Happy Fathers Day 2011!

Boys giving Daddy their Fathers Day cards

It is so fun now that Colin and Evan are old enough to make their own cards and pictures to give to us on special days.  They were so proud of the cards they had made for Dennis and the picture frame Evan had made.

We had a nice Fathers Day today, even though Dennis had to spend most of it organizing and packing for the big move.  He did get away to the pool for a couple hours this afternoon to play with Colin and Evan, while Logan and I stayed home. 

Speaking of Logan...he was very fussy this weekend.  My mom was visiting on Saturday and he fussed through most of Colin's baseball game and most of lunch too.  He also woke up crying in the middle of the night the last two nights, which is very rare for him.  Well, this afternoon we figured out the problem...he has at least 3 teeth coming in all at the same time!  He seems to have a harder time with teething then Colin and Evan ever had.  Hopefully, they come through quickly and he is back to his old self.

Yesterday, the boys both had games at the same time so my Mom and I went to Colin's game.  Colin is getting much better at hitting the ball and even hit a home run!  Dennis went with Evan to Evan's game.  I am told Evan did awesome as well.  After lunch Dennis took the boys home while Mom and I shopped (for her upcoming trip to Italy).  Then that evening after my Mom had left, the boys asked if they could have a movie night.  So, Dennis picked up some ice cream and we all sat and watched a movie together.  Logan especially loved the ice cream and was bouncing from each of us, trying to get some bites!

Last Day of School!!!

I know I have said it a million times, but I love our neighborhood here in Richmond!  Our whole neighborhood organized to have water guns and water balloons at the bus stop this afternoon.  So, as the kids got off the school bus (there is about 50 kids at our stop) they got sprayed by all the Moms and Dads.  It was priceless to see the faces of all the kids as they rushed off the bus.

Then one of the Ladies in the neighborhood made an announcement that there was an End of School Party at her house.  So, I changed the boys in to their swimsuits and we walked to her backyard.  There was a blow up slide and a huge blow up slip and slide.  Colin loved the slide but Evan was too scared to try it.  They both spent most of the time squirting squirt guns.  Oh, and eating cupcakes and cookies!  It was a great day and a sad reminder of what we will be leaving behind...

I also got good news today that Dennis is flying home a day early!  And the results of partying all day and no naps has caught up with these boys, they are wound up!   So, Dennis couldn't get here fast enough. 

Well, Congrats to my soon to be First grader, Colin!!!  I am very proud of him for his good report card and especially his excellent progress in reading.  He did great in Kindergarten.

House Hunting For Dennis, Cuddle Time For Me...

Dennis spent the day in Indianapolis looking at houses.  It was killing me not being able to see the houses with him and hear everything the Realtor told him.  Knowing that Dennis sometimes doesn't have the best memory, I made sure he wrote everything down.  But, I was still texting him every few minutes to get updates on what houses he liked and didn't liked.  I hate missing out on that fun!

Me, I was home with 3 crazy boys of course.  It hit me today that I am home with three kids by myself for 6 days and then Dennis gets home and Sunday is Father's Day!  How does that make sense?  I think Sunday should be a Mommy day and I deserve to go out for a pedicure or just be able to read in my room all day while Dennis entertains the kids!  In fairness to Dennis, I don't think it will be a very relaxing Father's Day, as we will need to hit the ground running with packing and organizing.

Today Colin had a half day of school, since tomorrow is his last day.  So, it was a nice treat to have him home early.  Logan seemed especially excited when he woke up from his nap and saw that Colin was here!  I must admit that I do have mixed feelings about school ending.  I am not sure how I am going to be able to entertain 3 kids all summer!  Especially since we will be busy with moving and in temporary housing.  It won't be the best summer for them and I know we will get stir crazy in the little 2 bedroom apartment.  Hopefully, we can juggle all that is involved with moving states and still give them a fun summer!

I must say...on our way home from running errands I was telling Colin what we had to do this evening and that he had some free time before we had to pick up Evan.  Colin said he wanted to go home and cuddle.  Sure enough he wanted me to sit on the couch with him and cuddle for a bit.  As crazy as these boys can be, they all love their cuddle time, especially Colin.  I sure hope he doesn't outgrow that anytime soon!

Cuddling as they watch TV

 Well, being a single Mom tires me out so I am off to read in my bed and enjoy the quiet.  Don't tell Dennis I didn't cook tonight and cheated with KFC!

My Little Gentlemen...

Dennis is out of town until Saturday night.  So, I am holding down the fort here, which means that by the time I get the boys to bed I am exhausted!  The last thing I want to do is sit at the computer and blog. 

Anyway, today was a frustrating day...first of all, I spent about 4 hours this morning getting the house spotless for a showing (a buyer) only to get a call, literally as I was finishing up, saying that it was cancelled and might get moved to next week.  Then we find out that the renter we had had officially pulled their application.  He says it is because they own another house and have decided to move in to it, but I am still not convinced.  He pulled it after the property manager asked for more information on his company (his finances were not great).  So, I think it might have been for the best, but it means we are starting back at square one again...ugh!

