Our normal life

Life is getting back to usual, and it has slowed down the last few weeks.  By slowed down, I really mean there's still a lot going on, but I'm not as crazy with unpacking, decorating, re-organizing things every spare minute.  Now, I'm mostly back to our normal, day-to-day stuff. So, if you're sick of my blogs about our move, I've decided to just focus on some typical things that have happened lately since I have kind of let everything else slip into the background since the move.

Charlie is 19months...almost 20 at this point!  He is on the move, and he's uncontrollable!  He is Mr. Independent, and in many ways he reminds me so much of Kenley at this age.  Everything is, "I try" and "Me too!" and let me tell you he is not happy if he doesn't get it.  He is talking so much, and it is pretty funny to hear all the new words he is learning and the sentences he is forming.  Today he said, "I see a bunny right there!"  (Although, I don't believe there was a bunny in sight) He loves to try to keep up with his older sister, and any older kids, and he's doing a pretty good job at it.  He's obsessed with Bubble Guppies, and he is starting to learn many animal names.  He also likes to be funny, and when you ask him what his name is, he will usually say, "cow".

 I remember 18 months-2 was probably the most challenging time with Kenley in terms of going out, and it seems to be happening again.  We haven't stopped going out because of it, but I am totally "that mom" at the grocery store, restaurants, or pretty much in any public place that gets "the look."  Sometimes it's a sympathetic look of people that understand what it's like, or they feel sorry for me being out with a kid that's having a public meltdown, or sometimes it's the evil eye, like "why did you bring your kid here."  It can be frustrating, but I know it will get easier, and I can't just hole up inside because my kid gets a little crazy every now and then. ( and by that I mean often) 

Kenley is doing great, and she had her Spring Musical at school this week.  It was really cute, and they sang and danced to some Easter songs.  She is very into everything girly, and she loves to dress up, put on make-up, and do "make-overs.'  I have to hide my make-up from her because I have seen some very scary makeovers in the past few weeks. She especially loves to dress up with her cousin, Kayla.  I love that they are girly-girls!  But, of course, they are tough too!

 The past few weeks, my sister I have started switching off weeks, so one week I watch her kids for a few hours, and the next week she watches my kids for a few hours. We always help each other out if needed, but we designated this weekly switch off for us each to have a little "me" time.  So, we each get 2-3 hours every other week to do whatever we want kid-free!  It has been really nice.  And, the key to having all 4 kids by yourself is to keep lots of snacks, cartoons, and toys available.  That, and we usually get lucky and either Charlie or Autumn will nap, sometimes both!

This month, I also put in my official resignation to Morton.  I don't think it is much of a surprise to anyone, and I am happy that it is "official."  I am happy that I still keep in contact with the co-workers that I was close with, and I will be seeing them next week. Teaching at the community college is going great, and I am happy that I will be back to teaching 2 classes again in the fall.  I am truly so very grateful to be home with the kids, and work just a few hours a week. Ray works long days, with a long commute, so I am truly grateful for him.  I am also going to try to help out with the company I worked for last summer with home clean-outs/preparing for estate sales.  I really liked working with them, and it was so flexible.

I also decided to torture myself once again, and I signed up for the half-marathon again in May.  I had it in my mind that I wanted to do it, but now I'm really committed.  Now, I need to actually start running outside!  I am planning my first outdoor long-run of 8-9 miles on Monday.  I figured this will help me get in better shape for the summer!  I am proud of myself though because it has been a year and half since I started working out after Charlie was born, and I have stuck with it!  I go to the gym 4-5 days a week, and now it is just part of our regular routine.  The kids really like the play area/daycare and it helped get us out of the house throughout the winter.

That's about it for a catch-up of what we've been up to (other than the move!)  Toodles!!

Spring is in the Air!

Yay!  It's finally not totally frigid weather here!  We've actually gotten a few days where we have been able to be outside.  To be honest, this winter didn't feel that terrible to me. I know we had a few days of a lot of snow, and many days of cold, but it didn't seem as bad as last year.  I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that the kids stayed relatively healthy this winter!  Last winter, I swear, we were at the doctor every other week.  Also, I think it seemed to go by faster since the time from right after the holidays until now we have been so busy with the move.  Anyway, we are welcoming Spring!!  (although, there is a slight chance of snow on Monday...) St. Patrick's Day was last week, and Kenley had a little party at school.  Charlie was not happy that he was stuck in his stroller, but when I let him out he was running around like a wild animal, and he almost destroyed the organized neat stations of Kenley's classroom in 30 seconds!

