New Blog

I just realized I haven't updated this in a month and a half. That's because I usually update to our locked blog. It's safer to update there in case we say something that might offend someone or unwittingly write sensitive information. We are trying to avoid getting fired or even officially chastised. So, if you would like an invite to that blog post a reply here with your email and I will send you one.

A Week of Firsts

It's been a productive week. We hired a gardener and an ayah/housekeeper; we saw an elephant walking in the street, we went grocery shopping in local markets, and we had our first car accident.

Our ayah, Poonam, came with glowing recommendations and her interview went very well. Zach adores her and she was very easy to talk to and seems to be very honest and forthright. She starts Friday morning.

Zach spotted the elephant. We were on the second floor of Good Earth in Khan Market. Zach was staring out the window and suddenly shouted, "Mama! Elephant!" Sure enough, an elephant lumbered down the street with a bright carpet on its back.

Grocery shopping in Delhi is a challenge. In the future I will leave both boys with Poonam or send her for groceries. Between the crowds, the tiny stores, and the boys with baskets following behind trying to "help" it is incredibly difficult to concentrate. But the commissary is just too expensive to use long term. Once Poonam is established we can begin getting all our groceries in local markets.

The car accident happened this morning. The boys and I went to the embassy to get polio shots and groceries. On the way home someone side-swiped our taxi. It was really pretty minor; the offending vehicle took much more damage. There wasn't even a bump, it just slid across the side. His front bumper appeared to have caught on some part of our taxi. The drivers got out, yelled at each other for about a minute, conversed with a nearby policeman, and we were on our way. Traffic barely even slowed around us. This all happened in a round-about.

The upholsterer supposedly comes tonight, but he was supposedly coming yesterday, so who knows.

India

I hardly know where to begin. So much has happened already; so many new experiences thrown our way all at once.

We’ve gone from pure exhaustion and chaos to a semblance of schedule during the past week.

First lesson of the trip: red eye flights are a bad idea with preschoolers. This is especially true when one of those preschoolers is not quite two, getting into the tantrum phase, and likes to stretch out and roll around when he sleeps. Little sleep was had.

We arrived to a rainy Frankfurt at noon Germany time and headed to our very nice hotel. After a short nap we ventured into the drizzle to find dinner. Since the kids were tired and unpredictable we settled on an outdoor burger joint very close to the hotel. Johnny tried a curry Frankfurt and the boys had cheeseburgers.

The flight to Delhi was much, much better. Both boys napped and remained very cheerful the whole flight. We experienced the oft-warned fact that Indians will come up and touch our children without asking. I expected hugs and maybe head pats. Oh no…we’re talking touching the face with both hands, picking them up, and actually kissing them. It takes a lot of getting used to.

We met our expeditor who took us through customs, helped get our bags, and introduced us to our social host, Satish, who took us to our new home. We arrived at 3 a.m. and finally got the boys to sleep around 5 a.m.

Satish took us to the embassy later that morning to have lunch, look around, and hit up the commissary. Satish and his family are Christians! We plan to visit their church either this Sunday or next.

Monday we went to the Embassy with John to get my ID badge and we got our first look at New Delhi traffic. Wow. “Lanes” are way less than a suggestion. Indians squeeze four cars where we would drive two. Tuk-tuks, motorcycles, and bicycles weighed down by two adults and 4 or more small children weave in and out of traffic without a second thought. Turn signals are replaced by honks while busses barrel through roundabouts. Right of way belongs to those with the best reflexes and loudest horns. One-way streets exist only in name.

Crossing the street as a pedestrian would probably get you arrested for attempted suicide in the U.S. My method is to timidly latch on behind a group of locals and pray I get to see the other side. So far I remain intact.

My trip to Haiti helped ease me into the feeling of perpetual stares, curious eyes taking in white skin, fair hair, and blue eyes. Still, no amount of preparation can steel you for hundreds of people stopping in their tracks to take in a young, female foreigner with her beautiful fair-featured babies. Americans have the good sense to look away when you catch them staring; Indians will hold eye contact indefinitely. Thus far we three light eye/light hairs have not ventured out without male escort. We don’t have any plans to do otherwise.

Next post:taxi drivers, markets, and hiring staff.

Hotel Living

We are still in D.C. in case you hadn't heard. We did not get our visas in time and had to wait and reschedule our flight. We received our visas on Thursday evening and our flight is scheduled for Wednesday night. 4 days to go.

We also had to move to the Embassy Suites in Arlington because the Doubletree didn't have any more vacancies. After spending two awful nights in a smoking room we finally got switched to a livable room and things are looking up.

The boys are doing so well. I'm really proud of them. I can definitely see the lack of schedule taking its toll though. It will be a huge relief to get them back on schedule.

