The weekend...

It isn't even Sunday yet, but our Saturday was so that I wanted to share anyway. Besides, ignoring chores today means that tomorrow will be boring for the purposes of a blog.

Saturday morning started off with breakfast at our place. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to take any pictures of that! You'll just have to trust that the scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits were delicious! After breakfast we went our separate ways, with Grandma and Papa heading off to the farmers market, Johnny taking a well deserved (but early for him) nap, and while Josh played a video game, Mikey and I hit the road for a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood.

{passing by Grandma & Papa's house}

{Papa's new flower bed}

{another angle on the same bed}

{Miss Ann's flower bed. Isn't it beautiful?}

{The current object of our desire... the home we are trying to buy!}

{isn't she gorgeous? she is deceptively large}

{the lot is full of trees! <3}

{keeping our fingers crossed & hoping to make her our own!}

{the woods in our neighborhood are amazing. It feels like I'm camping in the middle of the forest!}

{Mikey was fascinated by the root structure of the tree he is standing beneath}

{the woods are so thick here}

{coming up on Squirrel Forest}

{it is amazing how different Squirrel Forest looks in the Springtime!}

{of course, we didn't happen to see any squirrels on this particular outing}

{the views are still amazing, anyway}

{coming back up on our house after the walk}

After our walk, we headed up the street to Grandma & Papa's for an impromptu family picnic on the deck. It was so relaxing to spend the afternoon basking in the sun, enjoying hot dogs and beer, while the boys played with Playdoh!

{Papa, watering plants}

{Johnny was more intrigued with the Playdoh tools than the Playdoh itself}

{shots of the yard}

{Grandma's herb garden}

{Phoenix Miller Gaines, aka Millie}

{and of course, the highlight of the day - Icecream Sandwiches!}

{most of Johnny's melted before he got around to eating it}

All in all, today was wonderful! Looking forward to another restful day off tomorrow!

Rooting...

Josh and I (and Josh's parents) are dreaming and scheming about a sweet house up the street that we hope to make our home. There are a lot of things up in the air that need to happen in order for us to close on the loan, but we are praying and hoping and wishing, and putting our will into the universe.

I might have mentioned to Mikey our plans to buy the house, and my sweet little fellow is brimming with excitement of the potential adventures that lay before him. I think the most exciting thing of all will be seeing Grandma & PaPa's home from his window.

I'm excited for the same reasons as Mikey. I can't tell you just how wonderful it has been being so close to my in-laws. We didn't know how much we were missing before we lived here! Sure, there are some other exciting things about the home, too. Off the top of my head, I would say an indoor laundry room and plenty of bedrooms to expand our brood are my favorites.

I'm so hopeful for this. Hopeful to be able to make a permanent home for Josh & the boys, and hopeful to be able to finally settle down in our new neighborhood.

<3

All the colors...

Last night, as Mikey was falling asleep, we had one of those moments that I will always remember and cherish. I almost didn't hear it, he said it so quietly. I asked him to repeat himself, and he said, louder "Mom, Keshawn is brown, and I am white."

Pause.

Pause...

C'mon people, I was hoping my kid would remain forever colorblind, but apparently, someone at daycare let the cat out of the bag.

I probably took way too long to respond, but I finally got out an excited, "I know, bug, isn't it cool??!?!" His response..."...yeah." I continue to ramble, "All the colors are so awesome, and people come in every color, too, and every color is special." Mikey's response..."...yeah, but..." I continue on explaining how freaking great it is that his classroom is like a box of crayons, and really try to bring it home that all the colors are important and wonderful, when he finally interrupts me and says "Can I be brown, too?"

Uhhhmmm... Jeesh. I don't even know how to answer that one. I mumbled something about being happy being himself, and avoided that whole "If I paint you brown, someone might not be happy" conversation, because Mikey loves Keshawn, and has a story about him every day on our way home from school. He just wants to relate to him, I think, but he is 3, and there are too many rules in this world for a 3 year old that just wants to be like his buddy at daycare.

But then I remember the day before that Mikey was telling me how he was going to get the "Mikey Spots" (his own version of Johnny's plague) and they were green square spots. I just might cave and give him his own painted on plague. Hopefully I won't be insulting anyone or breaking any taboos.

I really need to read up on the random stuff that is going to come out of my 3 year old's mouth so I know how to respond in advance!

{my sweetest beast, Mikey Bear, who could honestly mark "transparent" down as his skin color on a survey with a straight face}

Balance...

Lately, I'm finding myself struggling with balancing the various aspects of my life. Between work and the kids, I find that I have little time for my husband, myself, or my home. I'm guessing that most people struggle with this, but from my seat it would appear that certain people really have their acts together. My friend Valerie is one of those people that just seem to have it together. I think about her a lot... I wonder about how she does it all, and doesn't lose her mind. She is the closest example I have of what I could be achieving, but most days I'm not even sure if I'll have time to brush my hair before leaving for work. On the other hand, I distinctly recall a conversation with Valerie where she mentioned stopping by a drug store on her way into work because she forgot to put on makeup that morning. In my book, that is serious dedication to your co-workers. 

I just started my new job 6 weeks ago, and I already find myself falling into the trap of a bare face and pony tail. Eating crappy. Feeling crappy. Letting the house go by the wayside. Those boxes in the formal living room are calling my name, begging to be unpacked. In AZ, I would go years without letting this kind of thing bother me before I'd kick it into high gear and do my makeup for a week or so before falling off the bandwagon. I'm not trying to insult anyone here, but for the most part my old co-workers weren't exactly glamorous. There were a few people in my office that cared about their appearance, but there were also a lot of frumpy guys and gals. Alas, there is something about living in the South that constantly reminds me of how dowdy I look. Women won't walk out their front door here without their face on. Just today I was at the bank, watching the people in their cars in the drive-thru, and feeling very uncomfortable with my situation. And then of course I think "What is the point of putting nice jewelry on when your body looks this way? Do you want to attract attention to your round face?" 

It is a battle, people. Kind of a dumb battle. Sometimes I sit at my desk and long to be like "those" people that just have it all together. But then deep down I know that this shit doesn't come easily to anyone. Even for the folks that have a natural tendency to stay on top of things, that tendency doesn't do them any good if they sit on the couch and wish things would happen. I guess that some people just have to try. Hard. I'm one of them. The only solution I can think of right now is to set my alarm clock for 1/2 an hour earlier to buy myself the extra time I need to get ready in the morning. I might have to part ways with my beloved Bill O'Reilly after the kids go to bed so I can spend more time working on the bills, the budget, the chores, or even just spending time blogging (you know things are getting bad when you can't even find time for one of your favorite hobbies). 

I'm not quite 30 yet. I had hoped that I would have it all figured out by then, but I'm certainly not going to figure anything out if I don't stop behaving like a lazy child. If I all of a sudden start looking like I've got it all figured out based on my blog posts, remember this post. It isn't easy for me, either. I'm just going to start trying.