Merry Christmas, Everyone!

I feel pretty organized this year since we aren't traveling! Brian's mom and grandma are coming - we look forward to it Monica and Bea honey! :) Not that the rest of my house is organized, just the presents. :)

The kids had a Christmas program at school - very cute! It was somewhat bittersweet to me since we are moving the kids to new preschools in January, but it is the best for all, trust me!

Facebook has been sucking my time - but I'm having a ball talking to people from high school, my VA mommy friends and new ones I've made out here too. :)

Missing my brother and parents, but talking to them a lot. The boys are also having a ball playing with ornaments and Christmas decorations...

Here are some pics, more to come later! Happy Holidays!

December Update

I've been personally a little lost and confused lately.... My dad's cancer is back and he's doing radiation until the 17th, then chemo after that. I've given them an open offer to fly out, but for now my parents seem to be fine and my brother is only a little more than an hour away and not working. He's on call and I'm the backup, I guess.

Joseph has also been struggling with the new preschool. He's been asking to go back to Shelley's in Virginia, or saying he'd rather stay with me. I've lined up something new for him in January which I expect to be wonderful, but it is 5 days a week, which is new. Anthony will be with me for the first few weeks, maybe months, until Joseph is adjusted, then we'll make a new preschool move for him. He loves the current place, but I'm done driving almost 1/2 an hour and he's not ready for 5 days a week. It's a little wacky, but I think it will be good in the long run. Trying to simplify our lives and do the best for all.

Through it all, we have been going to Disneyland weekly - haha, we're Disneyfreaks, I guess! It does feel like Christmas there (Disney Magic!) even though it's still been in the 60s and 70s here. It will be cooler this weekend though...

Brian also let me run away for a weekend though, and it was a nice break away from the kids. We've had nothing but good days since then, proving to me I needed a little time away. This week I've been more patient and probably more fun than I have been in a little while..

Now looking forward to Christmas.... we will decorate this weekend (I hope), the kids have a Christmas program at school on Saturday, and Brian's mom and grandma come on the 23rd! Whee!

Happy Holidays to all - our family card is on it's way!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Still working on pictures from our early Thanksgiving. (Here's Joseph and Bea honey!) In the meantime, we're going to go off to Vegas for a couple of nights of our weekend.. hope yours is good! Missing friends and family...

too much...

Ok, a long overdue update...

The family visit was great!  The kids enjoyed all the attention and I learned we CAN fit 9 people in our little 1400 sq ft place!  Maybe 10, but probably not more!  There are lots of pictures to come, but first I have to find my cord for the camera..  hah, always something.. 

Anthony has been doing great potty-training!  Only 1 accident in the last 4 days.

Joseph isn't thrilled about preschool lately - maybe too much pressure on learning letters.  Daddy and I are trying to back-off..  In the meantime, I'm shopping preschools again.

We went ice skating outdoors last night.  Haha, it was 66 degrees!  That's probably why it cost a bit, but the boys were very into it!  We'll have to go again, but I might need thicker socks - my low workout ones didn't really cut it!

Prayer request: my Dad has to start chemo again in Dec and my bro is between jobs.. and then there is my friend, Emma - her Dad need some prayers too.  They are in my thoughts and prayers, and if you have any extra time, please include them in yours.  Thanks!

The long, strange vacation....

It's hard to believe #1 that we live here..  and #2 that it's November!  The weather started getting cool over the weekend..  we had to wear jackets almost every morning... (low 60s)  weird..  they also have lots of tropical trees I guess, so there are still green leaves on the trees.  It shocked me when I got pictures from my Dad (from 2 months ago) that had pretty fall colors!

We emptied a lot more boxes over the weekend - getting ready for Brian's family to visit.  Looking forward to it - Grandma & Granddaddy, Bea Honey, Uncle Brad and Liz... and then out to Riverside for the SMA Walk N Roll and early Thanksgiving!  The kids will be loving it!

No pictures this time.. I need to locate the camera again..  It's probably in the car - I need to clean that up this week.

