Mother's Day

I just watched Grey's Anatomy. Yeah, yeah, I know... soap opera drama. Sue me, I am hooked.

There was one scene towards the end where Alex took a barrette out of Izzy's hair and a chunk of her hair came with it... she was officially losing her hair to the chemo. They looked at it and Izzy broke down sobbing. The terror in her face at the thought of what was happening was overwhelming... for me.

I was too young to appreciate the thought of asking my mom what she went through. What was her reaction when she was diagnosed? Who did she tell first? Did she sit me down and explain it or just play it off as doctor visits?

I wish I had... I wish she could tell me her story. She must have been terrified. She was 34, going through a divorce and mom to a 7 year old. She lost her mother in that same year. I wonder if losing her mom affected her the same way it's affected me.

Selfish can't even begin to describe me back then. Not that I think I was any different from any other 26 year old... I just hadn't matured enough to know better. I didn't know then what I would want to ask now.

I wish I knew my mom's story.

I wish I could tell her Happy Mother's Day.

I wish I could tell her what a wonderful mom she was, flaws and all.

I wish I could tell her that she makes me want to be a better mom to Chase. She makes me strive for my best.


I have nothing more to give tonight so I will leave you with one of my favorite pictures.



*Sorry if this is the most depressing Mother's Day post ever... it's hit me harder than I expected.

Worth the $5

I have been wanting to get back into yoga for awhile but either couldn't find the right place or was too lazy busy with life to try.

I finally stopped being lazy made time for myself and found a new place to try.

Background - About 7 months ago I went to one class at the Y when we were members. It was in a large gym room with at least 25 other people and it reeked of sweat from the Zumba class directly before. Let's just say that it wasn't the ideal conditions for me to breathe deeply and center myself.

Fast forward to today.

I get there and there is a tranquility fountain in the foyer... oh this is going to be good. There is a designated yoga room with lovely painted walls, wall hangings and soft contemporary music playing in the background. I have found peace and thy name is Padma Yoga. It was challenging... especially considering I haven't done yoga since before I got pregnant with Chase. Oh well there was that prenatal yoga DVD that I bought... anyone want to wager a guess as to how many times I used that! Anyway, I was definitely sweating half way through, which to me is a good sign of 1. my ability to push myself and 2. the teachers ability to push me.

The best part... it was $5! She has 2 classes for $5... this one and a hot yoga on Sat mornings... which I would totally do (shout out Christine and Rose!) but Sat mornings are family time and I can't see being away from hubby and Chase.

Which leads me to another best part... where was Chase while I was centering myself? With Grandma! What's the use of moving closer to family if you can't take advantage allow quality time with the grandparents! Chase sent me off with a "Buh Bye" and didn't look back. Had the best time with Grandma... digging and playing in the backyard.



Trucks and dirt... you don't get anymore boy than that.

Good yoga, great babysitter... I think this Thursday routine will work out just fine!

Hair cut

I am still resistant to cutting Chase's hair too much. I love the length and the wave... I love running my fingers through it... I LOVE when daddy spikes it after bath. That being said... the poor child couldn't see again. His bangs (do boys have bangs?) were directly in his eyes again.


I was constantly pushing his hair to the side so he could see.

The next logical step would be to pay for a haircut... but times that by at least once every 2 months (and that is pushing it) and it starts to get expensive. Especially since all I wanted cut was his bangs.

I have scissors. I have a comb. I can do this.


Ta-da! He can see again... and it's not half bad!

I see more home haircuts in the future... perhaps I should invest in THIS?

Fun day in Hagerstown

Whew... I am exhausted! The good kind of exhausted though... where you know you spent the day right.

Chase has taken to waking early the past few days because of *ahem* diaper issues... which means we start the days fairly early.

We got up and made waffles for breakfast... yummy carb loading! Then we decided to check out the carnival at Robinwood. Basically it was a couple moon bounces, pony rides and a whole slew of games... pretty fun and basically free. Chase didn't partake in the moon bounce because 1. he doesn't particularly like them and 2. his parents were extremely frightening that he would be stepped on by other children.

