Getting Settled In

We closed on Monday and are now finally, officially moved in our new house! It has been exhausting and overwhelming...but mostly very EXCITING!
We had an ENORMOUS amount of family support, and are so grateful for that. Charlie loves his new room, and has slept in his bed by himself every night! We have enjoyed spending our evenings watching him play with his new friends and watching him enjoy his new surroundings. We could not have handpicked better neighbors, and feel so blessed that we chose the street that we did.
Unfortunately I had to go back to work on Tuesday, which has made it difficult to get everything I wanted accomplished. But I plan to spend the long weekend to try and get everything in its place and start the fun part...decorating!!!
I will post pics soon of all the progress I make :)

Moving and Miracles

6 days to go until we close on our house! As they are putting the final touches on the house this week, I am crossing my fingers and trying to stay calm, praying that it will all get done...correctly! Packing has been challenging with a little boy who enjoys unpacking faster than I can pack! I know it will all get done somehow and by this time next week we will be sleeping in our new house.
Speaking of sleeping...Charlie has decided to stop fighting me on sleeping in his bed. It is a miracle! In fact last night, he told us he was tired and gave us a hug and kiss good night and went and climbed into bed, covered himself up...and went to sleep! I went and checked on him and he was out. Unbelievable. When I woke him up for school this morning, I praised him for being such a big boy. He smiled his squinty smile and was proud of himself too.
I pray this move will be an easy transition for him. He seems excited about his new room and new backyard, and new neighbors, so I am hoping he won't back track.
I am so excited to see our house that we have watched progress weekly, become a reality. While I don't look forward to the moving...I look forward to the new memories to come!

My Little Monkey

Playing in the bathtub last night...

Ashley...and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!

Growing up this was one of my FAVORITE books...for some reason children find the misfortune of others so funny! From the moment Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair, to the moment he gets in bed with a burnt out nightlight, things just do not go Alexander's way. No wonder Alexander wants to move to Australia! The book ends with his mother's assurance that everyone has bad days, even people who live in Australia.

Well yesterday...I had a terrible,horrible, no good, very bad day! I woke up to find my house a disaster, the way I had left it the night before because I refused to clean on Mother's Day! Although, it is not pleasant to start a Monday off to a mess. I tried not to let it get me too anxious, and got dressed for work. I burned my wrist with my straightener while fixing my hair...ouch! I went to wake Charlie up, who lately is like trying to wake up a hibernating bear...no mommy, I tired...no mommy, leave me alone! I got his breakfast ready, and laid out his clothes and shoes for the day. I then went and told Ryan I was leaving and to have a good day...
When I got in my car to leave...the car wouldn't start, I tried several times. SERIOUSLY?! Ugh...went back inside to tell Ryan, this created a bit of chaos as I rushed to get Charlie dressed so that they could drop me off at work on their way. Ryan reminded me it was trash day...so I took it upon myself to help get the trash into the trash can, as I did...I managed to drip garbage on my pants!!! I let out a frustrated scream and went to change quickly. That was it! I couldn't fight back the tears at this point. Ryan dropped me off at work, and as I walked into my building on a hot and muggy Monday, I wiped away the tears that my morning had caused and tried to pull it together. At this point I realized that I didn't even get my morning diet coke...something that is a necessity to get me through!! Ugh...
I powered through the work day, ate lunch from the vending machine and tried not to feel so sorry for myself! Monday afternoon I received an email from my workout partner asking if I was going to boot camp after work?? Oh Lord...boot camp sounded like the last thing I wanted to do on my dreadful day...I told her about my car, and rest of the day to try and prep her for my decision not to exercise. She told me that I was going and that she would drive me!!! Ugh... I tried to look on the bright side, maybe I could get some of my frustration out by going to boot camp. By the way, I hate boot camp, it is brutal, and it is the last place I wanted to be to finish off my terrible day. When we showed up shortly before 6, our trainer wasn't there,could it be?! I have to admit this made me happy...I thought maybe I wont have to go! We drove down the street to another place he sometimes has the camp, thinking maybe we missed an email...nope, not there either! I was smiling at this point and told Mollie to just drop me off at home! She said lets go back and check one more time to make sure he isn't there....and of course, who's bright and shining faces do we see when we pull back up....our trainer and the other 4 skinny girls in our camp!!! Ugh... Mollie laughed at my reaction and told me to come on!! Our trainer had us start off with our usual sprints to warm up our muscles...we lined up and waited for our signal to start...GO! I was off.....until I ate it and tripped on what must have been my own feet, and landed knees and hands first into the sticker burs...OUCH! I popped back up and all I could do was laugh at that point!! My trainer rushed over to see if I was OK, then he got his chuckle in too! I managed to finish the rest of the hour without passing out or throwing up, which in my opinion is a success.
Whew...what a day....and it wasn't over yet....
I hobbled into the house after boot camp to find everything picked up and the floors vacuumed! The kitchen was sparkling and the air smelled of my favorite candle!
My sweet baby boy greeted me with a huge hug and...Mommy,I missed you! My sweet husband had cleaned the house and had already cooked dinner for Charlie. What a wonderful surprise! He also told me that my car was working just fine too! We decided to take our daily trip to the new house to see the progress...and I loved the new paint colors! When we got home Charlie was a perfect little angel, listening, and being extra sweet!
The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day was over...and in fact it ended on a high note. I am very lucky to have those two handsome boys in my life, they can make any bad day better!