Zach is talking so much now. He is hysterical. His most common exclamations are, "Mama, WAIT!" "I see you." "Oh, c'mon!" "Come here! Look!" and, most of all "Mama, *insert whatever motorized vehicle he sees*" He loves to count and he knows the whole alphabet, including letter sounds. He's starting to work on reading and he loves PBS Kids, especially "Super Why."

Gabriel is such a gem. He's been the most amazing little trooper through all of this chaos. So sweet. He's definitely starting to assert his will. I'm trying to break his habit of screeching when I tell him not to do something. He just looks me in the eye, lets out one quick scream, then waits to see what I'll do. It's kind of odd, but if that's as bad as his tantrums ever get, I guess I should be happy. Gabey is way into "Curious George."

Bed time.

Day Before Flight

This morning is a complete fog. It started with a 4a.m. Tylenol dose, a feeble attempt at migraine control. Dim memories of Johnny leaving for work, the boys running around like banshees, a shower. Pepsi helped a bit.

Memory returns a bit around 9:30 when I managed to wade through the fog and pack the boys up and get out of Housekeeping's way. Off to Whole Foods for airplane snacks. Gluten free bunny grahams and gluten free crackers. GF vegan cookies. It's the small things.

It's improving. The migraine is now a mere splitting headache. Child's play. We returned to a clean hotel room, packed a picnic, and ventured to the nearby park. The boys needed to run.

Gabriel fell asleep; Zach did not. Now I'm down to a dull ache, nausea, and the barest thread of willpower to not dispose of Zach. He won't stop talking. They say inquisitiveness is a good thing. They did not have children and chronic migraines.

Dinner tonight with Caity and Elisabeth. I'm getting tired of goodbyes. That's the hard part. There's only so much sadness one can handle in a couple days. But a missed goodbye is much sadder; no closure.

Too much to do and no energy. I'm praying for a better day tomorrow. Cheer up! I'm going to India!

Loose Ends

We still need our visas. Apparently they like to come through at the very last possible minute, so we expect to have them Tuesday morning. We hope...

I need to call people. I'll be pretty much off the radar after Tuesday evening for who knows how long. I called the lovely Red today and I have many more people to call and give love before I head halfway around the world.

I need to reorganize all our belongings. Things are pretty together, but I need to check and double check all our carry-ons, banish liquids over 4 ounces, and prep for a huge trip with three little troublemakers. Okay, one isn't so little. ;-)

Spend this weekend with mom and sisters, make sure I've changed all addresses I need to, give everyone new contact information, say goodbye to all local friends, return my grandpa's house keys, get some gluten free food for the flight, gather important papers, sell Gabriel's carseat, deliver the stroller to the Sarmientos, buy another umbrella stroller, get my eyebrows waxed, get a haircut, and somewhere in there try to keep my brain and remaining sanity intact.

Who am I kidding? What sanity?

4 days until the flight.

First Pool Scare

So we are settled at our hotel after pack out and it's wonderful. It's a good bit bigger than our apartment and there is a pool on the roof. The boys are sleeping like little angels; the poor guys were so exhausted.

We checked out the pool after dinner. The boys were very tentative for the first few minutes; the both fussed when Johnny held them in the pool and didn't want to stay in the water. So I just followed them around the deck while Johnny swam. There were three other kids between the ages of 9 and 12 or so. These kids were jumping in the pool and popping back out of the water. Naturally, Zach thought that was pretty cool. What he did not realize is that a human being does not automatically pop back out of the water once one jumps in. So, when he suddenly leaped into the pool without warning he was understandably shocked within the next split second or so when I dove in, yanked him from the bottom of the pool, and held him until I stopped shaking. Aside from general disappointment he was unshaken. I'm a different story. I grew up in Florida so I know too many kids who have drowned, nearly drowned, or had various poolside accidents. I WILL NOT go up to that pool with those boys by myself. Ever. Not happening.

God definitely knew what he was doing when He gave moms lightning reflexes. This was my second truly terrifying emergency and for both of them there was no thinking, just doing. I hope and pray that my reflexes last through these boys' childhood. My goal is 21; after that they're in charge of their own destinies. I'll be too tired.

Praise God for His protection.

Homestretch

Here we go! We're about to start our last week in our apartment. Pack out happens on Friday. We'll stay in our apartment Friday night on air mattresses and head to our hotel on Saturday. We have a super busy week ahead of us. Eye appointments, haircuts, shopping, last minute packing, organizing, and my last grocery trip in the United States!!