We did do the pony ride though. Chase got to ride Miss Jenny... the smallest of the small ponies. He was a bit more hesitant this time but we encouraged him to keep riding and he ended up having a good time.




Here is what we did most of the time...

run around and happily face plant in the grass. You couldn't wipe that grin off if you tried... but who would want to?

Then we headed over to the mall for Washington County Reading Day. They had all sorts of fun things like storytellers, a costume parade and a magician. They were also giving away 3 free books to every child!

We got the large version of Moo, Baa, La La La. We have the smaller one but it shows wreckage from the early days when Chase thought books were meant to be eaten. We also got Dear Zoo which is a flap book. Chase has Where is Spot which he loves tremendously so we figured 2 flap books are better than 1. Lastly we got Goodnight Moon. I have been wanting this book for awhile now but just haven't gotten around to getting it! YAY! Free books are always welcome at our house! Especially now... Chase is on a real reading kick these days. He brings me book after book after book and very insistently points to it... he will not stop until you start reading. Oh and if you stop before he is done... heaven help you.

After the mall we all came home and crashed... mommies and daddies need naps just as much as the baby sometimes!

After nap Chase and I went to my MIL's house to do a little 3day training. The 3 of us (Chase, MIL and I) ended up walking 2.5 miles which I am happy with but really want to exceed soon. The trouble is the stroller I use... it's extremely hard to push when it comes to aerobic exercise. It tires me out faster than the actual training. I actually just purchased a jogging stroller and cannot wait until it gets here! I think as soon as I start using that, training will be a lot easier.

While we were training, Adam stayed home and mowed the lawn. Ha... we are quasi homeowners now! Too weird. Anyway, Adam did a great job mowing and weed whacking the yard... it looks fantastic. Even better... he dug up some area around the deck and we are going to plant a few veggies out there! It's going to be so much fun... perhaps a project for next weekend.

As I was comforting Chase tonight (he's been having a rough time falling asleep the past week) I was thinking about the space we are living in. It's larger than anywhere we have lived (as a married couple ;~). It has the rooms we need. It has a yard and a lovely deck. It really is a beautiful home.

As I was thinking about all this I was overcome with gratitude. I am honestly amazed at God's plan and how He brought us to this place. I am amazed at how generous Joe, Nick and Mary are... allowing us to live here for this time. When I think back to living in the In-Law suite... how we weren't sure where we would go next or how long it would take. Wondering and lamenting about the future... and then this opportunity arose... out of no where and something we couldn't even begin to fathom. Well it just gives me a renewed sense of hope for the future. I tend to worry less about the future because I know God has a plan... and try as I might, I will most likely not figure it out until I am smack dab in the middle of it. And I am ok with that. I am happy knowing that God holds our future and all I have to do now is be a wife, be a mom, do my best and above serve God to the best of my ability. I think I can handle that.

Our new toy!

For the past few weeks I have been going back and forth about getting a big toy for outside... a play yard, a pool, a sand box... the possibilities were endless! If I could I would buy every single one but alas, money does not abound. So I struggled with which one to settle on.

Then I got an email from Christine. The subject line read "What to do on a hot April day" and the message was pictures of her son playing at this awesome sand and water table. Seriously, it was a mess beyond belief but the kind where you know a LOT of fun was just had there. She, being a good friend, gave me the skinny on where to find it and after a quick trip to Chambersburg PA, we are the proud owners of the Transportation Station!


All the boys get in on opening the box.


A good shot of the whole table. We just played with water this afternoon because we didn't have sand yet (although now we do! Just wait until the next nice day!)


Chase was having so much fun exploring the different aspects of the table.


Then daddy started a water fight and things really got smiley then!


Soaked from chest to toes but worth it.

Seriously, expect a LOT more pictures with this table in the foreground!

