Movin' On Up to the East...ern Part of the State

This is kind of old news, but we are completely moved out of our house! Our closing date was May 20^th and we have had a very interesting few weeks. I really just wanted to share a few of the pictures I took along the final leg of this crazy chapter in our lives.

Let me first say that as soon as we can afford it, I am going to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure and possible hair color. Not because it has anything to do with moving, but I am giving myself a reward for moving our little family. I had lots of help from my sister and Mr. Bug helped when he was home, but the long and the short of it is that I nearly went insane packing us all up. Packing up closets, sorting through clothes, sorting through toys, cleaning out desks, organizing cabinets, showing the house, running to Menards, ordering windows, reordering windows, and signing papers upon papers. Add to that the fact that I was hauling around three screaming angelic children at any given time and I think I’m entitled to spoil myself a bit, right? : )

Anyway, here are a few pictures and my reasoning for sharing them. Even if it doesn’t make sense to you, it makes sense to me so just go with it, okay?

Here is the start of my pile of boxes. I’m not sure how I forgot to take a picture of said pile right before moving but needless to say it was about 20 boxes bigger. How do we have so much crap?!

Here is our little bug on the day we moved all of our big items out of the house, which just happened to be his 8-week birthday : )

This is the only picture I have of Mr. Bug actually lifting anything even though he was like a superhero that day. There he is with our good friend Bradlee who was AWESOME on the day of the move. He and my hubby got nearly everything loaded just the two of them.

That’s Brad again on the right (his face this time) along with Uncle Bug carrying my dresser out to the trailer. Hubby is assuming more of a supervisor role in this photo. (Does that sound familiar to anyone in my family?) : )

Here is my front door. I know it might seem silly but I want to get a print of this made and hang it on my wall in a kind of photo collage wherever we move from here on out. Call me sentimental, but this is where I brought all three of my babies home from the hospital and where we went from “just the two of us” to a real family.

Sissy decided that baby bug needed a hat on during the final stages of packing, so she talked Mrs. Potato Head into letting him borrow hers. I’m not sure he was thrilled about it.

Our last time walking through the house. The girls kept going from room to room and gasping at how different it looked empty.

I remembered to get a picture of our little family the last time we were in our first home. Eden’s face here is so funny. I’m not sure why she was making this face—she was in a good mood I swear!

This is all we left behind. Don’t those keys look kind of sad sitting there? Maybe that’s just me.

The last picture I took. It was starting to mist a little bit, which seemed fitting. I kept waiting to get emotional about leaving our home but it never happened. I’m sure it will hit me sometime and then I’ll be a wreck. I’ll let you know. ; )

So there you have it! Our big move! We are now getting settled into our apartment in Lincoln and I’ll share that soon too. Whether you want me to or not. Hehe. You know you love it!

I've Put On Some Weight Since High School...

I will be the first to admit that staying in shape is not terribly high on my priority list. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be thin and “gawgeous” but apparently not enough to pass on seconds at dinner and forego snacks like chocolate and soda. The truth is, I have absolutely no self-control.

I know what you’re thinking. Well, I have a suspicion anyway. You’re thinking that I may say that I have no self-control but that can’t possibly be true. I’m not kidding. If a package of Oreos enters my house, I will eat it without being able to stop. I honestly don’t even like Oreos anymore, but once I see that package in the cabinet, I can’t even walk by without bingeing indulging in a cookie or six. 

This is me right now. Other than during my pregnancies, this is the heaviest I've ever been. Ugh!

 So what brings on this awkward discussion on personal weight and control? My ten-year high school reunion is coming up in a few weeks. Cue the collective sigh of dread and hopelessness. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? : )

I remember my senior year of high school and thinking that I was sooo fat at my whopping 125 pounds. Now, three kids, ten years and roughly 40 pounds later, I look at pictures from way back then and think “If only!” 

This is one of our engagement pictures. It makes me want to diet. And also get bangs. : )

I can make excuses for myself and say that it’s having babies that’s done it to me. Or I could say that since I’m approaching the big 3-0 it’s just going to be harder to lose weight from here on out. Both of those things might be somewhat true, but I see women with more kids than I have who manage their weight with diet and exercise. I love food, so dieting is out. And I loooooove sitting and doing nothing, so icksnay on the exercisingay.

I am aware that at this point it is starting to sound like I have resolved to be fat big-boned for the rest of my life, but this is not the case. I am looking forward to getting back to a regular workout schedule and getting into some smaller pants. I’m not even going to tell you what size jeans I’m wearing now because my fingers refuse to hit those keys.

