busy

Life has yet to calm down, especially with the addition of pre-school. School has been a wonderful experience so far. Gab loves going each day and is having a fun time meeting new friends and getting assigned jobs. So far she has been line leader, caboose, and weather girl. The job all the kids want is being in charge of the lunch boxes (pass them out to all 7 other classmates). Somehow she is the oldest in her class, and tallest, and since she is in the only pre-k class we have come to the conclusion she is the biggest kid in school! I pack her lunch every night, and we agree on an outfit for her to wear so there won't be any fights in the morning. Elliot has gone two days, the first there were tears from both him and I. Monday when I brought him he was a little clingy, but didn't cry. He hugged his teacher and I heard a little whining, but it lasted only a minute. He and the lead teacher are buddies. His favorite thing I have heard about is when they got to play musical instruments, for this weeks letter is M. After school Monday the kids and I headed to the toy store to pick out E's potty chart prize of a sword. He filled the chart up, even tho he hasn't been wearing underwear full time. We had such a great start, and then it got a little rocky. We seem to have better luck when we are out or with friends over. Today he came and told me quietly twice while our friend was here playing he needed to go potty. A few accidents later in the day, but he is still doing a really great job! Gabrielle has a sticker chart going, just for fun. The prize she wants when it fills up is a bag of salty peanuts- in their shells. where this idea came from I have no clue.

Just to make sure life stays busy we have the excitement thrown in of the van not starting on our way to school today. I fiddled around a little and could tell the battery post was corroded. I somehow got it started with a little luck and got the G to class on time. Once Clay got home from work he took a few trips back and forth from the store to get the right parts to replace the terminal connections- or something like that. I had it explained to me, but really as long as it worked and is safe I have no clue what was going on.

Oh and did I mention we are going to spend like 20 hours in the car this week to go house hunting. fun.

One bright point in our weekend was a trip up to Williamsburg where our dear friend Amber was staying at a fancy resort for a family reunion. Amber was part of our 9th floor family in Japan. It has been 3 years without seeing her, she hadn't even met Elliot- outside of my stomach! We got the joy of playing with her nephew and the kids borrowed some of his swim clothes, due to me not even thinking to bring any for our visit ( I now have some that I am keeping in the car, just for those times).

heart

war paint aka my mascara! this happened in the time it took me to brush my teeth. the boy is sweet as can be, and he sure likes to keep me on my toes.

1st day

End of Summer catch up

It is all of a sudden the end of Summer, and it feels like it happened too quickly. We had a pretty wonderful summer, and kept busy. Although we kept busy, I don't have too many pictures of whatever it is we have been busy doing!

The kids caught grasshoppers in the back yard, and wanted to keep them as pets.

this was our hotel room in NC, playing with our cool flashlights that have little lids you snap over the light that then projects shapes onto the wall- we have dinosaur and pirate shapes.

last year I ran the race and these two amazing ladies cheered me on, this year we swapped rolls! they did amazing, and really motivate me to start running again.

there is a bus that parks up the street (VA is strange, the drivers park the buses near their homes bc the garage can't handle the thousands of buses there are) so we did a beginning of the school year picture by it.

we met 3 other families at the beach today, and this pretty butterfly fluttered around us while the kids chased it.

one of the "new fisherman" who caught the fishing bug from Clayton caught this Pompano fish. Clay has yet to catch one, they are pretty rare in VA so there may be a little jealousy! does it count that the guy was using Clay's fishing gear, and Clay un-hooked it? He will have his chance in FL to catch many I am sure. Pretty, and quite delicious too I hear (although this was too little.)

Our dear British friends had their handsome boy last night, after 39 hours of labor! I went up and visited, and got to hold Jaxon and congratulate Shaun and Marella. Brought back so many memories of my 1st baby, the pre-eclampsia, induction, magnesium sulfate and an IV for days, being in another country, etc. Oh how I love and am amazed by birth!
Can you believe these 2 start pre-school this week? Tomorrow is open house, and then Wednesday they start. I know it is only 3 hours, Gabby will go 4 days and Elliot 2 days a week, but I am already trying to wrap my head around how they are big enough to go to pre-school... and how I am going to handle it emotionally! It is so rare that the kids are away from both Clay and I. Gabrielle is beyond excited, and Elliot- well he wants to make sure I will pick him up. Actually he wants to go to school with Nana!

...You Are My I Love You.

I stumbled across this quote last night and fell in love with it. You can download a free printable HERE, I have plans to put it in a cute little frame for the kids rooms.

home

We made it home! 3 nights in Winston Salem, NC was fun but just another thing added to our list of travels in the past few months. Needless to say the kids had a few grumpy moments. Remind me never to suggest playing "who can fall asleep first?" it ended with major tantrumS from a very competitive little girl. No one fell asleep, yet she kept screaming about wanting to win! The first thing out of her mouth when she woke up, "I want my prize!" haha yeah, no prize given for that game. It may also have to do with the 4 of us in one king size bed (although it is much roomier than the 4 of us in our queen at home!).

