a shifting of sorts

Well... life is slowly shifting...

again...

well, that is life, isn't it? A forever changing, shifting, revolving, morphing thing.

I find I am either thrilled at the possibility of change... or I hate it.

I'm not really an in-between person...

The Captain now has 2 weeks of full-time shinny, new-job work under his belt.

Which means I am remembering what days are like with 2 littles sans hubby.

and you know what?

my house is cleaner!

What?!

crazy... I know...

my conclusion... mess is all Andy... shhh, don't tell him...

(So, Captain outta the house... good change!)

(love you, Captain!)

Besides getting in to the new swing of things, and catching up on laundry...

( did spring just jump outta nowhere and slap anybody else in the face all of a sudden... my boys wardrobes were not ready... I have been digging clothes out and putting others away... HUGE chore!)

Ryder was crazy sick over the past weekend into the beginning of the week. High fever, vomiting, the other thing no one wants to mention, no energy and crazy sleep hours. After 3 days of holding/ sleeping with him and being slime-ed a few times... He is rebounding. The Doc says rosiolla.

This Mama's glad it is over.

(baby boy sick...bad change.  Baby boy better... good change!)

Rigg is busting at the seams with personality. He is loving the weather and all the trips to the park. I find him taking all the time in the world to explore trees and sticks and rocks. He is so much fun. He brought me my first mommy bouquet the other day. Daddy and Rigg gathered "prettys" for me on the way home from the park...

I still have them in a jar on the table....

Both the boys are starting to really play together. Which results in a lot of giggles and a lot of tears... all mixed up together in a a matter of minutes. Is there a term for the perfect mix of frustration and thankfulness? That is what describes me in these situations...

Other new changes include fun, pretty things... for me!(yeah!)

Our couch broke... and was super nasty and stained and literally poking a hole in the wall behind it... plaster dust everywhere.

The Captain bought me a new one.

and I smile and giggle a bit every time I sit on it.

and a new rug too... because he knows how dreadful the other one would have looked... I am sure he stayed awake at nights thinking about the color and how it would have clashed...

That, or it was a good deal and he loves me like crazy...

whatever...

Also I rearranged my mantel, which I am sure no one notices but me... but hey, sometimes it's the small things in life...

And I made some fun curtains for my kitchen!

So really, it's like living in a new house... kinda.

(New, pretty home decor... good change!)

My Mom bought me a super fun family rules sign from Barn Owl Primitives. (for my birthday, which was in January... it just arrived yesterday!!!)

I LOVE IT!!!

And that, my interwebby friends, is why I have been practically nonexistent for almost 2 weeks. My life is shifting and I am allowing myself some time to adjust...

and maybe to absorb the small beautiful things...

and for the briefest of moments, I pondered never returning

Because my time away from kids, husband, house and laundry all responsibility whatsoever was utterly DELIGHTFUL.

But I do love my family...

So I came home...

and I ran of fun money... so I had to.

Nuance.

It was a mini trip of food, coffee, more food... talking about food, and shopping until you have that slightly glazed over look, your left foot goes numb and you dream of dressing rooms.

So in other words...

Practically perfect.

and to top that off... I Instagramed it all for you...you're welcome.

It was me and 3 of my dearest friends. Who all at one point in time, happened to live in room 359 of Earhart Hall at Purdue University...

The 359 girls... if we were a band.

Anyhoo... We all live in different states now, making it harder to see one another and catch up on the important things of life, like our kids, husbands, makeup and skinny jeans...

Because of the lack of face time... the mini vacay was born. Hotel, spa day food til you puke... just the girls. And now that we have had the experience, we are planning our next.

So this was, as my friend Suzanne V. puts it, our first pancake.  Where you test the heat of the griddle, the thickness of the batter... all the elements as to make changes for the next pancake... to make it better... and better, until you have the perfect balance.

Our first trip = our first pancake.

It was yummy, folks!

Not much tweeking to be had...

We, and by we I mean Julie, sought out some primo deals through Groupon and LiningSocial. All that deal scoring was very beneficial to our pocket books and allowed for much more shopping, or more coffee... or cheesecake... let's just say it got us more rest and relaxation.

Our final day, as sad as it was, included a facial and a massage at a local spa.

DEVINE.

Although, after filling out the pre-self-indulgence questionnaire, Julie thought my answer about experiencing stress should be changed... consider me outrageously optimistic...

 I cannot believe how fast it went... and how much I miss them already, unbelievably wonderful it was.

Also... how ready I am for my second pancake...

Gettin' ready...

New and exciting things await us in the next few days....

Mama's gettin' away.

A mini vacay is in store starting.... (EeeEEkKKkk!!!) tomorrow!!!

You know, just me, some of my closest friends... no kids... no husband... no responsibility... a shower EVERYDAY, hot meals eaten slowly in one sitting, focused, uninterrupted conversation, and SHOPPING....

ARE YOU JEALOUS?

because you should be... just a wee bit.

because it is going to be

AWESOME!!!

or something to that effect...

Not only do we have Mama's "sanity saver" coming up, but we have even more exciting news.