But I won’t do it by the reunion. Alas, I shall go to the reunion and charm them with my smile and jolly demeanor. That really shouldn’t be that hard since I am generally acknowledged to be freaking hilarious. (That might be some kind of coping mechanism but it’s gotten me through life until now. If it ain’t broke, right) : )

Now that I’ve come to this conclusion and accepted the fact that I will probably still be slightly chubby at the reunion, I’m actually really looking forward to it. I won’t be stressing about who looks better than me or who’s made it through the last ten years without gray hairs – not me – I’ll just be having fun. And I like fun. Almost as much as I like Wheat Thins. Ooooohhh, Wheat Thins…I’m suddenly hungry. Catch you on the flip side! : )

Hey Now, I'm An All-Star

Okay, maybe I’m not an all-star, but I’m feeling pretty good today. It’s been a good day. I will be the first to admit that this whole going-it-alone approach to parenting and keeping three kids alive is hard, but today was more than survival.

The day began with the girls waking up earlier than usual at 6:30 or so. I was immediately convinced that today was going to be long and awful since I would inevitably be completely exhausted all day and the girls probably would be too. (We had a rough morning yesterday and I was terrified of repeating it today.) But happily I was wrong.

The first thing that got me looking on the sunny side of life (sorry I had to) was the realization that I didn’t have a headache. Usually lately I wake up with a headache that ranges anywhere from irritating to nearly debilitating, so waking up pain-free was kind of a big deal. : ) After this glorious realization came another one that was equally wonderful: the girls were playing nicely together and not fighting. I’m pretty sure some kind of extraterrestrial being came in the dead of night and switched my kids out for these delightful little beings, but even if these aren’t my kids I’m pretty sure we’ll get along just fine.

So with my early start to the day I was able to get all three kids up, dressed, fed, and even give Judah a bath by 9:00. I know this doesn’t sound that impressive but trust me, it is. From there we spent some time playing and stripping sheets off the beds, taking some of my décor off the walls and folding laundry. After that we colored pictures, did dishes and watched part of The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band.

Lunch was nothing special with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but the girls love those and they ate so well and didn’t fight or anything. (Another reason I’m fairly sure they’re not my children.) We even finished early enough to snap a few pictures of all three kiddos before taking Miss Eden to preschool for Black & White day.

It looks like Baby Judah is upset here but he wasn't. Just in case you're wondering : )

He's just talking and cooing and getting chubby. Just what babies are supposed to do!

One of the preschool moms gave me a gift for Judah while we were dropping the kids off and Sissy was so excited! She carried the bag back out to the car and pleaded for me to open it so she could see what was inside. When I pulled out the cute little t-shirt and shorts (Thanks Carissa!) she said with a squeal, “It’s clothes! I was thinking it might be clothes.” She’s catching on to some pretty grown-up phrases for a two-year-old. : )

Aside from a pretty serious freakout from Eden this afternoon which we got through, today has been a pretty smooth day. We walked to the park after dinner and the girls had a blast on the playground. It was fun to see Eden’s hair get more and more staticky each time she went down the tunnel slide. And every time Sissy got to the bottom of a slide she’d yell “I’m the winner!” Too funny. 

Eden kept running over to me and giving me a thumbs-up!

And this is Sissy's version of a thumbs-up : )

So I guess the moral of the story here is that a really trying and long day can be followed by one with smooth sailing. I felt like a ‘good mom’ today. I didn’t expect today to be good, but I was blessed. My kids blessed me today. : )

P.S. As I was sitting here typing this, Judah just rolled over for the sixth time! He’s a pretty awesome little man!

Points for Trying?

I’m tired. So very tired. I know everyone’s tired and it seems like there’s really no way to not be tired at all, but I would love to just lie down and sleep for more than three hours at a time! What is really frustrating is that it’s not like I’m too busy to sleep. It’s just that it’s actually impossible—or at least very nearly impossible.

Little Judah about 30 minutes after he was born

If you’re reading this, you know that we welcomed our new little bug Judah into this world on Saturday, March 19^th. He is a wonderful little man. He’s so aware and strong and responsive! He smiles so much and coos and just makes my day about 58 times a day. There are times when he just looks at me like he can’t wait to get to know me and hear all I have to say. I love those moments. : )

Eden's first time holding Judah. She said she didn't think she would ever want to let him go. : )

Sissy getting ready to hold baby bug for the first time. She was so excited it reminded me of Lennie from Of Mice and Men.

Mr. Bug started his new job in Lincoln on Monday, March 21^st. That’s right, he went to work 100+ miles away TWO DAYS after I had the baby. Holy freaking cow. Now you understand why I haven’t posted on here in over a month. : ) Judah was born at 5:35 pm on the 19^th and Landon left for Lincoln at about 7:00 pm on Sunday to be ready for work Monday morning. And as much as I thought I was ready for it all, I wasn’t prepared for how it would all affect me emotionally.