I have a very complex grocery system. I have molded it into an art form and I take great pride in whittling my grocery bill down each week. I average $60/week, which I believe to be not to shabby for a family of 4 in Washington, D.C. Since I only go once a week tomorrow will my last all out grocery trip before we go. Next time I get back to meal planning I'll be perusing the grocer stalls in New Delhi, India.

5 days until pack out! 16 days until we fly for India. Whoa.

3 weeks

We fly for India via Frankfurt in exactly 3 weeks. Wow.

10 days until pack out.

Johnny is running around crazy trying to wade through the paperwork.

Gabriel is contributing to the craziness by potty training. He is doing very well. I am taking it very slow. He wore underwear for 2 hours this morning. He had a successful episode but had an accident towards the end because he did not want to take off his super cool Nemo undies. We'll have to work on that.

I tried to withhold Zach's allergy medicine for a couple days in hopes that things have cleared up. I hate drugging him up every night, but last night he couldn't sleep and kept rubbing his eyes and nose and complaining that his head hurt. Back to the drugs we go.

Both little time-consumers are sleeping and I'm taking a break before dishes and mopping the floor.

Visits

My family stayed for the week, helping with the boys while did inventory and sorted everything we own. My sister made two beautiful dresses for me. I was having difficulty finding knee-length dresses with sleeves.

Stewie and Hamlet stayed for the weekend. Johnny took them on a D.C. nighttime excursion, which always yields plenty of stories. We met with Caity yesterday and hit up the museums.

Everyone left quickly this morning. Stewie and Zach to Cincinnati via West Virginia, and Johnny back to D.C. to do battle with bureaucracy.

Groceries today. Tomorrow I'll do a little shopping for India, the smaller necessaries from Wal Mart. There is also a small goodbye party for me from my MOPS friends. Parties for me make me uncomfortable, but it is such a nice gesture. It will be good to chat with friends.

3/3+

What do those numbers mean? Oh, well, that would be the Spanish test scores for my incredible husband!! He's done with language training!!!!!! Go Johnny!

Countdown:

Johnny's Test: FINIS!

Pack out: 15 days

Leave for India: 25 days

Family and Friends

Mi familia is here for the week. My sister is making two dresses for me (and they are soooo pretty!) and my mom is corralling my little monsters while I work on pack out preparations. It is a relief to have help, especially since the boys had nasty colds this weekend and spent most of last night coughing and/or crying. They settled down for the "night" at about 3 a.m. and Zach awoke at 7 a.m. A couple extra hands at the grocery store are a welcome relief for Zombie Mom and her two sniffling rugrats.

We have a pre-pack out survey on Friday. The movers will come and get an idea of what they need to pack and what weights they're looking at. The answer is "not much." The heaviest items will be books and the bunk beds we're getting from IKEA. I doubt pack out will last more than 2 or 3 hours.

Gabriel is ready to potty train. Am I ready for him to potty train? Absolutely not. But I can't baby my Peanut. That's not fair to anyone. Time to break out the smallest undies I can possibly find. I might have to get my sister to take them in for my little Buttless Wonder.

Zach and Chris (a.k.a. Hamlet and Stewie) are coming on Saturday. If they're not too tired Johnny plans to whisk them away for nighttime D.C. sightseeing. My family leaves on Sunday morning so we'll subject the guys to a full day with the wee ones. Other friends will be jetting in and out of town next week and then we brace ourselves for big life changes. Huzzah!

Countdown:

Johnny's Test: 3 days

Pack out: 18 days

Leave for India: 29 days

Pack out

Pack out is officially scheduled for July 2nd. We'll have pack out that Friday, stay in our apartment on air mattresses Friday night, then settle into the hotel on Saturday where we'll stay until our flight on July 13th. The boys and I get to toodle around D.C. for the week.

So, new countdown:

Johnny's Test: 5 days

Pack out: 20 days

Leave for India: 31 days

Gloom and Sunshine

It is very dreary outside today. We attempted to make a morning trip to the library only to find that it doesn't open until 1 pm on Wednesdays. Seriously?!

So we went to play with the Sarmientos instead. Gabriel asked for Emma by name today, a new accomplishment for him. He is really starting to talk. He also said "thank you" clear as a bell when, "Emma's mama" gave him macaroni and cheese.

Zach and Emma are ever buddies. It's going to be so sad when they don't have each other to play with. I hope there are nice kids for Zach and Gabey on our compound. Little Mr. Sunshine, my Gabey-baby, let's himself get pushed around if Mommy isn't around to lay a smackdown on some little brat. Zach is getting much better about sticking up for himself except against girls. My little man is already a chivalrous gentleman.

I hope the clouds clear up. Zach wants to go to the "train park."

Sage and BBQ spareribs for dinner.

Countdown:

Johnny's test: 8 days

Pack out: 24 days or 27 days

Leave for India: 34 days.

