Overheard - The best of 2011

"Eddie: (breathing in deeply) "Mmmm.... I love these marshmallows. They smell like cement!" Me: "You mean peppermint?" :) (I guess they sound somewhat similar?)"


"Me to Jack: "How's your tooth?" (It's thisclose to falling out.) Jack: "Good. I tried to pull it out with a tissue at school during Reading Buddies." Me (sympathetically): "Oh, and it didn't work?" Jack (annoyed, but patient - as though he's explaining to a two-year old): "No... That's why it's still IN there." Point taken. Excuse me for my attempt at commiseration."


"‎(Overheard in the bathtub): Eddie (splashing and making huge waves): "Go away you huge tsunami!" Jack (matter of factly): "Eddie, tsunami's are not people. If you say to a tsunami, "Hey! Go away!" It will not go away.""


"Overheard this morning: Eddie (singing to himself): "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la... An-nd don't forget your wallets, fa la la la la, la la la la.""


"‎(Background - Eddie has been known to frequently sneak sips of our Diet Cokes even though he knows I don't like him to drink caffeinated soda.) Eddie (eyeing my Diet Coke): "Mom, I'm never going to drink Diet Coke again." Me: "That's great!" Eddie (slowly reaching out his hand and sliding the bottle closer to him): "Mom, can this be the last time I drink Diet Coke?""


"When Eddie is hot he requests that I turn on the, "Air-Contricity." I love that kid. :)"


"Overheard from the backseat: (Eddie explaining to Jack (his interpretation of) the behavior system they use at preschool.) "Green means good and you get to play inside. Yellow means you have to go outside because you're in trouble. Red means you have to get killed in a volcano." (brief pause) "But they drive you to the volcano.""


"Me (at the store): "You don't need a lunchbox, Norah. You don't even go to school, yet!" Norah (looking up at me with her big blue eyes and in her softest voice): "Pease, Mommy? Pease?" It's that easy, folks. Norah-1, Mommy-0. It makes me feel better to know that Justin would have also gotten her the matching backpack, umbrella and boots. I do have some resistance to her cuteness (or is it manipulation?). :)"


"So I'm pulled over on the side of the road in a wicked rain/thunderstorm because I literally can't see the road and now Jack and Eddie have to go to the bathroom. 1. I'm glad they're boys. 2. An empty Diet Coke bottle is an answered prayer. :)"


"Jack: "Mom, would Heavenly Father ever want to give up his job?" :)"


"The Scene: (In the waiting room at the pediatrician's office. Jack is peering in the window of the door where the nurse comes out to call our name so he can announce when she's coming.) Jackson (anxiously/excitedly whispering): "Someone's coming! (Then disappointedly adding): "It's just a human.""


"Jackson (pondering the reasoning behind his fire ant bite): "Mom, why are ants so dedicated to themselves?" Me: "Well, I'm pretty sure all creatures are dedicated to their own survival.""


"Eddie (with urgent seriousness): "Mommy, can I please climb on the refrigerator? I need to practice my rock climbing." (And yes, he is buck-naked.)"


"Jack: "Mom! We still need to talk about what we are going to do for my birthday, but we ALSO need to talk about what we are going to do for Father's Day!"
Me: "You're right! What should we do for Daddy on Father's Day?"
Jack: "Let's talk about my birthday first.""


"Me: "Eddie, do you want waffles for breakfast?" Eddie: "Yes!" Me: "With butter?" Eddie: "YES!" Me: "And syrup?" Eddie (uncertain): "Does syrup taste good?" Me: "Yes, it's very sweet." Eddie: "Then, YES!" Now all I have to do is teach him to answer the phone, "Eddie the Elf, what's your favorite color?" :)"


"OVERHEARD: (First, Eddison arguing with Jack about the order in which their stuffed animals went about some adventure.) Jackson: "No, Eddie! I distinctly remember he went from here to there!" :)"


"Jackson about his frog who went MIA this morning: "Mom, I'm really dummed about it." Me: "What?" Jack: "I'm really dummed that Hopper is missing." Me: "You mean 'bummed'?" Jack: "Yeah." :)"


"Continuing our discussion about finding a new frog... Me: "I'll bet we'll find some in the mountains this weekend!" Jack: "Why? Oh! Because it's peaceful and quiet there?" :)"


"And what does Eddie want for dinner the night before his big surgery? "Shausage and chocolate milk!"."