Well, on a brighter note.  As frustrating as little boys can be, I was very impressed with Colin and Evan this morning.  I was rushing to get dressed so that I could take Evan to school and be back before putting Colin on the bus, so I had the boys help me with Logan.  They sat with him while he ate breakfast, fed him applesauce and even cleaned him up and got him out of his booster (all of which I didn't even ask them to do).  Then they looked for his stacking cups and sat down and played with him until I was done.  They really are very loving to Logan and we get a lot of comments by other people that they both seem to LOVE babies.  Today I got a glimpse of the gentleman they will become and I am pretty confident they will both be loving fathers one day.  It is nice to have these reminders when they are running around the house like wild animals and not listening, which they probably were doing 5 minutes after I came back downstairs!

Other highlights of the last couple days were watching Evan at T-ball practice Monday, he is really enjoying it.  Though, I think he likes the popsicle at the end of practice as much as the practice itself.  Also, today we went to the pool when we got home from school.  We are trying to enjoy the pool as much as we can since summer will be gone before we know it.

The Start Of Goodbyes...

This weekend Dennis and I both felt the pangs of sadness at the thought of moving.  Dennis said he felt it Saturday night when it was raining and he was looking outside the window.  For me, I felt it today when I got an email about one of our neighbors throwing a party for all the kids to celebrate the end of school and beginning of summer.  We have such a great neighborhood, full of activities, and it is really hard to leave that.

This weekend seems to be the start of our goodbyes.  Friday we had our good friends, Mandy and Stephen, over for dinner and played a game while the kids slept.  We will miss these get togethers with them.  Saturday, Grandma and Robert visited for the last time.  They came to watch the boys play T-ball and then we went out for a great lunch.  The boys were then thrilled that Grandma wanted to take them to get comic books.  They were told they could have as many comic books as they have fingers and Dennis says their eyes got so big!  They had huge grins on their faces when the walked through the door with a stack of comic books in their hands.  Of course they have been looking at comic books all weekend, which has made for a lot of quiet time!

Saturday night Julie and Phil and their family slept over.  They had dinner plans with a friend in Richmond so they asked if they could sleep here.  After the kids all went to sleep we stayed up playing a board game.  Once again, that was the last time they will be in Richmond and it makes me sad to think I won't get to see my family as often.  Sunday, Meghan, Eric and Miranda visited and we all went to the pool.  The kids had a great time!  The day ended with me going out to dinner with my PT friends and saying goodbye to them.

I am already tired of saying my goodbyes.  We have a wonderful life here and it is scary to go somewhere new.  I am hoping that it won't be too long before we can move back closer to family.  But, who knows what the future holds...  It was a wonderful weekend and served to remind us of the wonderful family and friends we will be leaving. 

By the way...T-ball games were a lot of fun.  Evan started out in the pitcher position and did great throwing the ball to first base.  It was very hot and he did get tired mid way though, especially when he had to play out field.  He also hit the ball off the tee on the first try ,which was a great improvement.  Colin played first base first and did great.  He got an awesome out when he played 3rd base!

One thing I failed to do was take pictures this weekend!  I was so bummed that I forgot to bring the camera to the game and to the pool.  Thanks to Eric for the pictures!

Colin Field Day!

Today was Field Day at Colin's school and Dennis stayed home to watch the little ones so that I could volunteer.  It was pretty hot, but a lot of fun too!  Colin said it was the "best school day ever".  Everytime I managed to catch a glimpse of him he was running to a different station.  He is definetly all boy and seemed to like all the sports stations, like basketball and double dutch jump rope.  Some of the kids were getting tired and sitting down toward the end, but I think Colin could have gone a few more hours! 

After field day we enjoyed a picnic in his classroom.  I wish I could volunteer more at his school, but with two other little ones I can't get away without Dennis having to take off of work.

Well, we have been busy with getting house stuff ready for the big move.  Today the moving company came to do their visual inventory.  Things are moving a long with a renter.  We have a contract and are just waiting on the property manager to approve it.  It doesn't move as quickly as we would like, but looks like it will be done soon.  It is a 2 year lease, so assuming it goes through, it will be nice to not have to worry about selling or finding another renter for a couple years.

Our good friends, Mandy and Stephen, are coming over tonight for dinner and to play a game.  It will be a busy weekend with different family visiting and seeing friends for the last time before the move.

Logan 15 Month Well Visit (A Little Early)

Logan doesn't turn 15 months until the end of the month, but yesterday I got a call confirming his check up appointment.  They apparently had scheduled him for June 7th, instead of July 7th.  So, knowing that we would be in Indiana by July 7th, I asked if I could go ahead and bring him in early.

