When Daddy is Away

I am taking a break from homework; accounting is not my favorite class.  I do not mind math and the concepts seem pretty straightforward so far, but there is just a lot of homework and I am already getting burnt out.  I just do not find it that interesting and the steps are so repetitive.  I am glad I just have to do the 100 level class and then no more.  

The above picture was from earlier this evening before storytime - just me and Colin goofing off.  He was hilarious!  He kept walking towards me so I barely got this shot.  I love my zoom capabilities on my camera but I need to get one that can zoom out more, which I had until it broke :( 

Not much point to this blog, just wanted to show my little cutie goofing off with mommy while daddy is away at band rehearsal.  We're bored!

Castle Park

Early this morning, in an attempt to wear out Colin for his nap (also because it is warm and beautiful outside) we ventured out to Castle Park.  It was our first time there and we REALLY liked it.  The playgrounds are separated by age groups, which is nice.  The playground for Colin's age group had a castle theme.  Since we left pretty early, we packed a little picnic breakfast (bagels, cream cheese and strawberries - yummy!) to enjoy at the park. We played for a bit, ate, then played some more.  The plan worked.  Colin slept for a few hours, which was enough time for us to finish painting the master suite.  I took pictures of the room with one of our older cameras (I was not going to risk getting paint on my SLR), so I need to go to the store and make a CD.  I will try to post them soon.

Here are some pictures from our little adventure this morning.

Colin recently started going down slides by himself.  Sometimes on big ones he needs a little push.  What can I say, he is a timid boy...but getting braver by the day! As a mom I do not mind that he is a bit cautious!

On a choo-choo slide.

The same choo-choo slide.

Very excited about something he saw...I think a dinosaur toy.

Daddy helping him across the scary castle bridge.

Enjoying the swing.

This one is from the other day, but he was just so proud of his messy face that I had to take a picture!

Hop Goes the Bunny!

Our first holiday in our new home! That actually happened pretty quickly (a week) so the house is  not totally ready, but it worked.  In the morning we hid some plastic and real eggs for Colin to find! He remembered Will's story about the Easter Buddy, so was very excited when he woke up.   The eggs led him down the staircase through the kitchen and all the way to the backdoor; where outside on the deck was a basket (or rather  a Spider-man bucket acting as an Easter basket) waiting for him. The Easter Buddy brought Colin some exciting goodies! He got a soccer pillow, an Iron Man night-lite, two new sippy cups, and some toy instruments!  Colin is learning about instruments and can even say the word (it is a little hard to understand at first but he tries).  We are using an instrument puzzle he has to show him how you would play the different ones.  So, when he says guitar he strums his fingers across his belly and then when he says trumpet he pretends he is blowing into his hands and so forth. Super cute!  So, the Easter Buddy brought him a harmonica, a little flute thing, and a whistle.  Hopefully, mommy and daddy will not dislike the Easter Buddy after a few days!

The Easter Buddy also remembered daddy's love for cadbury eggs!  How thoughtful of that Buddy ;)

Grandma B and Uncle Michael came up to celebrate with us and to enjoy an old fashioned Sunday meal (roast beef, cooked veggies and potatoes) - Yum, yum!  This was their first time seeing the house, so it was nice that they could see it in a decent state.  We had a great time celebrating the holiday with family.  Colin really enjoyed our guest!  He started off a little grumpy after waking up from his nap, but eventually he was true to form and enjoyed showing Michael and Liz his new instruments and what all of his favorite super heroes do (like Spider-man, Hulk, etc - it is hard to explain but hopefully I be able to film it soon).   One of his new favorite shows is Super Hero Squad - he loves it! 

Hope everyone had a great Easter!

"I did it, Mama - I did it"

This was the first year that Colin dyed eggs for Easter!  He was so pumped!  While I was getting the eggs ready, Will was telling Colin all about the Easter Bunny (or Easter Buddy in our household) and how he likes to come into kids houses and hide their eggs!  He also may leave a special treat if the child has been REALLY good.  Colin seemed to understand more than we thought he would and was so excited that a buddy would be coming to visit him. 

