What an awesome week we had in Columbia spending time with Billy and visiting with family and friends! Our travel days were SMOOTH, on-time, and the kids did GREAT on the plane rides! Saturday evening, our good friends kept the kids so Billy and I could celebrate our anniversary! It's crazy how fast the last 9 years have gone! I never would have guessed when we were married, that by the time we celebrated our 10th anniversary we would have lived in 4 different states (and that Texas wouldn't be one of them!)!
I was a little irritated that it rained the first three days we were down south, yet it suddenly warmed up to the 60s/70s in Iowa while we were gone! Thankfully, by Wednesday, we were able to see that South Carolina sun! We also drove to North Carolina Wednesday and spent the night with my sis-in-law Misty who just returned from her deployment!
The kids loved playing together, though I have to admit, my nephew is a better driver than my son! Brody hasn't quite figured out that he should LOOK where he's going, instead of blindly steering and laughing hysterically when his sister straightens out his path! John, on the other hand, takes being behind the wheel of a moving vehicle a little more seriously as he gives tours. It was quite cute to see the two two-year olds interact. They did well playing beside each other, though not so much with each other. John did great sharing his toys, though he did watch Brody rather warily when he was driving the gator and opted not to ride with him.
At one point, Brody stopped the gator, scooted to the passenger side, patted the driver's side and looked at John. John shook his head no, Brody shrugged, and promptly moved back to the driver's side and kept going! Such little men! Already able to communicate so much without speaking a single word!! The kids loved seeing the grandparents too (my parents were in NC as well) and especially enjoyed riding back to Columbia on Thursday in Pawpaw's motor home!
We played at parks and went to the zoo and spent lots of time catching up with friends that we don't get to see nearly enough! The trip was over way too quickly and coming back home after spending a week together as a family was not much fun for any of us.
When we arrived home on Sunday (3-22), the weather was still beautiful in Iowa. Brody really wanted to go outside, but I really wanted to get unpacked. It's funny how they learn at such a young age just the words to say to get what they want. After asking "mommy outside" several times did not get the desired response, he switched his tactic, "Mommy - chance poo" (meaning Mommy, you need to clean the dog poop out of the yard!) and it worked...we went outside, which was a much better option than unpacking anyway!
On the 27th, we finally got the email we'd been waiting for, the one with our orders to Ohio attached. It was definitely a bittersweet moment - it was good to know exactly what our plans were and when we would be reporting because I hate being in limbo, but it was sad to know that we really are leaving Iowa so soon. I've said this before, but I don't think I'll ever really get used to saying goodbye. One thing I have learned through the moves though, is that God is always faithful to provide new friends in our new state/city, and that you can remain friends despite distance - especially with tools like blogs and facebook to help you stay in touch!
The house went on the market yesterday and I've been cleaning like crazy to try to get it "show-ready". And of course, Murphy's Law once again chose to challenge my good intentions. Monday night, after weekend rain, ants decided to make my kitchen their new home. Traps are out and it's getting sprayed next week, but it doesn't really help for the people who came to see the house today. Also Monday, Brody poured 1/2 a bottle of red Mickey Mouse bubble bath on the floor in the middle of Alexa's room. There's a lovely pale pink shade to the carpet now - while it matches her decor, I'm thinking I'm going to have to have it professionally removed. And then yesterday, I managed to chip our countertops (will be repaired Friday). All of these issues can be resolved, but it's annoying that I have to take care of them during a time when I'm inviting people I've never met to come critique my house and decide if they want to make it theirs!
I probably shouldn't update my blog so late at night...apparently the later it gets, the longer my tangents become...
One last note - Brody sees the ENT again Friday. His tubes have moved out of his ears and at his last hearing test, he was again failing the test for his right ear due to fluid. The good news was that when they did a different test, a "bone test" that test vibrations directly against the little ear bones (so sound doesn't have to travel through the ear canal) his hearing was perfect, so if we can get rid of the dumb fluid for good, his hearing would be fine and his speech should catch up. He has improved tremendously and is talking quite a bit - it's the pronunciation that we're working on. So, we may be getting another set of tubes before our move...
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