To go off on a little baby-related tangent, I must say that I hate the whole hormonal backlash that hits after having a baby. I don’t remember noticing it after having the girls, but this time I was a complete mess. Maybe it was because I wasn’t planning on having more kids before my little Judah came along, maybe it was because Landon was gone, maybe it was because I was trying to deal with the house being for sale too, or maybe it was because God just wanted to show me exactly how much I needed my family.

I am not typically an emotional person. I don’t cry often and if I do it’s for a good reason. (Like when Hubble and Katie part ways at the end of The Way We Were. That’s totally valid.) But after my little mister was born I was crying at the drop of a hat. I felt so cursedly—female. Yuck. Thankfully that only lasted a few weeks and I am now back to my cold-hearted self again. : )

Judah at four weeks

Aside from the craziness of life with a newborn, we have also had our house up for sale since February 7^th. That was fun. (Sense the tone.) And here was God teaching me even more patience by having open houses right and left. I don’t remember signing up for lessons in patience, by the way, but I have somehow been in the advanced course for the last two months. Anyway, we are done with all of that now. House is sold, closing date set, inspection completed. As glad as I am to have the house sold, it’s hitting me that I now have a new challenge in getting all of our possessions packed up and coordinate a move without the help of my husband. Crap-ola, huh?

Out to breakfast during one of our early-morning showings. So excited for pancakes and sausage!

Don’t think that I’m not happy with where my life is at right now though. I am so excited for all the new things going on. Landon is really liking his new job, my little baby is amazing, the girls are so sweet with him, I’m super excited to move to a new city, I have tons of new ideas for decorating the apartment we’ll be moving into in Lincoln and summer is getting closer and closer. So many positives that I have actually found ways to survive thrive on less than five hours of sleep. I know that I’m not hitting all my marks and doing everything perfectly, but at least I get points for trying, right? : )

How can I complain when I have these three beautiful little ones smiling at me every day? My life is definitely full, but it's a 'cup runneth over' kind of full. : )

Show Me Some Green : )

I’ve never been terribly great with money. I’m more of a spender than a saver. Not that I have a lot of expensive things—it’s more of a ‘spend it here and there’ tendency. We’re really bad about spending money eating out. I mean, yeah it may only be $3 for ice cream at Dairy Queen but that all adds up, right?

So anyway, after deciding that I’m tired of wondering where all of our money goes (if anyone has any ideas I’d love to hear them) I have made a pledge to pay much closer attention to all of my dollars. I definitely should have made this pledge years ago, but it’s never too late to start! (That may not be true, but it’s what I keep telling myself.) : )

On Tuesday morning while the girls and I were killing time out of the house so the realtors could do a walk-through, we went downtown to Fashion Encore, one the consignment stores here in town. I’ve been going nuts the past couple of months cleaning out closets and such and have taken a number of bags down there to have them sell for me, but I haven’t taken a lot of time to look and see if they’ve got anything I could use for our family. Might as well give it a shot, huh?

When we walked in, the girls made a beeline for the basket of stuffed animals and I made my way to the baby clothes. With all the mega changes we’ve had going on lately, our finances are pretty tight and I feel like I haven’t been able to get special things and prepare for our little Bug #3 the way I did with the girls. So I thought maybe I could find something semi-cute for a reasonable price.

I did even better than I’d hoped! I found a couple of brand new items and a few that were in really great condition. And since absolutely everything in the store was on sale, I got a couple of really great deals. And let me tell you, 75% off all red and purple tagged items is nothing to sneeze at. : )

So here’s what I got. I’m pretty pumped if you can’t tell!

Brand new Beatles onesie for our little boy. There are several people in our family excited about this. Miss Eden’s excited because she loves listening to the Beatles, Sissy’s excited because Eden’s excited, Uncle Bug’s excited because he’s also a big Beatles fan (and is primarily responsible for Eden’s obsession) and Mr. Bug is loving it because it’s Beatles AND it doesn’t have any frogs, turtles or dinosaurs on it. I like it because of the obvious hold The Fab Four have on my family, but also because it was only a DOLLAR!

Brand new sweater vest. Another find for the little guy and should fit him right as we head into fall.

Onesie. Not terribly interesting but considering this is all the girls wore for the first month or two of their lives I figured having one or two extra couldn’t hurt.

A coming home outfit. I haven’t been able to find anything for him that I really like except for one outfit at Target which was too expensive and they didn’t have in a newborn size anyway. : )

Little fleece hoodie. These things are perfect to go over everything. And they can usually wear them for a while—not just for the sizing that’s on the tag since it doesn’t have to be a perfect fit.

A shirt for Sissy. Okay, this one isn’t for Baby Bug but St. Patrick’s Day was looming and it was only $1. Sue me.

Altogether, I ended up spending $17.12 with tax on all of these items. Not bad, huh?! And the best part? I actually had a check for $17.30 waiting for me there for some items of mine they had sold so it’s like I didn’t spend a dime! Take that, recession! I can handle this. : )

Now if I could just sell my house and have this baby, I could really take over the world.