Missing friends and family..

Happy Halloween

This year the kids really seem to "get it!"  We carved a pumpkin last night for the first time.  We had gotten pumpkins other years, but didn't carve them...  

School had lots of activities that were fun - cookie decorating, pumpkin decorating, and a parade... but the most fun was the informal following around of the kid in Joseph's class, Andre, who wore a Mr. Incredible costume.  Poor Andre...

We visited Daddy at work too.

Trick or Treating was fun because we got to meet many of our neighbors..  well, the kids liked the candy better.  They didn't try to go into people's houses this year.  They got a big kick out of it if there were pets at the houses though, and they didn't want to stop trick or treating - "one more house!"  Oh, Anthony is pretty scared of moving, talking skeletons, but Joseph thinks they're cool.  :)

More than a week! ack, update...

Sorry I haven't updated... don't know what's wrong with me.. well, could be that I'm trying at a snails pace to get this place in better order...

Anyway, we finally did the beach thing last weekend with swimsuits and sand toys and all.  I was worried about the coldness of the water - it was only low 70s.  Joseph said "Don't worry Mom, you'll get used to it!"  Ha, he's becoming Californian..  It felt like the Brita water from the fridge, but the boys still got in up to their waist, occasionally falling down and getting the upper half wet.  Good times were had by all...

No pictures because I was afraid to bring my camera - don't want to break another one.  Brian said - "but that's why we got the cheap one!"  maybe next time.

Sunday we signed them up for Karate - check this out...  then went to Aunt Shirley's and had fun with her, Aunt Kristen, Becca (12) and Laina (15)....

Tuesday Brian took the boys to Disney by himself (a day off work after a busy week - dinner meetings- last week).  He is BRAVE!  Haha, apparently they had a ball- they were gone 12 hours!  I putzed around here mostly, reading and working, and enjoying quiet time.

Today we have someone coming to fix the ice maker- weird that I have missed ice!  Also, a Halloween party with one of the kids from school tomorrow.  Hope everyone out there has a good TGIF!

Disney, pumpkin patch.

This is somewhat out of order, but other than the "head stuck" situation, we have a good week.  Sunday we got season's passes to Disneyland so we went to check out their Halloween decorations and just have a little fun.  For our future visitors, Disney will be a promo next year- if you register on their website you can get in for free on your birthday (either world or land, but do land and come out to see us!)  Keep that in mind when you are doing your travel planning.  :)

The boys and I also had fun at a "pumpkin patch" where we met some new friends from meetup.com.  It was different in that it was a long parking lot fenced in and covered with hay, but obviously the boys had a great time - there was a petting zoo, the pony rides, scarecrows, and pumkins.  That's all we need!

I didn't post a pic - but we had Aunt Shirley and Uncle Kenny out here on Saturday.  It was nice to have people even though the place isn't "done" by my standard or anyone's really.  :)  Hope to see them (and more of the Riverside crew) again next weekend!

Call the fire department!

No pictures of this one!  Today I brought the kids home from preschool with McDonalds.  Anthony was getting in and out of his chair and he tried to get into it through the back but got his head stuck.  ACK!  I just looked at him and knew this was going to be bad.  He was relatively patient while I tried to take the squeeze his head out using Pam and butter.  Didn't seem to mind too much while I used allen wrenched to try to take the chair apart.  After about 20 minutes more of that (and furtive calls to my dad and Brian) we called what I thought was the non-emergency fire department number.  (Anthony was a bit upset by then.  ) I got off the phone with the operator (very nice lady, sending fire department paramedics) and moments later I found the 2 remaining screws in the chair and took it apart.  I called to cancel my emergency, but they were out of the truck walking up our walkway already.  The boys were excited to see the 4 young paramedics and Daddy right behind them.  I hope they noticed the butter and Pam on Anthony's head as he tried to shoot them with Buzz Lightyear's Astroblaster.  :/

More like home -little by little

The boys still love their new home, but the progress has been slow.  Joseph made me realize we weren't going out to do fun stuff as much, but we did go to the aquarium today - in Long Beach.  We met a couple of other mommies there and it was a lot of fun.  :)  We've also been going down to the beach in the evening a few times - that has been fun and relaxing also.  

