Slow and Steady

We're finally starting to feel settled in our apartment - after what seemed like an endless week of unpacking and finally taking a load back to storage once we realized it just wasn't all going to fit...Phoebe got our guest bed from storage so her little self gets to spread out in a queen-size bed each night.  And because she got the big bed, we were finally able to say "good-bye" to the pack 'n play and put Maverick in a legitimate crib.  Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to love it like we were hoping.  Then again, he's also waking up 1-2 times a night (or early morning) and since we're now in earshot of other people, we can't let him just cry it out.  It's made for some very long nights and days, but as my mother always says, this too shall pass.

Phoebe and Maverick have a good time hanging out in the mornings! 

Here's Ryan in our new space probably about four days in.  We couldn't even see the front door, let alone make our way to it for the first three!

Phoebe has recently been wanting to change clothes whenever we come home from somewhere.  She discovered this sweater, put it on and promptly came out and flashed us!  When I asked where her underwear went, she simply said she didn't like wedgies.  Oh how she makes us laugh!  She also informed me this week that she needed a t.v. in her room (she is 3, y'all!) and when I asked her to come help me do something, she replied, "I can't - I'm busy!"

After KinderDance on Friday, we went over to check in on YiaYia.  This little guy's smile makes everything ok with the world, cast and all!

Miss Amanda came over to visit, too!  I promised her a kid-free get together soon!

Phoebe getting familiar with the walker that will be around the house the next 12 weeks!

Some Papou and Kali love.

Uncle Steve came into town to visit YiaYia, too - and to get his Phoebe-fix.

And his Maverick-fix.

I discovered some mixes in our move that had gotten pushed to the back of our shelves.  Phoebe and I made pumpkin muffins out of one of the mixes on Saturday morning and after tasting them decided that they were indeed, too old and no longer edible.  We decided to take them over to YiaYia and Papou's and feed the birds.  Uncle Steve helped Phoebe reach the birdhouse.

Phoebe doesn't have quite the discerning palate that Ryan and I do so she still thought the muffins tasted ok!

Just a silly Phoebe face.

Phoebe and Uncle Steve signed YiaYia's cast.

Maverick took a snooze on Uncle Steve's old baby blanket.

Love these two guys!!!  (and Uncle Steve in the background, too!)

Phoebe showing off her latest KinderDance moves.

Maverick showing off his newest form of entertainment.  We're going full throttle with solids this week.  He's gagged and cried the last few times we'd tried oatmeal, carrots and apples a few weeks back, so we'd taken a break.   Phoebe was such an eager eater that this just seems so foreign to us.  However, the last couple of days, we've tried rice cereal and he's tolerated it enough to eat a few spoonfuls.  I took some to school this morning - maybe if he's inundated with it, he'll accept it as part of his future.

Until then, "slow and steady" is our mantra - we'll eventually have all the boxes put away and the apartment will start to feel like home.  After visiting our TWO storage units to drop off more items, we were just overwhelmed by the thought of moving again and are content to embrace apartment living for a short while.  Not sure the Christmas tree will fit somewhere, but that's still a two months away.

Whirlwind Weekend

Poor YiaYia slipped and fell at work on Wednesday and ended up tearing her Achilles tendon and had surgery Thursday.  I took Maverick for a quick visit Thursday night hoping his cute face would encourage a speedy recovery!  She's not supposed to put any weight on her leg for 12 weeks.  I told her she did it just so she could get out of moving!

And it's official, we are no longer homeowners!  We signed the apartment lease on Friday, made it home to vacuum around boxes in time for the walk-through at 3 and they signed the papers at 4:00.  Saturday morning the moving began and it was crazy chaos to say the least. 

Without YiaYia and some extra muscle we'd planned on, it made for an interesting, desperate day! 

It took them over an hour to get our couch out the front door. 

Here's a picture of Ryan's most obvious battle scar (he got it when the couch fell on his head). 

We are SO thankful for Nolan, Amanda, Papou and his brood of helpers who made it possible.  We caravaned out of our driveway at 5:55 while the buyer sat in his car across the street ready to gain access.  By 9:00 Saturday night, we were alone with our million boxes in the apartment.  I'll be honest, it's going to take some getting used to, but I think once we're unpacked and settled, we'll survive just fine. 

 I'm not sure Brutus will, but that's another story.

A Little Perspective

I need to preface this post with some events from the past week.  An old co-worker of mine just went through a personal tragedy that has very much changed my perspective.  Her response has been one of great faith and humble acceptance, challenging me to not take this life that God has blessed me with for granted.   

It's made me cling to these two a bit more as well... 

Nana and Papa flew in on Saturday - which was supposed to be our moving weekend. 

Phoebe has a LOT of physical energy that she needs to burn.  Nana got to participate in that exertion firsthand when we got home!  Where's Nana?

Look at Maverick's latest feat!  He's officially sitting - but still a bit top heavy so we have quite a few topples (thus Ryan positioned and ready just in case).

We had this 25 foot trailer parked in our driveway in hopes that we'd be filling it with furniture.  Since it wasn't meant to be, we stacked as many boxes and totes as we could and took them to our second storage unit.  Nana entertained Phoebe and Maverick while we packed the trailer.

I'm not sure how we ended up with both father-in-laws having such great packing skills,

but we sure are lucky! 

Maverick getting some Nana lovin'!

We celebrated our 7th anniversary on Sunday by having Maverick dedicated at church.  Romantic, right?    It was so meaningful to have our church congregation and some of our family affirm our efforts and come alongside us to raise Maverick to know and love the Lord. 

