Update

Okay, so I am realizing that I just don't blog a whole lot now that I'm not on vacation. Side note: the kids have repeatedly asked if we are going on that 'really long vacation' again next summer. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? They need to be taught the meaning of the phrase 'once in a lifetime'. We did make a cool Shutterfly book with the whole summer in it...we look at it a lot, that's enough vacation for me!

Anyway, I'm not a good blogger anymore but will hopefully have some 'blog worthy' news soon. Tomorrow is October and that is the month I have anxiously been awaiting! I know she won't be born until late October but there is still something nice about being able to say 'my baby is due THIS MONTH'. I'm ready for it...but I'm SO not ready for it.

I'm in that stage of pregnancy where I just can't stand to be pregnant one more day but as soon as I think about having the baby I panic and realize that I don't really want to do this! (I know, information that would have been helpful in January...) I just can't make up my mind...I know, there really isn't any decision to be made...we ARE having a baby...but you know what I mean. One minute I am READY, let's get this party started...I want to have the baby today! I can't take it one more day, pregnancy is the worst. The next minute, PANIC, I'm NOT ready for the baby. I have a million things to do and really, as tough as it is to be pregnant it is kind of easier to just leave her in there. This morning I overslept big time. I woke up and was positive it would be chaos...but I don't think the kids noticed. At all. They had finished breakfast and were getting dressed/packing lunches. Katherine and Tyler had even helped Aaron get a bowl of cereal and had traded his nighttime undies for his daytime ones. I was basically not needed. Oh how that will change so very quickly, square one here I come! But really, it will be awesome to meet her and snuggle...is there anything better than a brand new baby sleeping on you? I'm just a circus...pick an emotion and within 5 minutes I will probably get there ;-)

Okey dokey, I will stop this rambling and try to make something of this day. I want to just go back to bed...and chances are high that a nap will occur today...but I don't have anywhere I HAVE to go so I'm going to try to get some stuff done today. Seriously, nobody has organized our shoes or alphabetized our recipes or any of that vital stuff since we moved in...it really must be done, we can't bring a new baby home to such chaos.

Have a wonderful day, thanks for riding the roller coaster with me this morning.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!

I just can't believe this guy is 11 already! Am I old enough to have an eleven year old? 11 years ago he made me a Mom (okay, so 11 years ago yesterday...) in one fell swoop we went from a young couple to parents. Gone were the days when we could just think about ourselves, Tyler was on the scene and he has been so patient with us as we've learned about this crazy thing called parenthood. A few years ago he got frustrated with us and complained about being our 'test kid'...he is so right! Everything we do with him we do for the first time and hope we do it right... Thanks T for being a really good test kid! He is such a great person and we're happy he's ours. He is growing up way too fast; he just started his last year of elementary school, is out of cub scouts, and instead of a themed birthday party just wanted 'some of the guys to come over for a barbecue and some ball'. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER! WE LOVE YOU!

Nightmare

Tyler's birthday party is tonight and of course I have put off buying the food until today. Let's not mention the fact that I'm having a lot of pain this morning and a few contractions (nothing serious, just annoying). I really want to curl up in bed and take a nap, but the party is tonight--the house refuses to clean itself, and Wal-Mart does not deliver so I'm up and out of here. I get to Wal-Mart and fill my cart with all kinds of stuff...some of it is on my list, most of it is just stuff. Aaron, who is usually great in the store, was cranky and whiny...not a good trip so far. I get to the check out line and am just thankful to be done so I can go home. I reach into my purse to grab my debit card and remember something.

I paid bills yesterday.

By the computer.

I needed to add my card number to some of the accounts since we are still in the move-in process. Some required the card number and some required my checking account number. While I was getting organized I decided to go ahead and clean out my purse. I removed all credit cards so as to not use them frivolously. That's right; no debit card, no checkbook, no credit cards. Do they take library cards?

Yep. I'm in line with a cart full of stuff and I can't pay for it.