Every day, I try my best to be, A mother like the mom you were to me

I feel so incredibly lucky to have the Mother I do. I could not have grown up with a better role model of the Mom that I inspire to be!
Thank you Mom for being by my side every step of the way...

I found this poem and thought it said it perfectly:

A Thousand Thanks

Mother's Day brings to mind
The thousands of things you did for me
that helped make me happier,
stronger and wiser,
because I had you as a role model.

I'm grateful for all the times
you healed my hurts
and calmed my fears,
so that I could face the world
feeling safe and secure.

I'm thankful for all you showed me
about how to love and give--
lessons that now bring
so many blessings to me
each and every day.

Your sacrifices and unselfishness
did not go unnoticed, Mom.
I admire you, I respect you,
I love you.
And I'm so glad you're my mother!

Happy Mother's Day!

Patience is a Virtue...The Terrible Threes

Are parenting experts actually… parents? Being one myself, I have a serious bone to pick with them: The “terrible twos” are crap.The "terrible threes" are more like it!

Charlie sat down at the dinner table and decided that clapping his hands would be a good thing to do to keep him busy until dinner was served. Well, this would not have been a problem except that his hand clapping involved arm movements slightly reminiscent of eagle's wings flapping. Needless to say, I asked him to stop and warned him that he might spill his milk if he continued. Next thing I know, he's is knocking his milk onto the floor...on purpose.

This is a common occurrence in our house, not the spilling milk, but the constant small battles of a three year old and his strong will! I remember thinking last year that we were so lucky and Charlie was a considerably well behaved two-year old, and that this 'terrible twos' thing wasn't so bad....then he turned THREE! Where did my angel go? And when did I become one of those parents??
Children at the pre-school stage are developing a host of new skills, including: wanting more independence (for example, ("No, I want to do it by myself!"); asserting
their wants ("I want that!"); and learning about friendship ("Give that back!").As well as throwing tantrums at the drop of a hat. My child...(being advanced I guess!)...has mastered all of these!
I love the articles I have read that your child needs your calm, warm presence and sense of humor to help bring them back into their bodies when they are out of control. They do not need sarcasm, judgment, guilt, bargaining, or separation to help them. When I read these things, I wonder if these people have kids?! While I agree with them on a certain level, a warm and calm presence is challenging to maintain when your child has just painted the walls or cut their hair or laid down in the middle of the Kroger parking lot throwing a tantrum!

Although, don't get me wrong, he can still be incredibly sweet, and has lots of days where the devil doesn't take over his body...
I love him more than I ever thought it possible to love anyone in my life. He brings more joy and love and happiness to everyday. And my heart melts with every hug, kiss and I love you. His silliness, laughter, funny little sayings and expressions are an endless source of delight!

I do cherish everyday, just not every moment!

Here are a few priceless "three year old" pics: