room.  I feel bad that Cal can't have a normal room, b/c his mom has too many art supplies.  Sorry, Bubba.  Maybe one day your room won't be filled with boxes and reams of paper...

this side looks MUCH better.  This is the side I wish they would have put on our listing.  :)  Oh well.  You win some, you loose some.

a little crooked, but we'll go with it.  I had big plans for this peg board, but laziness is holding me back.  Oh well.

our realtor told me she wanted some sort of something in the corner.  I decided to go with these little flowers I found at Hobby Lobby.  I didn't want to pay for an expensive vase, so I got a clear glass one for $1.50 and spray painted it with some mint green spray paint I had on hand.  I think it turned out cute, and I can't believe what a difference it makes in that bathroom!

Anyway, here's the tour.  I wanted to remember how all the rooms were, so forgive me in posting so many.

So, there's a reason I've been hiding under a rock...

Typically when someone is away from their blog for a long while, there is a good reason.
I have many.
One of which is how tired I am.  Just an hour ago, I had my throbbing feet elevated.
Another? Because there's been simply too much to do.  Justifying spending my time on my blog or others couldn't be done.
Also, another reason why I've been away for a while, is because I've wanted to make a big announcement, but Aaron wanted me to hold off until we were sure.

And, we're sure now.

Guess what?!

We're expecting....
A MOVE.

You thought I was going to write "a baby".  I know.  I set it up that way to TRICK YOU.  Ahh, a little April Fool's joke a few days early this year.  :)

Just call me the trick-meister.

Anyway, that's right.  We're moving.  If you don't believe me, check the sign in the front yard.  It's official as of 4:34 p.m. this afternoon.  I even have one of those lock-boxes on the doors.  We're legit, folks.

Where are we going??  I thought you'd be curious.  Well, after much back and forth, many PROs and CONs lists, millions of conversations between Aaron and I---we've decided to stick around for another few years.  Yes, 'tis true.  We will be Texans for a bit longer.

This is what happens when your husband enjoys where he works and who he works with. This is what happens when YOU are so happy that your husband enjoys where he works and who he works with.This is what happens when you both love his work schedule. See?  This is what happens.
When you have a good thing going, especially in the job department, you don't pick up and move across the country.  Not yet, anyhow.

So, we're moving about 7 minutes away.  :)
No, I'm serious.  It's not very far.  But, that's good.  We're excited.  We have mixed feelings about what moving entails (leaving our darling little happy house (we've L-O-V-E-D this house), changing our ward, changing our stake (i know, crazy, right? you'd think we lived in utah!?), leaving friends and great neighbors (i know we're not moving far, but still...), packing/unpacking, keeping your house in a state of perfection, waiting game, etc. etc. etc.)----------but mostly we're feeling very happy and excited.  Especially glad about feeling settled for a few years.

I don't know if you knew that we have been unsettled for a long while now.  We've had so many new plans up our sleeves, it's not even funny.  One was joining up with the AirForce (remember we had an assignment to Japan?).  Another was planning to do more schooling.  One was heading up to an opening in Oregon.  Another was working in the middle of nowhere Arizona.  I'm sure there are others I'd remember if I had the brain capacity, but alas... Now?  It's here.  Decided.

...because no post is complete without a picture.   Here is Calvin.  He's feeling really SETTLED in this picture.  That's a nice feeling.  This angle is a great one.  :)

So, I'll let you know more of the 411 later.  But for now, know that we are still kicking... barely.  I'm wiped out after getting our house "SHOW ready" for this afternoon.  Oh brother.  I have a new found appreciation for anyone that has ever had to sell their house... especially with little ones in tow.  Good night, nurse!  No, really.  It's 7:53 p.m. and I really am going to bed!  hA!

So, put that in your pipe and smoke it. (thanks for teaching me that darling phrase, mom)

If you know anyone who wants to buy our cute little house, hollah. 

OH, and have a Terrific Tuesday night.
the end.

We're All in This Together.

Yes, I did just pluck the lyrics right out of High School Musical---We're All in This Together.  Cue music.

So, I told Aaron that it isn't very fun to admit mistakes on your blog (me getting upset about Til's (yes, that's her preferred title these days) bed wetting).
He told me to just write this,
"We're perfect. Everything's fine. We don't need anybody's help."
We both started laughing.  He pulled "a funny". Good one, A-dawg.

But, isn't it amazing how often times you read blogs and feel like that's the case?
Well, we're keeping it real---bad parenting, mistakes, worries, and all.  The ups and the downs. The wins and the failures.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a big HOLLAH to you, my friends.

The comments were great (as always) and such a breath of fresh air.  One of my best friends, Sarah, wrote at the end of her comment,
"Don't stress it. We're all in this together. Love ya."
And, then another favorite friend, Miss Jen, wrote right after her, "I agree with everyone and it's soooo refreshing to hear it again, that we are not alone in this motherhood adventure."

Amen. Amen. Amen.

So, thank you for reminding me that it's much cooler to put a Pull Up on the girl, rather than wash all the bedding night after night.
Thank you for reminding me that this isn't the first or the last time that a kid does this.
Thank you for teaching me.
Thank you for encouraging me.
Thank you for sharing advice on how to get back to sleep at night (love the idea of doing relaxation techniques! tried it last night and it worked!).
And, just for checking in from time to time.

I feel like I'm accepting a Grammy or something.
I'll end now, but not before I share what one of my sister's best friends, Mary, shared about our situation...  I loved it.  It was easier to just post from a chat they had.  I hope that's okay.  :)  If not, uh oh!  :)  I edited it a little bit and pulled out my favorite parts.
 Mary: There's just not much you can do to avoid the parent insomnia.

the thing about kids is that no matter what they're doing, good or bad, it's just a stage

 Mary: the lying is just not a big deal

  at that age, i wouldn't even call it lying

  if it were a 5 or 6 year old, yes.

 Mary: 3 year old, no way

10:16 AM me: i think you should write a book.

  if not lying, she just didn't want to make mom mad??

10:17 AM Mary: right

10:18 AM well there's no real distinction between things as they are and things as you want them to be at that age

 me: interesting.

 Mary: when she dresses up, she doesn't think "i'm pretending to be a princess." she really is a princess

10:19 AM Mary: so if she could "pretend" that it was the water bottle, then it was and not her

Totally enlightening to me.  I loved it.  And, it makes so much sense.  I mean, the second Tillie puts on her dress ups and a crown, she acts differently.  She wants to dance with her chin up high with someone in the middle of the family room.  Pretty insightful.

Anyway, things are improving rapidly around these parts.  Thanks again to all y'all.
Lots of love,
melis

end of february / early march 2011

We're back tracking to get up to date here on the old blog.  Aaron said he wanted to help.  That must mean we're REALLY behind.  So, with out further adieu, let's go back to the end of February and first part of March 2011.  Calvin is 13.5 months here and Tillie isn't quite 3 years old yet.  

Here are some pictures of Calvin hanging out in the kitchen.  He's a lot of fun:

::: On Fridays this gym has open time for kids.  We are setting our sights on the olympics in 2024, I hope Tillie will be ready by then:

For now she's too scared to let go of the bar

and we are working on her balance beam routine

rhythm gymnastics

::: On the way home we saw the craziest thing... we were pulling into our subdivision and a guy on a boat was pulling out of it.  Melissa and I look at each other and we are like "What the heck?"  So we turned around the minivan and followed this guy for a bit taking pictures of his boat-car.

::: Everyday at least 80 times Matilda will ask if she can paint.  We let her color as a compromise and she gets very into it.

Well, that's it.