Last Wednesday evening was an FRG meeting. Obviously the first one since I've been here. It was....interesting. :) Not at all what I'm accustomed to in some ways and very similar in others. Because of being pregnant, there aren't a lot of options I have for volunteering activities so I'm hoping that I can help out where it's needed with our FRG.
This weekend was fun. Saturday was rainy all day so we ran to the grocery store, got some cookies to bake, and a movie to watch. Sunday was Adam's birthday! Happy 28th honey! We went to DC for our first family trip there. Unfortunately, it might be our last until after the baby is born. It definitely took it's toll on me!
We drove to the first Metro station in Maryland and parked the van and took the "Red Line to Glenmont." The boys were definitely interested in the subway. We had to make a lot of stops, though, so they started to get antsy for us to get there. :) We got to the Metro Center Transfer and had to catch the blue or orange rail to the Smithsonian. It was way busier than the station in Shady Grove so that made for a more apprehensive Mama!
We made it to the National Mall, though, and before 11:00. We went to the Museum of Natural History, but not before having to cut across a marathon 30,000 + strong. :) That was interesting.
The museum was great. The boys had a wonderful time and for it being the weekend, it wasn't overly crowded. We thought we might make it over to the American History Museum, but we opted to walk a few blocks to the National Archives building. My boys are a little too young to understand the importance, but there's something to be said for standing inches away from the most important documents in our nation's history. A few inches, very thick plate glass, and LOTS of guards in the immediate area was all that seperated me from the Constitution. The Constitution!! Obviously, it was the first time I've ever been, though I doubt there will ever be a time I can stand in the Rotunda at the National Archives building and not feel a sense of awe.
We saw the Capitol Building from a slight distance and the Washington Monument from across the street. I just could not walk anymore. I'm still in a lot of discomfort today, which is disappointing to Adam who hoped we'd be able to make one more trip before the baby gets here.
This week is a busy one for Adisson and his school work. He will find some more handwriting practice awaits him and a Mom/Teacher that is a little more strict. With moving and everything going on, school got to be a little too relaxed, even for a first grader being homeschooled. We need to buckle down a little more and get some ground covered this semester before Baby Without a Name shows up!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
So happy! :) The potential buyers of our home have accepted our counter offer! :) This could be it. God is so good! I'm still nervous because I know things could fall through but I'm hopeful that God has found the buyers we need!
I knew it would sell, though I didn't think it would be this quickly. I have just been trying very hard to trust God's timing. I truly hope this is it and that we can wrap this up quickly.
Last night Adam drove us all to Gaithersburg, MD to a store called Great Beginnings. It's a HUGE baby and kid store. I went on the premise to find which stroller I wanted to buy for this little guy. I had no intention of buying one there (and I didn't!) because I know I can very likely find a better price online. I wanted to see the Chicco Liteway and the Combi Helio DX. They had neither. Ugh. I was pretty frustrated. They had some gorgeous strollers, but I cannot fathom or justify spending several hundred dollars on a stroller. In reality it's a piece of equipment that we'll be using for several years so I suppose hundreds of dollars COULD be justified....but not by this mama!
I wanted something meant for newborn and up because we are using a convertible car seat instead of an infant car seat. This will be the first time we aren't using a travel system! :) I need something lightweight but not light on features. The Liteway and the Helio fit the lightweight bill but I knew I was going to have to add some additional products to get my ideal stroller. I was disappointed when we couldn't find what we wanted last night. However, we did stumble across the Graco Cleo stroller. It was lighter and a little more compact than full size strollers and definitely had the features I wanted. The price? $250. Yikes. There was no way I was convincing the Big Guy that I needed to spend that much money. I told him again, "I can find it cheaper online!" He seemed skeptical.
I found it. With a discount coupon added and shipping included, I spent less than $73. :) I know, sometimes I amaze myself!
Today I have to get some stuff done around the house. The downstairs needs a little time, but the upstairs needs some loving! I hope I can get to the baby's room and spend a little time in there today as well. I'd LOVE to start washing his clothes and getting them put away...but we don't have a dresser yet. My in-laws are buying us a crib or dresser and my mom is buying whatever they don't. With each baby, they like to buy one big gift and they asked if they could purchase these items. Of course, Adam and I didn't say no! :) We picked out what we want from Ikea. I don't want to be here, however, when Adam has to assemble the pieces. Ikea furniture is less than fun to put together. :)
On tonight's menu is chicken queso's and spanish rice. I might try to get some dessert baked this afternoon, too. Adam likely won't be working this afternoon so I'd also like to go to the pond on post and let the boys play on the playground and collect some leaves for a fall project that I want to work on.