"Jackson just came in from playing outside, went (without a word) to the cupboard and got out a big garbage bag, then turned around to go back outside. I asked him what he was doing and he said (matter-of-factly), "Mom, I'm catching air.""


"‎"Jack, from now on when you see Eddie without his undies on you have my permission to spank his bottom!". Jack (looking incredulous): "Why are you giving me this opportunity?!". (For the record, it was an attempt at a new anti-streaking campaign. Eddison lives to be naked. And no, it didn't work.)"


"Yesterday, Eddison had a doctor appointment. When Justin got home that evening he asked Eddie, "Where did you go today, Eddie?" And Eddie replied, "To the Hop-sicle!" I love that kid. :)"


"Eddison (holding up a tampon he found in the glove compartment): "Mom, what is this?" Me: "It's something that's only for mommies." (This answer usually works.). Eddie: "But what is it FOR?" Me: "Um.." *crickets chirping*"


"Me (Trying to decide what to make for dinner last night): "Jack, do you like tuna?" Jackson: "Who's that?""


"Just overheard - (Jack to Eddison while watching Horton Hears a Who): "Eddie, this is a funny part... So laugh!!""

America's Heartland

The rumors are true!  Our family is packing up and heading out west - midwest that is, to America's Heartland:  Des Moines, Iowa!  (insert mega shocked face)

The decision has been so quick and everything has been happening so very fast that I can still hardly believe it's real.  A few weeks ago Justin flew out to Des Moines for work (he has to travel there often since the senior leaders in the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage division are located there as are many of the people he manages) and while he was there his boss casually asked him if he was sure we didn't want to move out there.  Justin laughed and told him that we wouldn't have a problem moving and that it was too bad that Wells didn't offer relocation anymore.  His boss suddenly became serious and asked if Justin was serious and that if the relocation was the only thing stopping us than he would see what he could do.  So Justin called me that night (Monday) and totally shocked me by asking if I was sure I would be okay with moving there.  We'd talked about it hypothetically a few months before when he got the promotion, but since we'd never really thought they would relocate us it was really just that - hypothetical.  Faced with the decision, though - I almost immediately said, "Of course!"

Don't get me wrong - we have LOVED it here in North Carolina and have made some of the best friends we'll ever have here.  Our children have all been born here, we bought our first home here. . . Truly, we love this area.  However, we have always known/assumed that our stay here would be temporary as Justin's career advanced.  Over the past few years there have been other opportunities that would have moved us away from Charlotte, but after careful consideration and much prayer we've always felt as though we should remain here.  This time has been different from the beginning.  The moment Justin asked me if I was sure I'd be okay with moving I felt certainty and excitement.  I've never been to Iowa, I honestly couldn't even imagine the shape and exact location of the state in my mind as we spoke, but it just *felt* right.

Over the next few days I was only able to speak with Justin a couple of times and for a grand total of maybe ten minutes, so I wasn't sure if his boss was actually being serious (even though Justin said he was).  But when he returned on Friday he told me his boss had already contacted HR to come up with a relocation package and that he would do everything he could to have it to us before he went out of the office for his vacation.  About a week went by with us receiving little updates from his boss on how things were coming with HR - apparently relocations require a lot of approval these days - and the uncertainty was a true test of my patience.  To not know whether we would be making a life-changing move or whether we would be staying here was agonizing!  What if the offer didn't cover everything we'd need it to in order for us to justify moving?  What was our bottom line?  When would we be out there?  There were just so many questions that remained unanswered throughout this whole week.  So even though Justin was 90% sure we would be moving, there was still that nagging 10% that made me nervous to get my hopes up.

Then on December 19th, the 6 year anniversary of when we closed on this home, our first home, we got a relocation offer that made our "probable" move a definite one.  The package went above and beyond our expectations when it included that the bank would buy our current home (if we can't find buyers on our own within 90 days).  This had been a huge concern for us and while it wasn't a deal breaker, we'd thought we would for sure be looking to rent this home out and were trying to figure out the logistics of managing a rental property from several states away.

