Less Words Wednesday

This kid is loving his new daycare room for the summer. He loves taking a backpack with three toys, a blanket, a pillow, and $.50 for Coke day.  You can see he uses every square inch of his bag.

Amongst the house packing, there is a little vacation packing going on, which is way more fun.

In case you are wondering, it turns out that gas station stuffed animals aren't high quality. I'm so surprised. I already had to sew "Sparkles" arm back on. His original name was Pecker, but after Darrin laughed for a solid five minutes, Miles changed it to Sparkles. Now who's laughing?

Weekend Wrap Up

Our weekend consisted of fun family time with both sides of our family.  First up, was Darrin's side on Friday night.  Darrin's brother, Aaron, and his family, Jessica, Jayci, & Rowan, had to come in town unexpectedly due to an illness is Jessica's family. We do not get to see them often, so we capitalized on some time with Aaron & the kids.  Uncle Aaron picked up right where he left off with Miles the last time we saw him...

Granny has been dying for a picture of all her grandchildren. They were surprisingly cooperative and we managed a pretty good shot.

Miles was so happy to meet Rowan.

We all spent the night at Steve & Crystal's house, so the kids had lots of time to play together...

The boys in Darrin's family are seriously outnumbered, so they had to get a picture together with just the guys...

The kids even went swimming for a little while. Miles was freezing b/c he wasn't swimming around enough to get warm like the girls were.

He insisted on staying out there even though he was shivering.  He finally said, "Hey guys, I'm going to go inside" hoping they would follow him.

Lots of good cousin time was had...

Miles has already said he wants to do it again.

Saturday morning, we drove to my mom's house.  Our plan was to help with a few projects around the house.  It was raining pretty hard off an on during the morning, so my mom & I decided to do the next best thing....go shopping. We bought a few little things, and I gathered so ideas for the new house.  Darrin and Miles were able to finish one project in the garage while we were gone and make a serious dent in a major project outside. My mom wanted to take down a lot of her gazebo so that it can be rebuilt with new wood. Darrin had most of it done when we got home.  I just helped a little at the end.

Miles helped Darrin a lot during the day, but he was pretty much over it when we got home. Playing with his new bubble machine from Marmee was way more fun. This picture doesn't do the bubble machine justice. It blew bubbles everywhere.  Very cute toy.

We went to a graduation party for my cousin's son today and got to see so many friends and family members that I haven't seen in years.  My cousin and his wife threw a huge graduation party complete with a big tent, band, food, corn hole, swimming, and tons more.  It was really neat. Unfortunately I was too busy catching up to take any pictures. I thought about getting my camera out a few times, but there were so many people there that I didn't know where to start.  Bottom line....it was a good time.

We left a little sooner than I wanted to b/c VBS started at our church tonight and I really wanted Miles to be able to go every night.  After texting with a few friends on the drive home, I discovered that tonight was just a kick off for VBS and that it doesn't really start until tomorrow night. If I recall correctly, we did this same exact thing last year.  Yes, I just confirmed it. How frustrating.

So, have you ever wondered who buys all the junky toys and stuffed animals in gas stations? I have often wondered as I pass buy something random in a convenient store on my way to the drinks and candy bars, which is what I buy in a gas station.  On the way home today, Miles fell in love with a Penguin Beanie Baby on the way from the restroom to the drinks to the register. Of course we told him no, and then his little heart was so sad. Now, I have no problem telling him no when it comes to toys. We never do the toy thing at Walmart or anything like that. Something about the penguin really got him. So, I went back in and bought it. I had to stand in line forever behind normal people buying drinks.  I was a little embarrassed standing in line with a blue penguin Beanie Baby, but he was sooooo happy.

We drove home in a lot of this...

When we got home we quickly unpacked and ate dinner. Then, we had a race to see who could get their tasks finished first and get to the living room to watch the Amazing Race finale.  Miles had to take a bath all by himself. I had to do some laundry. Darrin had to clean up the kitchen.  Miles won in record time.  Darrin & I still aren't convinced that he's very clean, but he smelled good.  We were just glad to see that he has a competitive bone in his body, b/c frankly, I was beginning to wonder.  Darrin came in second, but he was later disqualified when we discovered some dirty dishes still in the sink.  Now, it's 8:57pm and I'm ready to spend some quality time with my DVR. Good night all!

Dirty Socks & Toy Day

I got an email from Darrin soon after I got to work this morning telling me that we really needed to do laundry b/c Miles didn't have any socks. This actually means that Miles didn't have any white socks, Miles didn't know what else to wear, and Daddy took his word for it without checking to see if there were other options.  The solution was to go to to Walmart and buy new socks b/c he wore dirty socks yesterday and even Darrin thought dirty socks two days in a row was appalling.  Note to self: get more involved in the morning routine of getting Miles ready.  The second party foul occurred when Darrin bought him Minion socks.  I'm a plain white or colored Nike socks only kind of mom. I'm not into crazy socks, with the exception of dress socks.  I will say, they were cute and Miles thinks they are great, so there.