The cable company is supposed to be coming today to bring a landline, so that will be nice (to have a local number and also nice for the cell phone bill!)  Once we have that I'll send out cards with all our new info for you.  Let me know if you don't get one in the next week or so!

:) Laura

5 days, long days...

We are in, mostly, sort of!  Monica (Brian's mom) and Brian kicked butt unpacking Friday and Saturday...  then left Sunday.  The boys and I miss them a lot, but there is lots to do around here!  Lots of packing and organizing...  did I say "settled by Halloween?"  It looks more like Christmas at this point.  :)  The boys loved the boxes, love the toys they haven't seen in 3 months even more!

Highlights: The boys and I walked down to the beach Monday night and walked along "the Strand" for about 6 blocks, then had dinner right on the Strand and watched the sun go down as we played in the sand.  As we were coming down the hill to the beach, Joseph said, "Is that the Bahamas?"  No, it's our neighborhood!!!

We took Grandma to Chuck E Cheese.  That was fun - there were no other kids there on Wednesday for lunch.  :)

I have cable and internet after 5 days.  Wahoo!  Landline coming soon...

Oh, and I got a new (very cheap) digital camera.  More pics to come...

Moving Day!!!

Ok, first, sorry I don't have pictures yet.  BUT, we are finally moving into our house!  So exciting!

Brian and Monica both got here by plane on Wednesday.  We went to Chuck E Cheese with the boys, also had fun bumming around yesterday with Aunt Shirley.  Today Brian and Monica headed over to the new place by 8am for the movers who didn't show up until 11:30ish...

All was not lost though, Monica got to see the kids at preschool and Brian and Monica met the previous owner.  When I left at 2pm, lots of boxes and furniture were coming in and some of the kitchen stuff was unpacked (me and Monica)....

More to come, but the boys love it so far - or maybe they just love the boxes, paper and bubble wrap.

:) laura

Good weekend, weird monday....

We had a good weekend...

I got out with other moms on Friday night.  On Saturday we went to a park/birthday Party -- Jaelin, who came to Joseph's party, had a party at a great park.  The kids had a ball while we talked to other parents and everyone had pizza and cupcakes.  Later after a car nap we showed the boys our new house while we did our "final walk through."  Sunday we went to La Brea Tarpits - which was cool and weird... all in all a good weekend.

We started the week relatively good - Brian was off to Herndon for business, but he and Grandma (his mom) are both coming back/here on Wednesday for our move on Thursday.  Ok, wrench(s!) in the system - there were issues that came up today (got clarified)- some confusion between us and the lender and misunderstandings about the contract - 

1. no washer/ dryer like I expected - guess we will be going shopping...

2. they current owners (well, for an hour or so..) are there until Thursday at 5, so we can't move in until Friday...

3. the lender is thought the money was coming from a different bank (we changed it to meet escrow's requirements) and I ran around getting paperwork from the bank.  The issue is resolved and the lender has funded our loan, but it might push everything back a day - Escrow is working on getting it recorded tomorrow instead of Wed...  grr...

Brian's safe in VA and everyone here is CA is good too - waiting up from nap as I type..  the good news is I got a cheap digital camera today before all the drama...  next time I write I should have some pics of the boys..

Joseph is 4!!

We had a party for Joseph at Chuck E Cheese's last night.  Although Brian and I were sad we weren't with family or friends this year, it was a pretty darn fun time anyway.  2 new friends (Jaelin and Eeman) from school came and with pizza, cake, tokens, tickets and games - everything was good.  Likewise, I enjoyed talking to the parents in a somewhat small setting.  We all ended up very tired though last night, but we hope to do more phone calls and presents tonight, continuing the party as long as possible.  I told Joseph today that maybe we can go back to CEC next week with Grandma to celebrate some more and he gave me a pretty big smile.

Ended up in Big Bear!