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PS: If you are a 'friend' of mine on Facebook... I uploaded pictures of the new house! Log on and check it out!

The Circus!

So the Cole Bros. Circus came to Hagerstown this week! The moms decided to take the kids... just hoping that 1. they would be interested, 2. we would get seats where we could sit together and 3. we would get seats where the kids could see the show. As it turns out... the kids were enthralled, we all sat together and we got the best seats in the house!

Waiting in line... you can see how close we are to the front... thanks to Dannette, Katy, Laura and Mandy who were all there in line when Kari and I showed up! From left to right that is Chase and I, Dannette and Jenna, Anna and Katy, Sadie and Mandy.


All the kiddos lined up waiting for the show to begin. I just love that the moms are willing to try a line up picture wherever we are together! L to R: Adam, Sadie, Jenna, Chase, Anna and Lexi.


As we were waiting for the circus to begin they had pony rides right in front of our seats... how can you NOT take your kid on a pony ride when you are at the circus! It was a great distraction for the kids since we were there about 45 min early! I thought Chase might scream bloody murder on this thing... boy was I wrong. Smiles the whole time... he LOVED it. Maybe I can convince daddy to buy him a pony?!?


Attempting to get Chase to look at Kari but all he wanted to look at was the pony... I think they bonded ;~)


Once the show got started, this was Chase almost the entire time. He couldn't take his eyes off the show... especially if there were animals in the ring...


This is what he was looking at in the above picture. I mean seriously... how cute is that? Maybe we could train Riley to ride the pony we are going to get? Then we could go on the road!

I digress...

If you notice the picture of Chase above, he is holding onto the railing... Literally right on the other side is the entrance and exit of all the performers. Chase LOVED that seat... he stood on my right thigh with his hands firmly affixed to that rail almost the entire time. My thigh was not thrilled with this arrangement but Chase's happiness won out. He spent a lot of the time looking back to see what was next... oh and when the elephants came out? Eyes wide, mouth gaping open.


Chase actually watched this guy a lot... more so than the other 'people' performances. He ran around inside the loop and then outside... pretty cool stuff.


The amazing 7 person tightrope walk. The kid on top, standing on his head... 10 years old!


And what circus is complete without the elephants! They were sooo cute... big lumbering wrinkly creatures. Chase loved when they would come in and leave the tent since they passed right by us... almost so close you could touch them! We of course kept our hands to ourselves ;~)

It really was a fun time and I am so glad we went for it! Of course it wouldn't really be a G outing if I didn't have a story within a story to tell.

So intermission came about an hour into the performances... good time to stretch and let the kids run around a bit, right?

I go to lift Chase off my lap and quickly realize he has soaked through his jeans. My child who hasn't needed a second change of clothes for months... who rarely leaks through his diapers... has soaked through his thick heavy jeans! Not only that... he has soaked through onto my jeans. Awesome. I, of course, don't have another pair of pants for him... at best I have a long sleeve t-shirt in case it got chilly. Luckily Kari had an extra pair of leggings for Lexi. Yep... you heard correctly... leggings. From a girl. From a girl who is significantly smaller than Chase. Thankfully the leggings were black... pink with purple hearts would have been hard to stomach ;~)

So I lay him on the bleachers to change his diaper and quickly realize, I don't even have a diaper! Seriously... have I not had a child for the past 18 months!?! What mother travels without diapers!!! Thankfully Kari also had an extra diaper... man I have good friends! After a quick diaper and clothing change, Chase was ready to go again. Let's just say Chase rocked those skin tight leggings like only he could. Mandy got some pictures for me... as soon as I get them from her I will post them ;~)

Thankfully I got some wonderful pictures from the circus (again, great friends!) because I never want to forget this experience. Watching Chase see all these new things and being so interactive was so amazing. The sight of his eyes open wide... his mouth hanging open with wonder... watching the wheels turn in his head. Seriously, there is nothing like watching a child discover new things to really make your day.