And the Allergy List Lengthens

I have added alcohol to my extremely lengthy allergy list:

Peppermint

Gluten (sort of - Celiac Disease)

Wheat

Rye

Barley

Eggs

Grapes

Melon

Citrus (oranges, lemons, pineapples)

Cassia

Codeine

Alcohol

See?

I had a fabulous date night with Johnny last night and I decided to go crazy and have a Strawberry Daquiri. Rum is gluten free and I have never had adverse reactions to strawberries. Last time I consumed a few sips of alcohol it was a vodka cranberry, also Ari-allergy free. At that time I experienced chest pain, flushing, and hyperventilating so severe that I had to lie down in a dark room and will myself to make the huge effort to breath. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance.

I chalked it up to a panic attack due to my unwillingness to let go and let the alcohol loosen me up. I am, as Johnny so delicately puts it, "somewhat high strung."

So, last night, I gave myself a little pep talk as our rather surly waiter placed me drink in front of me. I took several calming breaths and took a drink. After a few minutes I was fine so I took another. Within another 10 minutes or so the chest pain was back. I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom to do the same breathing exercising before the chest tightness loosened enough for me to breath without terrifying difficulty. I was nauseated, flushed, and on the verge of fainting for nearly twenty minutes.

Nachos, fresh air, and a long walk around Downtown D.C. cured the effects, but darned if I'll make the same mistake three times. Johnny finished my last drink for me.

It's definitely a blessing that I was pregnant for my 21st birthday.

New and Improved Countdown

We have an actual leave date! Because we have actual airline tickets! And actual diplomat passports! Woo!

I imagine the passport office got a huge kick out of Gabriel's passport. Not only is his picture hysterical, it looks absolutely priceless with the fancy dip passport background surrounding it. Zach looks very serious and official in his. We have the two cutest little diplomats ever.

Our flight takes us from Dulles to Frankfurt, Germany where we will stay in the airport Sheraton. We'll be roughing it at this four star hotel for the night and then we'll leave Frankfurt for New Delhi!

So, New Countdowns:

Johnny's Spanish Test - 15 days

Packout -34 days

Leave for India - 41 days

Holy Mother of Pearl! Why am I sitting here blogging??? I need to go make more lists...

Countdowns and a Prayer

Current Countdowns:

Johnny's Spanish Exam: 17 days

Packout (Tentatively): 35 days

Leave for India (Tentatively): 45 days


After I prayed with Zach last night he told me that I had failed to thank God for Gabriel, so he supplemented my prayer with this one:

"Thank you for Gabey. Thank you for Mama. Thank you for Daddy. Thank you for Emma. Thank you for Fiona. Thank you for my books. Thank you for my crib. Amen."

What a sweetheart.

We're in Florida!

The drive down to Florida was way better than expected. The boys behaved absolutely perfectly. I am so proud of them. We left at 4:45 am and arrived at 8pm.

Thursday morning we were scheduled to go to Disney World. Heather has a friend who works there and she got us free admission. We planned on leaving around 10 or so. Unfortunately, around 10 or so, Zach helped me do the dishes. He tossed a very large glass into the sink and I tried to catch it. It smashed against the side of the sink just as my hands came down on the glass. Fortunately Heather was right there to catch me when I passed out from shock and blood loss. She drove us to CentraCare where I sat on a waiting table for nearly and hour with my hand dripping somewhere over a pint of blood into a pink basin. Six stitches later we were on our way to Disney. I only almost passed out at Disney once. The boys met Buzz Lightyear and played on Tom Sawyer's Island. It was a complete success.

Yesterday we went to the beach. Gabriel was terrified of the ocean but he eventually settled down and played in the sand. Zach didn't want to get in the water but he sat and stared at the waves for half an hour. He was riveted.

After the beach we cleaned up and met Aunt Nicole and her mom at Steak n' Shake. Zach was quite taken with his Aunt Nicole. Watch out, Uncle Caleb.

Today I went to my follow up appointment to check on my laceration. The doctor was very surprised to find out that the doctor who stitched me up did not prescribe antibiotics and he promptly did so for the infection that had already set in.

We just returned from Wal Mart and are now planning to relax for the rest of the day.

Passports and Paradise

The passport story is epic. Too epic, in fact, for me to tell in detail. Suffice to say it took four attempts with both babies in tow, supplemented with 3 trips to various bureaucracies by Johnny, to turn in all the necessary paperwork for our Diplomat Passports. Every time we went in, thinking we were prepared, new bureaucrats in various forms of ill-fitting suits added another imperative piece to our paperwork puzzle. It was exciting. I'd tell all in detail, but I really don't need to relive the stress and agony. It was the federal government at its chaotic finest.

