Photo Sharing

I am shamelessly sharing what I consider adorable photos of my kids. I know it's probably a complete bore for most of you but it's about the best I can do when blogging from my iPhone. And who wouldn't love these faces?

I am one lucky Momma.

Diaper changes have become a highlight of my day because of all the smiles I get when doing it.

These two usually spend the days either being the sweetest and cutest brothers in the world having fun together or fighting over everything.  They are certainly keeping us all on our toes.  

We have 4 dogs living around here.  Lucy is the biggest.  

This was us the morning after we moved out of our home and flew here.  Can we say exhausted?

My sister took this photo of Leah enjoying her cousins' play mat.  Leah seems to like her time spent with her twin cousins.

It's a good day when Leah gets to do this.  And this usually happens when the boys are napping.  If they all nap it is a super good day.  

Occasionally there are tantrums.  This one resulted in a nap on the floor.  

Leah is 2.5 months and growing so much so fast.  She is changing all the time.  Pat cannot believe how much she seems to have grown in just a week.  I have to agree.  

So that's what we've been up to.  I'm glad September is just about here, but could we please just fast forward to October, maybe?

I'm not going to lie--It's hard.

I've been at my parents house for just about a week now. I am so very lucky that they were willing and able to take me and my family in with all of our baggage.

In case you missed it, a week and a half ago Pat and I put all our possessions (save a few suitcases) into two Pods and left our house in TN (with major help from Pat's dad).  I flew up to MA with the three kids, and Pat and his dad drove my van up with the three dogs. Now the kids, dogs, and I are staying with my parents until we close on our new house the first weekend in October.

I am not going to lie to you and tell you it has been easy though. It has been a tough transition especially for the kids. We just today had our first normal schedule kind of day. My poor parents have all these extra people staying in their house and using their stuff. And don't let me forget to mention that I have three dogs with me and two of them can never be together. (So that means we have two dog crates set up in the living room.) Taking us in has been a huge imposition on my parents and their lives. It was not the ideal situation for anyone involved.  I just hope my poor parents still have some sanity by the time I leave.

While my parents and I love each other dearly and enjoy spending time together, I think it is fair to say we are all counting down the days.  I think what is most important for me to make it work is to try to keep a schedule like the kids normally have and also keep busy with kid friendly activities, preferably outside.  Those two things alone are a balancing act that we're figuring out.  I also worry about Leah sensing the chaos and my stress.  I worry if all the kids are getting enough attention to their needs.  While I'm filled with all this anxiety, I'm trying to just trust that we will successfully find our way through this and into our new home.     

Goodbye

It is bittersweet. Today I said goodbye to Tennessee for the last time. The kids and I left our home there, and we will not be going back.

It's sad because that is where Sean and Leah were born. We moved there when Ryan was only 1.5 months old. So really, that home is all any of my kids really know. I feel like that is where I learned to be a mom. And there are just so many memories there.

Despite the sadness of any goodbye, I actually am not looking back. I am so excited to really settle in and raise my children in a way that fulfills the dreams I've had for so long. I feel like we are truly getting what we want with this move. And therefore, how can I be anything but happy and excited?

It is going to be an amazing adventure. I look forward to every minute of it. Well, maybe after my circus of a family (3 kids and 3 dogs) is no longer crashing with my parents. ;)

My posts may be short for a little bit, but I promise I will keep you updated.

Moving and Dream House

My advice to the military wife: don't do a full DITY move if you don't have to, especially if you have short notice, a husband that keeps going away, and three kids and three dogs to take care of and get in the way.

This is what life is looking like around here these days.  And it would also be why I haven't written much lately.

Last week Pat went away to tour and buy our new home in Massachusetts.  I sent my Mom along with him.  I trust their opinions together so I was fine about not being there.  We had about 5 houses to tour.  The first two we weren't so interested in.  The next two had looked like good options.  The last house came on the market two days before touring and had quickly become our number 1 favorite.  

