Moving Musings

Okay. So I realized two things tonight. 1. It has been a full three weeks since we moved into the new digs outside Chicago and 2. If I continue to wait to download photos and have a ton of time to blog, it will never happen again. Tan is asleep, Phebers and Ahnka are playing corn hole with Jeff and my parents (because I had to feed Tan). Oh, wait, no they aren't. Knee emergency, now Ahnka is on my lap with ice and Phebers is making a puppet.

So super quick recap...
Moving went smoothly, nothing broken, nice mover men types.
House: good. Settling in and I have most rooms unpacked (not the storage and not the garage). We still only have paper taped up over the windows but that should change this week. Like the split level life so far. Miss our swingset. Miss the Croms. Nice enough neighbors here though. Friendly. Got a new fridge--Roger (the flipper who sold to us) lied about the other one working. Hard to work when the door won't stay closed. Little things all over the house that we say, "Roger" much like Seinfeld and Newman. Strange stuff--our remote doorbell picks up someone else's doorbell or something. So at random times of the day our doorbell rings a different tone than what our button pushes. No one at the door. Other strange noises that come and go too. HMMM...

Tan: Decided to learn to sit up and cut two bottom teeth the week of the move! It was a tough, but exciting week for him. He is changing so much now that he has us in plain sight. He is starting to mimic clapping, shaking his head, and sounds. Super cute. Super fun. But he bites, drools, and chews on anything he can reach.

Ahnka: The smoothest transition for anyone in some ways. She misses her friends a lot. But loves getting to see Grandma and Papa so much. She is just up to her usual antics and keeps us laughing constantly. She has discovered the fun of boxes and scotch tape and has become quite the artiste.

Phebers: Started kindergarten this week. I think she loves it. She seems happy and wants to go, but refuses to tell me anything that is happening. We were all so excited for her. We all went to drop her off...and no tears from anyone! She has made friends with a couple girls on the street (sisters that are 10 and 4--who ring the doorbell, our real chimes, at least three times a day) who love princesses and barbies. And she is also enjoying trips to "the middle of the world" as she called it this weekend (grandma and papa's house).

Jeff: Started new work and likes the people he is working with so far. Seems to be quite a bit of drama that is more personal than work related at this facility, so he has been relaying stories a lot. His witch boss is trying to get rehired here and has been trying to kiss up and make nice so he won't spill the beans about how much he hates her. That has not made him happy. He started another class. This one and then one more! Watching lots of baseball.

Me: Trying to cope and keep up!! The kids never switched off eastern time, which worked out well for school. Especially since there are no buses, so all of us have to be up, dressed, and in the van for Phebers by 8:10. So I am up at 6, have been going jogging (hallelujah!--feels good to exercise), kids up at 6:30, Jeff up at 7, get them ALL ready. Normal day stuff and unpacking. Normal night stuff and kids in bed by 8 ish. And I'm usually right there with them. Exhausted. Hence, no blog, no scrapping, no reading--yet.
I am attempting to fight with doctors here about my thyroid meds and my kidney stones. One bit the dust yesterday, we'll see how the next one does, because I am moving on. I have decided to take things into my own hands and have been doing some serious research. I am getting copies of all labs and tests and then if they refuse to be polite and actually answer questions I will be out of there. Had it.
Oh yeah...Indiana wasn't kidding. They seriously put a hold on my name in the National registry and consider me a national security threat and as someone who uses aliases. Which in a way is correct I guess. They refused to use my maiden name last name on my license as it appears on my SS card. So I am only Nicole Nelson in IN. Who the heck is that? So now I am in a fight with them too. They don't like me at the IN BMV. Oh well. They are also incompetent and lost the fax with copies of my SS card, passport, and other copies of stuff with my name and new address. So I got mad and yelled at them and called a couple times. Maybe the old me who wouldn't take any crap is coming back. The mama bear me. No more doormat.
Tan's awake. I am in demand. Pics soon!

Tag I'm It

Amanda has tagged me in photo tag, and since we are stuck in the basement I am getting everything uploaded. So here goes.

1. Favorite shoes (above). Love my Privos! super duper comfy and cute. Feel slightly kicky and mom cool in these.

2. What my kids are doing now: actually they were fighting because they don't want to take naps. So I took their pic. Tank chose this moment to fill his pants. Good boy. Now Peanut is trying to fall asleep and Sparkle is coloring. 3. The self-portrait requirement--yes I know, I should not cut my own bangs. I know this. I keep doing it anyway. Someday I will either have my hair grown out long again or I will have time for my shorty again. For now, just focus on the eyes...:)

4. My closet--we all know I don't spin my pics because I just download them from my camera. So spin your head. Kinda organized, kinda not..
5. My fridge--yes! the freezer is almost empty. yes--it is mostly beverages for little people and movers. yes--it is harvest gold. Stainless steel at the new digs baby!
Now if I can only keep it clean. slightly nervous.