Irene wasn't as devastating as predicted, which was good, but it did still wreck havoc on NC and VA. We played it safe and left after hearing of the evacuations of the beach 12 miles from our house. That beach, Sandbridge got torn up by not only the hurricane, but a tornado too. Our time in NC was fun, 2 different Children's museums, thick southern accents, and exploring more places we have never before been. We truly were in the SOUTH, we passed signs for the tobacco and race car museums, the middle of the night gas station stop (to pee, one of the many on our drive there and back!) had HOT boiled peanuts.

Driving home today we got on the freeway alongside 2 big disaster relief trucks. The US Mail semis were delivering generators. I saw more generators being hauled today than in my entire life combined. As soon as we turned onto Highway 58 it was all too common to see huge trees fallen across power lines, trees bottom and top on either side of the road (traveling the opposite direction we were going) with the middle cut out so the road was usable. All the stores, gas stations, restaurants were without power for probably at least a 40 mile stretch. And once we saw an exit with a long line of cars getting off we realized it was the first of the area with power ON.

We heard about our house while away, the power went out during the storm but was back on today. Not sure how long it was out, so to be safe again we threw out some of the fridge contents (it really wasn't that full, since I we haven't been home enough days to have done a big grocery shop.) All is good at our house, and we are so thankful and Blessed to have escaped any damage or harm. The thought of having to deal with hurricanes again after this is no fun, although the move to the coast of FL makes me feel like this will not be my one and only experience!

evacuated!

after lots of worrying and decision making, then finally getting the call from Clay's command that he did not have to report in for work, even tho he is on duty- we evacuated! our family of 4, plus Gina and S, their dog and cat. we left at 10pm, and got into Winston-Salem, NC at 3am and checked into our hotel!

Irene

So the next 72 hours will be a bit of an adventure, hopefully a calm one! Hurricane Irene is headed our way, and I have no idea if we are going to evacuate or sit it out. They have mandatory evacuate orders for much of OBX, which is pretty close by but there is nothing in place for VB. We will have wind and rain for sure, but just how much?? DO I pack up the kids and a cooler of food and head inland, if so, where? Do I go now and avoid the crowds? Wait it out? Right now it looks as though Irene will be a category 3 leaving OBX and downgrading to a 2 closer to us. I feel a little deja vu from the days of Typhoon warnings in Japan. There really wasn't anywhere to evacuate to, so we just stocked up on essentials and hunkered down in our apartments. Half the time they didn't hit, and other times we got the storm. Really there is just no predicting the exact path, I guess be prepared and have a plan is what I will do. Another thing that is totally akin to Japan is the earthquake we had this week! The house started shaking and I knew the feeling, but they are so rare I thought maybe it was construction near the house or something at first.

I guess part of not wanting to leave is that we have only been home from our 3 week WA vacation for a week. During that week we have already taken a camping trip too! We have one busy and exciting summer! Visit from Party Auntie and Fancy Uncle, a trip to WA complete with the amazing wedding of "Stinkin' Mindi" and Jon, 1st family camping trip- with friends as a 4th birthday celebration for Seth, oh and on top of all that we got our final orders on moving. Jacksonville, Florida will be our new home. The two days during which we got back from WA and left for camping we got word that oh by the way not only are you moving, but you have to move SOON! In 2 months from now to be exact. Lots going on, and even more to do! House hunting has started, which is very nerve wracking!

Oh yeah, another exciting note in all of this adventure, Elliot has gone from little boy to full blown BOY! On a whim the other day he didn't wear a diaper (who am I kidding, we aren't strict on him wearing one at home) then the next 2 days he wore underwear- like even when I took him out and about! He has been amazing, using the potty all the time! Coolest thing was he told me the 1st day when we were at Kohls shopping (looking for kid size back packs) they had a kid size toilet! Oh the things that excite a mom! Of course I did just buy a box of diapers, but he can use those for night time still.

Gabby is still the sassiest 4 and a half year old I know, but oh so smart and sweet too. She has been speaking Spanish like you wouldn't believe lately. Her vocabulary has expanded beyond colors, numbers and a few random words she learned from Dora. Many of her words are courtesy of Skippyjon Jones we got a few from the library a while back, and our friends shared them with us too. Now we own a few of the books, and they have CDs that come with them so we listen to the books on CD in the car.... and speak and sing in the silly way as the cat who thinks he is a chihuahua.

I have a million pictures to share, at some point. There are so many to choose from, the sailboat ride with my sissy, beach fun with Auntie, camping kids!