As they toured, the first two were not what we were looking for.  The third was really outdated and seemed like it may have a few items that could be issues for us.  The fourth was nice and the best of the previous bunch, but it needed a new roof (the sellers would pay) and had some major issues because of it's age.  That scared me...a lot.  

So Pat and my Mom went to the last house.  When they arrived they were told there was an offer already on the house, so if we offered also it would be in competition.  As soon as Pat walked in he texted me saying "I want it."  According to my Mom and Pat it was the house for us.  From the pictures I certainly think they were right.  We made an offer that afternoon.  By that evening there were 3 offers in on the house that had only been on the market 2.5 days.  They asked us all to give our best and final offer.  This was super stressful for Pat and my Mom.  They knew there was nothing else on the market for us and as of next week I am truly homeless living with my parents.  

At the end of the ordeal, our offer was accepted!  While a bidding war is never what you want when buying, I feel very comfortable with the purchase and so excited for us to be able to move in.  It will be a while of living at my parents in the mean time, but at the end we will have our dream home.  

Sometimes it feels like everything is falling into place, but that also scares me of what could fall apart.  Although maybe things are going so well to make up for the strain that moving myself, my kids, and my dogs in with my parents house will cause everyone.  

I am so thankful for all the help my parents have been.  I cannot repay them for everything.  I am a very lucky daughter.    

So now I continue packing.  The good thing about packing ourselves is that I am throwing away a ton of stuff we just don't need.  The bad thing is that it is hard to pack up your entire house/life and still keep it organized.  

I'll update more when I can.  

Look who is 2 months old.

Baby Leah is already two months old.  She had her shots last week.  She was weighing in just over 13 lbs (99th percentile).  She is our big, little girl.

She loves being held by her momma.  She likes middle of the night snuggles.  She makes the cutest little talking noises when she's in a happy mood.  She is definitely a sweetie pie, and we love her so much.

An Update on Life

The past week or so my life has felt a little like running a marathon that you never trained for and running it without running shoes or a sports bra.  I feel like I'm sucking lately.  I'm short tempered, tired, and just overwhelmed.  

I'm going to attribute these feeling to the complete chaos that has taken over the past week or so.

A week ago, we had a house showing.  I figured nothing would come of it until about 1 hour after the showing when my husband called.  The people that viewed it wanted to know if we could be out of the house in two weeks.  Not wanting to lose the expected offer we said yes.

But then instead of offering they said they wanted to come back the next day to look again.  They came, they saw, and then they offered.  It took a few more days of negotiations to agree on the terms.  I was beginning to panic, freak out, and get irritated.  We were literally jumping through hoops to plan on being out when they wanted, and we now had less than two weeks to pack everything up and vacate.  And let me just say, last minute moves are expensive.  So when they kept asking for a lower price, it was hard to give in when I felt like we were giving so much already.

Finally we decided to ask them for a few more days in the house since it took so long to get the money issue settled.  I am so thankful they agreed.  While we could have made their original timeline work, the extra 5 days makes things so much easier.  Although it still is a little chaotic.

So in less than two weeks I won't be in TN anymore.  This weekend Pat is going house hunting for us up north.  There are a few houses that I really like, so hopefully he'll get the perfect house for us.  My mom is going with him, and tomorrow they'll probably put an offer in on one them.  Letting your husband pick out your new home takes a lot of trust.

We still have to pack up our entire house.  Then I'll be living with my three kids and three dogs at my parents house until we close on our new home.  My poor parents!  And did I mention I'll be flying up north alone with the three kids.  Pat will be driving with the three dogs and his dad, so he's got his own adventure too.

Now with the loss of Pat's friend, he'll be going away to attend the wake and the funeral when the moving containers are supposed to show up.  He'll be gone when his father flies down to help us pack too.  So I'll have to handle that stuff when he's gone.