Feeling Better!

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes... I am finally feeling better. And NO, I am not pregnant.

After I was diagnosed with the sinus infection I kept waiting to feel better. Everyone told me 24-48 hours and I would start to feel better and could get back to life. Not so much. I actually called Adam at work on Monday and asked him to come home early. I was so dizzy and lightheaded, I thought I might pass out. Tuesday wasn't much different although I lasted longer on my own.

I was still feeling extremely lightheaded and dizzy on Wednesday so I got a same day appointment with my doctor. Thank goodness my MIL was back in town and could drive me to the doctors and entertain Chase. The doc thought the antibiotics that Urgent Care put me on may have been the reason I felt so lightheaded... so he prescribed different ones, along with some anti-dizzy pills (as the new medicine also had a side effect of dizziness... he was just hoping this side effect wouldn't present itself.) I go to take the new antibiotic in the afternoon and one hour later... well lets just say lunch didn't stay with me. Adam gets in the car to come home and calls his mom to come hold down the fort. Doc prescribes an anti-nausea medicine to take one hour before the antibiotic... starting tomorrow... ugh, ok.

Thursday rolls around and I take my pills in the correct order, eating in between as to lessen the blow of the antibiotic on my system. This time I feel dizzy like I have never felt before. My head is throbbing and I can't see straight. Then my chest starts tightening... just enough to feel like a small elephant is sitting on my chest. Adam put me in the car and drove me to the doctors office as he is on the phone with them. They perform an EKG (can't wait to see the bill for that one ;~( ) because they are concerned with any kind of chest problems. Everything there was normal but the doctor thinks all of that... the chest, the dizziness, the vision problems, the headache... are all from the new antibiotic.

He took me off all meds for the weekend just hoping that the antibiotics I did take were enough to wipe out the sinus infection. After we got home from the impromptu doc visit, I laid down to take a nap... around 5 pm or so. I woke up at 10:15 pm... went out to the living room to find Adam asleep on the couch. Woke him up... he asked if I was ready for bed. Sure why not... and I slept until 7:30 the next morning.

So far I have felt pretty good... a little tired from inactivity the past week but definitely better.

Currently I am listening to an 18 month old that does not want to go to bed and it's killing me. I shot myself in the foot though... I have already gone in there twice. I am glad I went in the first time as there was a diaper situation but the second time just reinforced to him that I will come and get him... ugh. Unfortunately I am on my own to stand strong... at least until 9:30 when Adam gets home.

Still feeling sick

So I am still not feeling well. For the past few days I have been feeling extremely lightheaded... like I was going to pass out. As a stay at home mom with an 18 month old, this is very unsettling. I was so worried and tired on Monday that Adam came home at 1 to help me out. He actually came home about a half hour early yesterday as well.

Anyway, I called the doctor and am going in at 11:15. I really hope they can help me. Part of me feels crazy but the other part knows that I really feel this way. I can barely stand up and pour a sippy cup of juice... let alone entertain him all day long.

Wish me luck.

Praying for Stellan

Little 5 month old Stellan is in a very risky heart surgery right now. One that is rarely performed on someone so small. People all over the nation and world are wearing orange to support him. Please check out his story and pray for him, his family and the doctors that are cradling his precious heart right now.

Sinus Infections Suck, Big Time.

I am 30 years old and have never had a sinus infection until now. Let me just say they suck... I mean really suck. In started out innocently... cold like symptoms... sneezing, post nasal crap, congestion... the usual. Then just as I started getting better it all came back on and this time brought new symptoms... scratchy throat, coughing and a general tiredness. I figured I just got a new strain of another sickness... no biggie.

Friday morning I woke up feeling like death. It was all I could do to entertain Chase for the morning and just pray that Adam would be home soon. Thank God he was able to come home around noon and he took over house and baby duty. I sacked out for at least 3 hours. I figured when I woke up I would at least feel more rested... yeah not so much. I felt worse than I did before. Powered through feeling like crap and just dealt with it.