But in far better news I get to go home on Wednesday! Home to palm trees, beaches, and sun; home to Heather, manicures and chick-flicks; home to movie theaters, malls, and theme parks; home to Orlando, Florida. Heather and I are full of grand plans to fill the days. Only two items will keep next week from being like "old times" and those two things drink copious amounts of apple juice and never sit still. Yes, I'm taking the boys, but I don't mind at all. They'll love the beach and they have dozens of friends and family to dote on them.

The only real downside is that Johnny can't come due to language training. Stupid language training. This will be our second longest stretch away from each other. Good training for CPC, I suppose.

Oh well... 5 days!!!!!!

The boys are asleep; let Friday night begin!

CHECK!

The first big check on my India To Do List has been marked! Pre-India immunizations are complete.

We're turning in passport paperwork this afternoon, but no check goes in that box until I have those little buggers in my hands. That's a total of 6 passports - four black and two blue. We'll get the boys' blue passports later (read: when we can afford it) since we won't need them for quite a while. Blue are tourists passports and we only need to use them if we are going on a voluntary vacation. Let's face it, after a couple 10+ airplane rides with two toddlers we're going to be fun'd out for a while.

Also, newsflash: Unofficial (until exact dates are confirm by Mama O) trip to Florida on May 20-27. Which puts me home just in time to (unofficially) see Stewie and Zach! Yay! Fun-ness (and exhaustion) abounds.

In closing I have just one thing to say - I really, really want a Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie right now. Sadface.

And My Undying Loyalty Goes To....

DENVER!!! I am so so so so happy! I've been hoping that the Broncos would pick Tebow for a long time and now joy abounds. The Broncos are, of course, Johnny's team and we had been discussing the ramifications of my beloved Tim Tebow being drafted by a Denver rival. Which love would prevail?? *dun* *dun* *dun*

Tebow goes to a clean, hard-working, work-in-progress-team; I still get to wear orange and blue; Johnny gets a new die hard Bronco fan at his side this Fall. Everybody wins!

Go Broncos! Go Timmy! Go Gators!

Simple

I sometimes experience feelings of blog inadequacy. So many people have little consistencies and trademarks that make their blogs unique and personable. One friend starts his entries with a quote; another fills hers with fun pictures; yet another adds interesting links. Mine are always painfully simple, a quick scrawl about the everyday goings on of my rather uneventful life. I often have to remind myself that my friends' blogs are great because they are being themselves, adding their own personality and that I am doing exactly the same. Let's face it; no one ever accused me of being complex. Simple, heart-on-the-sleeve, what you see is what you get. That's part of my charm, right? Right?? Don't answer that.

So, despite the temptation to spice up the ol' blog a bit, I think I will resist. With the exception of some meaningful pictures here and there (especially when the much-hyped India move takes place) my blog will remain like me: sweet, simple, and, let's face it, a little air-headed.

Let's close with one my rare trademarks, the list!

Yoga - Check!

Boys asleep - Check!

Hindi lesson - Check!

Dishes - Check!

Time to cuddle with my hubby - the definite highlight of any day.

Gluten'd!!!

We got the wondrous and joyful news yesterday that Kari-out (a Chinese food condiment company) makes gluten free soy sauce. Unfortunately I learned a few hours too late that it's only the low sodium kind with the green packet. So Sunday has been quietly spent indoors recovering from last night and all that a gluten accident brings. It also means no dairy for a week. Boooo!

But other than that yesterday was very pleasant. We took a trip to Ikea because it was too windy and chilly to play outside. We also met up with our good friends, the Sarmientos, to play at the McDonald's playland.

There isn't much riveting news to report. We have a steady stream of visitors for the next couple months. Ryan was here last week. Johnny's mom will be here May 3-10, and my parents will arrive June 6-11. Heather is also trying to squeeze in a visit before we leave.

Busy busy.

Small blessings

Preparations for world travel have begun in earnest. My desk hides, groaning, under a mountain of papers - lists, documents, applications, correspondence, etc... I'm flirting dangerously with the brink of insanity and it is such a tease.

The boys are not in the least bit pleased with the sudden onslaught of vaccinations. I had avoided such unnecessaries with grit and determination, giving them only DTap and only because Laramie suffered from a Pertussis outbreak the year Zach was born. But laws, regulations, and a heightened risk of deadly diseases have all worked together to change my reticence. Since this past Friday Zach has received the first round of Hepatitis A and B and the first round of rabies. He has two more rounds of rabies, one more round of each hep, and a typhoid shot remaining. Gabriel has almost the same routine, but he has switched typhoid for MMR. He is too young for typhoid and had not yet received his MMR.

