Hello Blogger friends-
Is blogging still a thing?
I recently read where blogging is a thing of the past due to Instagram and Snap chat.
I've never been one to confirm to the types- so here I am typing.
This is more to save me time on going to therapy than anything.
Here's a nut shell on life:
1-My dad passed away in Sept.
2- My baby buddy is now 5 1/2 years old
3- I now have 2 Etsy shops plus a website that keeps me busy.
Sadly, I think you are all caught up now.
I make no promises- but- I'll try to do better on writing.
I sorta miss using this outlet.
XOXO-
Meg
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Update on Dad #5
Life is stable right now.
We are finding a new normal.
There was a moment in August when I couldn't see the stability that we are living in right now.
There was a moment in August when I sat in the dark corner of dad's hospital room and begged God to make all of this just go away.
The beeping of dad's IV was the ever constant reminder that my family's bad dream really wasn't a dream after all.
The rain drops day after day after day hitting his hospital windows were additional reminders that we were in our own storm.
The month of August pretty much sucked for us.
There's no eloquent way of putting it.
Stage 4 lung cancer in someone who doesn't even smoke......sucks.
I'm pretty sure after the Dr. told us lung cancer, I responded with "are you kidding me?!?"
Here's what I do know: Cancer is crazy. It's unpredictable. And no one really knows what's going on with it. The whole thing is a big guessing game. The more questions you ask, the more you want to scream because they can't be answered.
However, our literal saving grace has been God and the mercies and blessings that he has given my family.
By no means are we questioning God, but make no mistake, we are crying out to him. Daily.
Dad started radiation on Tuesday. He will have 10 days of radiation with likely side effects of him losing the hair he has already lost due to the good Walley genes.......and he will more than likely have some red spots and fatigue. I told Dad that it's time to invest in some do-rags for the next couple of weeks and to just lean into the naps that radiation is telling him to take. He really doesn't want to do either.
When we first learned of dad's lung cancer diagnosis, the whole thing was shocking as you can imagine.
Mom and I kept saying that we just knew that she or I would be the ones with cancer in our family.
Mom has a crazy family history with cancer and other health issues, and I took every possible drug to get pregnant with Jax. I have already had the BRCA testing because again, I just figured my body would continue to retaliate against me.
When the Dr. said lung cancer.......the room just silenced. The wheels started turning in our heads.
How? Why? This doesn't make sense.
Dad's oncologist literally said: "it's a good time to have lung cancer actually."
Lung cancer is the #3 cancer.
Research is hot and heavy on lung cancer apparently.
Due to the fact dad is a non-smoker, he had a small upper advantage of possibly have a specific mutated gene that could potentially allow him to bypass chemo and instead, take 8 pills a day along with radiation.
What he didn't tell us though, the chances are only 1%. His Dr. didn't tell us that until last week, which is a great this for this anxiety stricken girl.
Miracle #5 that we have watched since August 7th.........dad is in the 1%.
1%.
I literally can't even comprehend that.
When people say 1% chance.....that generally means no.
When I tell Jax there's a 1% chance that we can go to the toy store and buy him prizes..........what I really mean is "oh heck no kid."
So, when the Dr. said dad is in the 1%.......I cried, because my mom logic over here means that 1% really doesn't even exist.
Due to the statistics, dad can by-pass traditional chemo which is an answered prayer. I have gotten very specific with my prayers to the Lord. I asked God to keep dad from having to endure the natsy chemo......and yesterday dad started his 8 pills a day.
8 pills a day with a glass of water is what dad is using to eradicate cancer.
During daddy/daughter camp, he would ask for ice cream and I would take him greek yogurt with granola on top.
I told him if he complained about it, I would start 'Meatless Monday' at his house.
The month of August taught me that life as an adult is hard.
It's hard and emotional.
It taught me that most everything that I stress out about doesn't even matter. At all.
It doesn't matter.
What does matter is understanding the will of the Lord.
AND........ accepting his will and trusting in his love for us.
August is over.
FINALLY.
God's mercies are new in the month of September and even though we are weary and worn, we are resting in the arms of Jesus.
God is guiding in this new territory of cancer.
He is giving us Biblical truths to find comfort in.
He is allowing small family victories that mean so much.
He is comforting at 2 in the morning when you can't stop analyzing cancer.
It's our prayer that in addition to cancer disappearing from dad's body, dad will have little to no side effects, and the radiation and brand new to the market pills work beautifully on his lungs. I'm hoping dad can be used in a brochure or commercial or something.
September is going to be great month.
We know this to be true already due to the cool weather.
God is with us, and he is healing.
We are finding a new normal.
There was a moment in August when I couldn't see the stability that we are living in right now.
There was a moment in August when I sat in the dark corner of dad's hospital room and begged God to make all of this just go away.
The beeping of dad's IV was the ever constant reminder that my family's bad dream really wasn't a dream after all.
The rain drops day after day after day hitting his hospital windows were additional reminders that we were in our own storm.
The month of August pretty much sucked for us.
There's no eloquent way of putting it.
Stage 4 lung cancer in someone who doesn't even smoke......sucks.
I'm pretty sure after the Dr. told us lung cancer, I responded with "are you kidding me?!?"
Here's what I do know: Cancer is crazy. It's unpredictable. And no one really knows what's going on with it. The whole thing is a big guessing game. The more questions you ask, the more you want to scream because they can't be answered.
However, our literal saving grace has been God and the mercies and blessings that he has given my family.
By no means are we questioning God, but make no mistake, we are crying out to him. Daily.
Dad started radiation on Tuesday. He will have 10 days of radiation with likely side effects of him losing the hair he has already lost due to the good Walley genes.......and he will more than likely have some red spots and fatigue. I told Dad that it's time to invest in some do-rags for the next couple of weeks and to just lean into the naps that radiation is telling him to take. He really doesn't want to do either.
When we first learned of dad's lung cancer diagnosis, the whole thing was shocking as you can imagine.
Mom and I kept saying that we just knew that she or I would be the ones with cancer in our family.
Mom has a crazy family history with cancer and other health issues, and I took every possible drug to get pregnant with Jax. I have already had the BRCA testing because again, I just figured my body would continue to retaliate against me.
When the Dr. said lung cancer.......the room just silenced. The wheels started turning in our heads.
How? Why? This doesn't make sense.
Dad's oncologist literally said: "it's a good time to have lung cancer actually."
Lung cancer is the #3 cancer.
Research is hot and heavy on lung cancer apparently.
Due to the fact dad is a non-smoker, he had a small upper advantage of possibly have a specific mutated gene that could potentially allow him to bypass chemo and instead, take 8 pills a day along with radiation.
What he didn't tell us though, the chances are only 1%. His Dr. didn't tell us that until last week, which is a great this for this anxiety stricken girl.
Miracle #5 that we have watched since August 7th.........dad is in the 1%.
1%.
I literally can't even comprehend that.
When people say 1% chance.....that generally means no.
When I tell Jax there's a 1% chance that we can go to the toy store and buy him prizes..........what I really mean is "oh heck no kid."
So, when the Dr. said dad is in the 1%.......I cried, because my mom logic over here means that 1% really doesn't even exist.
Due to the statistics, dad can by-pass traditional chemo which is an answered prayer. I have gotten very specific with my prayers to the Lord. I asked God to keep dad from having to endure the natsy chemo......and yesterday dad started his 8 pills a day.