Until Saturday when I woke up with an excruciating headache. I took some Tylenol and we went to my MIL's house to visit. She mentioned that maybe it was a sinus headache and that I should try a medicine specifically for that. So I did and to no avail. It was only getting worse. After Chase's nap my MIL stopped over to drop off our grill. I mentioned that the medicine didn't even touch my headache and she suggested maybe it was a full blown sinus infection.

Hmmmm... never had one of those before. I googled the symptoms and sure enough, everything to a T was there. Headache in the front of the head and through the eyes, post nasal drip, pressure... ect.

I looked at Adam and said we need to go to Urgent Care. In a stroke of good luck we were in and out of there in 45 minutes. When we left I had a diagnosis of sinus infection with fluid in my ears, 3 prescriptions to fill and plenty of advice to follow. Ever since then I have been absolutely useless... laid up on the couch or the bed not doing anything. Which I know is the right thing but it's really hard to be in this position when your main job is taking care of the husband, baby and house. I have actually had to force myself to not do stuff around the house. Luckily I have an amazing husband who has taken over baby duty, cleaning duty and cooking duty. He seriously was superman today.

All that to say... that is the reason I haven't posted a lot lately. However, it isn't the reason I haven't posted the tour of our new house. I started feeling a little weird about putting up pictures of my house on a public blog (I don't know why these are any different then the random ones I take but they are... so there). So I am going to have to think of another way to show off the house... and make it so only the people I choose can see it. I have an idea but it will require a little more work on my part. Stay tuned.

Weekly Challenge #12

We were challenged to take a few pictures of our family over the Easter holiday. 3-5 with no tweaking. Which for me is sad because the next few pictures will highlight my obvious lack of understanding regarding my camera. Whatever, here I am flaws and all ;~)

Oh and FYI...Chase woke up with a 103 degree fever on Easter morning. Kari and Lexi both had bronchitis so obviously they stayed home and rested. I was still feeling sick and relapsing before I ever got better. All that to say it wasn't the day I had envisioned. It was nice and we spent some good time with Grandma and Grandpa but I was definitely 'off'. And is it a rule that kids must get sick after hours and on holidays? What's with that?













Yes... I can count. I know there are 6 photos. I bucked the rules... I am a maverick like that. Or in reality, I am horribly indecisive and could not choose between these 6.

I also discovered that I am somewhat biased in my photography since I have at least 137 pictures of Chase and 5 (at most and collectively) of everyone else. But really, how can I be blamed for this... it's the camera, it calls for me to seek out Chase... to capture those dimples... preserve that beautiful smile. Yep, it's all the cameras fault.

PS. Kristin - we gamble too! Nothing says our Lord and Savior like scratch offs!

Doctor Visit Update

Bronchiolitis is the diagnosis... which in doctor speak means a very bad cold. He wasn't too concerned about the high fever, he concentrated more on Chase's wheezing. He said it wasn't too bad but gave me some things to look for... to be sure it doesn't get worse. Basically the call of action is albuterol (syrup form) and tylenol. So far so good... Chase takes medicine like a champ.

Thanks for everyone's well wishes... they are greatly appreciated ;~)

Doctor Bound

We are headed to the pediatrician this morning... 11:15 to be exact. Chase has had a cold for over a week now and yesterday he woke up with a high fever and rough sounding cough. Why directly on the holiday... not the day before, not the day after. The fever fluctuated all day so we decided to ride it out and if he got worse, we would jump ship and go to Urgent Care (or the ER if UC wasn't open). He maintained the fever but acted fine... running and playing with Grandma and Grandpa so we decided to wait until this morning to call the doc.

This morning he woke up with another high fever so I called the doctors office immediately.... hence the 11:15 appointment. Wish us luck! My guess is a respiratory infection... we'll see how sharp my mothers intuition is!