Saturday was Sarah's (6th!) birthday party (Brian's cousin, Kenny's daughter) and so before going out to Riverside on Sat, I was in Target on Friday night getting a present.  Aunt Shirley called me and asked if we wanted to go to her mountain cabin after the party - OF COURSE!  I had ideas for the rest of the weekend, but this sounded much better!

We wore the boys out at a great birthday party on Sat - they had the party at Castle Park, which is like a mini-Six Flags with a big arcade, pizza, and rides.  Then we drove to Big Bear, which is only another 1.5 hours from Riverside (about 2+ from LA).  It was a lot of switchback wild mountain driving, but it was beautiful and the boys surprisingly slept through most of it.

Once we were there it was relaxing and fun.  Squirrels and birds, walking by Big Bear Lake, trying on ski boots- yes, on the boys and yes, they DO fit!  hah, the biggest surprise for me was that the boys thought the bunk beds were some sort of playground equipment!

We always have fun with Aunt Shirley and this was no exception.  It was our (me and the boys anyway) first trip to Big Bear, but certainly not our last!

Dentist success!

Joseph got his tooth filled and it was a great experience!  I couldn't believe it.  I wimped out didn't tell him he was getting a cavity filled.  "Show me the dentist where Daddy took you."  He was excited to go show me the fish tank, video games, and toys in the lobby.  He showed me the toy display where he gets to pick a toy at the end (telling the ladies there that he got "bones" last time - a stretchy skeleton).  The hygienist let him pick a scented "nose cover" - purple/grape.  She connected it to the funny air (laughing gas) and showed him how to put it on.  They had TV on the ceiling and he relaxed and was very chilled out for x-rays and the filling - it was small enough and he was relaxed enough that they didn't need to use a local.  They both got toys and we went to a sports bar for lunch!

I only wish I could get my fillings done there.  I'm having 1/2 of them done tomorrow while the kids are at preschool.  Hmm, my dentist must be good to be able to do half of 5!  haha, just 2 I think.

Anthony's newest thing is falling asleep in the car before nap, then playing in the Pack N Play for 1-2 hours before going down for nap.  Weird, huh?  Hmm..  doing this for a week, I just we just get used to it for now.

Getting there....

The closing date and move-in date are getting closer, and it's all becoming more real! We are scheduling dates with the escrow company (don't get me started - what a racket!) and walk-through for next week. After that it's just move-in day - 9/25! (For closing itself, we don't have to do anything - the bank and title companies have their work to do)... I have utilities set, and it all looks good - we probably won't have a landline until 10/4 though because we are buying cable, internet and phone all in one bundle from Time Warner and they claim they need the extra time to set up 911 service. Another racket? Who knows!

So, the worrying begins - about our stuff fitting into our smaller space, how the boys will sleep in this, another new place, where the truck will park, and how I will figure out decorating and trash day, new friends and all.. yet I look forward to it! Monica/ Grandma might come out to help! Heh, my new hairdresser and the realtor are offering help as well, so I will probably be taking them up on it - as much as possible!

Meanwhile, my parents have also planned a trip out here for January - yeah!

The kids are great - they seem to look forward to preschool and enjoy flirting with the ladies who work the continental breakfast in the guest house. Brian has been coming home by 5:30 or 6 and gives me "breaks" for Back to School night or a ladies night out (last Friday night with a meetup group).

Love and "miss yous" to all our friends and family.

"Want to come back"

I guess Anthony is officially adjusted to preschool! He wants to go back. Joseph said a prayer after school without prompting today thanking God for the waaauurld. At first I thought he was saying "war," but no, it's "world." Apparently they like "Jesus time" at school along with the toys, teachers and friends.

On the bummer side, I went to the dentist and I have 5 cavities. :( That will teach me! If only I could quit sweet stuff, I'd be better at the doctor, the mall, and off weight watchers (not that I'm currently ON it). Easier said than done.

Hope your weekend starts off well!

Just an update

We are well here.  Missing family and friends a lot though!