So that's what has been going on.  It makes me tired just typing the whole thing out.  I cannot imagine what the next 12 days will be like.  But hey, it seems like things are falling into place, maybe not quite neatly into place but still into place.

I just hope that I'll start to feel a little better, less cranky, and calmer when this whole thing is over and done.

Another Sad Day

It is a sad day.  My husband's mentor, who became a good friend (and was Godfather to our son), has died.  He gave his life for his country.  The world has lost a great soldier, a father, a husband, and a friend to so many.

I know I've been absent for a little while from the blog, but I have a really good excuse.  I promise.  

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to update you all about what's going on here.  

Until then, please say a prayer for the family that must be overcome with grief.  

InstaFriday

It's that time again!

Follow me on Instagram @shellymotto
I'll follow you.
We can be InstaFriends ;)

The other night Leah didn't sleep well.  She was a bit gassy all night long.  So she made up for it by sleeping all morning yesterday.  She looked so peaceful and beautiful.  

Last week Ryan went off and dressed himself.  This time though he buttoned his own pants!  He came running out to tell me "Look Mommy, I buttoned my pants all by myself!"  He was really proud and I was too.  

One of my favorite times of day is when the boys take a nap and I finally get to spend some one on one time with the baby.  She mostly sleeps then, but I appreciate the uninterrupted cuddles.  With three kids uninterrupted is hard to come by.  

Who doesn't love a pug face?  Sammy wanted out of his crate.  Pugs are such funny dogs.  He sat there resting his chin like that for a long time.  

I continue to put out flowers in hopes of house showings.  I know the flowers won't sell my house, but they do brighten it up.  I actually enjoy having fresh flowers around.  

We replaced the carpet in our master bedroom this week.  I like it so much better with the new flooring.  Hopefully someone else feels the same way and will want to buy my home.  

We love when it's cool enough outside to get some fresh air.  It hasn't been happening a lot lately though.  

That's it for this week.  Have a great weekend!  

Owl Love

Owls seem to be a pretty big thing right now, have you noticed?  If you are one of the people who adore these feathery creatures, check out Scentsy's Warmer of the Month for August:

Whoot

As always the warmer of the month is 10% off.  Plus for the month of August almost everything is on sale with 10% off.  E-mail me for details.  Now is the time to stock up on your favorites.

Email me to ask about my personal specials in addition to the ones listed above!

A new catalog comes out in September with some brand new warmers and scents.  Let me know if you want me to mail you a catalog!

Hair Bow Holder Inspired by Pinterest

Since my house hasn't sold yet, I haven't been able to create the nursery for my baby girl.  I've decided I won't wait any longer to show you one of the decor pieces I made to hang in her room though.  I am so anxious to decorate her room.

*****

When I found out Leah was going to be a girl, I had an opportunity to explore a world I had yet to experience.  It is a world that includes pink, ruffles, and bows.

I knew I wanted to make a hair bow holder for Leah's room so I searched Pinterest.  I quickly found this PIN and knew I wanted to make one like it.  By the way, this pin is rather popular as my copy of it has been re-pinned 1281 times and counting.

So here is how I made mine.

I bought a plain wood frame (without glass) from Hobby Lobby and spray painted it white.

Then my husband and I stapled some ribbon on the inside of the frame.  It was rather comical the two of us trying to do the math to make everything even.  My husband likes to claim that I am not good at math, but I'm the one that got the right equation.

After that I had my husband put the hooks on the bottom of the frame to hang headbands.  He recommends doing this before stapling the ribbon though so you can get a better grip.  I would also recommend drawing a line in pencil on the frame so the hooks are all even.

Lastly, I added a ladybug wood cutout from Hobby Lobby to decorate it a bit more and put some bows I had made for Leah on it.  Hopefully soon we'll be able to hang it on the wall in her new room at a new house.  (I'm just holding it on the wall for the picture, so don't mind my hand.)

Hopefully I'll be able to show you the entire nursery and all the other crafts soon!

Linking up: