Packing, packing, and more packing...

Not much to blog about here. My days are consumed with packing boxes and getting ready for the big move. We have made some good headway, but there is still a TON to do. I am completely overwhelmed, so I thought that I would take a blogging break. :)

Packing up this house makes me wonder... do three people really need all this stuff? Seriously, we have over 100 boxes. Yikes! The most annoying thing about packing is when you realize that you need something that you already packed. For example, I went to make muffins yesterday and... no muffin tin. I need to make cupcakes for Clayton's class tomorrow but... nothing to bake them in. I would have never thought that I would need a stinkin' muffin tin twice in one week.

Just so you don't forget what my little man looks like, I'm posting a few pictures. I have been trying desperately to get some pictures for his birthday and Easter. My first attempt was last Friday with a photographer. I am 99% sure that no good pictures came from that fiasco. A noon photoshoot with a tired toddler... need I say more? We tried again this weekend and had a little more luck. I don't consider myself to be a big briber. In fact, I make a conscious effort not to bribe him. When it comes to photo sessions, however, all bets are off. I resorted to bribing, groveling, and begging that little toot to smile. Not one of my finer moments in motherhood...

The big move is on Saturday. Say a little prayer that it a) doesn't rain and b) the movers don't break any of our stuff. :)

Trying to hold up three fingers.

I am practicing a new color fade technique with my photo editing software. It's kindof between a black & white and a color photo. Cool, huh?

Escrows, HOAs, and Lot Lines - Oh my!

Well, we finally closed on our house today! Yay!!! We were supposed to close yesterday, but there was a hang up with the bank that owned the house. So... we finally sealed the deal today.

The closing process is so funny to me. They have a huge stack of papers filled with all this legal jargon that you can't possibly read in one sitting. I just sat there signing away and praying that none of the paperwork included giving away my first born. :) I am just glad that is all behind us and that we can move forward with making this house our home. There are painters working today and tomorrow. The flooring will be installed on Friday and into the beginning of next week. I am dying to see what it looks like with all the changes that we are making. Poor Wade has been hiring out/overseeing all of the work. He said the other day, "This is so fun! I should have been a general contractor - it is project management at its finest." Please, Lord, don't tell me that this means another career move...

No exciting pictures for now. (Sorry, Mom.) Better go try and pack a box or two before Peter Pan is over. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! What a "love"ly holiday! Clayton had his Valentine's Day party at preschool yesterday. It was mass chaos. Twelve two-year-olds with cupcakes and juice boxes... what a mess! It made me appreciate Miss Yvonne and Miss Loretta even more than I already did.

Today we went to the library for storytime. Clayton took his valentines and passed them out to all of the kids. They also made a Valentine card and ate cookies. The librarian had even made little goody bags for all of the kids with pencils, stickers, a bookmark, and a pin. I am really going to miss our little library. They do such fun things!

My Love Bug

Clayton with Miss Loretta and Miss Yvonne

Clayton with his friends Lexi & Jolie at the Library

Giving Jolie a hug

Happy Birthday, Wade-O!

It's my hubby's 29th birthday! In honor of Wade's birthday, here are my favorite things about him.

1. He's gorgeous (those piercing blue eyes kill me)!
2. He is the most amazing father that I have ever seen - totally hands on.
3. He is a great provider for our family.
4. He puts up with his neurotic wife. :)
5. He is really organized. (The man makes a spreadsheet for EVERYTHING.)
6. He is a wonderful cook.
7. He is a big kid at heart. (I sometimes tease that I have two children.)
8. He is really creative and artistic. (He picked out all of the paint colors in our old house. He also painted a mural in Clayton's room. And, he even gives me ideas for my scrapbooks.)
9. He makes me laugh every single day.
10. He is an extremely thoughtful husband.

Happy Birthday, Babe! We love you!!!

Wade's Wii

When I asked Wade what he wanted for his birthday, I expected him to say, "Oh nothing..." like he always does. This year, however, he fired back with, "a Wii!!!" I never in a million years thought that my almost 29 year-old hubby would want a video game system. What the heck?!?!

This conversation was several weeks ago. I started casually looking at Walmart and Target whenever I happened to be at one of those places. I soon realized that those little boogers are hard to find! I decided last Wednesday that I was going to make a point of searching for one. After going to 6 different places on Wednesday morning, I finally found one! I let Wade open it early (his b-day isn't until the 11th). He has been playing non-stop ever since. (I have to admit, it is REALLY fun. Even for a non-video game type of girl like me.)

The first day that we opened it, we laughed about all the warnings that are constantly popping up. They warn you to make sure that no one is within arms reach of you when you play. We made fun of the warnings. That is until I went in for a wicked back-hand shot, while playing tennis, and whacked poor Clayton in the head. Ooops! Perhaps we should make this an after-Clayton-goes-to-bed activity...

On the game it allows you to test your "Fitness Age." Wade did his first - he was 30 something. I took my turn next. Granted, I am not the most coordinated person. But, I wasn't prepared for my score. 74 years-old!!! I am happy to report, however, that after a few days of playing I am now down to a young 36. :)

Here are some pics of Wade & Clayton playing Guitar Hero. Clayton insists on wearing one of Wade's hats backwards. He also says things like, "Let's jam out, Dad!"

Eureka!

I am happy to announce that we will soon be homeowners again. :) We put a contract on a house on Monday afternoon, they accepted on Wednesday, and the inspection was on Thursday. The inspection went really well - no repairs required. Yipee!!! I am sooo ready to be in a "real" house again. My mind is filled with decorating ideas and how I want to organize everything. We close on Feb. 19th (I think) and don't have to be out of our rent house until March 10th. So... that will give us some time to put in new carpet, paint, and move. I am completely overwhelmed with the thought of moving again. It was such a painful process last time. :( We will definitely be hiring movers this time. Speaking of which, does anyone know a good moving service in the metroplex?

Thanks for all the prayers during the home search. I am so thankful that it is over and that we have found a house that will work for our family.