Couple this with getting blood drawn in December and full out physicals last July and it is easy to understand why they both cry when we enter a doctor's office.

Passport pictures have been obtained and applications filled out. We will turn all that in this week.

I have started working on inventory lists. This, at first, seemed like a daunting task, but I now realize just how little we have. Small blessings.

I am slowly collecting needed shopping items via thrift stores and eBay. It's such a fun challenge to see how cheap I can get a decent quality product.

Johnny has written out a will and medical directive, so I need to follow suit.

And that is our current to do list.

We are staying quite busy. There is much more to tell but I have run out of time to blog, so until a later date. Adieu.

Resurrecti-birthday!

I'm pretty sure I've shared my birthday with Resurrection Day before. I'm used to the two being close together. It's such a fun time of year. I also have the privilege of sharing my birthday with my baby sister. She's a teenager today!! AGH!!!!! I had a beautiful birthday; the only thing that could have improved it would have been to spend it with Hannah.

Johnny started the day off right by letting me lounge in bed while he fed the kidlets and did the dishes. He's amazing. He also gave them chocolate for breakfast. See?

Next we played in the park and had "Cold Juice" (Zach's name for icees). Daddy got some great action shots of Zach swinging.

We returned for lunch and naps and then headed out to another park. We finished out the day with Chinese food and Toy Story 2. Now I'm off to do yoga, take a bath, and watch a movie while cuddling with my lovey. My family is so wonderful.

This calls for caffeine...

A re-cap of my day circa 10 A.M.

Gabriel awoke at 6:30 am

Zach woke up at 7:30 and we dealt with a bout of diarrhea.

I had to get a splinter out of the center of Zach's palm.

Zach is obviously not feeling well and has been strategically planting himself in front of me throughout the morning in an effort to get picked up but is only actually managing to trip me over and over and over again.

Laundry is folded and put away; dishes are done; boys are fed and dressed; floors are scrubbed; yoga is done.

I'd say the above list more than qualifies me for a second Dr. Pepper. Yep.

Best Buddies Friendship Walk

We'll be participating in the Best Buddies Friendship Walk on May 1st. Our fundraising goal is $200:

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=334131&supId=288050341&extSiteType=1

Also, if anyone would like to join us we'd love to have more company! Registration is free and you can even sign up to get paired with a walking buddy.

Join the fun!

Checklist

1) Medical Records:

Johnny - Check!

Ari - In the mail

Zachary - Check!

Gabriel - Check!

2) Naps

Zachary - Big, fat X

Gabriel - Check!

3) Housecleaning

Bathroom - Check!

Floors - Check!

Dishes - Getting there...

4) Scholarships

Essay - Check!

Application - Check!

Letter of Rec - Pending

5) Allow Children To Live

Baby - Check!

Two-year-old - Pending...

Happy Spring!

It is, indeed! What a perfectly beautiful day - sunny with a high of 75.

We celebrated by walking around the National Mall and hitting up a Micky D's on 17th St. Now I'm sitting on the couch pretending that this blog post is important so that I can further delay going downstairs to hang the laundry to dry. I wish we had an outside clothes line...

All my boys are sleeping. There is one on each couch and one in a crib. Looks like I wore them out today. Sweet serenity.

I found a promising full scholarship for UMass and will work on the application process this week. I also plan to start working on my inventory lists since that will be a huge undertaking with my dedicated little helpers running around. You see, I have to make full inventory lists of every single item in my apartment and sort them into types of shipping (Via boat, unaccompanied air, accompanied air, and carry-on). It's always a little too surreal to categorize one's entire life.

Gabriel is becoming increasingly interested in the potty which is causing me increasing concern that he will decide he's ready to potty train right in the middle of moving. That would be fun, wouldn't it? I won't do it; you can't make me, not even with your big, blue eyes and mind powers!

Johnny has his second Spanish evaluation on Monday. This one will be very tell tale. It will give us a much better idea of our timeframe as far as whether we will leave as scheduled of leave a bit earlier. Exciting!! Pray for my man, please!

Ok, laundry, you win; I'm coming.

Money, money, money

I've been applying to scholarships like a crazy person in the last few weeks. I haven't really talked much about this plan to a lot of people, so this might come as a surprise. I'm planning on going back to school this Fall. I was just accepted to UMass Boston's adult completion program. This is a degree for people with 90+ credits. It will require 10 courses to complete and will take 4 semesters. It is 100% online. The total cost will be around $10,000. I already have a $2,400 PELL grant, so I just need to scrape together the rest. I do have an essay submitted to a contest with a $20,000 prize, but I definitely do not hold out high hopes. I'm praying and hoping, nonetheless.