8 pills a day with a glass of water is what dad is using to eradicate cancer.
During daddy/daughter camp, he would ask for ice cream and I would take him greek yogurt with granola on top.
I told him if he complained about it, I would start 'Meatless Monday' at his house.
The month of August taught me that life as an adult is hard.
It's hard and emotional.
It taught me that most everything that I stress out about doesn't even matter. At all.
It doesn't matter.
What does matter is understanding the will of the Lord.
AND........ accepting his will and trusting in his love for us.
August is over.
FINALLY.
God's mercies are new in the month of September and even though we are weary and worn, we are resting in the arms of Jesus.
God is guiding in this new territory of cancer.
He is giving us Biblical truths to find comfort in.
He is allowing small family victories that mean so much.
He is comforting at 2 in the morning when you can't stop analyzing cancer.
It's our prayer that in addition to cancer disappearing from dad's body, dad will have little to no side effects, and the radiation and brand new to the market pills work beautifully on his lungs. I'm hoping dad can be used in a brochure or commercial or something.
September is going to be great month.
We know this to be true already due to the cool weather.
God is with us, and he is healing.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Update on Dad #4
Man Oh Man.
My sweet dad is rocking and rolling.
Hurdle #1 of his journey has been crossed.
That man is literally sitting in his favorite chair after a Sunday full of some of his favorite guests.
Dad's Sunday morning started with a delivery of hot apple dumplings.
Then followed by lunch with long time friends, then a visit from his mom.
OH! And Saturday.....he partied at Waylon's 2nd birthday party!
This week, Jax and I are PawPaw's nurses.
I'm sure he would rather have Brittany (one of his favorite hospital nurses) versus dealing with me and ALL of the healthy foods that I brought him.
We have some BIG plans for the week:
Monday- go to the post office so Jax and dad can sit in the car while I buy stamps and check the box.
Tuesday- ride around on some dirt roads and lunch with family.
Wednesday- drive to Leakesville. (dad has already asked me for a Ward's biscuit.....and I've already told him no, but that I'll be happy to make him a great green smoothie instead)
Thursday- go to Hattiesburg to have his stitches removed.
Friday- radiologist appointment.
We are hoping that in a few weeks, dad will be able to start radiation on his brain. We are SO hopeful about this treatment even though it is going to be intense. He will have radiation everyday for 2 weeks.
We are ready.
Dad is ready.
Dad is preparing to put on his 'Armor of God' to battle it out with cancer.
We have felt every emotion since August 7th.
That Monday feels like it was a year ago, and yet it feels like yesterday all at the same time.
Jackson seemed to have been 10 hours away from Hattiesburg on that day.
The hours that passed each day while Dad was in the hospital seemed like minutes.
We (me, mom and Nathan), are still telling dad about the events that happened from surgery #1 until he was discharged from the hospital. Dad really doesn't remember anything or anyone from the time in between his surgeries.
Dear friends, we KNOW that God isn't finished with Brent Walley.
That man is still being used by God.
God has provided SEVERAL miracle moments over the past month that has shown his divine providence to my family.
When the haze started to lift and we began putting the puzzle pieces together, we just sat in awe at his majesty.
For several days, I literally had no words for God.
Sometimes, you just need to sit in silence at the feet of Jesus and allow him to hold you.
After radiation is complete, visits with the oncologist will begin.
We. Are. Ready.
Specific Prayer Requests that Dad needs right now:
1. Strength as radiation begins;
2. Limited to no side effects of radiation; and
3. Continued high spirits.
Though the fig tree does not bud,
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD.
I WILL BE JOYFUL IN GOD MY SAVIOUR.
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Friday, August 11, 2017
THANK YOU!
Think 1 stop sign kind of town.
Think 3 gas pumps lined up in a row.
You never fully appreciate and understand a place like Sand Hill until you are in the valley.
Sand Hill is a place that is rich in God centered people that treat everyone like family. At one point before dad's surgery, a nurse asked me who out of the 16 people in dad's hospital room was family.
I told her all of them.
When you live in a small town like Sand Hill, you do not have to worry about receiving help in a weak hour.
-Our sweet Claire Bear kept Jaxon on surgery day. That ninja turtle had the best time with his Claire Bear. She loved on him and made his day so full. Every time we would Facetime he was in the middle of a project with her.
-Mrs. Janice Smith has been the best hostess from West Salem Baptist Church. She along with their Pastor and church members have been so gracious with goody baskets, lunch delivers and sending out updates.
- You know you are loved when someone offers to keep 3 boys all under the age of 3 for an extended period of time. Auntie Hannie graciously offered to keep Jaxon and Waylon along side Hannah's monkey man Cannon. Those cousin boys gave her a run for her money, but I think she LOVED having a house full of boys!
- Dad literally have a notebook page of visitors that have come in and out of his room since Monday. Each visitor holds a dear place in his heart. They laughed with him, wiped his tears for him, prayed over him and then had goody boxes delivered. The outpour has been nothing short of amazing. Dad pretty much hosted his high school reunion on the 6th floor.
- When we moved to Madison a year ago, it didn't quite feel like home for a few months. I didn't have the support system like I did while living in Laurel. I didn't feel established a year ago and honestly felt alone in motherhood. It was kinda weird not having play dates lined up each week.
Fast forward a year later, my DEAR neighbor and friend Emily literally helped pack the bags my family needed to get out of the door in 15 minutes. She made sure my baby had a new coloring book and sticker book to keep him occupied for .345 seconds in the hospital. She offered to tidy up our home while we were gone.
She reminded us that we have a dog and that she would take care of him.
Then, she and another sweet neighbor (who I literally rang her doorbell and gave Jaxon to her teenage daughter to and said I'll be back in a few minutes to pick him up after I pack bags) drove Hunter's car to the airport so Nathan would have a vehicle when his plan landed.
In the midst of all of the craziness on Monday night, Emily texted: I filled up H's car with gas for Nathan and I put $10 in the cup holder in case he doesn't have cash for parking.
That text put me over the edge of my emotional rollercoaster.
I was SO humbled by Emily's grace and generosity. I would have NEVER thought about cash for parking!
- When I told my friend Katye the quick bullet point summary of what's going on with dad......it seemed like I looked up and there she was. She brought all of my favorite bad snacks and gifts for the boys!
-Meanwhile, mom has been receiving the sweetest words of encouragement from friends. Her coworkers have rallied behind her in prayer and sweet text messages. Mom's principal delivered the sweetest note from her school. While reading it, she just cried and cried.
-When I told my dear friend Laura that H and Jax were going back home on Thursday, I couldn't even put my phone down before she said I'm bringing them dinner tonight. As a mama, that means the world to me. As a friend, it makes me feel so blessed. A few minutes passed and Laura had reached out to friends and neighbors and set up a meal plan for H and Jax while I'm gone.
Y'all.
Mom and I cannot stop crying over the generosity of others.
Although we already knew this............but, we have some of the most selfless friends.
Their love of Christ and their serving hearts have been the biggest blessings surrounding us this week.
There's no way we could ever repay everyone back for the generosity they have shown us.
Mom has said over and over and over that she feels inadequate over the love and support we have. We know we will never be able to repay each friend individually, but rest assured, when it's our turn to be on the giving side, we will do it with remembrance of these past days.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Update on Dad #3
Dad's surgery was a full 4 hours.
