Wordless Wednesday ~ July 2009

The kiddos a year ago. Gosh, they have BOTH gotten SO much older looking.

:::sniff sniff:::

Midol, Take Me Away!

Ugh. Hormones really suck sometimes. I'm starting to notice a pattern here. And that pattern is that every month when it's about time for you-know-what I just get crazy. Sometimes this means crying over everything. Sometimes it means yelling too much at the kids. Sometimes it means a slight case of road rage. Sometimes it means feeling like I could just lose it at any time. Not like "scary" lose it...but more like "emotional breakdown" lose it. Yesterday was one of those days. I found myself yelling at Ryan and Brooke WAY more than I normally do and over stupid things. And Brooke was testing me BIG time yesterday and that certainly didn't help. I was so crabby and moody and just angry (over NOTHING)...I eventually got to where I didn't even want to be around myself. It just sucks to be sooo miserable and it's like you can't even control it...can't make yourself be happy or in a good mood. At least I can't. I've never had a huge problem with my you-know-what. Sometimes I do get semi-bad cramps for a day, but that's not even every month. This extreme moodiness is something new that I've noticed for the past few months....maybe it's been going on longer and I just never made the connection. But I think it's time to try some Midol or something. For real.

Today was a lot better. Still a little moody and crabby, but NOTHING like yesterday! Thank God!




P.S. The home inspection is being done on the house Thursday at noon. Cross your fingers and/or say a prayer that it gets a clean bill of health! LOL!

I Thought We Were Past This Stage

A few weeks ago I noticed Ryan was putting his fingers in his mouth all the time. SO gross...especially for an almost 7 year old. I was constantly on him about it. Then one day I noticed him chewing with his back teeth on the spout of the water bottle he had been drinking out of. Then it occurred to me that maybe he had molars coming in and sure enough that seems to be the cause. He's also been pretty darn moody lately and I imagine that is also the cause. I still catch him putting his fingers in his mouth and a lot of the time, he is putting them in the back of his mouth and playing around. I remember how uncomfortable I was when my wisdom teeth were coming the rest of the way in a few years ago. But I never would have thought I would be dealing with a teething, crabby (almost) 7 year old.

It still grosses me out when he put his fingers in his mouth, though....especially when he then tries to hold my hand, like yesterday when we were out shopping. Blech.

He never gave any indication (besides drool) that he was teething as a baby (unlike Brooke), so I guess this is just him playing catch-up again ;-).

Plans Change

Joe and I knew pretty early on in our relationship that this was "it" and as more time went by, the more sure we were of it. I never thought you could know something like that so quickly. My sister moved in with her (then) boyfriend after a few months (I think?) and I was a little worried they were moving too fast, but the more I was around both of them, the more I could see that they were (are) perfect for each other :-). They got married this past Halloween (and had a costume reception...it was great!) after being together a little over a year. Now I can see that they weren't rushing things, but that sometimes you just *KNOW* that fast.

So anyway, our original plan was to find a house to buy and move in together next summer, a year from now. Somehow that all changed back in May. Joe had started looking online at houses, thinking maybe he could find a cheap fixer-upper and have a year to work on it and came across a nice one (move-in ready) for a great price in a great school district a few minutes from where he lives now (him and Cole are currently living with Joe's parents). We both went to see it (twice), but decided to pass on it, mostly due to the size (too small). But then we started thinking that maybe it would be better to seriously start looking for a house we *could move in to this summer so that Ryan could get settled in to a school that he would be going to for years, instead of getting comfortable in a 2nd year at his current school and then moving and having to get used to yet another school (and being the new kid is easier the younger you are, it seems). And of course there was also the fact that we really couldn't imagine spending another year basically only seeing each other on the weekends. The five of us feel like a family already.

So Joe contacted the realtor he worked with when selling the house he and his ex had and we started house hunting. We weren't asking for much - just something that didn't need major work, hoping for 4 bedrooms and 1 1/2-2 baths, a yard big enough for the kids to play in, and a good location. And of course school districts came in to play, so there were 3 or 4 we were looking in. We probably looked at at least 8-10 houses and it was starting to get discouraging. They either needed too much work, didn't have a yard, tiny bedrooms, etc. About a month ago, we went to dinner with his parents at P.F. Chang's and no kidding, my fortune said "You will move in to your dream house within a year." We were scheduled to go see two houses the next morning. The first one we looked at, we really liked. We went back to see it a second time and still really liked it. And that is the house in the picture in the post below! The only thing we had to "compromise" on was three bedrooms instead of four, but two of the bedrooms are pretty large and could possiby by made in to two separate ones in the future (and even the smallest bedroom is decent size). So for now at least, the boys will share and I think it will be fine.