Here's Sissy Bell chilling in the car after our shopping excursion. Yes she IS wearing two pairs of sunglasses. Upside-down. She's awesome like that. : )

Grumpy Days

I’m grumpy sometimes. I know that should be pretty obvious, but I read a few different blogs that seem like the writer is hopped up on sugar and happy pills all the time. Let’s face it – that’s not real life. I have never met anyone who isn’t grumpy or at the very least moody at times.

I’m a generally optimistic person. I think I have mellowed out a bit since my uber hyper/happy days in middle school and high school, but I think I’m still a generally pleasant person. Today, however, I am really just grumpy.

Poor Mr. Bug came home for lunch today after having to make a quick trip to the dentist to get a new crown put on (OUCH) and he had to deal with a crabby wife. I’m not terribly proud of that, but it’s the truth. In my defense, I do my very best not to be grumpy very often ‘cause I know what a downer people like that are. But today I just had to call it a bust and opt for survival rather than overly productive.

To offer a few of my claims on grumpiness, here you are:

Heartburn. Whining little girls. The stress of trying to keep my house clean in case we get a showing. A headache. Being tired because of (stupid) Daylight Savings Time. Timing of the baby is up in the air so I’m not sure if Mr. Bug is going to be here when I go into labor. Finances (need I say more?). And the car’s in the shop.

So I’m just physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. I am, however, planning on a hard-core nap this afternoon after the girls go down, so hopefully the day will improve. Here are a few of my favorite grumpy day pictures of the girls. We’ve all had days like this, right? : )

This is Sissy throwing a fit and crying into the wall because I told her we couldn't go out and swim until after naptime. What a drag.

Pumpkin Carving. This little girl DID NOT like getting the pumpkin goo on her hands. It actually took us a while to get her to calm down. : )



Little Miss Adaleine likes to swim, but she doesn't particularly care for the sprinkler. Too cold maybe?

This is the reaction you get from a three-year-old when you tell her she can't play with her tea set. In case you were wondering.

It's hard to backtalk your mommy and have to sit down on the stool to cool off. It really is.

Those burlap bags at the Pumpkin Patch make you go down the slide waaaaayyyy tooooo faaaaasssst!

Here's hoping you have a great day! If you're having a grumpy day that's okay too. There's always tomorrow : )



Blessed Bugs

Hopefully sometime this month we will be welcoming baby bug number three into our lives. Now, anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that baby number three was not in my plan, but I guess this is a good way for me to remind myself that I’m not as in charge as I think I am. (Dang it!)

As excited as we are now, I have to confess that when I first found out I was expecting this little bug I was far from happy. I had gone into the doctor to talk about getting that permanently taken care of—if you know what I mean—since I have had some complications with being a female. (That’s putting it lightly!) He ran a blood test just to be sure and came back in and just told me to look at the bottom of the paper.

There was a stupid resident with my doctor that day (I always get stuck with those stinking residents and PA students) and it was a male. About my age and looking relatively nervous. I figured the last thing he probably needed was some woman breaking down about being pregnant. I mean, we know how it happens, right? It’s never 100% unexpected. And this guy didn’t know that I didn’t want more kids. He didn’t know that I was looking forward to going back to work when Sissy went to school. He didn’t know that Mr. Bug and I had committed to having me home with our children and how tooooootally out of my element I was some days. Poor guy. So instead of standing there and watching a 27-year-old bawl her eyes out, he got to watch her laugh hysterically for a few minutes.

Fast forward about eight months and you’ve got me sitting here in the middle of three major life-changing events. I’m coming up on 38 weeks of pregnancy, we are trying to sell our first house, and Mr. Bug starts a completely new career – in a new city – in one week. Some might call this crazy, but I think that I can much better handle a couple months of complete insanity rather than stretching it all out over six months to a year.

Anyway, back to my original idea in this post. I was not happy about being pregnant for the third time and having baby number three. Also, I was a server for seven years and any group of five or more is a big-top, and they’re annoying. : )

I’ve had some time to get used to the idea, and some time to think about different ways I can try to keep myself sane while staying home for another few years. Starting this blog was a big part of that. I’ve always loved writing and I love that this feels like a connection to the outside world while I’m still in my pajamas.

I’m looking forward to the next few months of figuring out what the heck I’m doing with a blog, three kids, new place, new town, and having my husband gone with a new job. Hopefully, I’ll stay calm cool and collected enough to share it in a somewhat logical manner. : )

Here I am in all my pregnant glory. This was taken last week, so I was about 37 weeks pregnant. I’m freaking enormous.

Here are my sweet girls giving their little brother a hug. They’re so excited, and that’s beautiful to me. : )