Last weekend, my sister and I went to Gurnee for the day/night.  I am so happy we were able to go, and even though it was only a little over 24 hours, it was like a vacation to us  Even though I get to see my sister a lot, it was so nice to spend time with her one-on-one. We actually got to shop, talk and relax without being interrupted by crying, toddler demands, diaper changes, or the usual craziness that happens when were together with all 4 kids. We got to take our time looking at anything and everything we wanted, tried on clothes, and had dinner and drinks.  The next morning, we both got massages, manicures, and pedicures, and we headed back to the mall for a few more hours.  We bought a lot of stuff, and somehow more than half of the stuff we bought was for the kids. We both got a much needed little break!

I have a pretty fun weekend ahead because Ray surprised me this week, and he got me tickets to the Eric Church concert with my friend Melissa!  It's tomorrow night, and I'm pretty excited because again, I will get some time with one of my mama friends without our kids! Melissa probably needs it even more than me since she has 3 kids! I think Ray knew I had been a little stressed out with the move, and he really wanted to give me some "grown up" time since he went on his golf trip.  Then, on Saturday night he and I are having a date night.  We are planning on just doing something simple like dinner and a movie, but we are excited because our last date night, which was over a month ago consisted of errands to Home Depot, Lowes, etc....

Other than that, we've still been pretty consumed with little things around the house.  We didn't have to do much work, unlike last time when we basically had the entire house remodeled the first few months after we moved.  But, little things here and there like replacing a few light fixtures, paint touch-ups, and just making this house "ours."  Ray has been in charge of all of the labor/maintenance, and I happily took over the job as decorator! I have had so much fun decorating, and searching for the perfect little trinkets to complete each room.  I think I'm mostly "done," but every time I say that I find something else I like, or think of something else I want.  I have used a lot of the decorations from the old house, and have made too many trips  Hobby Lobby and Michaels, but I have also found a lot of cute things at several of the local re-sale shops.  I'll admit I'm kind of picky and particular about decorating, and I've bought and returned so many things over the past few weeks until I found things that I felt looked good and made it feel like "home." 

Here are two of my favorite little decorating projects from the last few weeks!

Settling in

It has been exactly 3 weeks since our move.  Things are finally settling down a little bit, and for the first time since we moved I was actually able to relax a little bit this week. I was kind of a mad woman that first week, and besides sleeping, I don't think I was still for more than 5 minutes, and usually then it was just to eat or drink something to stay energized!  We have gotten so much done in these few weeks and I am so happy with the way things are coming along. We were able to get the few rooms we needed painted within the few days between the time we closed and the time we moved.We have gotten most of our furniture, and we are just waiting on a few small pieces.  The next thing I can't wait to do is hang stuff on the walls.  We have put a few little things up, but I can't wait to get all of our family pictures, wall decorations, etc. up.  I know then it will really start to feel like home for me.

It was very cold on the day we moved, but I guess that's to be expected in February.  We had excellent movers, and a lot of help from our whole family throughout the weekend.  The grandparents took care of Kenley and Charlie the day we moved and the day after, which was a huge help.  The morning we moved, my sister and brother-in-law were at our house. Ray and Greg took control of packing the garage, which was really full.  My sister and I cleaned each room and finished packing breakables.  Then, my mom and sister met us at the new house and helped unpack and organize our kitchen and closets.  Sunday, Ray's family came over and his brother-in-law helped him move a few pieces of furniture and  his mom and sister helped me organize our clothes and dressers.  We are very grateful for all the help of our family.  We couldn't have done it without them.


I also did really well on moving day, and I didn't cry at all! I think that is mostly because I know we will be going back there over the next few weeks to finish a few little things before it is officially sold. (Also, of course I was super anxious to get over to the new house so I didn't have much time to really think about it!) The only things we really need to do are close on our old house, which should be taking place at the end of March, and get our swing-set moved.  I know it's going to be a pain, but I just know it will be so worth it to have it.  Especially now that Charlie is older, I know the kids will have so much fun on it once it warms up.  We're all looking forward to Spring, and to making this house a home.  I'm ready to accomplish a lot this weekend, since I was really sick this week and basically did nothing for four days!

This was probably my favorite moment over the past few weeks.  It was the first morning the kids woke up in the new house.  The kids came in to snuggle with us, and we took a family selfie!  It was nice to have us all together that morning after a very hectic few weeks!

Countdown is on

It is less than 48 hours unti we will be officially living in our new house! I can't believe it. In some ways I wish I could just fast-forward to a few weeks from now when we are settled in the house. But, what fun would that be? Although I do not like this in-between period of most of our stuff is packed/I don't know where anything is or where anything goes in the new house, I know it will feel so good to get everything organized in the new house. Some part of me looks forward to it, but I am most excited about decorating!!