Logan at 14+ months is 31.5 inches (75%) and 22 lbs 6 oz (25%).  He seems to be staying on the same tall and thin curve, so far. We also got a referral to the pediatric dermatologist to get some bumps removed off of his back.  Logan is still only taking 4-6 steps max.  He is saying maybe 2 words (daddy and bye bye), but does chatter a lot and points to things.  He is a good eater, most of the time, but when he doesn't he lets you know. 

Logan is also very, very in to things.  I can not keep him from going up the stairs now.  He LOVES it, and then he goes off and explores the upstairs.  Today, after cleaning the house for a showing, I went to take a shower.  I brought Logan in to the bathroom with me and sat him on the floor with some toys.  When I got out of the shower he was sitting in a pile of powder (he some how managed to get in to the cabinet even though I secured it with a rubber band).  By the time I had that cleaned up Logan had gone in to Colin's room and pulled all the books of his shelf.  So, while I was cleaning that, Logan crawled in to his own room and had emptied all the socks out of his drawer!  He was just as active at the pool today.  I should be 10 lbs lighter by now, chasing after this little guy!

He also has learned how to climb on top of his train table, he sat up there like he was king of the world with a huge grin on his face!

We did have a couple renters come today to look at the house.  Our renter from the weekend decided to go with a house on the other side of town (don't ask me why he was looking in both areas), because it is closer to their work.  So, we had 2 more people come today and both look like they would be 2 year leases and are planning on putting an application in.  So, I don't think we will be waiting long for another renter.  There has even been another call since then of someone who wants to come in a few weeks.  So, we are moving forward with the move June 24th!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

Colin woke up in the middle of the night Saturday vomiting and unfortunately had to miss his baseball game and team pictures (he missed last week too because we were out of town).  So, I stayed home with him while Dennis took Evan to his game.  I am told Evan did great.  He played first base and did well, he got a little bored in the other positions because the ball never came to him.  When Dennis told Evan he did awesome at first base Evan said, "I know".

We had a couple renters come to look at the place Saturday, so poor Colin had to be driven around in the back of the car with a bucket getting sick while we tried to kill time.  It was a long day for him!

Luckily, the illness lasted only about 12 hours and he woke up Sunday back to his old self.  Today, we had an open house, so once again it was a lot of waiting around and killing time.  We took the boys out to lunch at Cheesecake factory and discovered a new awesome playground.  The boys were super excited when the ice cream truck showed up at the playground.

The open house got a few buyers looking, but none of them seemed in any hurry to buy.  The renters that saw it Saturday both liked it, but one needed us out by June 20th, which is impossible.  The other couple want us out by the 27th.  We went back and forth with them on cost and turned them down only to have them come back and say okay to our original amount.  So, looks like we have a renter, IF (and that is a big if), we can get the movers to get us out of here by the 27th.  So, we will know for sure tomorrow.  Crazy to think we could be out of this house in 3 weeks!  Yikes, so much to do, if this does happen...

Perfect Evan. Diva Logan.

Many days Evan can be a little bit exhausting, but today he was perfect.  We went to Walmart and he helped cross items off the list as I shopped.  He then did a great job helping me plant some flowers.  This was followed by an awesome 3 hour nap by both him and Logan. 

When Colin came home we had a great time at the pool.  Colin is back to swimming now and is very excited about that.  Logan is really proving to have a different personality then the other two boys.  He is all over the place at the pool.  Much more active then Colin and Evan were. 

Logan is also proving to still be quite a diva.  I have been saying this since he was a little baby and it remains to be true.  He is very dramatic and gets a "fuss face" as I call it when he gets upset.  He looks like the whole world is ending if you don't give him his cheerios fast enough, or take away his milk before he is done.  I sure hope he outgrows this before he gets too much older, or the terrible 2 and 3's might be pretty rough.

In other not as exciting news... the house is officially up for rent now.  We definitely have mixed emotions about it, as we would have rather gotten it sold. 

For Rent.

I had a brilliant idea today to go for a walk to the playground with Evan and Logan.  Unfortunately, I forgot it was 95 degrees outside until after I had the boys all lathered up with suntan lotion and sitting in the wagon.  I was dripping in sweat by the time we got to the playground.  We only lasted about 10 minutes at the playground before I was wiped out and Evan was asking for lunch.  But, those 10 minutes were full of fun.

This evening our Realtor came by to answer questions we had about putting the house up for rent.  Looks like we are going to move in that direction and hopefully have it up for rent by this weekend.  She thinks we are jumping the gun a bit, because there are still some people that liked our house out there, but we can't sit around waiting forever and we want to move before Indiana's schools start up early August.  So, we have made the difficult and really unwanted decision to put the house up for rent.  Hopefully, we will have some better luck with that.  I read today that the market is officially the worst it has been since the Great Depression and that the housing market took 19 years to recover after the depression.  Wow, looks like we were asked to move during a great time.....