God is faithful and good. I hope I spend enough time thanking Him for all of his grace.
I knew it would sell, though I didn't think it would be this quickly. I have just been trying very hard to trust God's timing. I truly hope this is it and that we can wrap this up quickly.
Last night Adam drove us all to Gaithersburg, MD to a store called Great Beginnings. It's a HUGE baby and kid store. I went on the premise to find which stroller I wanted to buy for this little guy. I had no intention of buying one there (and I didn't!) because I know I can very likely find a better price online. I wanted to see the Chicco Liteway and the Combi Helio DX. They had neither. Ugh. I was pretty frustrated. They had some gorgeous strollers, but I cannot fathom or justify spending several hundred dollars on a stroller. In reality it's a piece of equipment that we'll be using for several years so I suppose hundreds of dollars COULD be justified....but not by this mama!
I wanted something meant for newborn and up because we are using a convertible car seat instead of an infant car seat. This will be the first time we aren't using a travel system! :) I need something lightweight but not light on features. The Liteway and the Helio fit the lightweight bill but I knew I was going to have to add some additional products to get my ideal stroller. I was disappointed when we couldn't find what we wanted last night. However, we did stumble across the Graco Cleo stroller. It was lighter and a little more compact than full size strollers and definitely had the features I wanted. The price? $250. Yikes. There was no way I was convincing the Big Guy that I needed to spend that much money. I told him again, "I can find it cheaper online!" He seemed skeptical.
I found it. With a discount coupon added and shipping included, I spent less than $73. :) I know, sometimes I amaze myself!
Today I have to get some stuff done around the house. The downstairs needs a little time, but the upstairs needs some loving! I hope I can get to the baby's room and spend a little time in there today as well. I'd LOVE to start washing his clothes and getting them put away...but we don't have a dresser yet. My in-laws are buying us a crib or dresser and my mom is buying whatever they don't. With each baby, they like to buy one big gift and they asked if they could purchase these items. Of course, Adam and I didn't say no! :) We picked out what we want from Ikea. I don't want to be here, however, when Adam has to assemble the pieces. Ikea furniture is less than fun to put together. :)
On tonight's menu is chicken queso's and spanish rice. I might try to get some dessert baked this afternoon, too. Adam likely won't be working this afternoon so I'd also like to go to the pond on post and let the boys play on the playground and collect some leaves for a fall project that I want to work on.
God is faithful and good. I hope I spend enough time thanking Him for all of his grace.
Monday, October 19, 2009
I'm trying to settle into a routine...which would make it easier to blog regularly! :) I hope we can get something figured out soon as the arrival of Baby Boy #3 is just 12 weeks away! :)
We still haven't sold our house in Kentucky. Our realtor is not as helpful as I would like and I wish everyday that we would have selected someone else to sell our home for us. It's truly frustrating. I think someone is interested in purchasing it, we're waiting to hear if they've accepted our counter offer, but our realtor is out of town all week so it looks like we have to wait until next week to find out what is going on. So maddening.
I do have a confession to make. For the first time in about a year I have purchased, and used, store bought laundry detergent. I was having great difficulty finding necessary ingredients for my homemade stuff and really, we're entering a season in our lives where I need to streamline things as much as possible. I've started accumulating household cleaning products as well instead of making my own. I must admit....I have missed them. It wasn't ever about pure and natural to me, I'm not a person that is anti-chemical. It was about saving money. And I still do save money. I don't buy a cleaning product without a coupon and I shop around for the best price. I'm happy with my decision, I just need to reassure myself that it's ok to buy instead of make! :)
I've also started making a pretty comprehensive menu for each day. When we moved, we found there was a plethora of grocery shopping options here for us....so different from Oak Grove. I'm saving a ton of money at Giant Eagle and getting to buy all kinds of stuff that wasn't available to us before. Plus with my Giant Eagle card I earn FuelPerks. Every $50 I spend at Giant Eagle earns me $0.20 off PER GALLON at their gas station GetGo. Last night we filled up the van with nearly 19 gallons of gas for $14.40. LOVING THAT!
The boys are doing really well. Adisson is loving that he has neighborhood friends...which eases my mind since I don't think we'll be getting heavily involved with activities this winter due to my concern over H1N1. I would still really like to get him involved in Cub Scouts but I'm having a heck of a time finding a pack to answer my questions. I think Karate will be waiting until the Spring unless he chooses another sport to participate in. I'd LOVE to find some other homeschooling families here at Ft. Detrick, but I'm told that there are very few. There are some neat places on post we could meet up and have a small co-op, but I have no idea how to find these people!