So far, moving with kids has been about as stressful as I thought it would be. I think we've been handling it pretty well, but I've definetly had my moments. The hardest part so far has just been trying to keep our house clean while we have had walk-throughs, while trying to pack. But, I guess it has paid off because we have a contract on the house! We actually found out on Monday, the same day we closed on the new house.  What a great day! We've had almost 50 walk throughs in 1 month of being on the market! We have had to spend a lot of time out of the house, which hasn't always been easy with the kids. We went on many Starbucks drive-thorough runs when we just had to be out for 15-20 min. Coffee for me, and cake pops for the kids (and myself, to be honest)

We were already able to get the rooms we wanted painted, and we are officially movie Friday.  The new furniture we ordered is coming on Saturday. It's going to be like Christmas morning for Ray and I! We can't wait! I think we are most excited that we are finally getting a King-sized bed! We are also so grateful that our parents will be watching the kids overnight over the weekend. That is really going to be the biggest help! I know I'll be a crazy woman trying to get everything done right away, but I also know it's going to take a while to get settled.

We have been to the house the last few days a little bit each night, but it definetly will take a while for it to feel like home.  It took me about 10 minutes to figure out which light switch was for which light today! It really feels unreal, but in a good way. I've hd a few moments of being sad packing up this house, especially getting rid of Charlie's baby stuff that he's too big for already. I'm pretty sure I will cry on moving day once the house is empty. But, I know we have many, many new memories to make in our new home.

Next time I update, we will be there!

New Year, New.....

House!! Holy crap!! We bought a new house!  Somehow, between Christmas and New Year's Eve we bought a house. Yes, during the craziest time of the year we bought a house.  I really shouldn't be surprised because it seems kinda like that's how we do things around here. We have been talking about wanting to move for a year or so, and over the past few months we decided that we would get serious "after the holidays." Before we knew it we had seen a few houses, met a realtor, decided to put our house on the market in January, saw more houses, put an offer in, and now we are going to be moving in about a month!

This is extremely exciting, but also very overwhelming. We have SO much to do in these next few weeks. It's going to be crazy moving. I thought it was stressful when just Ray and I moved from our 2 bedroom condo into this house. Now we have 2 extra people in our family who have helped us accumulate a LOT of extra stuff. (the toys...OMG I can't even begin to describe the toys. Puzzle pieces, doll shoes, stuffed animals, things that I have no idea what they are for. I never knew my kids had so many light up things, and pinwheels.  No idea what to do with it all.  On the positive side, this will help us de-clutter!!)

I can't wait to be in our new house. I can't wait to make it a home, and I am so excited for the kids to grow up there. I can't stop looking at the pictures of the house and realizing that we are going to live there. Our (current) house officially went on the market yesterday, and we already have a showing lined up for the weekend.  We're expecting and hoping to get more in the next few days.  It has been very crazy trying to de-clutter and keep the house extra super clean, but we are hoping that we will see our house pretty quickly.

I know things are going to be crazy and hectic these next few weeks, but I also know that it will all work out ok.  Here we are almost 5 years ago on moving day to this house.  Little did we know that the very next day I would get a positive pregnancy test.  We hoped that this house would be where we started our family, and we have been so blessed to have it come true.  I get a little sad thinking of leaving, but I know we have tons of amazing new memories to make in our new house. 

Merry and Bright

We had a fabulous Christmas!! What a fun, magical time with the kids it was. We had many parties and celebrations, which started with Kenley's school party.  They did their usual activities of singing, passing out treats, and had a visit from Santa.  I met up with my old co-workers, and I got to meet Frank Thomas at a new sports bar that he opened in the area. It was so good seeing them, and its always a fun time attending the annual Christmas party.  Ray and I also got amazing tickets to a Blackhawks game, and we were on the ice right next to the penalty box. It wasn't a good game, but it was fun being there.

Christmas Eve we went out to dinner with my mom's side of the family. We had another special visit from Santa, and we had 5 kids/babies here under 4. It's fun watching them all play together. Kenley was very into her preparations for Santa, and she made sure to sprinkle her "reindeer food" on the driveway and lay out the cookies and milk right by the fireplace. As soon as both kids were up Christmas morning, we headed down stairs to open our stockings and presents. Kenley was trilled with every gift, and Charlie seemed most happy about the sucker he found in his stocking.  Kenley also couldn't get over the fact that Santa left daddy and Archie onions in their stockings. (Hahaa....)

We went to my mom's house for breakfast, and we had dinner at my mother-in-law's.  We had a really great day, and we are so lucky that our families are close by so we can see everyone on Chrismtas. The kids were very spoiled by everyone in the family, and they got so many really nice toys, clothes, and everything else you could think of.  It was great to spend the day with family, and we were all exhausted by the end of the day!