Joseph is recovering well from his surgery last week - he never did have any pain, so the real meds have gone unopened.  The hardest part is keeping him from wild play with Anthony.  He is also supposed to stay away from swimming and bikes.  So far so good, but I'm not sure how long we can keep that up!

We were at Aunt Shirley's on Sunday - Joseph did not swim in the pool, which was initially hard, but (2nd) cousins Derek (16) and Josh (11) played catch with him from the pool and let Joseph beat them up with kick-boards while they play acted dying into the water.  It was entertaining to watch and Joseph loved it!

They are both adjusting to preschool, although Anthony still asks to go with me and whines a bit.  No crying anymore though, yeah!  We also checked out a couple of museums over the weekend and joined the Natural History Museum here...

Brian is working hard and I'm lonely for mommy friends.  Calling & emailing VA a lot!  :)  I really do have enough to do though with paperwork and doctor visits.  I'm still seeing the chiropractor several times a week since 2 weeks ago when my back hit an all time ouch.  We are still doing a lot of real estate paperwork and moving money around to be ready for settlement on the new place.

Well, that's most of the news here.  Got a couple fun pics around the hotel since I got a disposable to take pics of the mini-van damage (minor but annoying...)  Write or call to update me on your life!

All is well, but I am tired...

Joseph did well today with surgery- he has no memory of most of it, and is not even sure why we were telling him to be careful - lots of meds, lots of energy, but very tired- fell asleep on Brian at 5:30!!
Brian handled Joseph and the surgery and was very impressed by the staff and set-up at the Children's Hospital here in West Hollywood. I had Anthony and Brian's broken-down car. The car got fixed-up too. :)
Not much else to report except that our hotel room looks like Christmas (bribe gifts and a "goody bag" from the hospital - haha, great minds think alike!) And as I said in the title. I'm tired. Brian's tired too.. go figure.

Joseph's Surgery tomorrow

Very routine, no big deal..   ha, for the doc!!  For us, it's his first surgery ever and scary.  Brian is with J, I've got Anthony...  keep your fingers crossed, say a prayer, whatever you can.  Stories to come, I guess...

Said goodbye to the house in VA...

It's been a crazy week - I was in Reston Wed- Fri to close on the house and supervise the packing and moving.  Brian was nice enough to stay back in CA with the kids so I could use it as a "break." 

There's too much to say about that - I stayed at Shannon's and got to see her a bit, but not enough.. I saw playgroup friends, but not enough...  I saw neighbors, but not enough...  I talked on the phone or played telephone tag with other friends..  haha, for the social part I could have stayed weeks longer.  The moving part took long enough though.  The movers were great and the plane trips both ways were great - I love Virgina America!

In the meantime, the boys started preschool and apparently love it.  I'll hear more about it today and I'm sure I'll see myself as I drop off and pick up this week.

Still don't have pictures  of the new house developed, but this week should be less crazy.  :)

Sunday, Sunday

I have always hated Sundays, it signals the end of the weekend and back to "reality."  Reality changes over time, but Sundays are still not my favorite.

The home inspection for the new place went well.  Only minor stuff.  Yet, lovely California had 1000s of more papers for us to sign - all kinds of information is required for us to look over - we have mines, power plants, tsunami zones..  not technically in an earthquake zone though - too far from the fault lines.  :)

Becca went home today.  Life is different with a 12-year-old.  I learned a lot! haha.  Glad to be in my 30s, not 12!

Going to try to get my film on the house developed tomorrow and take the kids someplace fun, as usual...

 

Becca, more sand, preschool and home...

Becca came to visit!  Becca has been with us at the hotel since Tuesday - we are having a great time, the boys love her.  We went to the beach yesterday and managed to stay over 3 hours - our record so far with Anthony being so young and Joseph being so pale.  Nevermind that both boys were falling asleep on a bench with Becca while I went to pull the car up.  :)

I have put money down at a preschool - Check it out-

The boys will probably start 3 days a week as of next Wednesday.  It's the day I'm leaving for Reston, so we might postpose..  we'll see, but I'm excited!  :)

Home inspection on the new place is tomorrow.  I can't wait to get in and take some pics - disposable camera of course, since my digital is still broken.