A little Easter comedy for you

Excerpt from Jim Gaffigan:

Easter, that's a weird tradition.

Soft femine voice "Easter, the day Jesus rose from the dead... what should we do?"

Loud manly voice "How bout eggs?"

Soft femine voice "Well what does that have to do with Jesus?"

Loud manly voice "Alright we'll hide them."

Soft femine voice "I don't follow your logic"

Loud manly voice "Don't worry, there's a bunny."

I love this guy and no matter how often I listen to the same routine, I always laugh!




I hope this made you smile and I hope everyone had a great day celebrating our risen savior!

Some of Chase's new things...

I say 'new' but he has probably been doing these things for a while... I am just now catching up ;~)


He has learned how to unzip anything and everything... pj's, jackets... you get the idea. Very cute until I am trying to get us out the door and I look down and he is taking off the jacket I just put on him. Warm weather, please get here soon.


He has been 'talking' on his phone for sometime now but just a couple weeks ago I noticed that as he was 'talking', he was also pacing. He must have walked up and down the apartment 5 or 6 times. Maybe I do that when I am on the phone...




This quite possibly could be the greatest new Chase trick. To say that Riley is a messy eater is an understatement. I am constantly finding nuggets of dog food everywhere... well, I was. Chase has gotten into the habit of picking up each individual fallen kernel and putting it back into Riley's dish. Love love love this habit! Chase doesn't tend to wait for Riley to be finished and often pushes him out of the way so he can put the kernel back in his bowl. Luckily Riley is not territorial when it comes to his dish and lets himself get pushed around by Chase. That being said, I am never far when Chase is antagonizing Riley at his dish ;~)


Chase has been trying on shoes for a while but now he wants to 'walk' in them... which ends up being 'trip over my feet and face plant' in them. It's adorable until the tears.


Chase is starting to interact more with the kids he plays with. He has always noticed them to some degree but lately he's been more focused on engaging the other kids. Here he is sharing Lexi's memory game with her... how sweet of him ;~)


He is also becoming more daring. For awhile I wondered if Chase would ever start taking risks... he was so hesitant when it came to climbing, sliding or do anything the least bit new. I don't have to wonder any longer. He is climbing on and off the big chair, attempting more things on his own and just generally being a big boy these days. It's a mixed blessing... I am glad he is exploring his surroundings more and feels comfortable to try new things but now I have a little monkey on my hands. A monkey who can figure out how to get up but is far less graceful coming down!


Last but not least, Chase has learned how to show his best side to our new neighbors. Bet they are thrilled we moved in!

Whew...

So I am still here but just barely!

Moving day went very well. I am lucky enough to have a great friend out here who kept Chase all morning, fed him lunch, let him nap at her place and then watched him even after he woke up... all told, I think Chase was at her house for 6 hours. It was fantastic because I was able to really get in and help with the move. Oh and she kept him for a couple hours on Friday! Thank you so much Kari! And thanks to Lexi too for sharing her toys!

Everything went pretty smooth and by the end of the night we actually had some where to sit down and eat the Chinese we ordered. Kevin, Dave, Kari and Lexi were our first official dinner guests ;~)

Sunday was Andrew's 1st Birthday and I was not going to miss that event! So instead of unpacking and rearranging, Adam, Chase and I headed down the road to Annapolis. I can't even express how great it was to see Christine and Andrew. I can guarantee if I lived in AA county, we would be together every single day. I just love them so much!


The birthday boy!


Friends since we were 9 years old... love love love this girl!


Andrew made short work of his cake!


My cuddle bug. He only slept for 20 minutes on the way down so needless to say he was exhausted throughout the party. I have to say even when he is at his limit, he is still a good boy. He wasn't crying and whining or being a brat. Adam and I did slip away to give him some time to rest... we sat in the rocking chairs on Christine's front porch... I want rockers on my porch now. It was so serene and beautiful. Adam and I rocking, Chase curled up in my arms, Adam and I talking in hushed tones... it was really pretty awesome.

