Brown Hair, Don't Care

So....this happened yesterday...

I've done this a time or two in the past five years, but I'm pretty committed to it this time.  It's close to my natural color and I'm just tired of so much blonde.  It's really dark when I'm inside, which freaked me out a little, but it's growing on me.  There are still a few subtle highlights in there too.

My hair is in really bad shape these days from either low iron, an out of whack thyroid, or just too much bleaching and flat ironing.  So, I'm giving it a break and hoping it becomes healthier.  I've never had brown hair in the summer.  That will be a fun change.

Miles and I had an intense game of Sorry tonight.  When I won he said it wasn't fair. We have some work to do...

I've been steadily getting stuff ready for a yard sale.  I'm also taking the opportunity to pack a few things for the move as I'm going through it.  Miles had accumulated an unhealthy amount of belongings and it was time for some purging.  My goal was to reduce his closet by 50%.  I always involve him in the process and allow him to make the final decision, so he'll learn how to make choices like this.  I think our purge was a huge success.  I wish I had a before picture.

We've been spoiled in this house with space.  Miles has a large bedroom, a massive closet, and half of the sun room is devoted to his stuff.  We don't have that in the new house so we are going to have to stay organized and try not to let things pile up.  I'm off to tuck a sweet little boy into his bed and work on purging my closet next.

Wordless Wednesday

Weekend Wrap Up

We stayed around the house this weekend for the most part.  My mom came up for a visit.  Miles was happy to get a Marmee fix.

Saturday morning, she and I went to a few stores in Martin & Union City.  We just leisurely looked at stuff for the house and any good bargains that we could find. I ended up with a single candle to show for our shopping trip.  Well, and lots of good ideas for the house.  Miles wasn't quite ready for her to leave on Saturday afternoon...

We enjoyed the surprisingly beautiful weather on Saturday and hung out with some friends on our deck for a few hours....probably our favorite way to spend a Saturday night. After church this morning, Miles' friend, Kohen, came over to play. 

Miles wasn't the greatest host, but I think they both had fun.  Teaching him how to act around friends, especially when they are his guest, is a definite work in progress. Their buddy, Colt, stopped by for a little while too.

Just not much to report this weekend.  Thoughts & plans are swirling in my head regarding moving and the new house.  Not too mention that we have a week long trip to Mexico in the middle of it.  It's all good stuff and I'm reminding myself to enjoy the process b/c that's part of the fun.  I'm glad our trip was already booked and paid for so we have to go.  I'm also glad that it's before the move b/c once we get in the house I won't want to leave for a while, even to go to the beach.  The timing is ideal really....now someone remind me of that for the next six weeks.

Quiet Mouse Still Mouse is Serious & Some Exciting News

Miles' teacher sent me this picture of Miles and his friend, Alli.  Just for context, Alli's dad is the head women's basketball coach at UTM.

And here's the explanation that came with the picture...

I love how their true colors were shining through an intense game of Quiet Mouse Still Mouse.  

Darrin had a scrimmage yesterday. His team did quite well.  His parents traveled all the way to Alabama to watch them play.  I happened to call them while they were there. When they told me they were in Florence, Alabama, I asked if they were there to watch the softball team (which they also watch often).  Clearly, I don't win the supportive wife award since I didn't even know what town my husband was playing in.  That's just the life of a coach's wife.  It happens.

This is Miles and his buddy, Colt.  One of Miles new favorite things is to sing on stage, with the microphone, during AWANA. My shy, reserved child likes to sing on stage. Definitely Darrin's influence, b/c I.Would.Never.

I sat Indian style at work for most of the afternoon b/c it sounded like there was a mouse under mouse desk. With the help of my friend, Melanie, we pulled everything out from under my desk and didn't find anything.

After further investigation, it appears there was probably a mouse or bird in my walls & ceiling. It was so loud by the end of the day, it sounded like a raccoon in the ceiling. I got over being freaked out about it and became annoyed by it's racket.  Really hoping it's gone tomorrow.  

In other news....we bought a house! This is Miles and the little girl that lives there now. We actually know the homeowners. Much more on that another day. Just wanted to share the good news.

Weekend Wrap Up

We had a very full weekend.  Friday, Miles went to work with Darrin.  I was running in a 5k that night and Darrin wouldn't be home in time to watch Miles, so he just took him to work for the day.  We've discussed this before, but it's worth another mention.  If I EVER took Miles to work with me all day, I would accomplish absolutely nothing.  He would need food, drinks, entertainment, bathroom breaks, and my attention 95% of the day. Somehow he seems to do just fine with Darrin.  One reason is the volleyball girls.  He's just getting to know this group, but they have welcomed him in a big way.