So here we are - in the midst of preparing our home for the market (it looks so good!  I wish we would have repainted sooner!) while trying to find a new house via online searches.  We have been so excited to read nothing but wonderful things about Des Moines.  Their public school system is one of the best in the nation, it's continually listed as one of the top places to raise a family, they have wonderful outdoor activities and parks, the commutes are so much shorter and the overall area is more rural - which makes this Montana grown girl happy. :)  For the kids I am thrilled that they will be able to experience four definite seasons.  I guess it's about time they learn what snowsuits and sleds are, right? :)

Life has been even more busy (dare I say chaotic?) as we've started the organizing, decluttering (and I am SO not a pack rat!), and packing process.  Because my mind has been so focused on things like repainting, what to get rid of, what to keep, things I need to get (medical records, immunization records, school records), finding a new OB in Des Moines, etc., I have not really stopped to think about what we are leaving.  I know that moment will come when I allow it, and that I'll probably be doing my ugly cry for a few hours when it does.

Let the adventure begin.

Christmas 2011 - Our Last Carolina Christmas (and anniversary)

Merry Christmas 2011 (in pictures)!  

Treats, treats, treats!

Happy 33rd birthday, Justin!

Anniversary dinner at P.F. Chang's.  9 years and counting!

Since there weren't any good movies playing we decided to walk around the mall instead.  That's how crazy we get on our anniversary! :)

The best part of making Christmas treats is in delivering them! :)

Norah wanted to help this year, too. :)

If you look (really) closely you can see a kid approaching each house across the cul-de-sac.  They make a very efficient delivery service! :)

Looking at the trains at Santa's Winter Wonderland (a.k.a. Bass Pro Shoppe)

                                     

Waiting to see Santa!

This year only the boys wanted to sit on Santa's lap.  Norah and Beckett wanted nothing to do with the big guy!  Norah did accept a candy cane held at arms length, though. ;)

Beckett (still traumatized from us trying to put him on Santa's lap), Jack, Norah & Eddie

Christmas shopping is exhausting! 

Daddy Elf assembling Norah's first play kitchen on Christmas Eve while Mommy Elf cleaned up and got the rest of Santa's gifts arranged under the tree... Any yes, that is White Christmas playing on the television. ;)

Yep - I think Santa was here!

The Christmas morning march down the stairs to see if Santa came!  (It was probably around 5:30 a.m.  Yikes.)

Sadly, with the excitement of opening presents that ensued and then the monumental cleanup I didn't take any other pictures.  Rest assured that no one was left disappointed!  The boys got a Wii from Santa and were just over the moon.  Norah's play kitchen was a definite success and Beckett LOVED his enormous teddy bear.  Justin bought me an amazing new camera (Nikon D3100) which I have determined not to remove from the box until after the move so I can actually sit down and read the manual and watch the instructional DVD's.  And Justin got three month's worth of date-nights and a cordless mouse for his laptop. ;)

We are so grateful for a loving Savior and that we are able to freely celebrate his birth and life in this wonderful country.  We are so happy to have been able to spend our past seven Christmas's here in NC and though we are excited for the journey to come, we will miss North Carolina!

Terrific Kid (aka Jack's awesome day)!

Now, Justin and I have always known that Jack is a terrific kid, but we were so excited to discover that Jackson was chosen by his teacher to receive the December Terrific Kid award!  Only one kid per class is chosen each month so it was a pretty big deal and we are SO proud of him!  The award ceremony was on the same day as his class Christmas party.  And not only that, but they got to wear the pajamas to school because it was the last day before Christmas break.  So the whole family drove to school that morning for the award ceremony breakfast (donuts) and watched Jack receive a very cool laminated certificate with wonderful things his teacher said about Jack.  After the breakfast I walked Jack to class and stayed to help with the Christmas party.  During the party, Jack lost his first tooth!  What a day!  :)  

Jack and Norah sitting down for the celebratory breakfast donuts.

Jack and the principle, Mr. Ball, who handed out his certificate.

Yep, there's our terrific kid! 

Each month's terrific kids get to have their photo on a star for the month.  :)

There's our boy (far right). :)

Now it's party time in his class where he got even more yummy food!

And.... Out came his first tooth!  The bottom front left... Which also happened to be the very first tooth he ever  got at almost 8 months old.  How time flies!

And so it begins.  One down, nineteen to go! :)

13 Weeks!!!

He or she already looks like a little Wilde. :)  I can't wait to meet this new little person! 

This u/s was at 12 weeks exactly - though the OB has it at 11 wks. 4 days.  (I'm right.  And baby was even measuring at 12 wks!  I know it's only a few days difference, but I KNOW when he/she is due!)

Most importantly - the secret is out!  Operation, "Surprise the Grandparents on Christmas," was a success!  We have since posted on Facebook to let all of our friends and remaining family members know that we are anticipating the arrival of our fifth little miracle who is due on June 26, 2012.