Today I powered out 3 scholarship applications and started the loan application processes. Zach is not napping, but he is sitting quietly on the couch where he has been banished until the end of nap time. He currently refuses to stay in his bed and constantly wakes up a very frustrated Gabriel is I leave Zach in the bedroom. Zach actually did sleep on the couch a couple days ago, but I think doing so hurt his pride and he has refused to do so again.

I had a fantastic time with Caity and Elisabeth last night! We hit up the Green Turtle to watch the Caps game.

Mary Kay is picking back up a little bit. I'm still trying to pay off my inventory investment and I stayed at a standstill during the move. I'm trying to pick it back off the ground. Email me if you're interested! Mother's Day is coming up fast. :-)

Complain-a-thon

A blog seems like such a cliche place to complain, but I feel that my last couple weeks deserve a venting.

March has not been my month thus far. It all started with my losing Gabriel's favorite blanket that my mom made for him. I lost it somewhere on a trip into D.C. and Metro lost and found has not reported it found, so I assume it's lost somewhere in the filthy vastness of D.C.

Next I fell on concrete stairs with Gabriel in my arms. I was able to turn to protect him but this involved a crash landing on my kidney and elbow and the slamming of my foot into a concrete wall which resulted in a hairline fractured of the second metatarsal. I've been limping for a week and a half now.

A couple days after I broke my toe I came down with a nasty cold and also smashed my face into the corner of a cabinet door while rushing around to prepare lunch. Ow.

To top things off I have spent the entire morning making phone calls and hunting through papers trying to obtain my immunization records for my entire life. My mother says she gave to me. I don't have them, so, genius that I am, I must have lost them. I've been on hold with Orange County for 20 minutes now.

*insert groan of despair* At least Gabriel is napping and Zach is being relatively quiet.

Naps are Awesome

I, personally, have not had a nap in quite some time, but it is way beyond awesome when both the boys nap at the same time. I have been trying to implement this phenomenon for a few weeks and finally seems to be taking place. Today and yesterday have been quiet, pleasant afternoons to myself. Yesterday I was way too exhausted to enjoy it and just stumbled around the apartment getting chores done. Today I am sufficiently pumped on caffeine; I have so far spent my free time reading a book on homeschooling (courtesy of my mother), the Humanist Manifesto, and a chapter in the Foreign Service going-overseas checklist guide. Oh, I also made GF pancakes.

I'm so glad I started getting up earlier than the boys. Previous routine saw me jolting awake to their crying around 7 am each morning and scurrying around trying to get organized while changing diapers, making beds, fixing breakfast, and using nap time for a quick workout and shower. Now I get up somewhere between 6 and 6:30, enjoy a leisurely yoga and pilates session and even a shower, leaving nap time open for devotions, reading, and whatever. Trust me, when Mommy is relaxed life is better for everyone involved. Now, if you'll excuse me, I get to go to the bathroom alone... YAY!!!

Cozy Warm

Call me crazy, but I love this tiny apartment. After 6 months with my grandfather I am in raptures from the joy of having my own kitchen. None of the food in my fridge is expired, my countertops stay clean, my floor stays swept, and I have once again eliminated red meat and potatoes from our daily diet. As grateful as I am for my grandfather’s generosity, I am infinitely happier in our own place.

It is only one bedroom. The boys sleep in the bedroom, which also houses most of their toys, while Johnny and I get a pullout couch in the living room. It is so much easier to corral the boys in a small apartment and it is easier to keep the place clean. I genuinely love it. Oh, and all utilities are included. Whee!

Now that I am relaxed I am back to creating an organized home, rather than just a mostly bearable life. The poor boys were on 24/7 movie watching during the move. They’re down to one movie a day after naps. We have a loose but consistent daily schedule going that includes dressing and bed-making before breakfast, self-entertainment playtime in their bedroom, arts and crafts, walks, reading, plenty of rough-housing with Daddy, and a nightly Bible and bedtime story. We all seem to be thriving on the routine.

Zachary quickly learned how to open the front door and release his brother into the wild, but the deadbolt provided a quick fix. He can unlock the knob lock, but isn’t quite sneaky enough to get his chair to reach the deadbolt before I can stop him. The escape artist is 100% potty trained, even at night.

Gabriel’s current reason for living seems to be cars. He carries his racecar everywhere with him, but will put it down for brief periods to play with his Tonka truck. Both boys delight in the current snow removal projects that send big dump trucks back and forth down our street all day.

Johnny had his first Spanish assessment and did very well. I’m so proud of him! If he keeps at this pace we’ll be out of here by June for sure. His class is scheduled through June 18, but he can take his final test before that date if he’s ready.