Oh, and we got cars today - minor damage on the minivan, but c'est la vie.

:) Laura

Hermosa Beach, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Malibu

We went to the beach (Hermosa beach, our future home) yesterday which was fun.  There is a bit of a learning curve I think on how to handle the boys and keeping sand out of anything.  For now, Joseph runs up and down the beach like a madman, paying no attention at all to where we started..  and Anthony is all about his trucks in the sand.  He disregards the water almost completely until almost dragged to it...

Today we drove to Hollywood to see Wall-E at El Capitan theater - turns out there was music on the Werlitzer (my favorite part) and a small live show before the movie (Joseph and Anthony's favorite part).  They got to see Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Aladdin and Jasmine and many others..  the movie was good too.  :)  Then the boys fell asleep in the car (go figure) so we went exploring with our GPS.  Saw Beverly Hills and Malibu by car..  wheee..

Now I'm sad because Brian has to go to work again tomorrow, but the boys and I will be off to storytime at Barnes and Noble and perhaps the pool.

We got it!

Our contract was accepted!  Can't wait!  We will have an inspection next week, and then if all goes well closing should be Sept. 21 - 45 days from today - did I count right?  The hardest work is over now, we just gotta make it happen.

Here's a link.

I will be back in VA in 2 weeks - Aug 20 - 23, but I won't have a car.  It's for packing and picking up our stuff, but touch base with me if you want to stop by the old diggs or something!

Plan to come see us in CA too - 3 bedrooms, so one will be a guest room.  Unless you want to help unpack though, give us until after Halloween.  We will be 2.5 blocks from the beach.

:)

try try again...

We didn't get the house we wanted on Avaition - they had another bidder who was paying cash rather than financing - can't compete with that!

Also, Brian had Joseph at the ER last night until about 1am, so all are tired here.  Joseph is fine - there is something going on internally that will have to be monitored.  We will follow up with a specialist in 2 weeks.

Found a decent preschool for Joseph for this fall though!  I am filling out the forms now.  They will take Anthony too once he is potty-trained, so perhaps we will start working on that soon.

We will see our realtor tomorrow to put an offer on our 2nd choice (better home, more expensive though...) so wish us luck!

Missing Friends and Family in CA!

I can't believe I haven't posted since last Tuesday, but that's how it is sometimes!  We had a blast at Aunt Shirley's - it was a party every night and the kids loved it.  I think it exhausted us all though!

My camera broke, but I got the pics off the camera - finally.  Here are a couple of the boys - Joseph with the grandparents, Anthony in the pool with his beloved Becca and in the sand at Becca's beach birthday party (she's 12!)

We put an offer in on a house yesterday and haven't heard back yet - they have until tomorrow night.  I'm scared sh*tless - not that we won't get it, but that we will and will have to pay for it!  AHH!  It's gorgeous though.

We ran a bunch of errands today, we will look at a preschool tomorrow, and then I might get brave and take the boys to the beach on Wed.  We'll see.  At the beach party, Joseph was not afraid of the waves at all (Brian and his dad followed him) and Anthony played in the sand with the trucks and occasionally hit the waves....

How are my friends and family?

Crazy CA

We have been busy with family and fun - an informal wedding reception, a beach birthday party, Disneyland and lots of family and swimming at Aunt Shirley's house. Grandma and Grandaddy and Uncle Brad and Bea Honey are all here (Brian's family). We had Uncle Ron's burial yesterday. We looked at houses all day Tuesday. I hope to answer email and work on buying a house in the next few days.  We saw several houses we like, one particularly cheaper than the rest - not that it's cheap though!  We are working on the financing... or should I saw Brian is, while I chase the kids.  :) Oh, and I broke the camera, so no pictures for now. On the positive side, my dad is mailing me my cell phone. :)

Good News from CA

We ratified a contract today on the VA house, so here we go - they have 2 weeks for home inspection and radon testing. Closing is set for Aug 28. The boys and I made to to California and we are with Brian, Aunt Shirley and family, including Grandma and Grandaddy! We have been here only abut 12 hours, but we have already been swimming and stuff!