Afterwards we met up with YiaYia and Papou for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  Phoebe gave her little brother his first taste of whipped cream.  Now if he'd only be that eager to eat oatmeal or carrots...

Along with sitting, he's also discovered that he can get his toes in his mouth.

Nana makes a great horsey!

We spent most of our weekend at storage, packing, unpacking, reorganizing and strategically stacking.  I keep saying that when we finally move into a home, it's going to be like Christmas!  We discovered a tote full of Phoebe's old baby toys and she loved showing them off to Maverick.  We got out this gem and it's been a hit with both kiddos!

Since all our silverware, plates, etc. are packed away, we've been eating off of paper plates and using disposable toddler silverware on our "picnic quilt".  We've also been getting Brutus acclimated to living indoors since he'll be moving into the apartment with us.  We took him to the vet and got him groomed last weekend when we still thought we were moving - he weighed in right under 100 lbs.

Monday morning, bright and early.

Papa made the trek to his beloved Long's for some donuts!  Apparently, Phoebe has graduated from donut holes to chocolate Long John's. 

Phoebe loved having the blow-up mattress in the family room.   Why use it as a bed when it could be a trampoline or a slide when propped up against the ottoman!?

Nana hung out with the kids while I attempted to help Papa make our mess into organized chaos.

Phoebe asked Ryan why he tucked his shirt in when he was getting ready for work Monday morning and we tried to explain the whole purpose of a belt, etc.  In the middle of our work day, she stands up, tucks in her shirt and says, "I look just like Daddy!"

Nana got Phoebe to run all over our backyard in an effort to burn some of that boundless energy.

She was such a good listener while Nana gave her instructions on where to run to (trees, fence, mini-barn, etc.).  I love how she crosses her little arms.

Maverick didn't get as much Nana-time as she'd have liked - Phoebe still has quite a hard time sharing attention.  I can't tell you how many times we heard, "Mommy/Daddy, I want you to hold Maverick..."

Isn't it ironic to see Phoebe, in a sundress, playing in the Fall leaves that are covering our street!?  She got to play with MacKenzie after they raked  up a pile of leaves to jump into.

The warm weather we've been having lately is quickly leaving and Fall temps are coming again just in time for us to move. As long as the rain finishes up before Friday, we'll be ok.  We're hoping to close our part at 10:00 Friday morning, have the final walk-thru at 3:00 and then the buyer will sign his part at 4:00.   If all goes according to plan, we will be out of the house 6:00 on Saturday.  Please pray we actually move this weekend - and more than that, please pray for the Jones family - as they adjust to life without Nate.

Six Months & Pseudo-Moving

So we're not closing today OR moving this weekend.  It's beyond frustrating but the end is in sight so we'll manage.  Pray that the apartment we've selected will remain flexible with us and continue to be available when this entire fiasco is over with!

Papou spent his college years working for Allied Van Lines and is an exceptional packer.  He's gifted us with his packing skills this week so our basement, kitchen and most of our first floor are completely boxed up.  He's SO thorough in fact, that we don't have a toaster, silverware or extra coffee, should we be here for the long haul.  It's causing us to be creative with paper plates and whatever is in the fridge!  Phoebe loves having all the boxes - she's created a few homes for her and her friends.

And it's hard to believe that this little guy is six months old!  We had his appointment this morning with his pediatrician and here are his latest stats:

27.3 inches (75%)

15.3 lbs (25%)

However, after the pediatrician left the room, Ryan suggested I weigh him before getting him dressed and sure enough, he weighed 16.08 lbs - turns out his foot was pushing on the ledge when they weighed him.  There's just no way these thighs belong in the 25th percentile!

Orchard Weekend 2011

In the midst of maybe-moving, we decided to make the annual trek to Tuttles Orchard on the first day of October.  This trip has become a tradition and wouldn't be the same without Auntie Kate and Uncle Steve, YiaYia and Papou.  Auntie came in Friday and surprised us at our house.  I love how these pictures capture the crazy fun our kids experience when she's in town!

Phoebe showing off her latest KinderDance skill: the crab walk.

We met for a late breakfast and then headed to Tuttles.  It was very brisk outside so we were all bundled up.

Maverick has his daddy's eyebrows for sure.  Love this picture of Auntie and him!

A rare picture of the two of us.

Phoebe showing off how much she's grown since last year!

We went on the first official day of pumpkin-picking so after we'd gathered enough apples for twelve people, we picked a few pumpkins.

Uncle Steve tried to find Phoebe in the hay maze.

And he stuck it out at the hay hill where I'm pretty sure Phoebe could have stayed all day!

Love this picture of Uncle Steve and Phoebe, too!

Poor girl has a cowlick right in front - not sure growing the bangs out is going to work for her...

All the boys.

The Wallis Family - attempt number 7 - we finally gave up.

Auntie got this shirt for Maverick.

We met up for one last lunch on Sunday after church.

Our parking lot good-bye was just short of chaotic. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  I guess there's no doubt that our kids are well-loved and had a great time - maybe when they're older I'll attempt to get a picture I can frame - for now, we'll have to just take these!

Thanks Auntie Kate and Uncle Steve, for making the long treks to see us. 

House update:  We're supposed to close this Friday at 3:00 and be completely moved out by 6:00 on Saturday.  We went apartment shopping over the weekend and have started the application process so should the closing actually take place on Friday, we have a place to live.  It's been delayed twice so here's hoping and praying it actually goes through this time...