He did great in surgery and recovery.
He was on neuro watch in 15 minute, 30 minute and 1 hour intervals.
Each check went great. Which is a HUGE praise.
He nor mom slept any last night due to his snoring. His voice is so raspy due to the tubes from surgery that it makes his snoring much harder on him. Dad described it as being violent.
My sweet mom is so tired. She will not leave his side even for coffee downstairs.
This morning Dad has been battling high blood pressure and hot sweats.
He is on oxygen and heart rate monitors and his additional bp meds.
And through all of that, he is still being Brent.
He is a simple man that just loves the Lord and a strong cup of coffee.
He asked me to read scripture to his nurse and he wanted to give her his Sunday School lesson for her to read. Bless his soul.
**side note: we know his nurse really well. She was a classmate of Nathan's (little brother) and she loves the Lord just as much as dad does. She gladly accepted dad's Sunday School book though.
Dad was able to drink a cup of coffee too! I think he just wore out his nurse until she said SURE!
We will never be able to thank everyone full for all of the love and sacrifices they have made for our family. The outpour of love is truly humbling for us.
Thank you for embracing and loving my family in our darkest hour. God is going to turn our darkest hour into a light for him.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Update on Dad #2
We are on day 3 of the hospital.
Day 1 was a blur. We felt every emotion on Day 1.
Nathan arrived around 1am on Monday after flying in from Houston.
Day 2 provided a little more clarity. And mom and dad were so happy to have their gang back together.
We were able to meet with 2 surgeons and ask all of our questions.
Brain tumors are a hurry up and wait kind of thing.
You literally know nothing until it's removed.
Due to all of the swelling on dad's brain, he wasn't able to have surgery immediately. He need to be on steroids for a full 2 days.
Our days have been long and sad. But, we are all together......and that's what really matters.
We have literally felt every single emotion over the past few days.
But thank goodness, in the lowest of our low, friends and family have knocked on his hospital door.
We have laughed, cried and prayed with all of our family and friends.
Everything has been surreal.
It's like a bad dream that gets worse and worse.
Dad's are suppose to be invincible.
PawPaw's are suppose to be playing with their little grand buddies.
It has been the biggest blessing receiving phone calls and visits from friends.
Dad's face would light up with each visit and laugh so hard at the stories that have been told over and over and over.
Dad is currently in surgery.
He had a late start to surgery and had high blood pressure that needed to be regulated.
Mom, Nathan, Candice, Hunter and myself were able to wait with dad in pre-op and watch his happy juice be administered.
I think we had cried all of our tears by that point, so we just laughed and recapped the funny happenings and stories that Jaxon and Waylon have entertained us with.
Apparently Jaxon thinks he has a brother that he assumes we left at home.
Waylon keeps telling everyone that "PawPaw is sick."
Late on Monday night while putting Jaxon to bed(around 12:45 am), I asked Jaxon if he wanted to say a prayer and ask God to fully heal PawPaw.
He replied: "Ummm....no thank you. I need to take a rest."
Jesus loves the little funny and point blank children.
Monday I didn't eat at all.
Tuesday began my emotional eating binge.
True Story: I walked with H to the coffee shop today and the barista said "you want your normal order?" Umm..... yes please.
We cannot thank everyone enough for their love and support.
The outpour of love has been so comforting in the absolute darkest days of our family. People know the love language of our family: junk food.
We have SO many snacks! And thank goodness.....they are all of the good ones.
Dad has been in surgery since 3pm and it's now 7pm.
We have received 3 updates and waiting for our next update.
So far, everything has been going good.
As we know more, I'll type another update. Dad will probably spend the night in ICU for observation and return to his regular room tomorrow.
I'll post more when we know more, but in the meantime, we ask that you keep praying to the Great Physician.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Update on Dad
I literally do not have words left.
I open my mouth and nothing comes out.
Because I'm completely numb, I'm simply copy and pasting the words from my Aunt Lisa:
This was one of, if not the best time the three of us, Brent, David and myself, have ever had fishing together.
Not because we caught a lot of fish, but because this man was in rare form.
We laughed ALL day.
It was definitely a Red Letter Day!!
It was on this same day while driving home we were doing what old folks do, we started talking about our ailments. Brent said, " I'll tell you my latest thing, I've got noises going on in my ears that others can't hear!! It's a swishing noise!"
Of course we kinda laughed it off.
The next day, on my barn porch, I began to pray for him.
I knew his symptoms could be serious. I made double sure our Lord knew exactly how I felt about Brent and I asked Him to fix him.
Days passed, then weeks passed.
He started having bad headaches, waking up with headaches. Then he started walking different.
The whole time I'm begging him to go to the doctor and I am praying fervently. In case you don't know this, Brent Walley can be stubborn.
His plate is always full.
He has at least five or more things going on, on any given day. He doesn't like to disappoint and has a very hard time saying "no".
By now his family is well aware that something is wrong. Now we are all trying to get him to go to the ER.
Finally after stumbling into work Monday morning, he called Eleanor to come get him and take him to the ER.
She did.
After tests, CAT scans and MRIs, we got the news we did not want to hear. Brent has two brain tumors and a spot on his lung.
He will be undergoing surgery tomorrow to remove one of the tumors that is causing major swelling, which is causing his symptoms.
We will know more after surgery.
We are a praying family. We are a believing family.
This has been placed in our Lord's hands, and while beyond sad, we have peace. You know, that Peace that passes ALL understanding.
I think by now all of south Mississippi and parts of Alabama are lifting Brent up.
There are no words to tell you how thankful we are for that. You know I will keep you posted. Brent is a Christian man and either way, come what may, he wins.
I open my mouth and nothing comes out.
Because I'm completely numb, I'm simply copy and pasting the words from my Aunt Lisa:
This was one of, if not the best time the three of us, Brent, David and myself, have ever had fishing together.
Not because we caught a lot of fish, but because this man was in rare form.
We laughed ALL day.
It was definitely a Red Letter Day!!
It was on this same day while driving home we were doing what old folks do, we started talking about our ailments. Brent said, " I'll tell you my latest thing, I've got noises going on in my ears that others can't hear!! It's a swishing noise!"
Of course we kinda laughed it off.
The next day, on my barn porch, I began to pray for him.
I knew his symptoms could be serious. I made double sure our Lord knew exactly how I felt about Brent and I asked Him to fix him.
Days passed, then weeks passed.
He started having bad headaches, waking up with headaches. Then he started walking different.
The whole time I'm begging him to go to the doctor and I am praying fervently. In case you don't know this, Brent Walley can be stubborn.
His plate is always full.
He has at least five or more things going on, on any given day. He doesn't like to disappoint and has a very hard time saying "no".
By now his family is well aware that something is wrong. Now we are all trying to get him to go to the ER.
Finally after stumbling into work Monday morning, he called Eleanor to come get him and take him to the ER.
She did.
After tests, CAT scans and MRIs, we got the news we did not want to hear. Brent has two brain tumors and a spot on his lung.
He will be undergoing surgery tomorrow to remove one of the tumors that is causing major swelling, which is causing his symptoms.
We will know more after surgery.
We are a praying family. We are a believing family.
This has been placed in our Lord's hands, and while beyond sad, we have peace. You know, that Peace that passes ALL understanding.