Since we have the family and Brian is off work, we will go to Disney on Monday and house hunting Tues. Ack! Things are moving fast and I'm tired already.

I did lose my cellphone at my dad's before I left, so I'm very hand-free. I'm still on email though and if you have Brian's number, feel free to call.

How are my friends and family?

Beachy Day

We went to a cute little beach today, boys had a blast.  I was somewhat unprepared.  It was only supposed to be in the mid-70s so I thought we would only get our toes wet.  WRONG!  I should have worn my swimsuit and brought lunch - it was hard to tear them away to go home.  Haha, better for me to learn now I guess that at the "big beaches" in CA.

It was warm in the sun and we have been swimming a lot lately so they boys are getting really comfortable in the water.

In other news, we don't have this offer yet, but our realtor says it's still coming - supposed to be good price-wise, so I am anxious to see it (and sign it?!)  and the A/C at the house is working..  for now.

Tomorrow we are going back to "Pump it Up."  Joseph hasn't stopped asking about it since last week when we went.  Friday we will be flying out to be with Daddy - possibly indefinitely!  Cross your fingers for us.

:) Laura

Unplanned Weekend

Brian arrived Friday morning and we decided to go to my parents' vacation home in Door County.  We had planned to go to a monster truck race but it got cancelled.  My parents were going to watch a golf tournament but it looked like rain here.  We had a nice sunny weekend in Door County - going out to eat, to the pool and just relaxing.  Most of all we enjoyed Brian's company after 2 weeks apart.

Not much else to report....  till next time!

Who is that kid?

We found "Pump It Up" today, within a mile from my parents house.  It was a blast.  Anthony had a ball as usual, and fell asleep early on the couch before nap.  Joseph surprised me the most though, going up the ladder of the 20 ft slide while I was on my cell phone.  The terror in his eyes turned into elation at the bottom and he did it 10 more times at least.  :)  It's adreneline - I tried it later with Anthony a few times.  Wow!

Nothing going on with the house.  :(  Brian will be here for the weekend starting tomorrow morning and next Friday we head to California to be with his Aunt and family.  I think we will be staying out there, but it's still flexible.  It will be sad to say goodbye to Nana and Papa and all the fun here.  It will be nice to be with Daddy and we will take it one day at a time.

Baseball and all.

We had a fun weekend.  We did chocolate chip pancakes, an art show, and a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game with Uncle Keith and Aunt Claire in addition to myself, Nana, and Papa.  They won and the kids lasted the whole game - with the help of 5 adults, some hot dogs, lemonade and pink cotton candy - yum!

As for our home - the offer is not dead in the water, but it appears to be sinking in the water... Brian and I are lowering our price on the MLS to try to get some more action.  It makes me very sad / nervous, but here's hoping!

If you have time, let me know how your weekend was!  :) Laura

A little kid-free time

I got out a lot during nap today - exceeded nap time even.  Yeah!  My hair is cut and styled, my toenails done and the kids had lots of attention from Papa and Nana.  The kids are very happy with all the attention.

We counter offered on the house and haven't heard back yet.  I think the potential buyer put Sunday as the end of the offer, so hopefully we will know soon.

We are going to an art show tomorrow and a baseball game with me, Nana, Papa, Uncle Keith (my brother) and Aunt Claire.  Brian is in Reston for the weekend - he was back home on business and has a list of tasks from me to get done.  I'm sure he'll have a little fun too.  I'll get him back sometime in the future for my own visit there or somewhere!

Hope all of my friends and preferred relatives have a great weekend too!

:) Laura

Good News?

We got an offer on the house last night!  Very exciting, but lower than we want...  so we are countering.  I'll let you know!

