Back to School

Brendan's first day of preschool this year was Monday. He is attending P.R.E.P. at the YMCA every day. It is play based, which I think is just right for Bubbs. Academically he is advanced but socially he is still pretty immature. I feared this move would be really hard on him but he is blossoming. In these last few weeks he has been introducing himself to people and really trying to engage other kids. There are so many little boys his age here and that has been good for him. Now if only we can find some little girls for Eva.
Anyway, Brendan wasn't even nervous to go to a new school. At this school they have a pickup/drop off car line, which I love because I don't have to get all three out of the car and lug them to the building to check him in. As his teacher came to get him out of the car he said, "Hi, my name is Brendan. What's yours?" and was soon chatting it up. When I went to get him he asked if Eva cried when he wasn't home. Sorry to burst your bubble, Bubbs, but she didn't. His teacher, Ms. Rakia, laughed at that.
He is pretty excited to go to school every day and even more excited that they are going to Preschool Days at the County Fair in two weeks. They do a lot of hands on stuff and plenty of field trips. It might just be a perfect match for him. Open House is on the 14th. I can't wait to see more about it.

The Outside Artist

I discovered Eva's love for sidewalk chalk at my mom's when she would spend all her time outside drawing. So when we moved here one of the first things I did was to get her a box of it. Big hit, as you can see.




And a little "hat time" to boot. :)

The Atlantic

This past weekend we were invited by some friends to go to the beach out here about 2 hours away. It would be the first time the kids or I had ever set foot in the Atlantic Ocean. I didn't know what to expect, as was shown by my lack of preparation. I packed us like we were going to a West Coast beach, not figuring my kids would get very wet and going light on the water toys. Lucky for us, our friends were very well equipped and willing to share their food, shade and toys.


The water was warm (something I have never experienced in the ocean), the waves were mild and there was not a rock to be seen on the beach. The kids got in the ocean from head to toe, even Brendan (Look here to see why that's surprising). We bought a boogie board on the way up and it was a great investment.



I put Jason in charge of sunscreen on the two older ones and later found out he just put it on their faces. We all have some sort of sunburn. Darbs has the worst of it. I tried to keep her in the shade but she fell asleep and the shade shifted. Sigh.


We will be going back some time soon. Next time I will be better prepared - water toys, shade, outdoor blanket, lots of grub and loads of sunblock!

A Belated Birthday Present

When it was my birthday , Jason was in TX. Then we moved and then we were busy settling in. So, a month after my birthday, Jason bought me a present. It is something I have wanted for a while. He got me a Nikon D5000! I have been having fun with my new camera. It has been giving me sweet shots like these:




And these last two make me laugh.


I have been reading the manual in an effort to get more out of it. I am sure to post better pictures as my skills improve. Stay tuned.
Thanks Babe. I love it!

Commissary shopping

For those who have never been on a military post, you may not know what a commissary is. It is basically a really large and awesome grocery store with fabulous prices and no sales tax. We went in to do our food shopping last week. It was the firs time I had been in a commissary. I knew this was something I was going to love when I saw the carts. They had several that were 2 seaters and more than a few that were shaped like cars, planes and other vehicles. Basically the kids could "drive" and be kept busy while I shopped. Sweet!! The prices were great on most things too. Milk was half of what I used to pay at Safeway in San Rafael and toiletries like lotion and shaving cream were easily about 25% cheaper. They also had an organics section and TONS of produce.

But there is a trade off with all this gloriousness - it is SUPER BUSY and about half an hour away. We had the misfortune of going in on a payday and the lines were astronomically long. I have since been warned to avoid payday at all costs. Eventually, Jason took the kids to the car and I waited in line. But 2 carts full for under 275 bucks. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Photo shoot

I couldn't help myself. Her pudgy little self is so adorable. And look at those eyelashes - to die for. We just love her. Enjoy!



Not to be outdone, Eva got in on the action too.

Big helper

We are getting some pieces of furniture that need assembling. Brendan is always very eager to help with that and Jason is very patient with him. This time he got to use the drill. He was in heaven. Take that, Bob the Builder!

Time is slipping . . .

"It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear." ~ Dorothy Evslin

As I was organizing the outgrown baby clothes in the garage today, I started to reminisce about when the kids were small like this . . .



It really does slip by all too fast.

The Backyard

We are still unpacking and getting furniture for the new house. Everything is still in a bit of disarray so I have yet to show pictures. But I can show you shots of the backyard, mostly because it was all ready to go when we got here. :)
It's not too big but just right for little kids. We have a few trees, lots of pine cones from the neighbors tree, and a gated fence. There is also a firehouse playset back there with a slide, some swings and a make-believe telescope, steering wheel and fire hose. It's pretty sweet. We also have a low deck that Eva loves to get underneath and excavate rocks. Gotta stop her from doing that or we end up with rocks all over the patio and into the house. Even though it is REALLY hot outside, the kids love it!