I think by now all of south Mississippi and parts of Alabama are lifting Brent up.
There are no words to tell you how thankful we are for that. You know I will keep you posted. Brent is a Christian man and either way, come what may, he wins.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Late Night Mom Confessions
- Sometimes the playground is closed during the day.
- Late at night while all of my men sleep, I've been know to go to the refrigerator and crack open an ice cold juice box.....or 2.
- I'm saving up all of my monogramming money to hire a potty training nanny to come and stay a week with us and train my child. Back when I was preggers with the munchkin, I read '12 Hours Sleep by 12 Weeks'.......do you know what I took away from that book?!?!!? I'll go ahead and tell you it wasn't the obvious of sleep training a baby!! It was that fact that you can hire people to come and live with you for a week or so and sleep train your baby.
Mind. Blown.
Umm...how much does that cost. And does it cost less to come and potty train vs. sleep train?!?
I would seriously pay someone to come and live with us for a week and help this mama out! $100 cash, some free monogramming and Campbell's cinnamon rolls everyday.
-Sometimes, Chick-Fil-A leaves out the "Frenchie Fries" until Jax eats his chicken nuggets. Then, all of a sudden.....I find them in the other bag.
- I have been known to go straight to the deli in Kroger and buy some mac-n-cheese and let Jax eat while I quickly shop.
Do whatcha gotta do.
I may have even bought the stinker a bunt cake from 'Nothing Bunt Cakes' just so I could make it through a Dr. appointment with him.
- Anyone else feel like their kid survives off of pop-tarts during the weekday mornings?
- Sometimes a cloud in the sky means that it is about to rain, so that means it's time to go inside and take a bath.
- Even though 'Toy Story' is recorded on our DVR......sometimes, it's just not on "t-bee" right then.
- We encourage Jax to cook with us. The more he stirs and taste tests, the more he eats. He's becoming bossy and will tell me "that's enough mommy" as I grate cheese over spaghetti.......and he thinks every recipe should have butter in it. Like mother, like son.
- Late at night while all of my men sleep, I've been know to go to the refrigerator and crack open an ice cold juice box.....or 2.
- I'm saving up all of my monogramming money to hire a potty training nanny to come and stay a week with us and train my child. Back when I was preggers with the munchkin, I read '12 Hours Sleep by 12 Weeks'.......do you know what I took away from that book?!?!!? I'll go ahead and tell you it wasn't the obvious of sleep training a baby!! It was that fact that you can hire people to come and live with you for a week or so and sleep train your baby.
Mind. Blown.
Umm...how much does that cost. And does it cost less to come and potty train vs. sleep train?!?
I would seriously pay someone to come and live with us for a week and help this mama out! $100 cash, some free monogramming and Campbell's cinnamon rolls everyday.
-Sometimes, Chick-Fil-A leaves out the "Frenchie Fries" until Jax eats his chicken nuggets. Then, all of a sudden.....I find them in the other bag.
- I have been known to go straight to the deli in Kroger and buy some mac-n-cheese and let Jax eat while I quickly shop.
Do whatcha gotta do.
I may have even bought the stinker a bunt cake from 'Nothing Bunt Cakes' just so I could make it through a Dr. appointment with him.
- Anyone else feel like their kid survives off of pop-tarts during the weekday mornings?
- Sometimes a cloud in the sky means that it is about to rain, so that means it's time to go inside and take a bath.
- Even though 'Toy Story' is recorded on our DVR......sometimes, it's just not on "t-bee" right then.
- We encourage Jax to cook with us. The more he stirs and taste tests, the more he eats. He's becoming bossy and will tell me "that's enough mommy" as I grate cheese over spaghetti.......and he thinks every recipe should have butter in it. Like mother, like son.
The majority of my day is spent trying to out smart a 2 year old.
There are a lot of days I come out ahead......and then.....some days......he beats me.
I tell H that Jax is making up words, and come to find out, the kid was just trying to tell me about a dodecahedron. I'll save you some time in googling that......I've already researched it. It's a shape with 12-faces. And, my kid knows that.
How.in.the.world.
Somebody bring me an ice cold juice box. Mama needs a drink.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Thoughts for Thursday
Oh- you are certainly reading this correct! I've blogged twice in 1 week.
The reason for SO MANY BLOG POSTS is due to a bad head cold and fever. Otherwise, I would be unloading the dishwasher or cooking up a 3 course meal. Maybe on the meal. But probably not.
Hopefully this post will get you all caught up on our crazy fun life.
Some mornings, I wake up and have a house full of friends to feed:
Thank goodness Jax helps me out with their breakfast snack! Bless his funny bones, he calls Ernie "Burt and Ernie" because he can't tell them apart and we don't have the Burt doll. Did I confuse them?!? Do we have the Burt doll but not the Ernie?? HECK! They always confused me.
If you are reading this and care to identify the "Bert and Ernie" doll that we have.......please let this mama know!!
Big Bud LOVES LOVES noodles and PF Changs. One Friday night, H asked him where he wanted to go for dinner. His response "PP Chang.....noodles daddy."
Guess where we went?!?
Meanwhile, the kid was so excited he fell asleep and slept like this while H and I ordered all the food.
Of course he woke up hungry and mad that he had to wait for warm noodles to be served to him.
I cried on the first day of school which was a total SHOCK to me. Stuff like that NEVER gets to me.
Ever.
But for some reason, my emotions were all over the place. So when 2pm rolled around, I pulled into carpool line on 2 wheels to pick this kid up. Then we raced home to make cupcakes.......and because I live on the edge, I let him lick the mixer beaters.
This is our ride to the pool.
Don't be a hater.
Big mama needs her float, and baby buddy needs his Nemo.
We are TOTALLY those people riding in the hood. We are the people that neighbors snap photos of with their phones and send to their friends with emojis afterwards.
Jax did GREAT going to bed his first month in our new house. Then, one night, rookie dad H said: "Oh, look at us, we are such great parents who have it together and their kid goes to bed with no resistants or whining or crying. We are the best."
It was something like that........
Anyway, since then, big bud doesn't want to go to bed on time. And sometimes he likes to hide in his room:
Luckily, I have a Master's Degree and I find him every.single.time.
Don't judge the short curtains. They were from his old room......and I needed black out curtains on Day 1, Night 1 in our new house.
I interrupt this blog post to go order curtains NOW!
Marriage is funny funny and strange thing. It's wonderful and fun, and crazy and hard.
A 9th year wedding anniversary is easy. And cheap. You don't buy or receive a lot because you are saving it all up for your 10 year.
Without mentioning it to each other, we bought new slippers for ourselves. Clarification, I bought slippers for me and said "this is my anniversary present" and H bought some for him and was making fun of himself and said "it's my anniversary present."
So this is who we are now.
Nothing screams sexy mama like some mule house shoes.
Meanwhile, I sent the photo to my young cousin........she texted back: #relationshipgoals
That's a bad angle for my ankles. This photo gives me flash backs to my kankles during pregnancy.
But to give credit where it is OVER due.....H did buy me a year's worth of massages......and a few facials.
I may have cried over that too!! I had sorta joked with him that just having 1 massage is a tease. It's like just eating 1 M &M. But- having a years worth of massages makes one look forward to January. I only mentioned it 1 time......and thank goodness my man put that note in his phone! That may be another reason why our marriage works for us. H puts everything in his phone. I on the other hand, use a paper planner and just use my phone for talking and texting.