SERIOUSLY?!?!

I just about cried at the thought of driving home for money and then doing it all over again when I realized that I had taken a little cash out yesterday because Dan and I have a babysitter scheduled this weekend. Score! I furiously scan my cart and start sorting into two piles; party and everything else. I had enough cash to buy all the party products and a few odds and ends for the weekend. Phew! It was not my best moment when I had to tell the cashier that I only had a certain amount of money and once we reach that everything else has to go back. Yeah, I was that lady. The people behind me were really excited.

The good news is we are a go for the party and I probably saved a ton of money because I really didn't need most of what was in my cart. The bad news is I needed some of it and will have to go shopping again very soon.

Happy Friday!

Fishing?

Soooooo, who goes to a grocery store parking lot and comes away with a fishing trophy? Tyler. How weird is that? Last Saturday some friends let us know that our local HEB grocery store was having a free fishing event for kids. I wasn't sure how that would work but figured it's free and I needed a few things for dinner so why not. They had a portable tank set up in the parking lot filled with catfish. The kids stood in line for a 10 minute turn at the tank and if you caught something you were in the running for the hourly trophies. Tyler happened to not only catch a fish but caught the biggest fish of the hour...so he now has a fishing trophy from HEB. Random family fun.

First Day of School!

Wow! I can't believe how fast they are growing up. This year is the last year we will have all our school aged children at the same school, it's Tyler's last year of elementary school! We met the teachers last week and they all seem great...the kiddos were very excited to get out the door this morning. Our only grump was Aaron, he did NOT want to leave the school and just misses everyone. We will get some playdates going soon! I sure hope the rest of the day goes as well as this morning did...we'll let you know the scoop once they are home. HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

I love Craig's list!

We still have boxes piled high and nothing on the walls...but thanks to Craig's list we have a nice place to relax at the end of the day. We found these beauties...2 recliners and a 7 foot couch, dark brown leather...for a mere $275. I love it when other people move and need to get rid of all their furniture :-)

Adventures of the pregnant homeless lady...we're home!

Holy Cow! What a summer! We are moved in (well, almost) and ready to start our new adventure. Here's a few lists to summarize our adventures!

7059.9 miles on the Kia

52 days from Friendswood to Friendswood

11 states slept in

23 states driven through

7 Sundays

1 set of church clothes

596 photos loaded to Shutterfly

1 visit from the tooth fairy

1 birthday

2 holidays (if you are from Utah)

10 swimming pools

7 burger joints

8 hotels

8 homes of friends/relatives

57 license plates

1 flat tire

1 dead battery

2 oil changes

1 urgent care visit

3 stomach bugs

4 suitcases

5 backpacks

1 well used iPod

3 sets of headphones

14 historical landmarks/museums

5 professional baseball games

23/26 cousins

14/16 aunts/uncles

4/4 grandparents

16 "bonus relatives" (great aunts, second cousins, etc.)

4 amazing kids

2 really tired parents

1 adventure of a life time!

Not counted (or classified):

ice cream cones

hours of screen time

gallons of gas

bottles of water

cans of sunscreen

band aids

pounds gained ;-)

Things I will miss:

All that time together as a family...just us

Relaxed rules

almost no bills

spontaneous side trips

spontaneous anything!

"special occasion" food

relatives/old friends

play doh in the car

extra people to help with the kiddos

walking down memory lane

historical landmarks/museums

relaxing just because I can

Things I will NOT miss:

All that time together as a family...just us

Relaxed rules

suitcases

buying gas more than once (or twice) in the same day for the same car

eating out of the blue cooler

hotels

sharing a room (or a bed) with my children

Wyoming/ New Mexico

the same 4 outfits

Things I'm looking forward to:

big grocery shopping (weird huh)

catching up with friends

my own bed

decorating my new house

getting the mail

establishing a daily routine

potty training (Aaron, not me, I'm good)

PLANNING OUR NEXT ADVENTURE :-)