Zander has been doing school work for the past week or so. HE LOVES IT! By school work, I mean we are using Kumon First Steps workbooks, preschool activity bags, and other stuff. He's having such a good time doing "schoo stuff" like his big brother! :) He also loves the neighbor kids and rambles to them as long as they will listen.
Adam is kinda working, but not really. He still isn't sure where or what he's doing but I hope they get him placed somewhere quickly. He's antsy to get working. He's a hardworking guy when it comes to his job and he's already dealing with the fact that this post is A LOT different than Ft. Campbell. He's liking things so far, though and that makes me happy.
I have more to say, but I've got to get to bed. I'll be back!
We still haven't sold our house in Kentucky. Our realtor is not as helpful as I would like and I wish everyday that we would have selected someone else to sell our home for us. It's truly frustrating. I think someone is interested in purchasing it, we're waiting to hear if they've accepted our counter offer, but our realtor is out of town all week so it looks like we have to wait until next week to find out what is going on. So maddening.
I do have a confession to make. For the first time in about a year I have purchased, and used, store bought laundry detergent. I was having great difficulty finding necessary ingredients for my homemade stuff and really, we're entering a season in our lives where I need to streamline things as much as possible. I've started accumulating household cleaning products as well instead of making my own. I must admit....I have missed them. It wasn't ever about pure and natural to me, I'm not a person that is anti-chemical. It was about saving money. And I still do save money. I don't buy a cleaning product without a coupon and I shop around for the best price. I'm happy with my decision, I just need to reassure myself that it's ok to buy instead of make! :)
I've also started making a pretty comprehensive menu for each day. When we moved, we found there was a plethora of grocery shopping options here for us....so different from Oak Grove. I'm saving a ton of money at Giant Eagle and getting to buy all kinds of stuff that wasn't available to us before. Plus with my Giant Eagle card I earn FuelPerks. Every $50 I spend at Giant Eagle earns me $0.20 off PER GALLON at their gas station GetGo. Last night we filled up the van with nearly 19 gallons of gas for $14.40. LOVING THAT!
The boys are doing really well. Adisson is loving that he has neighborhood friends...which eases my mind since I don't think we'll be getting heavily involved with activities this winter due to my concern over H1N1. I would still really like to get him involved in Cub Scouts but I'm having a heck of a time finding a pack to answer my questions. I think Karate will be waiting until the Spring unless he chooses another sport to participate in. I'd LOVE to find some other homeschooling families here at Ft. Detrick, but I'm told that there are very few. There are some neat places on post we could meet up and have a small co-op, but I have no idea how to find these people!
Zander has been doing school work for the past week or so. HE LOVES IT! By school work, I mean we are using Kumon First Steps workbooks, preschool activity bags, and other stuff. He's having such a good time doing "schoo stuff" like his big brother! :) He also loves the neighbor kids and rambles to them as long as they will listen.
Adam is kinda working, but not really. He still isn't sure where or what he's doing but I hope they get him placed somewhere quickly. He's antsy to get working. He's a hardworking guy when it comes to his job and he's already dealing with the fact that this post is A LOT different than Ft. Campbell. He's liking things so far, though and that makes me happy.
I have more to say, but I've got to get to bed. I'll be back!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
I meant to blog the entire time we were in Ohio, but I was working with VERY slooooow computers and just didn't have the patience. :)
Wednesday, September 16: The new carpet was installed in the house and we spent HOURS finishing up painting and cleaning. We were finally done around 5:00. We walked through the house, said our goodbyes and left. We managed to get on the road at about 5:30, about the same time I knew there was no way we were making it all the way to Ohio. We'd be stopping in Louisville for the night. On the way there, we realized that my cell is useless out of the area we lived in (old phone, purchased quickly to replace a phone I broke) and Adam and I were driving seperately. It made for an odd, interesting trip as we got seperated a lot, but in the end, finally made it to the Red Roof Inn we were staying at (thanks to my travel agent, Tiffany, who totally got that arranged for us while I was driving!) for the night.
Thursday, September 17: We got up, had some Bob Evans and hit the road. Everyone was working in Ohio, so we drove right to my Grandma's house to visit with her for a little while. Headed over to my in-laws, found out the local festival (that I used to go to every year when I was growing up) was having their parade that night, emptied the van and decided to go. Loved the parade, as always. :) Went to my aunt's to visit with her as she was leaving town on business for a week. She gave me my first baby shower present, a super cute Vera Bradley bag. My first. :) Back to in-laws to sleep.
