5 months

Yesterday our sweet baby boy turned 5 months old. He's growing up so fast that I don't even remember him as a newborn, having to support his little body while his muscles developed. Pretty soon I have no doubt that he'll be crawling and talking. Even in the past week he's started making prehistoric sounds while people talk to him....or when no one is paying attention to him. He's transitioned from bananas to peaches and seems to like peaches better. He also just started giving huge open mouthed kisses on the cheek and then smiles with his whole body as if it's a huge accomplishment. Our bundle of joy brings so much to our lives. He's Personality Plus and a very easy baby (unless he has to take a bottle. Then watch out!). I thank the Good Lord every day for our two wonderful boys!!

Running on Adrenaline

The past few weeks my life has been dictated by a never ending To-Do list and 2 young boys. I've been running on adrenaline from sun up until well past sun down. Because of this the actuality of a big move has yet to really hit me. Yes, I've shed my share of tears in the past month. I've cried myself to sleep countless times. But everything still seems so surreal to me. Packing the freight and RV with all of our worldly belongings seemed surreal. Watching Rob and his best friend drive away, leaving Reno, seemed surreal. Visiting my parents for the next couple weeks seems surreal. I don't know when it'll hit me that my life is drastically different. It may be when I can't call my parents and say, "Hey, Rob is working long hours on a storm so how about the boys and I come for a visit?". Or it may be when I can't call up Ashley, Amanda, Jen or Summer and say, "Hey, we don't have any plans today. Want to get together for a play date?". Or it may be when I can't figure out what to do with the boys because I don't know where anything is. Or it may be when one of the boys gets sick and I can't get an appt within an hour like I can do with Dr. Althoff (Or when I can't call his personal cell and know he'll call in an emergency prescription even though he's on vacation). Or it may be when I get the monthly email about my LWBC meeting and know I can't take part in this month's book club. Or it may not hit me until P's birthday and the 4th roll around and I'm surrounded by wonderful family that I hardly know. Or it may not hit me until the 2 year mark is up, signaling whether we stay in Louisiana or head back to the Reno area. I don't know. I do know that it'll be a big adjustment, one full of ups and downs for all of us. I do know that Rob has family close by to help with this enormous transition. So, through it all, no matter when it hits I know I'll be okay because no matter what I've got God wrapping His arms around me through it all and friends/family encouraging me when I need it most.

Early Birthday

At times P is a typical 3 year old, wanting everything under the sun. Other times he wants very little. Although his birthday isn't until July he really wanted a few of his buddies and my parents to come celebrate his birthday with him at Chuck E Cheese. So we decided to have his party about 6 weeks early. My parents graciously made the 2 hour drive to stay for a little over an hour at his party. We invited a handful of his friends to enjoy games, pizza, cupcakes and laughs. P was so grateful and continued to thank us all last night and well into the day today, talking about all the fun he had had with everyone. Whether we publicly celebrate his birth in May or July I celebrate him being our son EVERY day! What a true blessing he is to everyone who knows him!!

 

Getting Harder

Today was bittersweet. Sweet because it was a day FULL of fun times with friends. Bitter because it meant starting the goodbye process. The closer it gets to moving the harder is becomes for me. For 37 years my life has been encompassed within a 600 mile radius. I've had some friends close by for most of those 37 years. I've had my parents fairly close for those 37 years. So it's hard for me to wrap my head around not being close to what's familiar. I'm excited. I have my good days and bad. The closer it comes to moving our lives 2000 miles away the freer the tears flow. I want the best of both worlds. I want Rob to be at a company he enjoys working for in an area he loves. Just like I want my life in an area I love. That may be Baton Rouge but right now all I can focus on are the goodbyes that are getting harder with each passing day.

I Told You So!

I'd like to take a minute to stand up and shout to the world, "I TOLD YOU SO!!". Back in September/October when I was teaching Kindergarten a new student came to my class. You may remember reading my blog(s) about him. But he came in and made my life a nightmare. Not him per se but the principal. I kept telling her he had a learning disability and that I thought he was on the autism spectrum. She kept saying that he was fine and that it was me not being a good teacher. I went to the union to complain that she wasn't backing me and it just got ugly. Fast forward to now. The district pulled her from the school for taking one of the top schools in the district to making it the 2nd lowest (This is the 2nd time she's done this in her administrative career). Tonight I got together with some friends with whom I had met because all of us taught together at that school. Only one of the ladies is still there and I asked her about the student. She said that shortly after I left the principal started pushing him through the system to be tested and it turns out........ (Drum roll please) that he does indeed have autism! He now only goes to school until lunch and next year will be placed in a school that specifically handles students with disabilities. If I ever use my administrative credential and become a principal I promise that I will listen-and research-when teachers tell me that their gut says something about a student. Students and teachers both need to be supported so everyone can be happy, happy, happy!

Rambling Thoughts

Today I took my lil (big) guy to his 4 month appt today. It was a bittersweet visit. It was good because he's in the 75th percentile for height, weight and head circumference. It was bitter because of having to say goodbye to the pediatrician that saved our son's life. There are a few things I'm nervous about but the 2 things I'm the most nervous about finding when we move is a pediatrician and new church. I have no doubt we'll find a good pediatrician but none can compare to our current one. The boys' nurse and I shed a couple tears and gave each other a huge hug before the dr visit officially started. When our pediatrician came in he wanted to make sure that I knew he'd help in any way possible if we needed it in the future. He was very encouraging and supportive about our move, letting me know he was here for us even if we're in another state.
I'm excited about most aspects of the move but there are a few times that I know will be sad. The time I will most likely be sad is around P's birthday and the 4th of July. All he wanted for his birthday was to go to Chuck E Cheese with a few friends so we're doing that this weekend as an early birthday celebration. I can't fathom throwing him a big party two weeks after moving there when he won't know anyone (even if they are family). The next day I'll be sad because I was really looking forward to our big camping trip with our "Archery Family". We had such a good time last year and I was looking forward to doing it again this year.
I know there will be plenty of fun things to do there. I also know I'll meet people and find a pediatrician and church like I did when I moved here 5 years ago. Here's to new adventures.....