The Captain is starting A JOB next Monday!!!

Can I get a Praise Jesus?!?

What an answer to prayer. Thank you so much for keeping my husband and my family in your prayers as we walked this interesting path the last few months.  God has been gracious to us, He has shown His loving kindness to us through you and your prayers and gifts. We have rarely had time to forget how blessed we are. And when the occasion did pop up for doubt, self-pity and stress... you all encouraged and loved on us.(or just me... I seem to be the complainer of the family)

THANK YOU.

Now... to packing!!!

eeekkk!!!

phone dump...

Man! Y'all know how to encourage and lift a girl's spirits! Thanks so much for all the comments, emails and all around awesomeness. The prayers and virtual hugs were felt.

and now I am back to my usual overly-sunny self...

some days are just hard and you need a good hard whack gentle perspective reminder.

So thanks!

This post is just an end of the week phone dump. So now I can do something with the pics I keep taking... and you see a bit of the untold brilliance that goes on around these parts...

These are in no particular order...

Ryder would crack up whenever I put this hat on him...it must have tickled, because he would shove his ears into his shoulders and giggle...so cute.

a rare self-portrait...

  

Ryder is everywhere and into everything... and he is silent and fast... not a great combo for a toddler. So here he is surrounded by a pile of wipes that he just successfully disengaged from their container.

 

Rigg is a huge cheese-ball lately. He is constantly dancing and singing... and fake laughing...which makes me laugh... which makes him "real" laugh...and then we have a bit of a giggle fest.

 

Ryder is a snuggle bug... he loves a good long snuggle right after nap time... don't mind if I do!

 

Rigg wearing a little brother T-shirt...

He might not feel it... and some may never know...but he is a little brother!

 

Ryder eating a mid-morning snack...

 

and me watching him...you know,they say cleaning your house while the kids are up is like shoveling your driveway while it is still snowing... I was just applying that principal... and the dog helped with the clean up! 

Happy Weekend!!

what I need

The weather today is gorgeous.

65 and sunny.

But despite the loveliness out of doors... I am having a day.

It has been one of those mornings when you wonder what God was thinking allowing you to parent children. My mommy attitude has been poor. I have been nasty and grumpy to my kids... my precious blessings... and then I have guilt which in turn has put me on the verge of tears all morning. 

It's one of those days where the lies of the evil one are loud in my ears... telling me I could do so much better as a mommy, as a wife, as a home maker, as a friend...

I suppose it has been building.

 I feel like I desperately need a break, physically, emotionally...mentally... and there is none to be had.

Today everything stressful and emotional in my life seems to have hit at once.

The Captain still has not found a job... and he is home... a lot.

My house looks like a toy/clothes/(dog)fur/stuff bomb exploded.

My one year old is teething BIG TIME. There are like 8 teeth coming in!

Rigg is testing and toeing the line.

My kids and I have been sick for 16 days and counting.

and then there is the $$ thing that comes with a husband with no job...

and the I feel fat thing that comes from having 3 babies in 3 years...

and on top of all that...

today I miss Caden so much it hurts.

It's just one of those days when all the crap of life hits you in the face...

and then laughs at how poor you are handling it.

I just need a big, long hug... on a beach... in St. Lucia...from the person who paid for me to be there and is watching my children.... for 9 days.

that's all I need.

that and a candy bar that tastes just like a snickers, but when you eat it you lose a pants size....

that's all I need.

or maybe just some prayer... for my attitude... for my husband.... for my broken heart.

because today

that really is what I need.

a day (or 2) at the museum

We have an excellent children's museum near us.

It is HUGE and colorful and jam-packed full of kid loving goodness.

We recently acquired a membership pass...which allows us to attend whenever we want. SO many useful benefits, especially with littles. We can go early and leave before lunch.. if we don't do everything, who cares? We can go back next week!!!

So we have been making good use of our new pass. I have instagramed our last couple of trips...so the photos were taken by camera phone, on the move, chasing people under 3... if they are a bit sub par, you will understand....

Right now they have a Mr. Potato Head exhibit. Rigg loves "tato head" and it is hard to get him to move on to the other options in the room. Rigg's favorite "tato head" accessories are hats, shoes and mustaches.

Ryder and a col light exhibit...

watching Andy and Rigg drive the bull dozer was hilarious!

There is a play scape with a section for children under 2. All the floors, walls and toys are big and plush... Ryder loved crawling through the tunnel and rolling down the ramps.

All three boys played/ stared at this ball machine for about 10 min. 

 

The museum has a carousel that has been there since I was a kid. It is 90+ years old and was once in one of the parks around town. Rigg wanted to ride the lion and Ryder danced himself silly to the music.

 Stellar kid watching by the Captain...

 

A hall of mirrors...

  

a trip to Egypt...

 

A "life sized" Bumble Bee. Rigg talked about Bumble Bee all day after this.

 

Ryder started getting sleepy... my friend Cristi was lulling him to sleep...



 An awesome dinosaur exhibit. The sky changes color and it simulates a thunder storm...

Which helped put this little guy over the edge...