House Update

So after what seemed like forever (but what I'm told was actually quick), we finally secured the permit to demolish the teardown on the lot of our future home.  Construction has been happening for probably the last month while they cleared the lot and prepared the house for demolition. It was finally torn down, a bigger hole was dug, and then went in the new foundation. Hopefully by the end of next week, we're going to start see it come out of the ground and then the real progress begins.

We've started picking out kitchen appliances and cabinets as well as some furniture too. We're awash in color swatches, faucets and other hardware.  We've signed Austen up for school, soccer and CCD. Peyton's signed up for school and I'm on the hunt for gymnastics, swimming and ballet for her. There's lots more to do but we are trying to stay ahead of the game.  It's going to be one busy summer!

Hard to believe we only have three months left in the city. I might miss the proximity to my work but other than that, I don't think I'll miss it all that much.  And, if I do, it's a short drive down for dinner or some other fun activity.

Every Mom Needs a Vacation

And that is exactly what I took the last four days with four of my favorite girlfriends from college. We usually head to a spa every year or at least every year for the past 14 years.  But this year was different. We're all turning 40 so we decided to take a special trip and we voted on a tried and true destination...Mexico.

Now it wasn't the crazy spring break trip we might have had in college or even in our 20s or early 30s especially since I am pregnant and couldn't take full advantage of the all inclusive alcohol but it was relaxing. No children to take to the bathroom or bathe. No one waking you up or interrupting your conversations. All you had to worry about was you and what time we needed to get outside in the morning so we could get a good beach chair.

It was only four days away but it was a good amount of time to recharge, catch up with old friends and remind you how much you miss your family when you are away.

Happy Mother's Day - Three Kids and a Dog

Next year on Mother's Day, I will be the proud mom of not just two kids and a dog but three kids and a dog.  It's official, baby #3 is due in October and will complete our family.

While we are blessed to already have a boy and a girl, our family just didn't seem complete without the addition of another sibling. I couldn't picture Peyton not being a big sister and her and Austen not having another sibling to call when the other pissed them off.

So we decided to add another. Boy or girl - and we don't know right now, but we will.  It is in an envelope waiting for us to open sometime this summer. Too much planning with the new house and the bedrooms to wait to find out.  A bit of a different experience for us since we didn't find out with the first two. You all will either find out by coming to our new house and opening his/her bedroom door or by doing the same via a video on this blog.  Hopefully sometime around August. We'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, we're thrilled. The kids are excited.  Austen is hoping for a girl so he can have the bigger bedroom and Peyton just wants to be big so she's happy to have someone else for us to call little.

Austen's Handwriting

The other day when I picked Austen up from school. He was so excited to show me his work from that day. But before he could, one of his friends couldn't contain himself and blurted out that the teacher said it was better than her own.

It took me a minute to catch on to what they were talking about as Austen pulled out a piece of paper from his locker with carefully hand written words and sentences all over it. The handwriting was impeccable - better than most people I know! I examined it closer to make sure it was really his and I noticed the slight curl he gives his lowercase Ts at the bottom and a similar tail on his lowercase As. I knew then that this was really his paper. It looked like a work of art. In fact, I'm sure he treated it like that as he loves to draw and emulate exactly what he's seeing.

The best part was that he could hardly contain his excitement that his teacher had sent him to show the principal and she actually made a photocopy of his paper and wrote "lovely" up in the left-hand corner.

I'm sure she is going to say to prospective kindergarten parents the same thing that I would say - hard to believe that this is a kindergartener's handwriting!