Friday, September 18: Visited Adam's grandparents, had McDonald's, went to a corn maze with parents-in-law. The boys loved it and hated it. The Kids Corral (or Kids Carol as Adisson called it) was their favorite. It had pumpking bowling, a huge hay pile to jump into, a corn box, a tunnel, a blacklight lit silo...it was fun. The corn maze was huge, took us over 90 min., scared the boys (we were in the dark, they thought we were lost forever), made me have to pee sooooo badly, but we had a great time!
Saturday, September 19: Visited the Renaissance Festival. LOVED it! Had such a good time! Got my belly painted with a henna Serenity Blessing. Had to walk around the festival with my belly hanging out for the rest of the afternoon so the paint would dry. Totally weird, totally worth it. It was so neat to have done! :)
Sunday, September 20: My baby shower! (Note to self: Finish thank you notes!!) Tiffany and my moms threw me a shower. I had SO much fun, it was such a great time. Got lots of little goodies for my newest little man. Tiff had told everyone to bring a book instead of a card, which was one of the COOLEST ideas ever. I got a nice little library started for my baby. It was so pretty, so blue, and so me. I'd almost have another baby to have a shower that fun. Almost. :) Sunday night, hung out with Jordan and his family for a little while. He's got such precious kids!
Monday, September 21: We went shopping! :)
Tuesday, September 22: Hung out at Mom's all evening. It was nice to visit with her and Joyce.
Wednesday, September 23: Aunt Pam went shopping with me in Troy and then Luke, Adam, and I took our kids and Alexis to Jumpy's. It's a "store" with big inflatables to jump on. That was, uh, interesting. :) Had McDonald's for dinner, again, and a good time just hanging out with my brothers. :)
Thursday, September 24: Went shopping in Springfield with Grandma and Pam. Had such a good time. Went back to Grandma's to make a birthday present for Mom and Joyce.
Friday, September 25: Spent the day shopping at Ikea with Ree, Grandma, Pam, and Jordan. It was nice! Then went back to McGhee's to get ready for Mom and Joyce's birthday dinner at BD's Mongolian Grill.
Saturday, September 26: Hung out at Ree's all day for Hannah's birthday party. I swear she grows a foot each time I see her. She's such a sweet girl. Got a new cell phone (there's no way we were traveling with the junky one again!). Went back to in-laws, ordered pizza for me and the boss. :)
Sunday, September 27: Big get-together at Mom's. Grandpa Tom was in town all weekend and it's ALWAYS so much fun to hang out with him and with everyone. The boys just love him and it's no surprise. He's always been such a great and wonderful grandpa. I'm a lucky girl!
Monday, September 28: KAREN'S PIZZA!!! Finally and oh what goodness!
Tuesday, September 29: We left town about 12:30. Got to Morgantown, WV. Had a horrendous experience checking in at the Residence Inn (rudest customer service EVER. In my life!!), but the hotel was gorgeous and so nice. Thanks so much to my wonderful aunt for hooking us up with the room here and the next night in Frederick with her frequent traveler points. What a blessing!
Wednesday, September 30: Left Morgantown, oh, and don't visit there....ugh!!....headed to Frederick, MD. 40 min. into trip...Adam's truck broke. By the grace of God and only that, we still managed to get to Frederick ok. It was a broken uh.....drive shaft??? I don't know, but it was so nervewracking to drive behind him the rest of the way praying he wouldn't wreck into anything or anyone. Got to our Residence Inn in Frederick. Great customer service! Headed right to Ft. Detrick to be sure we knew how to get there. Came back with dinner and hung out.
Thursday, October 1: GOT OUR HOUSE ON POST!!! :) It's great. Bigger than we had, more bathrooms, an actual laundry ROOM, just a cute townhouse! Too much white on the walls, but I'm working on it.
Friday, October 2: Got our STUFF!!
Unpacked for days.
Today, Thursday, October 8: There's more I've got to share, including my prayer request for our house in Kentucky to sell quickly, but I've got to feed the boys. I'll be back!!! :)
Wednesday, September 16: The new carpet was installed in the house and we spent HOURS finishing up painting and cleaning. We were finally done around 5:00. We walked through the house, said our goodbyes and left. We managed to get on the road at about 5:30, about the same time I knew there was no way we were making it all the way to Ohio. We'd be stopping in Louisville for the night. On the way there, we realized that my cell is useless out of the area we lived in (old phone, purchased quickly to replace a phone I broke) and Adam and I were driving seperately. It made for an odd, interesting trip as we got seperated a lot, but in the end, finally made it to the Red Roof Inn we were staying at (thanks to my travel agent, Tiffany, who totally got that arranged for us while I was driving!) for the night.