Today we hit the ground running. The house was in total chaos but we started our new routine. Unfortunately Chase woke up sick this morning. He was under the weather last week but nothing more than a runny nose. Not so today... he was cranky, his nose was running like a faucet and he was barking a cough all day long. The morning went ok... we ran over to Grandma's for a quick visit, hit the bank and the post office and then right back home. Then lots of fun playing in the new house... well the parts he is allowed in. Lunch and nap... everything went well up until that point. After nap... it was whine central. Everything and anything was cause for anger, frustration, hitting and crying. Thank goodness Adam got home when he did... I was minutes away from needing to be committed. We suspect he is cutting his fangs and for whatever reason they are causing more problems than all the other teeth combined. Add to that actual sickness... I think he has a sore throat to go along with that cough. Then on top of that, his sleeping routine has been thrown off completely due to the move and traveling.

All that together and you have the tri-fecta from hell.

I am not sure what happened to the tired angel at the party. The one who I bragged about mere sentences ago. I suspect he feels comfortable to act out in front of daddy and I but if there are other people around... yeah, who new story!

My loving husband and Chase's devoted daddy ran the dinner, bath and bed time routine and now we are comfortably sitting on our full couch and enjoying the beautiful sound of silence. In fact I am enjoying it so much that I have relaxed myself into a zombie like state. I am going to bed. Goodnight all!

Still Here...

but just barely! I am so tired this week. Along with packing and making trips to the new house, both Chase and I are sick. It's just a head cold but boy does it stink! I am just hoping that we both feel better by Saturday and that Adam manages to avoid getting sick altogether. Fingers crossed and prayers said.

In an effort to avoid having to move all the awkward frustrating non-boxable things, we have been making trips to the new house at least daily. My hope is that by Sat we have nothing but boxes and furniture which is infinitely easier to move. Again fingers crossed.

The new place looks amazing. Joe did a great job of clearing everything out so we could be moving stuff in. I can't wait to post pictures!

Ok, I am off to rest for a bit while I pray that Chase stays asleep longer... apparently napping isn't one of his favorite things to do well this week. Stupid cold.

Move Date

April 4th is our official 'rent the truck' move date although hopefully we will do a good bit of moving this week. We are going to do our best to take over the hard to carry/awkward things and leave furniture and boxes for move day. The beauty of moving out of your parents house... you don't have to get it all in one day! A little before, a little after... eventually it will get done!

Which reminds me... if you are strong and find yourself bored on April 4th, please feel free to come over and pick up a box ;~) Seriously, if there are any volunteers out there, please let me know... we could use the help ;~) If I put a smiley face after it, does it seem any less desperate?

I wanted to thank everyone for the kind words about my worrying! I know you are all right but it was good to hear! Instead of writing my comments back on that post, I thought I would add them here.

ETW - thanks for the encouragement about single income living... this budgeting thing is hard... more so when you have kids!

Amy - thanks... we are thrilled too! Dinner at our place... you and the FH sometime soon??

Kara - amen sister... worrying is all I do these days. Trying to give it over though... it causes me nothing but ulcers!

Nancy - aren't you the logical one! I love that thought... He wouldn't have provided if He didn't have a plan! Now to just trust in it!

Kristin - oh I know about the not packing... I have done this once or thrice before... and with Chase, yeah... it's that much easier to procrastinate!

In Sung - Oh, you know I am having a playdate at my house this summer!!! Details to follow!

Johnnie - don't I know it... we are lucky in a lot of respects when it comes to the economy but it's definitely tight! I get the daycare thing too... lots of my friends do daycare but for me, it's not the right choice.

Em - excellent reference! Love the fish and loaves parallel... gives me something to dwell on. Thanks!