Mother's Day

A couple years ago a friend brought it to my attention that some women feel about Mother's Day as I do about Valentine's Day. It's just another dumb Hallmark holiday. So I try to be respectful of that after thinking about it from that perspective. That being said, I do like being treated as a princess for the day. I didn't think that would happen when I woke up this morning though. Easton needed his nails clipped. P wanted a stuffed animal sewn together and I wanted to get breakfast made. But after all that was done I got to become a princess. We went to church together, where I was given a rose and a hug from our pastor for having one of the youngest members of the congregation. After church was over, Rob asked if I wanted to go to Tahoe. I decided that, instead of going to Olive Garden, it'd be fun to go to this little whole in the wall dive that I like in Incline and then have a picnic at the beach so that's exactly what we did. P had a blast and kept exclaiming, "I looooove Mother's Day!!". We're back home now and I'm enjoying a relaxing afternoon before we top off the day with ice cream for dinner. Although I try to be sensitive about others not being able to be moms, I 'm sure thankful that God chose me to be the mom of two wonderful boys that are my joy 365 days a year!

Moving!

I'm guessing you've heard by now but if you haven't let me fill you in....we're moving to Louisiana! Rob got a lineman position at a company that he's wanted to work for off and on for about 16 years. We didn't think it'd ever happen but are happy, excited and nervous about this new chapter in our lives. It's a great opportunity for Rob and we really feel that this is the Lord's will for us.
There are many things I'm looking forward to with this move. I'm looking forward to new adventures, being close to NASCAR tracks, having a lot of Rob's cousins close by that have kids P and E's ages, planting a big garden, the beautiful scenery, being close to the beach, the historical monuments.....
I'm nervous about moving to Louisiana as well. I'm nervous about the snakes, gator filled water, mosquitoes, allergies, starting over with meeting friends, and finding a new church and a new pediatrician (I'll miss our pastor and pediatrician terribly!).
There are also a lot of things I'll miss about Nevada. It goes without saying that I'll miss being close to my parents and all my NV/CA friends but there are other things I'll miss as well. I'll miss my two favorite lunch places, Super Burrito and Jimmy Johns.  I'll miss being a hop, skip and a jump away from Tahoe and being right next to California. Although I won't miss the wildfires and brown landscape I will miss all the open land, the dry heat and the snow capped mountains. Not having to deal with allergies the past 5 years has been super nice and I've grown to enjoy the wind...if it gives us a break once in awhile. I'll miss my little play group but am excited about a MOPs group that one of Rob's cousins is going to introduce me to. I'll miss mine and Rob's annual Elk hunt. It provides plenty of entertainment and bonding. Since elk is the only thing I have a desire to hunt, I'm hanging up my bow and won't be hunting (unless I decide I like turkey hunting next Spring).
Tomorrow I'll give my (new) thoughts on Mother's Day but then I'll probably be away from our blog for awhile as we're going to pack up the house so Rob can move our stuff to Louisiana Memorial Day weekend. Once we get settled I'll fill ya in on all our new adventures so stay tuned....

Judging or Respect?

Being judged is one of those things that gets under my skin. There are even 27 verses in the Bible in regards to judging. So why is it that I feel like I've been judging people too much lately? Sleep alludes me this week so I got to thinking about it last night while I was trying to count sheep. I THINK I came to the conclusion that I'm not necessarily judging people as losing respect for them. I've lost respect for a friend, my latest hairdresser (I always seem to find the most drama filled hairdressers) and a lady I dealt with on Craigslist....all within the last month or so. In fact I lost so much respect for my hairdresser last night when she confided in me about 2 things that I won't be going back to her. Despite her being my hairdresser for a couple years and knowing all about her many struggles in life, I can't-in good confidence-support her financially. Growing up, I found it odd that my dad would boycott restaurants if he didn't agree with their commercials. Now I'm learning that it's ok not to support someone- as a friend or from a financial standpoint- if you don't agree with them. Is it wrong to think this way? I don't know. Feel free to judge me on it. :)

Birthday Princess

P is like me in so many ways. One way that he has taken after me is with birthday celebrations. It makes me proud that he already has his own birthday party planned down to the Cars cupcakes. He also makes it a point to make other people feel special on their birthday. So it's no surprise that he wanted my help (and money) in making my mom's birthday a special day for her. He chose lots of decorations, a "crystal" tiara and a birthday ribbon for my mom to wear.
I knew my parents were going to spend the day on the lake, fishing, so the boys and I left in plenty of time to decorate. When my mom walked in the house, P was quick to give her the tiara and ribbon to wear. She loved being made into a princess and proudly wore her tiara and ribbon to dinner. It was a fun birthday for her and for us. Just the way we do it in my family!

Family Photo Shoot

I love doing all types of photo shoots but the one I did this week was special because it was with my own family. We had a day full of plans so I rushed through the shoot to make sure we had time for everything else. I worried that I hurried too much and didn't get the perfect pictures but I'm happy with the results. Here are a few of my favorites......