************

Cravings:  Tuna (crazy, right?), chinese food, steak
Aversions:  Most sweets, but especially chocolate.  I feel like I'm betraying my best friend!  This aversion has been particularly hard to swallow (pun intended) as it began just before Halloween, was in full force over Thanksgiving and is still present (another pun intended, lol..) now at Christmas.  When will I love chocolate again?!

Morning Sickness:  Yep, still getting sick in the morning (which is funny since anyone who's had a baby knows that "morning sickness" is really more like "all day sickness."  I'm usually feeling pretty good by 11 am, though.

Fatigue:  I'm actually feeling *glimpses* of renewed energy and am excited for what the next week or two will bring!

Baby:  I still occasionally use the doppler to listen to his/her heartbeat and it varies anywhere from 157 bpm to 180 bpm.  I think I've felt a few flutters here and there and am getting so anxious and excited to start feeling definite rolls and kicks.  I'm also very anxious and excited for our upcoming elective ultrasound to *hopefully* find out whether we're having a boy or a girl!

Look Who's Walking (and otherwise adorable...)

He did it!  At just shy of 16 months Beckett is FINALLY walking!  He'd been flirting with the idea for several weeks now and had even taken a few steps here and there.  But for the most part he just didn't seem to have enough motivation to take the plunge into bipedal life.  Then on a Wednesday evening during mutual at church (I'd had to take the kids because Justin was out of town) Beckett became obsessed with crawling after the big boys (deacons, teachers & priests) who were playing basketball.  They were all being very sweet with him, some of them taking turns to stop playing so they could hold him and play with him.  Beckett was in heaven with all of that attention!!!  Then one of the boys, Cole, set him back down on his feet on the court and Beckett just started walking!  He spent the next twenty minutes walking (and falling, but that didn't deter him!) after each of the boys and the ball.  I was so happy and proud of him!!!  And since then he hasn't looked back. :)  So here's a big THANK YOU to the young men of the Matthews ward!  :)  

He may be walking and growing like a weed, but he's still my baby!

"Walking?  Meh - it's not that hard... I just didn't feel like doing it."

"I'm not sure this is exactly how these things work, but I have a feeling we're off to a good start."

"Okay, okay - you're right... I don't have eyes in the back of my head."

"Oh, for crying out loud, this is much more difficult than it looks."

"There we go.  Easy peasy, mom.  But you know, I'm not convinced that I have the bone structure for this style.  Maybe we should discuss contacts."

Jackson Gump

In November, Jackson participated in his very first fundraising event for school!  It was a Boosterthon Fun Run and he was able to collect $555.00 in total pledges from THREE different countries and EIGHT different states!  When the race day finally came I loaded up the younger kiddos and we went to support Jackson as he ran a total of 35 laps (which equaled 2 miles) in 30 minutes!  No small feat in 37 degree weather!  

We are so proud of Jack!  

Run, Forest, Run!!! 

Norah was a little cranky to be out in the freezing cold at 7 am.  :)

Eddie was a great cheer-leader to Jack!  And he kept me entertained with his silly faces.  :)

Little Beck was happy to lay back in his cozy stroller seat and watch all of the excitement. :)

And another lap...

Two miles and still smiling!

Every few laps or so he would dart over to where we were standing and give us a hug because he was just so excited.  It was SO adorable!

At The Outback for a celebratory dinner.  Any good marathoner needs a good meal afterwards... And of course our little Jack-Rabbit requested steak. :)  

Oh, Christmas Tree!

The weekend after Thanksgiving is always reserved for driving to the tree lot and choosing the PERFECT Christmas tree!  

Beckett enjoyed the view from the stroller and had a blast watching his big brothers and sister run around.

Jack and Eddie-o

They were trying to be silly with the little branches they'd found.

This little kitty kept them entertained almost the entire time!  It was so frisky and playful and would dart out from under the trees to paw at their feet and the dart right back. 

The Daddy

Loading up the tree!

The Three Amigos

Well, at least they were looking in my general direction. :)  

Thanksgiving (and all that jazz) 2011

Another Thanksgiving has gone by where I've forgotten to get pictures!  It was just such a busy day preparing more food than we could eat that the camera was forgotten.  

But rest assured that we are truly thankful for all of the blessings that have come to our family.  We are so grateful for health, for our home, for Justin's job, that Jackson is doing so well in Kindergarten and Eddie is shining in preschool, for our callings and for our friends.  We are so thankful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that we are building our forever family.  