They took him to the cafe for lunch without Darrin. He was a little nervous to go, but we both thought it would be good for him and we knew he would have fun. 

They hooked him up with pizza...

...a cookie...

...and a cupcake.  This is just before he dropped it on himself and the floor.  The girls must have dealt with it perfectly b/c he seemed unscathed by the experience.  A mistake like this has the potential to really embarrass him.  I asked him directly if it did and he said no.

They also entertained him all day long. Hopefully no classes were skipped to make this possible :)  These girls have made quite an impression on all three of us.

 

I received a special delivery at work from a friend. As we are getting closer to finalizing some decisions regarding our move, reality is setting in.  I'm completely confident in the direction we are going, but that doesn't mean it's easy.  I have super thoughtful friends, and one let me know she was thinking of me.

I put the flowers in a vase when I got home. I just think they are so pretty.

So...I ran in my second ever 5k on Friday night. You can read about the first here.  Like the first one, this was also a Glo Run.  I'm in decent shape, but I am not a runner. Not even a little bit.  I'm only in it for some time with my friends and the t-shirt.

I did slightly better than my first 5k, finishing in just under 35 minutes this time.  I learned last time not to wear any crazy glow accessories like necklaces or bracelets.  They drove me crazy last time, hitting me in the face with every step.

Christa and I hung out for a little while after the race before heading home. We wanted to see who placed, and make sure our kids were fast asleep before we got home.  We wouldn't want to interrupt bed time or anything....wink, wink.

Running is just hard and painful for me, very much a struggle.  I've been sore all weekend from it. It was a fun night spent with friends, but I won't soon forget that I'm not a runner. 

I recalled a major reason that I don't run outside.  It gives me a serious headache.  Running on a treadmill doesn't have that effect, but running outside does it every time. My head was pounding so hard towards the end of the race that I had to stop a few times just for that reason. I thought it was going to explode.  I know caffeine can be a headache trigger for some people, but it definitely helps me. 

Saturday morning, we went to look at a few more houses in Medina.   To be exact, we looked at 6 houses, 2 lots, and went back to 1 house a second time.  It was our longest day of house hunting yet.  We might be getting some where though.  We found a house that we really like, but there are a few contingencies in play.  Of all the houses we've looked at, this is the only one that I am actually excited about. The others are simply nice houses, but really don't do anything for me.  We'll just have to see.

After a long day of house hunting, Miles was hangry. 

We stopped for lunch on the way home.  When we go out to eat as a family, Miles sits on Darrin's side of the table 9 out of 10 times.  

The rest of our Saturday was spent doing laundry, mowing the yard, cleaning out the detached garage, and washing Darrin's car. It was quite a productive day.

This morning, we went to church and then came home to hang out at home for the rest of the day.  It rained a lot last night and this morning, but Miles still wanted to play outside.  So, I dressed him in last year's clothes and sent him on his way.

Unfortunately none of his friends were home today.  He stayed inside and whined and cried about everything. It became clear that he was exhausted.  He was distraught when I made him take a nap, but fell asleep quickly and slept for almost three hours.  He doesn't take regular naps anymore, but every now and then that's just what he needs.

It was a busy weekend, but very productive. I'm ready for the week ahead, which doesn't look to be too exhausting. Hoping this week brings us some answers on our house and the one we would love to buy. Have a great week everyone!

My Afternoon With Miles

I took the afternoon off from work to take Miles to the dentist. The dentist has always been Darrin's domain, so Miles was excited to show me around the place. It's a really cool pediatric dentist with games and movies. The employees go out of their way to make going to the dentist a fun experience.  He was a little anxious about going, but did fine.  No cavities and everything looked great.

Since his dentist is in Jackson, we took advantage and went to watch practice.  This was the first time I had met any of the girls.

I was so impressed with the them, both on and off the court.  As you can see from the pic below, they obviously made my typically shy child very comfortable.  We asked him who was going to be the first one to babysit him and he said "all of them". 

We also went back for a second look at a house in Medina. We were really just going to make sure we still liked it and to sign papers for an offer.  In the end, we decided to walk away from it. Neither Darrin nor I had a good feeling about it.  We are at peace with marking it off our list, but it is a little disappointing.  We still don't have a contract on our house, so we'll just continue to show ours and wait for something to come on the market in Medina. 

It's been kind of hard to be an hour away from Darrin's new job. The commute really isn't a huge issue for him.  It's just been weird for me to be so uninvolved.  It feels like we are making a lot of life changes b/c of this new opportunity and it's all still so foreign to me.  Being around the girls today and being able to watch practice helped me remember why we are doing all of this.  I've never doubted our decision, but I have a new excitement after being around it today. 