To redeem our maw maw and paw paw ways from our slippers, we dressed up and went out to dinner that didn't include noodles or sleeping buddies. We had big plans to go eat ice cream or dessert somewhere else after dinner, but we felt the guilt of parenthood and missed our buddy after H being gone for a week on a business trip that I picked him up early and we all crawled in bed and read 349,038 books.
That should get you caught up on our life through the end of August.
Happy Grey's Day everyone!!
Monday, October 3, 2016
Late Night Confessions of a Bad Mom
1. I tell Jax that we are out of chocolate sometimes when he wants chocolate milk. That's my late night snack and I don't want to run out it during a midnight monogram session.
2. We use skittles in our potty training. I take out all of the red and orange ones as a prize to myself. I don't like the other colors. It's a childhood preference that has spilled over into adulthood.
3. I don't like it when my baby is sick, but it doesn't hurt my feelings one bit when he has a low fever and we just lay around. I may even use it as an excuse to get out of a function. Maybe. Just sometimes. Whatever. I'm tired.
4. I may have shed a tear this month when Jax realized that Mac-N-Cheese is actually good. I was questioning if the kid was even American when he snubbed box Mac-n-cheese.
5. Jax's teacher said that he likes to sample everyone's lunchbox at school. I stressed over this for about 30 minutes......now, it just takes the pressure off of me trying to come up with a well rounded lunchbox for the kid.
6. Big bud was so tired after a full day of church and playing and skipping a nap, he literally fell asleep on the bathroom rug. And because I'm a bad mom, I left him there for 10 minutes so I could dry my hair.
7. I've created a creature of habit. Jax knows when we take a right turn to drive into Flowood........Sonic will be waiting for him on the right. He knows they ALWAYS have his tater tots and juice box ready. I can pull in the drive thru and the kid starts yelling for his tater tots.
2. We use skittles in our potty training. I take out all of the red and orange ones as a prize to myself. I don't like the other colors. It's a childhood preference that has spilled over into adulthood.
3. I don't like it when my baby is sick, but it doesn't hurt my feelings one bit when he has a low fever and we just lay around. I may even use it as an excuse to get out of a function. Maybe. Just sometimes. Whatever. I'm tired.
4. I may have shed a tear this month when Jax realized that Mac-N-Cheese is actually good. I was questioning if the kid was even American when he snubbed box Mac-n-cheese.
5. Jax's teacher said that he likes to sample everyone's lunchbox at school. I stressed over this for about 30 minutes......now, it just takes the pressure off of me trying to come up with a well rounded lunchbox for the kid.
6. Big bud was so tired after a full day of church and playing and skipping a nap, he literally fell asleep on the bathroom rug. And because I'm a bad mom, I left him there for 10 minutes so I could dry my hair.
7. I've created a creature of habit. Jax knows when we take a right turn to drive into Flowood........Sonic will be waiting for him on the right. He knows they ALWAYS have his tater tots and juice box ready. I can pull in the drive thru and the kid starts yelling for his tater tots.
8. Over the summer while living with my parents, Jax slept with me every night. When we moved in our new home, that habit quickly broke. He sleeps in his room now.......until about 6:30 am in which time he knocks on our bedroom door and asks to get in 'mommy's bed'. I'm not sure where he think H sleeps.......but he only refers to our bed as 'mommy's bed"
9. Sometimes while out shopping, Jax will see a "cooookkiieee store mommy"......and request to go in. Sometimes we buy 6 small cookies with the intentions of sharing with daddy when we get home. Sometimes we eat all six before the red light.
Mamas: what are some of your confessions that make you a BRILLIANT mom?!?
9. Sometimes while out shopping, Jax will see a "cooookkiieee store mommy"......and request to go in. Sometimes we buy 6 small cookies with the intentions of sharing with daddy when we get home. Sometimes we eat all six before the red light.
Mamas: what are some of your confessions that make you a BRILLIANT mom?!?
Monday, August 22, 2016
Hello From Madison!
Hey there Frands!
I would like to say that I promise to regularly blog now that we are moved in our new house, but, I don't like to lie.
Do you know what I think about moving??
I think it sucks.
Y'all! This is no joke at my age and with a tiny toddler tornado.
All I do is just move stuff from one room to another. Then, I rearrange furniture just to move it back the exact way it was.
Because we all know I love some bullet points- here ya go!
1- Jax is adjusting so well to the new house and his new big boy bed. He has only fallen out once, but he was so tired that he just fell and then fell asleep on the floor.
2- Our neighbors are great! We have random playdates that do my soul so much good! Every time we walk outside, Jax begs to go to a neighbors house.
3- Thank goodness, Oscar Mayer the Weenie Dog doesn't have anxiety with the move. I think he was so ready to get away from my parents crazy cat and loud happy dogs that he welcomed the move. (during one of our moves, the pup had to be put on an anti-depressant. kid you not. my dog was depressed)
4- Sweet Heavens to Betsy- everything is so close. I think everything is 10 minutes from our house. It's not, but I like to think we are that close to everything.
5- I'm learning my new grocery shopping routine. I miss my Kroger in Laurel where they would special order items for me. Here in Madison, there is the BIG greek castle Kroger, then a smaller one across the interstate and one in Ridgeland. I think I'm breaking up with BIG Greek Castle simply due to the size and the fact they are out of everything on my list. Kid you not, I had to go to all 3 Krogers just for coffee. People. Ain't nobody got the time for that when you are hauling around a toddler.
6- The girls of Madison are beyond nice. BEYOND! Everywhere I go and I tell someone that I just moved here, they give me their phone #. I met the sweetest stranger in the grocery store, and we laughed until we cried on the spice aisle. She had moved, and I had just moved and we were lamenting over the size of Kroger. It warmed my heart so much.
7- Unpacking a house is for the birds. We have so much shizzle. SO.MUCH. I've already taken 5 loads of stuff to The Goodwill.
8- Jax has been a trooper through all of this. That poor buddy has been hauled all around Jackson while I look for and buy up furniture and lamps and rugs. Then, return them. Kid you not, I bought him a bunt cake from 'Nothing Bunt Cakes' as a prize for him to eat while I pilled up 2 buggies at Hobby Lobby.
9- My little piggy baby has turned into a picky toddler. The kid will be eating veggies out of a squeezable pouch when he is 10! My only saving grace with Jax's eating is the fact he can eat unlimited snacks from his shelf in the pantry.
(He has his own little shelf in our pantry). His little snacks are veggie squeezables, bananas, crackers, apple sauce and I keep fruit in the fridge for him. If the little rascal isn't going to eat the meals that he asks for, I will at least control his snacks. Since moving, he has warmed up to mac-n-cheese.
10- I'm so delighted to meal plan and cook for my little family again. I carved out an hour and menu planned through September. I cook almost every night. Some nights when I want a fancy salmon dinner, I'll feed Jax his organic hotdog at 6pm, put him to bed, and then H and I enjoy our adult dinner that doesn't involve ketchup.
11- Our play dates at the pool result in this: a kid that is so warn out that he falls asleep while eating his popcorn snack. Moms for the win!
12- H judges a cook based on their ability to make corn bread. When this happened........I 'dropped the mic' and I may have said 'BOOM!' out loud.