Our company was amazing (We love you Uncle Chad and Aunt Danielle!).

And the food wasn't too shabby, either. :)  This year the menu included:

*Turkey (I tried brining for the first time this year and was pleased with the results. ;)

*Mashed potatoes (with gravy) made with cream cheese

*Homemade sausage stuffing

*Green Bean Casserole featuring sauteed onions, bacon and mushrooms

*Homemade rolls

*Pistachio fruit salad

*Caramel pecan pie

*Pumpkin pie

*Apple pie

The one picture I did get was of the first apple pie I've ever made. :)  It was pretty tasty heated up and served with vanilla ice cream.  Heaven.

Halloween Festivities 2011!

Does anyone else wonder where October went?!  *Sigh* What a great month from an impromptu visit from Nana (no longer from Montana!) who flew in from Phoenix to spend a week helping me spookify our house (and snuggle the grandkids, of course), making Halloween costumes and other Halloween decor, a fun Halloween themed Girl's Night Out, Trunk-Or-Treat, and Halloween itself.  Whew!  That's a whole lot of Halloween in one month!  I think it's safe to say I was ready to take down the decor bright and early on Nov. 1st and very happily packed it away until next year.  :)  

Pumpkin pie bites drizzled with dark chocolate.  Uh-maze-ing.  

Pumpkin tombstone cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Spooktacular!  

Ready to party with the ladies!

Most of the accent decor I bought for a dollar or less at the Re-Store and then painted with few coats of metallic finish black spray paint.  Instant cheap and awesome decorations! :)  (Like this bird cage.  Originally off-white with a hideous floral pattern.  Now - perfect to house the skull of a disobedient child...)

I wish I had pictures after the guests arrived, but we were all too busy eating and chatting. :) 

Nana soaking up some sun and watching the kiddos play in the cul-de-sac.  We sure miss her!  But we're VERY excited to know that a plane ticket from Phoenix to NC is MUCH cheaper than from Montana.  Hopefully that will mean more frequent visits! :)

Jack asked to be a skeleton for Halloween.  All it took was white felt, heat-and-bond, glow in the dark paint, and singing along with the movie Annie to get the job done. :)  I think it turned out pretty darn good for a free-hand/no pattern project.  (Maybe not entirely anatomically correct, but I got the basics, lol.)

Eddie's Halloween Parade at pre-school!  He wanted to be an astronaut and since I wouldn't have even known where to begin on how to make one I lucked out and found an awesome costume at Costco.  :)

Yup - way cuter than Neil Armstrong!

The front yard view of our Haunted House. 

Jack and his buddy Arwen (dressed up as Hermione) at the trunk-or-treat.

Beckett was an unhappy meatball at the beginning of the night...

But he's physically incapable of staying grumpy for long! :)

It was too cold for our Norah-fairy to take her jacket off at the trunk-or-treat, but she was pretty stinkin' cute. :)

Here she is on Halloween - it was a bit warmer by then.  Although her expression isn't very fairy-like. ;)

There's a smile. :)

And the most adorable little meatball you ever did see!  Since we started calling him , "the little meatball," I just HAD to make a meatball costume.  It turned out to be a little more challenging than I thought, but once I added the sauce and the spaghetti  I think it turned out okay. ;)  

Is that Jack - or a scary skeleton ready to take over the neighborhood in a quest for lots and lots of treats?!

The answer is both. :)  He was SO full of energy and would have kept going through the entire neighborhood if we had let him!  

Eddie was enthusiastic in the beginning, but got tired of walking once it became dark.   There's only so much candy an astronaut needs. :)

Our little trick-or-treaters! :)  Norah went to three or four doors and then got scared when we started seeing all of the other kids in the neighborhood - some of whom were wearing pretty scary costumes.  She and Beckett spent the rest of the time content in the stroller.

A better view of The Meatball. ;)

We walked around with a couple of our neighbors and their kids and had a great time even though it was pretty stinkin' cold.  (Kiersten is the angel and Summer was a pink power ranger. ;)  Our neighborhood is perfect for trick-or-treating since it's full of families with children and there are a ton of houses.  I think we may be in trouble in a couple of years when Jack and Eddie want to try to canvas the entire subdivision. 

And here is one of Jack's Halloween themed homework sheets that I thought was pretty cute. :)  He's been doing AWESOME at school and it's so fun to watch him progress each day!