6. My favorite room --scrappin' and readin' space. Nuff said.
7. my toilet --not sure why I have to do this--at least it is our remodeled space. Wish i got to visit it alone--you know without little people commentary.
8. my kitchen sink --yes i did the dishes before the pic. But i have come a long way sice my slobbery of Utah.
9. my laundry room--and the chute!!!! love the chute...gonna miss it

10. my dream vacation destination --no pic necessary. Because NO ONE will know where I am . I won't know. I will be asleep for hours, possibly days, on end in a comfy bed. That is the only requirement.

I am tagging Renee (she is the only other blogger I know I can tag). But here is your chance lurkers to let me know you are out there so I can tag my other blogger. Who is out there?

Growing Growing Almost Gone

The Tank is growing so much! He has been sleeping a ton the past few days...either super tired and trying to catch up. Or he decided he did not want to wear the new 9 month stuff I just got him. Look at him hold that head up! He rolled over from his tummy to his back yesterday. Which he then repeated 100 times. That could be another reason he is sleepy.
Here he is at the pool in Nevada lovin' the water!
Peanut, cousin W, and Sparkle had a blast jumpin' in the pool. Nevada has a very nice "aquatic center" (I guess that is the new term). And it truly was way more than just a pool--great wading area, splash stuff, and a wicked slide that cousin J, Jeff and I thoroughly enjoyed. There shall be no pictures of me in my suit--the brown and neon Hawaiian print makes it easy for the kids to find me...or was it that extra 7 pounds I gained back in Iowa?

I WILL lose the baby weight once we get to Illinois. I must.
Here the girls and a Crom kid enjoy the local Dairiview fave...lime and vanilla twist.

To the last lick. Or drip?

And here's us! The whole gang on our front step. A friend took this for us. I liked the girls faces. :) I think you can click on our pics and see them a little bigger too.

They are upstairs packing currently and we are hiding in the basement. I am ready now. I had my little spell last week, and now I am coping with it all a little better. I just want to get it done and move on. Not that i want go, it just needs to be over. I have to make the final transition before i lose it again.

We have had an awesome week of fun with Croms and others...lots and lots and lots of good memories.

1. We did a fun mess day with the kids...tie dye, fingerpaint with pudding, walk through paint, mud pies, and cleaned up with shaving cream and the sprinkler. Then we ate dirt cups with gummy worms. The kids LOVED it.

2. We had several adult outings and late night innings (can I call patio parties that?).

3. Sarah and cousin A came to swim for the afternoon and hang out, and then the girls went home with them for a sleepover.

4. We went on a picnic and swimming at the beach at the lake.

5. Rosie was operational and they got her to Chicago. Although she had to be rolled into her parking spot in front of my parent's house. I promise Mom and Dad that she WILL move SOON.

See I told ya. Lots and lots of good stuff.

big stuff and on being backwards

A lot has happened in the past week and since I blogged last. I have no pictures of anything. This is the backward part. Here I am a scrapper. I promised myself that I would still take a ton of pictures, even though I am now in third child mode. I bought a new 2GB SD card for the camera and high tech batteries last Saturday. I took less that ten pictures and they are all worthless. What the heck?
So here's the rundown...
1. We lost Bubba to cancer last week. Two Fridays ago we took him for a walk, we played catch, it seemed like his lymphoma remission was going to last a long time. By that Monday, he could not eat or walk. So by Tuesday it was time. That's all I can write...I am getting too emotional. I miss him more than words can express.
2. On Thursday, as we were driving to Iowa, our appraisals finally came in and we were able to accept the offer on our house. Less than what we bought it for. A year ago. My home. So we spent the weekend in between wedding and family stuff on the phone and attempting to get on computers trying to keep up with inspections, realtors, relocation, and more appraisers. Thank goodness they did not want anything more after the inspection. They took enough already. But its done.
3. On Saturday my brother got married in a lovely wedding. I really like his bride Naomi. Phoebe was a flower girl and Annika was the ring bearer. They were super cute and did a great job. It was nice to see lots of extended family. We spent time with Jeff's family as well.
4. We drove to Chicago and then on Wednesday we spent way too much on an okay house in an okay neighborhood. But we signed all the papers and it is done. We'll make it work. And then we drove back home to Cleveland.

I feel sick.