It was such a great holiday season, and tomorrow we are looking forward to spending our 4th New Years Eve with our friends, the Rose Family.

FOUR and FROZEN

Kenley turned 4 last Monday, and the weekend before we had her Frozen birthday party.  It was so much fun, and we enjoyed celebrating with family and friends.  (Although, we really missed Go-go who was really sick that weekend.)  Queen Elsa made a special appearance, and it was definitely the highlight of the party for the kids and adults.  Of course, we had a sing along to, "Let it go," and it was priceless to see how happy Kenley was that the ice queen had showed up. She had no idea that we had planned this, and she was truly surprised when she opened the door. They had a special moment downstairs where they were just laughing and smiling at each other.  It was a really fun party, and a great way to celebrate!

On Monday, her actual birthday she had such a busy day!  She went to school to practice for their holiday musical which was that night.  Then, they had their parent viewing and last ballet class before the holiday. Kenley ended up with only 4 girls in her ballet class, so they really got a lot of personal attention.  She did an excellent job, and I can really tell she is learning a lot and improving from last year.  The best part was at the end of the class where they did a little dance to, "You are my sunshine."  Just precious.  I'm so glad Kenley has been enjoying learning to dance, and she is taking a combined ballet/tap class starting in January.

A few hours later, she performed with all of her pre-school friends in her first school musical.  All of the children looked so adorable dressed up in their holiday clothes. They all did really well, but of course my eyes were focused on Kenley singing her little heart out to "Frosty the snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." It was a very fun and busy day! 

Kenley had been talking about having a Frozen birthday since the summer, so we have had a lot of time to plan her party.  She also knew that I was "sad" she was turning 4, and would ask me every day leading up to her birthday if I was happy or sad she was turning for.  But, she reassured me that she would still love me even when she was four!  Ha, ha...Now, she keeps reminding me that she can do things on her own since she is four. This kid has always been so independent, social, chatty, outgoing, demanding, and funny, and it is just so amazing to see her personality developing more every year.  I love this girl to pieces, and I am so happy and proud that she is my daughter!

Autumn

My new niece, Autumn Elizabeth is here!  She was born on Nov. 6th, weighing in at 7lbs, 11oz and is 20.5 inches.  Everything went really well for my sister, and she is happy to be home and adjusting to life as a family of 4.  I rushed up to the hospital as soon as I finished working, and I couldn't get there fast enough.  I was giving a quiz in my classes that day, and I was checking my phone every 5 minutes just waiting for a picture.  I was so happy when I finally got there, and I was able to hold her.  She is precious.  I'm excited for our whole family to have another baby in the family, for Kayla to be a big sister, and for my kids to have another cousin!

We had a great weekend, and it was one of the first weekends in a long, long time that we had absolutely no plans.  All four of us were home together, and it was kind of nice to just do whatever we wanted.  Sunday, we spent a few hours at the mall.  Unexpectedly, we ran into Santa!  We didn't even know he was there this early, but as soon as Kenley saw him, we knew there was no turning back.  We were just going to wave to him because the kids definitely weren't "picture ready."  Charlie had smeared chocolate chip cookie everywhere, and Kenley insisted on dressing herself that day, and was wearing a shirt about 2 sizes too small, and she had what we call "crazy hair." But, as soon as Santa saw us, he walked right over!  He wasn't busy at all, so he talked to Kenley and she sat on his lap in with a shy sense of awe and talked to him for a good 5 minutes.  He suggested I put Charlie on his lap to warm him up a little for when we do come back for pictures, so I brushed off as many crumbs as I could and put Charlie in Santa's lap.  He loved Santa!  I was surprised he wasn't afraid, and he was snuggling into his lap with the biggest smile. We will see if they are both so happy when we go back for another visit and get a picture.


We've had a few really good weeks. Kenley and Charlie are starting to actually play together a little bit, and it so cool to watch them having fun together. Charlie just turned 15 months, and he is talking a lot, but not walking so much. He says so many words, he says, mama, mommy, dads, "ne-ne" for Kenley, all his grandparents names, "Go-go, Mimi, and Papa", bye-bye, funny, and repeats Lots of other words.  This week, as we were listening to, "Let it Go," in the car and Kenley and I were singing, he joined in singing, "go! Go!" It was so cute.  He's really getting into music and dancing. He is still working on walking, but he is making progress. He's a pro walking around and holding onto something, but he has only ventured out to about 3-4 steps on his own.  He finds a way to get into everything though, and he is quite he climber!  Kenley is doing great in school, and she has made some new friends this year.  She is also is having a great time in ballet class.  She has her first little Christmas musical coming up in early December, and I can't wait to see her perform.  She's also very excited about her birthday party, and has been talking about it for months already!  It's going to be a fun couple of weeks coming up!