An eating champ

Today Darby's high chair finally arrived and I decided to start her on some solid foods. We started with rice cereal just to get her used to a spoon. By leaps and bounds, she is the easiest of the 3 as far as eating. She took to it like a pro. Her tongue is still trying to figure out what to do with solids but she was relatively mess free and was even opening her mouth for me and grinning. However, she didn't like it when I left the room to wash out the bowl. She did like the food, I promise.

How apartment living has ruined me

I LOVE having a house!!!! But living in an apartment for so long has really messed with my thinking. Here are some examples.
- I am still concerned about our downstairs neighbors when the kids are noisy. Then I remember we don't have any.
- I instinctively reach for the mailbox key when I go get my mail but don't need one here.
- I still mentally plan their naps so the baby and Eva aren't both in the playpen. But then I remember that they each have their own beds, in their own rooms!!
- I cringe when they get messy because then I will have to do laundry. This wouldn't be so bad except that I forget I can do it more than once a week now. I don't even have to save up for a whole load to get my money's worth!
- Once, when the kids were driving me nuts and hovering around me, it dawned on me that I could send them outside to play WITHOUT ME! I had forgotten that we have a backyard because I was so used to having to take everyone out and supervise.
- I steel myself for bringing the groceries in from the car but then realize it is only 2 steps into the house instead of over 25.
I think it will take me while to switch my thinking.

First Sunday in our New Ward

The Hope Mills 2nd Ward meets at 9am and is about 15 minutes away. We were greeted by the ward clerk who asked us for our information. I also met the Relief Society president right away too. There are a lot of families (the Primary is so big that they meet in the chapel). Eva jumped right into things at Nursery and when I went to get her, she was dancing hand in hand with some other little girls. Our little social butterfly will do just fine. Brendan, on the other hand, got a poor report from his teacher. She called him a handful. He is. I also know that he will chill out once he feels things are a bit more stable. Jason said the Elders Quorum is tiny, which is to be expected in a military ward where a lot of the priesthood holders are deployed. Relief Society was really good. SO many nice ladies. There were several who introduced themselves and a few live in our subdivision. But I still felt very sad and missed my Young Women and the presidency I worked in. I am hoping that in time I will feel as at home in this ward as I did in San Rafael 2nd.

The Laundry Experience

One of the first things we purchased upon arriving was the long awaited washer and dryer. I had done my homework and found the exact set I wanted. I got them at Lowe's where they have a military discount (SWEET!) They were to be delivered on Saturday. I did my first load that evening. I was so excited. When I went to switch the clothes over from the washer to the dryer, they were still very wet. I figured I just didn't have the setting right so I read the instructions to see how to set it on spin only. I punched in the settings and pressed start. It would shut off after about 2 minutes. I spent almost an hour trying to figure it out. I tried another load but it shut off mid cycle with that too. Since it was past business hours I had to wait until Monday to call it in. Lowe's tried to troubleshoot it with me over the phone but they ended up having to send a repair guy out this week. When that day arrived, he called to say that due to so many broken A/C units and fridges, he couldn't fit me in until MONDAY. That's over a week from when it was installed!! So I called Lowe's again to see if they could just switch machines. It was getting to be too much of a hassle. FINALLY, I got a commitment that they would exchange the machine tomorrow. YAY!! Good, because we are wearing some pretty interesting outfits lately. :)

Moving in

Well long story short - the movers didn't come the next day. There was a mix up and they could only come the day after. This was an annoyance because not only did we have to stay a day and a night in an empty house, Jason also had to go to Fort Bragg that day so I had to do it all by myself, AGAIN, but this time with the kids. Sigh. I thought I was done with that. So, in the spare day we now had, we found Jason a car (Toyota 4Runner), purchased a washer/dryer, bought groceries, ate out yet again and spent the night on inflatable mattresses.
The next morning, things got underway. The moving crew was very nice and even played a bit with the kids. I was busy the entire time checking the box numbers off the inventory and directing the movers to where the boxes would go. Because house was so drastically different than the apartment, I had no idea where to put some things. I mean, we now have 2 bathrooms and the kids each have their own room so where do the boxes marked kids and bathroom go? Anyway, the house was a mountain of boxes when they left and I felt pretty overwhelmed. I spent the next 4 days unpacking in my spare moments. As of today, we have about 3 boxes in the garage left and almost all our books are still boxed up since we haven't bought the bookcases yet. We still have a lot of furnishings to buy but it is pretty fun to do that. Things are slowly settling. I can't wait for life to get back to a routine yet.

