looks can be deceiving

Hi. I’d like to introduce you to stubborn:



And here...this guy here is his brother instigator:



And I would introduce you to there mom as well but she looks like hell. We’ll call her “one foot in the grave.”

Zack has kept us up all night for approximately 57 nights in a row now. Only a slight exaggeration. I decided he was well past the age that necessitated night time feedings - 8 months now. According to all the websites and books, 4, yes FOUR months is the point that babies can sleep through the night without feeding. Zack apparently disagrees with those findings, strongly. He cries all night long because I won’t feed him. And he doesn’t give up. Ever. And here’s the kicker...during those rare moments of peace that stubborn recharges, instigator finds that to be the best time to dive on top of him thus waking the beast for another bout of crying. Carlos and I are feeling a bit like zombies. We need sleep and lots of it. And there will be no sleep for quite some time.

Have pity on us please.

And send coffee.

the road warriors

That's what I've dubbed our little traveling band of four...

Day 4 of our cross-country odyssey finds us in Oklahoma City, OK (which is not only in the state of Oklahoma but also in the county of Oklahoma...just an interesting little FYI for you). We've covered a total of 1480 miles so far and estimate the remainder to be just over 1000. We've decided to take it easy the rest of the trip and give the boys a break from the long road hours. The plan is to roll into Waterford early Wednesday morning in time to do a couple of errands that day (like the storage place and the bank.)

We've had great luck so far with the weather and the traffic. We've discovered that the portable DVD player ranks among the greatest inventions ever (thank you Dora and Spongebob for making this trip so much easier on ALL of us.) We've learned the valuable lesson that Zack doesn't handle eating rice cereal in the car so well (a little "Exorcist" action in Flagstaff drove that point home). I've learned to be more careful when bending over in an unfamiliar shower (a large lump above my right eye is a testament to that newfound tidbit.) Jake thinks baby food squash is blech yucky (have to agree with him there...) The daily saga of the car re-packing has increased our awareness of what we really do and do not need each night.) So you see, this trip has added a great wealth of knowledge to our travel repertoire..oh, and Z is getting his first tooth too!

So much to share but not a lot of time to do it. I hope this little recap will sustain your thirst for knowledge until I have more time.

I end with a picture of the wee road warriors enjoying the hotel bed...until next time.

making a list and checking it twice and proud mommy moments...

So much to share...where are we at now? As for errands and phone calls, we're about through the list. We've been to the title company to sign our end of the paperwork, we have a dumpster being delivered today to get rid of some of the accumulated junk, we're on our way out the door to the pharmacy to stock up on prescriptions and to AAA to get maps and tour books for hotels along the way. We're still packing on a daily basis but we've hit that wall where we can't really see the progress anymore. You know what I mean? Yeah, you do. It sucks but we're pushing through. I really should pack up the last of my scrapbooking stuff but it's so hard! I'm pretty much down to bare essentials but I know those will have to be stored away soon. I have lists of things to do and lists of lists to make. I get such a sense of accomplishment every time I can cross something off one of them!

As for where we're staying? Looks like we might be buying a house right away afterall...or at least renting a house with the option of buying in a year. It looks nice from what we've seen so far...3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, good size yard with a fence around the back. It backs up to a wooded area and sits on a cul de sac so it's quiet and safer than most places. Looks well maintained. We should have more photos and video anytime so we can try to make a decision. Wish us luck!

Can I brag a bit really quick? Just wanted to point out that my children are the smartest kids around (I know you all have the smartest kids around too!) We've known that Jake knew all the letters of the alphabet for awhile but yesterday I discovered that he also knows most of the numbers. Sesame Street and lots of work with mom and dad...he's so proud of himself! And Zack got up on his hands and knees yesterday and did a little half-crawl. Sigh, he' getting big way too fast :-( Must be the food we started feeding him the other day. He's not diggin' on the rice cereal too much (I'm fairly certain he knows our food is MUCH better) but with the addition of some prunes the other day he's much more into it. Bananas soon! I'll try to get a pic up from the first bite of cereal later today...he was an old pro from the get-go!

I'm really enjoying this format. I love the journaling aspect of scrapbooking but don't have the time to design a page for every thought that crosses my mind. And this is much more fun that getting my thoughts out in a journal. I need to remind myself to jot a few things down here on a daily basis.

Guess that's it for now!

check, check, aaaaaaaand check

• moving company booked for March 2nd
• storage unit reserved
• last mortgage payment PAID in full
• rooftop carrier for the Trailblazer shipped
• eye appointments out of the way so we can get new glasses/contacts before the move
• new nephew born today! baby Henry...

inching ever closer...

Supernanny rocks my world...

...and if I saw her on the street I'd give her a big kiss.

Honestly, I've never even seen the show. But I *did* see her on Oprah (which I also never watch...just happened to be on that channel the day she interviewed Supernanny. Proof that it was destiny for us to watch that particular day for the help we needed.)

We've been having issues with Jake for awhile now. At our wits' end with the tantrums and screaming and the terrible onem two and threes.

And then the miracle that is Jo Frost Mary Poppin'ed her way into our lives. We've been working with Jake using some of her suggestions and it's like night and day around here. He still has a few fits a day but we've learned how to handle them so much better than our previous method of tearing our hair out and whimpering in the corner.

We've got Jake saying "understand" when we explain to him what his behavior *should* be.

He says he's sorry for acting the way he does and gives us hugs afterwards.

It's soooo much calmer around here and so much more pleasant.

Thank you Supernanny.

I love this picture

Finally got around to dowloading the pictures from the Monterey trip...Jake had a blast. Would you just look at how much fun he's having dancing with his daddy??

t-minus 21 days

The big day is just 3 weeks from today. So far, so good. The inspections have been completed. Work orders have been generated to fix the things that need fixing...a cracked window (courtesy of my darling husband and an errant chip shot), some fungus (ewwww) under the bathroom generated by lots of water and a splash-happy toddler, some shingles that need to be replaced. The appraisal came in today and we're good with that as well. Title should call soon to set up an appointment to handle our end of the transfer paperwork. Still much to do but we're happy with the progress made. We've also made arrangements to get a dumpster from the city to get rid of some stuff we don't plan on taking and plan to reserve the moving company and a storage unit on Friday when we get our tax returns! Tomorrow I need to go to City Hall and get copies of the permits pulled when the owners before us added on the bonus room and workshop.

See this? I am SO getting this for Jake (ok, me) before we make that drive...I've been waiting for YEARS to get PeeWee on DVD. Fond memories, something to share with the kiddos. I also got an awesome box of goodies from my good buddy Rachel filled with fun stuff for both of the boys to keep them busy along the way. I'm sad to be moving even further away from her :(

Last night after Jake and Zack were asleep I secretly sneaked toys out of the house and into the garbage. Anything that was in more pieces than it originally came in - gone. Any toy that made it's way into the house in a box or bag alongside french fries - gone. Ahhh, feels good.

So, as you can see, we're well on our way to wrapping up preparations. I'll keep you all updates here!

something new

Thought I'd give it a shot. Just for close friends and family. Share some pictures and happenings. Maybe help me develop my writing a bit more. We shall see how long I keep it up before it dries up and turns to dust.

Crash...where did it come from? Well, it's a long sordid story but basically, it has everything to do with a little accident I had a few years back. Someone, not sure who, coined the nickname and it stuck. My first and only nickname. I don't even work at Gallo anymore but I know in some circles it's the only moniker I have.

Well, I hope you enjoy this for however long it lasts. Pictures tomorrow...for the grandparents' edification.