Weekend Wrap Up

Saturday I got up and got the house ready for two showings.  I wrapped those up about 1:30.  Since the house was clean, the laundry was done, and Miles was playing outside, there was nothing else for me to do but relax in the sun room.  It was a gorgeous day to put the windows up and enjoy the breeze. 

After a good day at home for both of us, we got ready and went to the rodeo. Darrin spent the day at a tournament in Jackson, MS.  He doesn't enjoy the rodeo like I do.

UT Martin hosts a rodeo every year.  They are the reigning national champs, so the atmosphere was exciting. 

We never have a clue about the rules or events, but it's still fun.  We stayed until the very end, which is a first for us.  Bull riding is the last thing they do.  It's both fun and scary to watch.  There are injuries at the rodeo every year. One girl was bucked off a horse and Miles asked me all night if she was ok.  He made sure to pray for all the cowboys and cowgirls that got hurt. 

This morning we slept in a little and went to late church.  I wore a dress from my latest tote from Le Tote.  This is the first thing I'm actually going to keep.  It fits perfectly, even the length.  It's just a plain black dress, but should be a good, staple item.

After church, we went to look at a house in Medina.  It was a no go.  It had an amazing lot and outdoor space, but that didn't make up for the cramped house and small rooms.  Miles played outside when we got home and had his friends over for dinner.  He thinks that is so much fun.  

Miles accomplished a major milestone this past week.  He can now run his bath water, wash his hair & body, dry himself off, get dressed, and brush his hair.  Say it ain't so.  This feels like a new kind of freedom for us. I won't make him do by himself all the time, but it comes in handy when we are busy.

Darrin looked over while we were watching TV tonight and said Miles looked like a little king.....laid back in his boxers, drinking a smoothly, watching TV, getting his feet rubbed.  Massages are his new favorite thing. 

 

Unfortunately I have a really bad headache.  I've had it all day.  I'm off to bed early tonight. Hopefully it will be gone when I wake up.  Have a great week everyone!

Rodeo Day & a Few Other Thoughts

I read a blog post yesterday that I found on Pinterest called the "Fall Apart Child". I immediately sent it to Darrin b/c the post made a few good points that are very relevant for our very own Fall Apart Child.  An example of why he fits the description....

He has worn the same Woody cowboy hat for the last 3-4 years for Rodeo dress up day at school, but we recently got rid of it b/c it was in bad shape. He immediately started panicking b/c he didn't think he was going to have anything to wear today.  We've been working with him a lot lately learning to control his emotions, trying to reassure him that if he will just stay calm and tell us the problem, most of the time we will work with him to find a solution.  I posted on FB that we needed to borrow a cowboy hat and within 5 minutes, a college friend who lives one street over came through for me.  She even dropped it off at my house and threw in a bandanna in case we needed.  Gosh, I am going to miss living here. It's just the greatest. 

I think he looked like the cutest little cowboy I've ever seen.  The hat was adorable.

When Darrin is out of town, I have to drop him off at daycare very early.  It's like the calm before the storm.

Darrin has been burning up the road during the last 36 hours.  He's home now, just long enough to sleep for a few hours, and then he leaves bright and early for a spring tournament with his team in Jackson, MS.  Since he and Miles went to bed early, and I've had a Mt. Dew, I thought we'd cover a few random topics.

Miles has quite an imagination. He makes stuff up all the time at daycare. He always starts with something true and then it quickly evolves into a made up story.  It's pretty funny b/c if you didn't know his M.O. you would totally fall for whatever he's saying.  Now that he's getting a little older, should this be concerning???  Hence below from Miles teacher (autocorrect..."become" ipo "because")... 

I am going to be lost when Miles starts school and I can't text his teacher any time I want.  His teacher now is amazing and I love that she communicates during the day via text.  I can check on him any time.  She's the lead teacher with lots of assistants, so she has time to deal with the parents. It's so nice.

In honor of National Sibling Day, these four are pretty amazing...

I also have a much younger sister, but we haven't been in touch since my dad and her mom divorced years ago.  We became FB friends last year, so it is nice to see pics of her every now and then. Maybe we will get back in touch one day.  No matter how much I do or don't talk to my siblings from day to day, I love them all very much.

We are showing the house twice tomorrow, and one is looking for a second time.  I'm excited, but still trying to be patient and wait on the Lord's timing.  I came across this verse during my quiet time yesterday.  It's now on the chalkboard in our kitchen.  What a great reminder of the Lord's goodness. 

While everyone is fast asleep in our house, I think I'll enjoy some rare alone time kicked back in Darrin's recliner.  Shhhh, don't tell him I took over his man chair.