Kathi - I don't think we would consider buying. It's not like a family house... she only lived in it for 2 years before she passed. And they will want to sell it at its highest and we will want to buy at the lowest so I don't see that mixing well ;~) For the time being though... it will work out great! I am with you on the praise music... lately I have been listening to a lot of THIS CD... oh yeah, rocking the christian VeggieTales.

Adrienne - You do have a point... it does sound too good to be fearful!

Thanks again for all your encouraging words... as the 4th gets closer, I find myself getting more and more excited!

On an entirely different note... a few pictures from dinner last night.


An interestingly placed cherry tomato... I can promise you, this was not staged!


I just love this face!


Being silly with daddy... next he learns the spoon on the nose!

Lord have mercy, I love this kid.

Because we are so good at it...

moving of course!

Yep, it's true and official... we are moving out of the cottage!

No we didn't buy a house... you probably would have known that before now ;~)

Adam's grandmother passed away in January and the family isn't ready to sell the house... and they don't want to let it sit empty... and they don't want to be landlords. Enter the G's. They graciously offered us use of the house until they are ready to put it on the market. It really benefits everyone involved. It's actually been in the works for some time but we didn't have a definitive date until now.

The house is a duplex but no one lives in the adjoining house... actually no one lives in the house on the other side either so it should be pretty quiet! Oh and it's only about 4 miles away from where we currently live so there will be little disruption in the life we have created in Hagerstown!

The house is 1500 square feet... I think I might get lost for the first week or so! It has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths... count them... 2 baths!!!! I think I might faint! I will actually be able to get up before Chase and shower, dress and be ready for the day! Oh the glories! It also has a sun-room which we will use for Adam's home office and my craft area. That leads out to a nice back deck and a cute small yard. It also has a dining room... which means I can finally set up the solid oak table and chairs that was my moms. And now that I am so into cooking dinner, I will actually have somewhere to serve it! Oh and we can have guests over... we can entertain again! YAY! The whole set up is really great... nice wide open dining room/living room/kitchen area and then the hall is just a bunch of doors which will probably be closed so Chase can tear up and down without getting into trouble!

Seriously, have I mentioned how great this is going to be? No... it's going to be great!

With this tremendous opportunity comes fear for me. We will once again be responsible for monthly bills... something that we haven't had for quite a while. I am afraid that we won't make it... that it will be evident that I am being selfish to be a stay at home mom... that we as a family will fail before we even had the chance to make it. I know that sounds impossibly tragic and really, this move shouldn't be shouldering all that burden but I can't help it. I worry, it's what I do. I am trying to remind myself that God has brought us this far... and brought us here better than we were when we started. I am trying to remind myself to trust in Him and He will meet our needs. All I need to do is be faithful and He will do the rest. That is a tall order but I am up for the challenge. Just bear with me if I don't seem quite as enthused as I should.

Seriously though, make no mistake.... I am so appreciative of the offer, I could cry from the generosity shown to Adam and I.

A story...

I met this girl my second semester at UMBC...



You can see why we became friends. You can't ignore that wild spirit... you have to hang on and enjoy the ride.

She has remained one of my best friends throughout the years. We have seen each other through some rough times and come out stronger on the other side.

I won't go into detail but she dated some less than stellar guys... didn't we all ladies?

Then she met this guy...



He was everything she didn't know she was looking for.

I liked him the first time I met him... even better, so did my husband.

He is calm, cool and collected. He has artistic mind with intelligence to match. He smiles at Rose when she talks and talks and talks (love you Rose!)... he likes listening to her. He treats Rose the way men are supposed to treat women... he encourages her, he helps her, he loves her. Best of all, he likes gadgets... well that endeared him to us, I don't know about Rose.

After some time they did this...



It was spectacular! One of the best weddings I have been to!

Now, these 2 gorgeous wonderfully artistic people are going to be embarking on this journey...



Well, the image above is Chase but you get the idea! Nick and Rose are expecting their own little Nickitino!

I couldn't be happier for these 2 and what wonderful parents they are going to make! Congrats guys... the fun has only started!