How to cure yourself of your favorite food obsession rut? Eat double the portion after already eating it for days on end.  Bye bye wraps.

The summer before kids start kindergarten they get moved to a different room at daycare to help get them ready. I'm not sure if it's more about preparing them or staffing issues, but Miles feels so big in his new room.  Every day is toy day, as opposed to just Mondays, and they get to bring three toys instead of just one.  He's also excited about Coke day when they get to bring $.50 to buy a Coke and watch a movie. He never gets to drink Cokes, so he thinks this is such a big deal. I mentioned that I would prefer that he drink Sprite and he said he would check and see if they have that. ha ha

His three toys today were a Captain America figure that he got at AWANA last night...

...a stuffed monkey for nap time...

...and a big, noise making Ogre.  The teacher informed me that starting next week, all three toys had to fit in their backpacks or they wouldn't be able to play with them. I thought this rule was instituted b/c of the Ogre, but Miles insisted that it fits in his backpack, and Darrin later confirmed that with the same conviction as Miles.

When I picked Miles up, I asked him to tell me about his room since the kids were all playing outside. He said, "Let me show you around" and he did. I got the grand tour all the way from the math area to the cozy corner. I especially loved the two Lite Brites!

Another perk of this room is the kids that started kindergarten last fall come in after they get out of school in the afternoons.  Miles is so happy to be reunited with all his friends...Alex Pitz, Neely, Amelia, Ethan, and Avery to name a few.

Tonight, the packing began.  The dining room is completely packed and all the pictures from the entire house are off the walls and packed.  I'm making myself work on it a little at a time b/c moving day will be here before we know it.  Seeing how long it took me to pack up the dining room, and how many boxes it took, was a little overwhelming. 

And now it's 9:28pm and I haven't stopped for a second all day.  It's going to be a long couple of weeks. Thankfully, even though it stresses me out a bit, we have a week in Mexico coming up before the move. I feel certain I'll find a way to relax in the sun and sand. YES!!!!!!!!

Less Words Wednesday

Miles got a new pair of boots from some volleyball parents at Union. Spoiling him already. That's what volleyball families do best.  He LOVES them.

Random Thoughts on Tuesday

I tend to get in food ruts. Not a bad rut, just the kind where I eat the same thing over and over b/c it's so good. Right now, I'm loving wraps for lunch.  I include turkey, ham, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and a little honey mustard dressing. At first the gluten free wraps tasted a little like cardboard, but I've grown to love them. I'm in the middle of the same love/hate with hummus right now, but it's growing on me too.

Tonight, we helped celebrate Ansley's birthday. She wanted a surprise party, so her sweet momma planned one at Los Portales.  She's having a little "sparty" with her girlfriends, so we decided to tag along at the family party tonight since Miles isn't into spa parties.  She was truly surprised.

To Miles' delight, she seemed very happy with the Barbie Vet that we got her.  I had to text some friends that have girls to get some ideas.  One of the ideas was a Barbie and that seemed like a fun gift to buy.

Miles showed up on the VUE Magazine site today.  It was a pic from Saturday.  I think it's adorable. He looks so serious about feeding the sheep.

We sold two major pieces of furniture tonight.  A couch and our kitchen table & chairs.  We had four couches.  Since we are going from a living room, TV room, and a sun room down to just a living room, some couches had to go.  Parting with our kitchen table was a little sad. We have spent so much time around it as a family and playing games with friends.  Like the living situation, we are going from a living room and an eat in kitchen to a bar with bar stools and an eat in kitchen. Something had to go.  I think the new owner loved it as much as we did, so that made us feel good.  She probably thought we were crazy b/c we were acting a little attached to the table. 

We moved a table from the sun room to fill the spot and give us somewhere to eat.  Another set that doesn't have a spot in the new house but I'm not ready to part with it yet.  I'm going to move it and hope for the best.  Let the transition of furniture and boxes begin.

Now, I'm off to watch my favorite night of TV.  I will be watching in this order as much as I can get through before falling asleep...Married at First Sight, Younger, Flip or Flop, 19 Kids & Counting, and House Hunters.  I have a feeling I will only make it through the first show.  Good night!

Working the System

Miles got a little unhappy about having to come inside tonight.  He comes inside around 7pm every night, but tonight produced screaming, tears, stomping, staring neighbors (I don't blame them)....which lead to stern parents and an eventual spanking. Darrin dealt with most of it, so Miles began yelling from the bath tub for my attention.  For the record, this picture is from another night... 

I yelled back from downstairs and told him that I wasn't coming up and that he needed to do everything that his daddy told him to do.  He was exceptionally needy and went back and forth many times before he accomplished everything he was told to do.  When he finally go out, he told Darrin that he was crying b/c I ignored him and that he didn't think I loved him or cared about him b/c I wouldn't give him a hug.  #ourlittlemanipulator #knowshowtoworkit #heprobablygotthatfromme

Weekend Wrap Up

Happy Mother's Day!  We had a fun weekend, spending time with both our moms.  After their Lyme tests on Thursday, Darrin dropped Miles off at my mom's house since she lives 20 minutes from my doctor. He came home that night and my mom brought Miles home on Friday.  Friday night we just hung out at home.