The house does need a bit of work...things like carpet pulled up, wallpaper removed, some painting....nothing major. Also, a shower needs to be added because right now there is only a bathtub and a gas line needs run in the kitchen for a stove. Hopefully the home inspection doesn't reveal any big problems. I'm still a little nervous that it's not going to work out for some reason. I guess I tend to hope for the best and expect the worst? Anyway, I'll keep ya posted and I might wait to post pictures of the inside of the house until I can show some "befores" and "afters" :-).

Wordless Wednesday ~ Home, Sweet Home

If all goes well, this will be it in about a month and a half!! :-)

Wordless Wednesday

A Song

"Bless The Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

[Chorus:]
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

[Chorus]

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

I listened to this song at least 5 or 6 times today while in the car. I don't care how sappy or corny anyone thinks it is. I've always liked this song, but now it really means something to me. During the lowest points of my marriage, I used to dream about leaving....about finding someone that loved me and supported me and would be there for me no matter what. But I didn't really think there was anyone like that out there for me. I didn't think I would ever even get the courage to leave even though for a long time before I actually did leave I knew my marriage was "dead" and would never be even close to what I dreamed of. I still sometimes am in awe that I did leave and had the courage to do it. And I'm even more in awe at the love I've found and just how the timing of everything worked out. I may have endured a lot of hard times during my marriage, but it's made me realize what I really wanted out of a relationship (and also some things I need to improve on) and I have all that and even more with Joe and it makes all the hard times worth it (although it really would be nice to have that time back to spend with him) Like I said, I don't care how sappy that sounds, it's true ;-).

Ugh

I am having such a hard time blogging lately. The main things on my mind these days are things that I shouldn't really blog about, especially one thing in particular. I guess maybe I just need to sit down and make a list of topics I can write about and get some ideas....I don't know. I hate going days without blogging. Any ideas for me?? :-)

Today was a nice, lazy day spent at my mom and dad's house. The kids played on their sunporch. They have a basketball hoop and a bunch of balls they love to throw and kick around and Brooke has a little bike that she rides around on. Ryan rides it too even though he's getting way too big for it. I forgot my camera today so I have no pictures to share :-/. My mom made a yummy dinner (that I requested lol). She made mini meatloaves and browned them, then mixed cream of mushroom soup with some beef broth to make a gravy and added slice mushrooms to it and simmered the meat in it for almost an hour. They practically melt in your mouth. We also had mashed potatoes and green beans. Brooke is normally a huge green bean eater, but she didn't seem to have much of an appetite tonight...except she ate almost two whole slices of butter bread.

Brooke is now tall enough to open one of the 2 doors to the outside on the sunporch. It's one of those chain locks that you have to slide up to the top and pull out. She is *just barely tall enough to reach clear to the top to do it. Today was the first time in awhile that she's tried. She saw my mom and dad's neighbor kids outside and reached up to unlock it and much to her (and our) surprise did it. She turned to us with a shocked look on her face and said "I did it!" and then turned back and proceeded to open the door and head outside. LOL. She is getting too darn big...and too big for her britches (that saying reminds me of my grandma)!

The 4th

Joe and the kids and I spent the 4th of July at Idlewild & Soak Zone (a family amusement park). It turned out to be a great day, despite the heat and all the people. Even with how many people were there, the wait in lines for rides wasn't bad at all. Of course, the water part of the park was the busiest...or at least it seemed that way. We got there at 10:30am, before the rides were even open (so we walked through Storybook Forest first). Joe had to leave to take Cole to his mom around 4 and took Brooke with him so she could catch a nap in the car. Ryan and I stayed at the park and had some one on one time, which was really nice. Then Joe came back and we rode some more and played some games and had dinner and stayed for the fireworks at 10. We ended up being at the park for 12 hours...a long day, but a great one :-). Here are some pictures.

The kiddos in Storybook Forest.

*Almost a great picture. LOL.

It's rare to catch Ryan smiling on a ride, even though he loves them!

Cole and Brooke on the airplanes.

And on the dragons. They rode together a lot that day!

Joe even got Ryan to ride the roller coaster! It's really not a big deal as far as roller coasters go (it's just a small wooden one), but it was a big deal for Ryan to get on :-). Even though he wasn't keen on the idea, he went without a fight and didn't freak out afterwards! I doubt he would have gone again, though. LOL.

As you can see, Brooke was NOT a fan of the slide (this was in Jumpin' Jungle in the park...they have lots of climbing things, slides, a ball pit, etc.).

See how happy she was to get out of there? LOL. This was Ryan's 2nd time down...he loved it!

This is a really big net to climb. The top is pretty steep (and high) and last year Ryan needed a lot of help to get up the top of it. He did it all on his own this year :-D.

Ryan about jumped out of his skin and flew on to my lap when the fireworks started (he calmed down quickly, but kept asking when they would be done). Brooke never flinched and she LOVED them, even though she was half asleep. LOL.

Hope everyone else had a great 4th as well!! :-)