13- Life is good, but it is different and busier than we would have ever imagined. Between school, our jobs, play dates, unpacking, church shopping and renovations, we are nuts and don't plan on leaving for a road trip until Thanksgiving.
I would like to say that I promise to regularly blog now that we are moved in our new house, but, I don't like to lie.
Do you know what I think about moving??
I think it sucks.
Y'all! This is no joke at my age and with a tiny toddler tornado.
All I do is just move stuff from one room to another. Then, I rearrange furniture just to move it back the exact way it was.
Because we all know I love some bullet points- here ya go!
1- Jax is adjusting so well to the new house and his new big boy bed. He has only fallen out once, but he was so tired that he just fell and then fell asleep on the floor.
2- Our neighbors are great! We have random playdates that do my soul so much good! Every time we walk outside, Jax begs to go to a neighbors house.
3- Thank goodness, Oscar Mayer the Weenie Dog doesn't have anxiety with the move. I think he was so ready to get away from my parents crazy cat and loud happy dogs that he welcomed the move. (during one of our moves, the pup had to be put on an anti-depressant. kid you not. my dog was depressed)
4- Sweet Heavens to Betsy- everything is so close. I think everything is 10 minutes from our house. It's not, but I like to think we are that close to everything.
5- I'm learning my new grocery shopping routine. I miss my Kroger in Laurel where they would special order items for me. Here in Madison, there is the BIG greek castle Kroger, then a smaller one across the interstate and one in Ridgeland. I think I'm breaking up with BIG Greek Castle simply due to the size and the fact they are out of everything on my list. Kid you not, I had to go to all 3 Krogers just for coffee. People. Ain't nobody got the time for that when you are hauling around a toddler.
6- The girls of Madison are beyond nice. BEYOND! Everywhere I go and I tell someone that I just moved here, they give me their phone #. I met the sweetest stranger in the grocery store, and we laughed until we cried on the spice aisle. She had moved, and I had just moved and we were lamenting over the size of Kroger. It warmed my heart so much.
7- Unpacking a house is for the birds. We have so much shizzle. SO.MUCH. I've already taken 5 loads of stuff to The Goodwill.
8- Jax has been a trooper through all of this. That poor buddy has been hauled all around Jackson while I look for and buy up furniture and lamps and rugs. Then, return them. Kid you not, I bought him a bunt cake from 'Nothing Bunt Cakes' as a prize for him to eat while I pilled up 2 buggies at Hobby Lobby.
9- My little piggy baby has turned into a picky toddler. The kid will be eating veggies out of a squeezable pouch when he is 10! My only saving grace with Jax's eating is the fact he can eat unlimited snacks from his shelf in the pantry.
(He has his own little shelf in our pantry). His little snacks are veggie squeezables, bananas, crackers, apple sauce and I keep fruit in the fridge for him. If the little rascal isn't going to eat the meals that he asks for, I will at least control his snacks. Since moving, he has warmed up to mac-n-cheese.
10- I'm so delighted to meal plan and cook for my little family again. I carved out an hour and menu planned through September. I cook almost every night. Some nights when I want a fancy salmon dinner, I'll feed Jax his organic hotdog at 6pm, put him to bed, and then H and I enjoy our adult dinner that doesn't involve ketchup.
11- Our play dates at the pool result in this: a kid that is so warn out that he falls asleep while eating his popcorn snack. Moms for the win!
12- H judges a cook based on their ability to make corn bread. When this happened........I 'dropped the mic' and I may have said 'BOOM!' out loud.
13- Life is good, but it is different and busier than we would have ever imagined. Between school, our jobs, play dates, unpacking, church shopping and renovations, we are nuts and don't plan on leaving for a road trip until Thanksgiving.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Ramblings From Sand Hill.
It's currently 12:30 am and I'm the only soul awake in the house. This is the only alone time I get during the day. If we are friends in real life, you know I need some alone time.
So, we have been cohabiting with mom and dad since June 15th. Here's some things I've observed:
1- They have noticed my little online shopping addiction......and they are worried. I've met their UPS and FedEx drivers. Oddly enough, they are both named Randy, and they are super super nice. I actually apologized to UPS Randy one day for all of the deliveries he is making and moms house now.........mom even offered him some sweet tea. I just LOVE Amazon Prime.......and any other company that offers free shipping.
2- Jax has separation anxiety now and needs a full account of where everyone is at all times. We go over everyone's location while he is on the potty, in the bath tub and when he is about to go to sleep. Now that we are in full on potty training, I generally tell him they are pooping in the potty.
3- Mom and Dad eat bacon every morning. Which is probably where I get my love for the bacon. And my sweet child has picked up on the love as well. And apparently he has picked up some bad habits too!
4- Oscar HATES HATES HATES living in the country. He hates mom and dads crazy guard dog, Spicy and he especially hates my brother's squirrel dog, Rocky. If anyone is ready to move out......it's Oscar. Oscar generally sleeps 22 hours a day. Since our move, that has been cut in half and he is GRUMPY.
5- Potty training your kid while at the grandparents house is comical. It's almost nonexistence. There's no potty training book for living at the grandparents house.
6- Jax is around 3 adults all day long. And the stinker is picking up words and calling people by their first name now. During his night time roll call, he asked "where Brent go"?
Ummmmm......kid. Can we not call Paw Paw by his first name?!?
7- Big Buddy Jax wants to sleep in my bed. I'm torn somewhere between "of course I wanna snuggle with my baby" and "get in your own bed kid.........mama's tired." Jax will get a new big boy room when we move in our new house. That will include a big boy bed.........so I'm sorta justifying him sleeping in my bed as "sleep training" for his new bed. I know it's crazy.......but I love my monkey and he's only little once.
8- Big buddy works the system. If I say no, he makes sure Granna isn't around and then he will ask her for it. If that's a no go.......then his back up plan is Paw-Paw. That plan works 100% of time and mom and I get Vetoed.
9- Every weekend is a vacation for Jax. Since moving in with mom and dad, we have gone to the beach, Birmingham, Mobile, Eastern Shore and Madison. Once we move, Jax will expect a road trip during the weekend........but H and I have already declared that we will not leave our home until Christmas.
10- Sand Hill is a much slower pace......which I welcome with open arms right now. I've introduced mom to Prime Pantry and the fact you can have organic pop tarts delivered right to your door by a sweet man named Randy that's a little apprehensive about the weenie dog, squirrel dog and sweet little mutt.
So, we have been cohabiting with mom and dad since June 15th. Here's some things I've observed:
1- They have noticed my little online shopping addiction......and they are worried. I've met their UPS and FedEx drivers. Oddly enough, they are both named Randy, and they are super super nice. I actually apologized to UPS Randy one day for all of the deliveries he is making and moms house now.........mom even offered him some sweet tea. I just LOVE Amazon Prime.......and any other company that offers free shipping.
2- Jax has separation anxiety now and needs a full account of where everyone is at all times. We go over everyone's location while he is on the potty, in the bath tub and when he is about to go to sleep. Now that we are in full on potty training, I generally tell him they are pooping in the potty.
3- Mom and Dad eat bacon every morning. Which is probably where I get my love for the bacon. And my sweet child has picked up on the love as well. And apparently he has picked up some bad habits too!