Cross Country Day 8 - VA and NC

This was our last day and we just raced through it to get to our new house. Our stops were mainly gas stations and fast food places. We arrived at the new house around 4pm and met the real estate lady there. She let us in and, as she was going over some paperwork, the kids were running around exploring. Brendan immediately went into his new room. Eva went to the backyard. I loved to see their faces filled with excitement, though they were a bit confused that their stuff wasn't at the new house. That took a little explaining.
It was such a relief to arrive and see that we have such a great place to live. Jason did a wonderful job picking this one out. I promise to show pictures when everything is unpacked and arranged. It was an adventure but one that was well overdue to end. The kids were so done with being in the car.
Some highlights of the new house:
- Ice and water dispenser on the fridge
- Swingset and play fort outside
- A jetted tub and showerhead tall enough to not have to lean back to rinse your hair (you tall people will understand me here)
- Built in garage storage
- A/C and ceiling fans (YAY!! Really, Marin County, get with the program)
- A very open floor plan with a "family circle" (adjoining rooms in a circular layout affording a great running track for the kids)
We spent the night in a hotel rather than in the empty house but the movers were supposed to meet us at the house tomorrow morning to unload. Everything was coming together. It felt great!

Cross Country Day 7 - OH and WV

Because we didn't get to celebrate Brendan's birthday the day before, I decided that today would be filled with fun for him. Our first stop was the National Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. That place is HUGE!! You could seriously spend all day there. It was also the coolest part of our trip. And it was free!! Highly recommended. Brendan practically ran from exhibit to exhibit, exclaiming his delight the whole time. it was great to see him loving it so much. Here are some pictures of the museum.

Daddy and the kids

Rockets and missiles - yikes!!

Jason got to see his favorite plane - the SR71 Blackbird. He was so excited!

Brendan exiting a walk-through fuselage display

One giant leap for mankind . . .

He got to steer a mini-helicopter at this exhibit

Here Brendan is standing in front of a display of pilot gear from the time period that his Great Grandpa Myrl was flying in WWII

And to top it off, the Wright Brothers

Then we traveled through West Virginia. Now that is one gorgeous state! I spent the whole time looking out the window at the scenery.


We were supposed to stop in Wytheville at old colonial-type town with a gem mine. Turns out that it was closed.
All Bubbs wanted for his birthday was a chocolate cake so I found a restaurant that served it near our hotel in Charleston. Brendan had his birthday dinner at Cracker Barrel. The kids enjoyed the rockers outside the store so Jason and I decdied we needed some for our new porch.

After dinner, Brendan opened his cards and ate his cake, which was rich and delicious.


The hotel was the best we stayed at the entire trip. What a way to end things as we were going to be in our new house the next day. I hope Bubbs enjoyed his birthday.

Five Years for Bubba

It was also Brendan's birthday during this crazy move of ours. He is now a big 5 year old! We couldn't do much for him on his actual birthday because we were on the road and it was a Sunday. But we did do some really fun things for him the next day. More to come on that later.
So my oldest is five years old now. I can hardly believe it. He has grown so much. It is amazing to see the kind of person he is coming to be. We have had our struggles with him but he really is a great kid with awesome talents. Here are my five favorite things about my five year old.
1. He is so curious and remembers everything. He has taught himself so many things on his own. He is on the brink of reading because he decided he wanted to learn how.
2. He has the most tremendous focus of anyone I know, child or adult. This can be annoying at times but can also be a tremendous asset if channeled in the right way.
3. He can be hilarious without trying or meaning to be.
4. He can build the most amazing things with Legos and will create fabulously intricate track patterns for his trains.
5. He is genuine. He is a very honest boy even when it will get him in trouble.
I can't wait to see what lies ahead for our little man.

Cross Country Day 6 - IL and IN

Since it was Sunday, we attended church near the hotel in Keokuk, IA. It was a small branch. It is nice that the church is the same no matter where you are. Fast and testimony meeting was just like back in San Rafael.
After sacrament meeting we drove to Illinois to see Carthage Jail, the place where the prophet Joseph Smith was killed. We should have known it was a bad idea by the way the kids were behaving in the lobby but it was a place we really wanted to visit. The presentation started with a little video in the visitors center. I had Darby outside since her hiccuping was making others giggle. Then we went in the jail, which had some original features from Joseph's time. There is not much space inside the building and some really steep stairs. Brendan and Eva were loud and whiny. We felt bad because this was a place that was almost sacred and so many of the other visitors were trying to reflect on their feelings there. Sigh. Joys of parenthood. At least they are cute.

Chalk it up to another place we will visit when the kids are older. Here are some pictures.

Downstairs is the jailer's living quarters

Some of the glass panes were original, like this one

The upper window is the one that Joseph fell from after being shot

Bullet holes in the original door

On our way from Carthage we were relying on the GPS to get us to the next stop. We had it set on "fastest time". Mistake. We found ourselves on some backcountry unpaved roads. We were "lost" (meaning driving in nowhere-land but led by the GPS) for about an hour. Let's just say that there was no civilized place for a potty break (but one was taken anyway)and leave it at that. At least the drive was pretty. :)


We stopped for the night in Indianapolis. I think I could go my whole life without being in Indianapolis again. The hotel was in a sketchy part of the city and I was glad when we left.