My life is consumed with the usual daily happenings, but I’m trying to keep up with a couple short term and long term goals:

Short Term:

-Catch up on phone calls and letters

-Get passports

-Vaccinate the boys and self for India

-Practice Hindi

-Scholarships for potential school enrollment in the Fall

-Pay off Mary Kay investment with Mary Kay sales

Long Term:

-Sell Mary Kay in India

-Finish degree

-Get teaching certificate

-Raise my boys as Godly, well-educated gentlemen

-Love my husband as much as humanly possible (that’s short and longterm)

We live!

We survived the week of snow. I would guess that we got around a total of 45 inches this week. The piles framing our driveway level with my head in places. My stud muffin of a husband logged a lot of shoveling hours this week. He's so amazing. We even managed to let the babies live! They've been troopers, actually. THe poor little guys haven't left the house since Tuesday afternoon.

We move to our own place in College Park on Saturday! Yay!! I can hardly wait. The packing is almost complete. I will be so happy to have privacy again.

I've almost compiled a satisfactory amount of notes for my essay. I'm really excited about it. I've read some fantastic essays from a variety of perspectives and I'm really happy to see the conclusions these people have reached. It's been especially exciting to learn viewpoints and applications so pertinent to Johnny's job.

Johnny is on delayed schedule tomorrow and then has a 3-day weekend. It's been so fun having him home all week.

Snowpocalype

We are snowed in. Despite Johnny's valiant efforts of shoveling yesterday, we will be here for a couple days. Johnny spent two hours getting most of the 30" of snow off the driveway, but given that the road is covered with the same 30" we are pretty well stuck. After the big snow in December a plow never made it around to our street at all, so we'll see how we fare this time.

The boys are weathering things well. Their little world stays pretty constant no matter what, but it can be a bit tough on their parents. We always try to get them out of the house every couple days, not only for their edification, but also for our sanity.

During our first winter in Wyoming it was fun to get snowed in. It was just Johnny and me stuck in a house with nothing to do....

This time we have two toddlers and an elderly man to deal with. Please hurry, plows!

On a positive note, it is highly doubtful that Johnny will be able to go to work tomorrow, so we will be snowed in for our anniversary. 4 years! My gift is pretty sappy; I hope he likes it. :)

Bulletin

My Life in Bulletin:

1. Signed a Lease

2. Became a Hockey Fan

3. Prepared 4th Anniversary gift

4. Sliced Knuckle on door latch

5. Went a full day without caffeine

6. Wrote 7 letters in 1 day

7. Began packing

8. Fell further in love with the most amazing man on planet earth (a.k.a. Johnny the hottie)

About Time

It's about time I posted; it's been a while. Life has been full of ups and downs the last few weeks, but mostly ups.

We had Thurows and Davises flocking in and out for most of January and some of December. My sister was here for a week and my parents and other two sisters joined her for another week after that. It was really fun to spend some time with Rachel alone and great to see my family.

We braved the wintry weather for the March for Life on 1/22. I'm so glad we went. Zachary slept most of the time, but Gabriel, a very good mascot for the pro-life movement, spent a good amount of the march in my arms, captivating everyone with his laser beam eyes. I hope his big, blue eyes helped open someone else's.

There are many events transpiring that I can't write about quite yet, but suffice to say there are changes happening in the near future. Stay tuned.

Johnny is still confident that he will finish language training by May, which would give us an exit date sometime in June. I'm hoping, hoping, praying.

I am working on an essay for the "Morality of Profit" essay contest. I am waiting for a recommended reading book to arrive at the library before I really delve into my work, but I have a pretty good premise and I'm excited to get cooking. Guess what my POV is? Hehe.

I am currently cooking chili and listening to the boys not napping upstairs. Johnny should be out of class by now, but he has errands and exercise in DC all afternoon. My goal this afternoon is to catch up on emails. Good luck to me.

Tata!

Happy New Year

Last year was busy, crazy, stressful, worrisome, and wonderful. This year promises incredible adventures, lots of learning, and a new start for my little family. It's amazing to me that each year with my boys gets better and better. Johnny and I start our 5th year of marriage in February and my babies will turn 2 and 3 this year! Ready for some cliche mom advice? Too bad, because here they are: Cherish every second; they really do shoot by, barely even seen.

Johnny's family visited for 9 days, which was hectic but fun. Seeing everyone, especially the 3 cousins, gathered together was a blessing.

My family arrives tomorrow. They will leave my sister here for a couple weeks while they do a book tour in New York and Canada and return to spend another week with us.

January has been extremely busy and will continue to be so. Johnny has begun his language training. I study with him at night. We're hoping to pick it up very quickly. The goal is to leave for India in June. I also need to squeeze a Florida trip in there somewhere.

Happy 2010!