I bought a desk on our local swap shop and have been busy working to it refinish it.  Darrin and I used wood filler to fill in all the holes earlier in the week.  My mom and I sanded on it for hours on Saturday.  It was a dusty job, but it looked so good when we were finished.  I'll post a lot more on that in another post just as soon as I finish it. 

While we were busy with the desk, Miles went with Darrin's parents to an anniversary party at Crystal's bank.  The weather was rainy, but it didn't slow them down.  They played in the rain...

Saw the animals at the petting zoo...

Rode the train...

...jumped on jumpies and ate snow cones and hot dogs. After the party was over, Miles went fishing with his Pa.  They caught 12 fish and Miles had a great time.

He played outside at home for the rest of the day and was beyond exhausted when it was finally time for bed. So much so, that a minuscule cut on his toe sent him into hysterics b/c it "hhhuuurrrtttsssssss".  It was traumatic. For everyone.

We went to early church this morning. It was raining when we left for church, but snapped a few pics when we got home.

Darrin's parent's, Crystal, Steve, and the girls came over for lunch today. Miles planned a "surprise" all morning. After everyone arrived, he asked me to have them to all come in the living room, where he proceeded to shoot rounds from his Nerf gun into the air.  We were all left scratching our heads over this surprise.  His gun jammed in the middle of his presentation, which flustered him a little, but he got through it.

We had lasagna, salad, garlic bread, fruit, and strawberry pie for lunch.  After lunch, we socialized.

Then it was time for obligatory Mother's Day pictures.  These lovely mothers are worthy of a few pictures, for sure.  

 

After our company left, Darrin and I consumed our day with watching the Players Championship on TV. When we have a Sunday afternoon to devote to watching golf, we will absolutely do it.  Today's finish was one of the best I've seen.  A-mazing.  Miles played outside all afternoon and even managed to clean out his tree house. He's taking good care of it for the new owners. 

Today's get together was our last in this house.  Now, it's time to begin packing and getting ready for our move in just 4 weeks.  But first, vacation is in 2 weeks!!  Let all the countdowns begin. We're ready.

Happy Mother's Day to our moms. We love you both and appreciate the ways you love us and invest in our little family.  We enjoyed spending Mother's Day with you! 

A Day I've Dreaded

Soon after I was diagnosed with Lyme disease I began to worry about whether or not Miles had it. Since there isn't much research about chronic Lyme, we still aren't sure exactly how it is transmitted.  I watched the documentary Under Our Skin (terrifying) years ago and it talks about entire families having Lyme disease. I talked to my doctor about testing Miles and his recommendation was to wait until we had a reason to test him.

Unfortunately, he's given us several reasons lately.  I've mentioned on here that he's had random fevers since the first of the year.  He's also had Fifths disease, sore throats, swollen lymphs nodes, and consistent headaches.  I got a little concerned during the bouts with fever, but for the most part, I think I've done a pretty good job of not freaking the heck out like I would like to.  Miles has a relatively low pain tolerance and he knows how to use key words to get my attention and concern.  I try not to show it but he's astoundingly perceptive for a five year old.

The straw that broke the camels back for me was when he told me he couldn't get the lotion out of the tube b/c he couldn't squeeze and tried to show me he couldn't grip.  Huge red flag for me b/c joint pain in my hands was my main complaint aside from my headaches and to my knowledge Miles has never heard me complain about that.  So, Darrin took Miles to my doctor in middle TN today to have blood work drawn to test for Lyme. Even though it's a lot more expensive to have it done there, I will trust the results completely. After all, I tested negative with a mainstream doctor over a year before Dr. Bernui diagnosed me with Lyme.  That's a whole year longer that I struggled with pain & no answers.

To make matters worse, I've also suspected that Darrin has Lyme for a while now. I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a little crazy b/c when anyone complains about chronic pain, I would probably diagnose them with Lyme.  It's just my world.  He does share some of my symptoms, like headaches, neck stiffness, and fatigue, just maybe not to the same severity, especially on a regular basis.  I have wanted him to get tested for a long time. Today seemed like a logical time to finally get that done.

I expect the results to take 3-5 weeks.  I pray that my fears prove to be completely irrational and both of their tests come back negative.  I talked to Miles' teacher about his health for the first time recently and she had zero concerns about him while he is at school, which gave me a little hope that he's just playing the sympathy card with me.  How I pray that is the case.  If one or both of them test positive, I have no idea what the plan is.  I really don't. Financially, it would be very hard.  Emotionally, it would be heartbreaking. In the end, I understand that God has ordained our days and set us on this path. Nothing will catch Him by surprise.  We would love your prayers for negative results over the next few weeks.