Thursday, September 17: We got up, had some Bob Evans and hit the road. Everyone was working in Ohio, so we drove right to my Grandma's house to visit with her for a little while. Headed over to my in-laws, found out the local festival (that I used to go to every year when I was growing up) was having their parade that night, emptied the van and decided to go. Loved the parade, as always. :) Went to my aunt's to visit with her as she was leaving town on business for a week. She gave me my first baby shower present, a super cute Vera Bradley bag. My first. :) Back to in-laws to sleep.
Friday, September 18: Visited Adam's grandparents, had McDonald's, went to a corn maze with parents-in-law. The boys loved it and hated it. The Kids Corral (or Kids Carol as Adisson called it) was their favorite. It had pumpking bowling, a huge hay pile to jump into, a corn box, a tunnel, a blacklight lit silo...it was fun. The corn maze was huge, took us over 90 min., scared the boys (we were in the dark, they thought we were lost forever), made me have to pee sooooo badly, but we had a great time!
Saturday, September 19: Visited the Renaissance Festival. LOVED it! Had such a good time! Got my belly painted with a henna Serenity Blessing. Had to walk around the festival with my belly hanging out for the rest of the afternoon so the paint would dry. Totally weird, totally worth it. It was so neat to have done! :)
Sunday, September 20: My baby shower! (Note to self: Finish thank you notes!!) Tiffany and my moms threw me a shower. I had SO much fun, it was such a great time. Got lots of little goodies for my newest little man. Tiff had told everyone to bring a book instead of a card, which was one of the COOLEST ideas ever. I got a nice little library started for my baby. It was so pretty, so blue, and so me. I'd almost have another baby to have a shower that fun. Almost. :) Sunday night, hung out with Jordan and his family for a little while. He's got such precious kids!
Monday, September 21: We went shopping! :)
Tuesday, September 22: Hung out at Mom's all evening. It was nice to visit with her and Joyce.
Wednesday, September 23: Aunt Pam went shopping with me in Troy and then Luke, Adam, and I took our kids and Alexis to Jumpy's. It's a "store" with big inflatables to jump on. That was, uh, interesting. :) Had McDonald's for dinner, again, and a good time just hanging out with my brothers. :)
Thursday, September 24: Went shopping in Springfield with Grandma and Pam. Had such a good time. Went back to Grandma's to make a birthday present for Mom and Joyce.
Friday, September 25: Spent the day shopping at Ikea with Ree, Grandma, Pam, and Jordan. It was nice! Then went back to McGhee's to get ready for Mom and Joyce's birthday dinner at BD's Mongolian Grill.
Saturday, September 26: Hung out at Ree's all day for Hannah's birthday party. I swear she grows a foot each time I see her. She's such a sweet girl. Got a new cell phone (there's no way we were traveling with the junky one again!). Went back to in-laws, ordered pizza for me and the boss. :)
Sunday, September 27: Big get-together at Mom's. Grandpa Tom was in town all weekend and it's ALWAYS so much fun to hang out with him and with everyone. The boys just love him and it's no surprise. He's always been such a great and wonderful grandpa. I'm a lucky girl!
Monday, September 28: KAREN'S PIZZA!!! Finally and oh what goodness!
Tuesday, September 29: We left town about 12:30. Got to Morgantown, WV. Had a horrendous experience checking in at the Residence Inn (rudest customer service EVER. In my life!!), but the hotel was gorgeous and so nice. Thanks so much to my wonderful aunt for hooking us up with the room here and the next night in Frederick with her frequent traveler points. What a blessing!
Wednesday, September 30: Left Morgantown, oh, and don't visit there....ugh!!....headed to Frederick, MD. 40 min. into trip...Adam's truck broke. By the grace of God and only that, we still managed to get to Frederick ok. It was a broken uh.....drive shaft??? I don't know, but it was so nervewracking to drive behind him the rest of the way praying he wouldn't wreck into anything or anyone. Got to our Residence Inn in Frederick. Great customer service! Headed right to Ft. Detrick to be sure we knew how to get there. Came back with dinner and hung out.
Thursday, October 1: GOT OUR HOUSE ON POST!!! :) It's great. Bigger than we had, more bathrooms, an actual laundry ROOM, just a cute townhouse! Too much white on the walls, but I'm working on it.
Friday, October 2: Got our STUFF!!
Unpacked for days.
Today, Thursday, October 8: There's more I've got to share, including my prayer request for our house in Kentucky to sell quickly, but I've got to feed the boys. I'll be back!!! :)
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