4- Oscar HATES HATES HATES living in the country. He hates mom and dads crazy guard dog, Spicy and he especially hates my brother's squirrel dog, Rocky. If anyone is ready to move out......it's Oscar. Oscar generally sleeps 22 hours a day. Since our move, that has been cut in half and he is GRUMPY.
5- Potty training your kid while at the grandparents house is comical. It's almost nonexistence. There's no potty training book for living at the grandparents house.
6- Jax is around 3 adults all day long. And the stinker is picking up words and calling people by their first name now. During his night time roll call, he asked "where Brent go"?
Ummmmm......kid. Can we not call Paw Paw by his first name?!?
7- Big Buddy Jax wants to sleep in my bed. I'm torn somewhere between "of course I wanna snuggle with my baby" and "get in your own bed kid.........mama's tired." Jax will get a new big boy room when we move in our new house. That will include a big boy bed.........so I'm sorta justifying him sleeping in my bed as "sleep training" for his new bed. I know it's crazy.......but I love my monkey and he's only little once.
8- Big buddy works the system. If I say no, he makes sure Granna isn't around and then he will ask her for it. If that's a no go.......then his back up plan is Paw-Paw. That plan works 100% of time and mom and I get Vetoed.
9- Every weekend is a vacation for Jax. Since moving in with mom and dad, we have gone to the beach, Birmingham, Mobile, Eastern Shore and Madison. Once we move, Jax will expect a road trip during the weekend........but H and I have already declared that we will not leave our home until Christmas.
10- Sand Hill is a much slower pace......which I welcome with open arms right now. I've introduced mom to Prime Pantry and the fact you can have organic pop tarts delivered right to your door by a sweet man named Randy that's a little apprehensive about the weenie dog, squirrel dog and sweet little mutt.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Madison: Ready or Not, here we come!
This is the blog post that I have sorta dreaded typing out.
I'm so conflicted in with my emotions that I've decided to just put my head my head in the sand.
Just stay with me as I type it all out here. I'm using this post as my therapy session because Lord knows, I don't have time for a session!!
The Joneses are moving.
We are leaving our humble (and thankfully sold) abode and moving to Madison........but not before a little month and a half detour to Sand Hill first.
This move has been going on for months now, but I have been in denial until now. There's just something about having strangers pack up your belongings that make it real for you.
Our closest friends and family have known about the move.....but they also knew NOT to bring it up to me unless I talked about it first. I have been a delicate flower on the moving subject. Again, I'm using this post as my therapy session.
I LOVE Laurel. And our home. And the cows in our backyard. And the majority of our neighbors (side note- NEVER join your neighborhood FB group. It will make you realize that you live amongst crazy people with too much time on their hands). I never wanted to leave the home that baby Jax was brought home from the hospital to. Or the home where we created the perfect nursery for him. Where he learned to crawl....and walk.....I need to end this paragraph now, otherwise, I will have to get my baby out of his bed and rock him.
H has tried to console me on all of the reasons that I don't want to leave our home......and he does have some valid points, but y'all.
If you know me in real life, you know I don't like change. I mean, HECK, I don't even like changing the sheets on our bed much less homes, neighborhoods and cities! The fitted sheet is of the devil.
Laurel is my comfort zone. It's where my people are. It's where Jax's friends are. It's the only place that he has called home. Someone please come and refill my wine glass here.
I'll admit though, moving to Madison isn't that bad. When I throw myself a pity party, H will start naming towns in MS that I need to be thankful that we are not moving to. I get his point, but sometimes I just need to plan/host and be the star of my pity party.
Buying our new home has been the most comical adventure we have ever had. This is our 4th home to purchase and our 2nd one to have comical drama. We have a great realtor that has listened to our every want/need/wish........but, we wanted to make his life easier (and let's admit, a little more pleasant).......so we did a lot of research and driving around on our own. We have been traveling to Madison for weeks marking off and highlighting subdivisions that we are interested in. If you have ever traveled to Madison, you know there are 239,938 subdivisions. Heaven help us now.
First trip to Madison was used to secure Jax a new school.
The very first school we pulled in the parking lot of, we pulled right out of but quicker.
The next 2 schools were ok, but I didn't feel it.
The last school was the winner. As my heart was starting to realize it, I felt the tears coming on......and y'all.....I couldn't stop them. I started crying the ugly cry to the point that strangers were hugging me and handing me tissues. At one point, as the tears are still flowing, I had to hug a girl and cry on her shoulders because she reminded me of my friend and our children's minister, Cindy.
Since that episode, when I call Jax's new school, I simply refer to myself as "the crazy lady who cried during a 2 hour tour of a 1 hallway school." I had to see every room. I wanted to meet everyone. I couldn't leave without a peace of mind.
At Jax's school in Laurel, on his first day, I had to trust complete strangers to watch and protect my 3 month old baby. Within less than a week, I grew to LOVE LOVE his infant teachers. They loved on him to the point I cried when he moved to the 1 year old class. I then wondered if I would like those teachers and questioned if Jax would like them, etc. Of COURSE they are the best and my child asks about them after school and on the weekends! One of the teachers even babysits him and he will wake up asking for his "Mimi"! THAT is what I was looking for in his new school. I need him to be loved on that much. Thank goodness, I think we found it.
On trip #2 to Madison, right after we asked Jax what he thought about moving to a new house, he opened his mouth and vomited everything he had eaten since birth.
Awesome, kid.
Thanks.
Mom didn't bring extra clothes.
I did the only thing I knew to do. I called our honorary grandparents in Madison and said "we are on our way! Meet us in your yard with the water hose, we will explain when we get there!" I had to laugh to keep from crying. After that fiasco, I bought onesies from Kroger and Jax wore one home that wasn't snapped due to him being too big for them.
Trip #3, 4, 5, and 6.....we looked at homes that we really didn't like. I can't tell you the number of conversations that H and I had like this:
H: did you like that house?
Me: no.
H: why not?
Me: it just didn't feel right.
H: was it the colors, or their crazy furniture, or the neighborhood?
Me: it just didn't feel like home. Show me something else.
I finally said.....just buy a house. Just buy a house and text me the address. Surprise me. I'm checking out of this process.
In the middle of house hunting, my dad had a hip replacement. The geezer is recovering so well......but on the day of surgery, it's a little nerve racking when it's your dad.
The nurses called our family to go meet dad in his recovery room. As that was taking place, H called me and told me NOT to go with my family because he needed to talk to me right then. Immediately. Mucho important.
Ummmmm.......H....this betta' be good. I'm ready to see dad. And ask him important questions while he's drugged up.
My convo with H was pretty much:
H: How's your dad? Ok great. Listen. I just sent you an email. Look at this house. Look at it with your mom. Think long and hard, but make it quick on if you like this house. It meets all of our needs for our family. It has everything on our check list. I'm looking at it this afternoon and then I want to make an offer on it.
Me: Holy Smokes. I need to sit down. Ya' know what........just buy it.
H: Really?!?
Me: I like all of the small thumbnail photos that I can see on my phone. Really. Just go buy it. Let's do this.
H: Are you stealing meds from your dad?
Me: not yet.......but you better believe I'm about to ask the nurse for a little water cup of valium.
4 hours later, H put an offer on the house. 12 hours later, we are under contract. 2 days later, I see it in person for the first time.
I have never been on a blind date before. I can only imagine the crazy emotions you have leading up to meeting someone that you may or may not like and sizing them up on a first impression. Seeing our new home for the first time was like my blind date.