A busy day with the kids and I'm tired - aren't we all?  We went to the local pool and it's fabulous.  Only cost us $4 too!  I'm sure we'll be back there again soon.  Joseph napped 15 min in the car and that was it for the day!  (that's about 2+ hours short for him)  He was pretty rough the rest of the day and all 3 of us adults were losing patience with him.  Here's hoping we sleeps PAST 6:30am tomorrow.

Wish my girls were here to drink wine with me tonight.  :)

Starting a new week...

The weekend was great - having Daddy here, my parents are great with the kids, also seeing my brother and his wife, Keith and Claire, and even cousins from the St. Louis area. Lots of people and lots of fun. I was a little apprehensive and slightly sad when everyone was gone today - back at work and back to St. Louis and California. The boys and I went to downtown Milwaukee to a Childrens' Museum, but only after setting off my parents alarm (my fault, not the kids!). The police here in Brookfield, WI are very nice. :) We had a good (albeit exhausting) day. We are missing friends and playgroups. I'm just planning it day by day, but wishing I had our regular routine with preschool, playgroups and playdates. I found a couple of good websites for local moms and things to do around town, so that should keep us going.
Sorry I can't find my camera at the moment. You know I'll post more pics once I find it again. :) Let me know how your day/week is going by emailing me or commenting here! Thanks!

Happy Fourth of July

Hope everyone is having a good fourth! We have highs and lows - we went to a "hometown parade" in my parents' community and it was great - the kids ate the candy they as they threw it out. After 55 min Joseph says "I don't want to catch candy anymore." haha- wasn't sure if we would get to that point. Anthony loved the firetrucks, drums, and motorcycles (it's Harley country here) but thought it all was a little loud and overwhelming...
On the downside- I may have ruined ALL of Brian's workpants - chapstick in a pocket through the dryer. Welcome home from California honey!
Happy Independence Day everyone!

The Play Gallery

Someday!
Look at the website
My mom found this new place out here last winter- it was what I had hoped "At Play Cafe" would be and wasn't. It has a full outdoor play ship inside with plank walk-up and slide down, wooden steering wheels and rope swings. They have dress up clothes including hats and puppets and a stage. An art area with all the appropriate stuff. There is a "tree house" with dolls and a tea set. A sand box with magic sand and letter forms. A book corner and a soft play area for kids 0-3. There are 2 train tables, 2 shopping carts with a wooden fruit stand and a kitchen decked out with Melissa and Doug food. There is a construction area with building supplies - tubes, legos, pullies, blocks.. There are 2 family restrooms, a kitchen/gathering room, and benches and magazines for the parents. It's missing the coffee and danishes, but you can eat in the lobby at 2 tables with surrounding benches. I paid $20 to spend 3 hours there with my kids (it was a daypass, but we had to go home for nap). It was well worth it, and would be about 1x per month. They have drop-off services, but you have to buy a pass of min. 12 hours (to be punched hour by hour, I think.)
Someday I want to start one of these, it's such a great idea.

What we're up to....

Ok, so before I talk about the fun things we have been doing, let me also say that we miss all of our friends greatly - the ones from the neighborhood that we saw daily, the ones we saw at school, our weekly playgroups, and our weekend friends we visited with as families. We miss everyone, but we are trying to make the best of it, so I'm sharing the cute/fun stuff rather than complaining at this moment. :)
Here is the beach from Sister Bay, WI last weekend...
and the park today, where we went with my mom (Nana)....
Next I will talk about my dream business... :)

Shout out to Emma

Despite my dear husband being quite the computer guru, I want to make it known that Ms. Emma Patton is my technical assistance. Thanks, Emma, you rock!

Hi Everyone,

I'm finally starting a blog to keep everyone on both coasts and in-between on our lives now that things have gotten a little crazy. We arrived in 13.5 hours to my parents house last week. The house in Virginia is on the market. It had an open house last weekend and another next weekend, so cross your fingers for us!
Check it out

My parents are adjusting to having 2 toddlers around (themselves and their furniture, knick-knacks, etc...) And we are adjusting to the idea that this is a waypoint in life not just a vacation!

More to come later!