By the time we left our new home after doing our walk though, I stood in the front yard and cried. I'm sure the neighbors were like "Awesome! We are trading normal people for this crazy crew."
We do not close on our new home until the end of July......so, thankfully, we are moving in with my parents. I had a little family meeting with mom and dad to set the ground rules:
1- don't feed my child sugar.
2- Jax isn't on vacay. He goes to bed at 7:15pm still.
3- Mama makes the rules......not Granna......because generally, Granna doesn't have rules.....which is why we need rules.
Mom and Dad are so happy about this they have agreed to the above rules. Poor Jax and Oscar have NO CLUE what's going on.
Due to our crazy summer schedule......I'm ready to move now. I think God did all of this on purpose so I'll be ready and excited to move. I see what he did there......and I appreciate it.
Madison: Ready or not......here we come. In a month and a half.
I'm so conflicted in with my emotions that I've decided to just put my head my head in the sand.
Just stay with me as I type it all out here. I'm using this post as my therapy session because Lord knows, I don't have time for a session!!
The Joneses are moving.
We are leaving our humble (and thankfully sold) abode and moving to Madison........but not before a little month and a half detour to Sand Hill first.
This move has been going on for months now, but I have been in denial until now. There's just something about having strangers pack up your belongings that make it real for you.
Our closest friends and family have known about the move.....but they also knew NOT to bring it up to me unless I talked about it first. I have been a delicate flower on the moving subject. Again, I'm using this post as my therapy session.
I LOVE Laurel. And our home. And the cows in our backyard. And the majority of our neighbors (side note- NEVER join your neighborhood FB group. It will make you realize that you live amongst crazy people with too much time on their hands). I never wanted to leave the home that baby Jax was brought home from the hospital to. Or the home where we created the perfect nursery for him. Where he learned to crawl....and walk.....I need to end this paragraph now, otherwise, I will have to get my baby out of his bed and rock him.
H has tried to console me on all of the reasons that I don't want to leave our home......and he does have some valid points, but y'all.
If you know me in real life, you know I don't like change. I mean, HECK, I don't even like changing the sheets on our bed much less homes, neighborhoods and cities! The fitted sheet is of the devil.
Laurel is my comfort zone. It's where my people are. It's where Jax's friends are. It's the only place that he has called home. Someone please come and refill my wine glass here.
I'll admit though, moving to Madison isn't that bad. When I throw myself a pity party, H will start naming towns in MS that I need to be thankful that we are not moving to. I get his point, but sometimes I just need to plan/host and be the star of my pity party.
Buying our new home has been the most comical adventure we have ever had. This is our 4th home to purchase and our 2nd one to have comical drama. We have a great realtor that has listened to our every want/need/wish........but, we wanted to make his life easier (and let's admit, a little more pleasant).......so we did a lot of research and driving around on our own. We have been traveling to Madison for weeks marking off and highlighting subdivisions that we are interested in. If you have ever traveled to Madison, you know there are 239,938 subdivisions. Heaven help us now.
First trip to Madison was used to secure Jax a new school.
The very first school we pulled in the parking lot of, we pulled right out of but quicker.
The next 2 schools were ok, but I didn't feel it.
The last school was the winner. As my heart was starting to realize it, I felt the tears coming on......and y'all.....I couldn't stop them. I started crying the ugly cry to the point that strangers were hugging me and handing me tissues. At one point, as the tears are still flowing, I had to hug a girl and cry on her shoulders because she reminded me of my friend and our children's minister, Cindy.
Since that episode, when I call Jax's new school, I simply refer to myself as "the crazy lady who cried during a 2 hour tour of a 1 hallway school." I had to see every room. I wanted to meet everyone. I couldn't leave without a peace of mind.
At Jax's school in Laurel, on his first day, I had to trust complete strangers to watch and protect my 3 month old baby. Within less than a week, I grew to LOVE LOVE his infant teachers. They loved on him to the point I cried when he moved to the 1 year old class. I then wondered if I would like those teachers and questioned if Jax would like them, etc. Of COURSE they are the best and my child asks about them after school and on the weekends! One of the teachers even babysits him and he will wake up asking for his "Mimi"! THAT is what I was looking for in his new school. I need him to be loved on that much. Thank goodness, I think we found it.
On trip #2 to Madison, right after we asked Jax what he thought about moving to a new house, he opened his mouth and vomited everything he had eaten since birth.
Awesome, kid.
Thanks.
Mom didn't bring extra clothes.
I did the only thing I knew to do. I called our honorary grandparents in Madison and said "we are on our way! Meet us in your yard with the water hose, we will explain when we get there!" I had to laugh to keep from crying. After that fiasco, I bought onesies from Kroger and Jax wore one home that wasn't snapped due to him being too big for them.
Trip #3, 4, 5, and 6.....we looked at homes that we really didn't like. I can't tell you the number of conversations that H and I had like this:
H: did you like that house?
Me: no.
H: why not?
Me: it just didn't feel right.
H: was it the colors, or their crazy furniture, or the neighborhood?
Me: it just didn't feel like home. Show me something else.
I finally said.....just buy a house. Just buy a house and text me the address. Surprise me. I'm checking out of this process.
In the middle of house hunting, my dad had a hip replacement. The geezer is recovering so well......but on the day of surgery, it's a little nerve racking when it's your dad.
The nurses called our family to go meet dad in his recovery room. As that was taking place, H called me and told me NOT to go with my family because he needed to talk to me right then. Immediately. Mucho important.
Ummmmm.......H....this betta' be good. I'm ready to see dad. And ask him important questions while he's drugged up.
My convo with H was pretty much:
H: How's your dad? Ok great. Listen. I just sent you an email. Look at this house. Look at it with your mom. Think long and hard, but make it quick on if you like this house. It meets all of our needs for our family. It has everything on our check list. I'm looking at it this afternoon and then I want to make an offer on it.
Me: Holy Smokes. I need to sit down. Ya' know what........just buy it.
H: Really?!?
Me: I like all of the small thumbnail photos that I can see on my phone. Really. Just go buy it. Let's do this.
H: Are you stealing meds from your dad?
Me: not yet.......but you better believe I'm about to ask the nurse for a little water cup of valium.
4 hours later, H put an offer on the house. 12 hours later, we are under contract. 2 days later, I see it in person for the first time.
I have never been on a blind date before. I can only imagine the crazy emotions you have leading up to meeting someone that you may or may not like and sizing them up on a first impression. Seeing our new home for the first time was like my blind date.
By the time we left our new home after doing our walk though, I stood in the front yard and cried. I'm sure the neighbors were like "Awesome! We are trading normal people for this crazy crew."
We do not close on our new home until the end of July......so, thankfully, we are moving in with my parents. I had a little family meeting with mom and dad to set the ground rules:
1- don't feed my child sugar.
2- Jax isn't on vacay. He goes to bed at 7:15pm still.
3- Mama makes the rules......not Granna......because generally, Granna doesn't have rules.....which is why we need rules.
Mom and Dad are so happy about this they have agreed to the above rules. Poor Jax and Oscar have NO CLUE what's going on.
Due to our crazy summer schedule......I'm ready to move now. I think God did all of this on purpose so I'll be ready and excited to move. I see what he did there......and I appreciate it.
Madison: Ready or not......here we come. In a month and a half.
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