Here are some pictures of Colin coloring his eggs.  He actually did really well and did not make a mess at all. 

I included this picture, even though I am so obviously exhausted.  My "cheese" looks a little strained, but Colin looked so cute - so a mother sacrifices :)

One of Colin's new phrases is "I did it _____, I did it!" (*insert name of Mama or Daddy depending on the audience).  So, he would say that after he put an egg in the cup of dye.

It's Coming Along

A  lot of people have been asking about our house and how it is coming along, so...

We have been able to accomplish quite a bit in our first week here.  We are mostly unpacked and organized and the boxes that we have not made it to yet are neatly stacked in the room they belong in.  Will has started getting his Man room organized.  He got his new drum set all ready for him to practice in the corner and Colin's train table is set up in the other!  We have started to organize the lowest level (which will be our fun and relaxed area, so there will be toys set up for Colin). We still need a couch though.  Will's new TV is also ready to go (cable guy came this morning) and Colin has his little toy chest and basketball hoop displayed.

The kitchen is getting there.  We are planning on sprucing up the cabinets and getting new counter-tops, but for now I have it organized the way I like and even have room to spare!  Now I have an excuse to go shopping for the kitchen appliances I have been waiting on!  The Living room is waiting on our couches.  We have the other furniture already.  It will be nice to have a couch! 

Colin's room is all organized and we have hung up a few things.  He has a mix themes. We did not want to tie him down to just one, since he is getting to the age of having his own likes.  He has some pooh decor (lamp, snow globe), some transportation  (mostly firetrucks - a cute lamp and his measuring thing), and also some Super hero items (like his iron man night-lite and his spider-man poster)...so exciting!  I'll post pictures of that once we figure out if we want to paint it or not. 

The guest room - not even started yet, but I am going to use that room for traveling pictures and decor (pictures that I take on my future trips and some of Will's from Ireland, Paris, etc).  Will is in the process of ordering a world map so I can mark the places we have been. I want to do a different color pin for Will, myself, and Colin!

I also have not started on any of the bathrooms, but will hopefully soon.

The first room that we have really focused is the Master Suite!  We ordered our bedroom set (hopefully that will be here soon) and started painting.  We did our first coat and need to do the second one this week.  We have new curtains and put in new doorknobs.  These changes have totally transformed the place!  This will be the darkest color in the house.  One of the main things we love about this house is that it is so open and airy.  Will wants the feel of a beach type house without the beach (of course).  So, we are doing mostly light breezy colors that will keep the house open.  I wanted to do a darker color in the bedroom though.  I have always like darker bedrooms and just loved this color.

I will post pictures soon....

Same Old Debate

A Cat or a Dog!  That is the question...

Will and I talk about this quite a bit.  We both make our arguments for the one we think would be better for Colin or the one we prefer ourselves.  It will probably be a while before he has any pets, but I sometimes miss having animals around. 

The CAT story:

I have always been a dog lover, but in recent years I have become a...cat-appreciater.  In my opinion a cat does not compare to a dog, but cats can be a lot of fun and can be loving too.  I got my first cat when I was 21, so I do not have fond childhood memories of any particular cats.  For some weird reason, I decided I needed to experience a cat at that age.   I have no idea where that notion came from since I never really knew a cat that I was overly fond of...but for whatever reason that is how Citrine came into my life.  Since she was an orange cat I named her after my birthstone.  I have never met a cat like her.  She was very loving and cuddly, nothing like the very independent cats I knew growing up.  After I had Citrine a bit, I actually took in her mother (cleverly called Mama Cat by me).  I made this sweet gesture not knowing that she was a bit of a....well she got around.  So, she was pregnant and all of the sudden I had 7 cats!  One disappeared and one sadly died because he/she was the runt and Mama Cat refused to feed her (one part of animals psyche that I do not understand from a mother's perspective).  My favorite animal-lover friend, Lori, tried to save the poor thing but it was too late.  So, 5 cats...going from none to 5 in a few short months...crazy. So, I was still very much a dog-lover, but coming around on the idea of cats. All the ones I had each had their own unique personality and all were very lovable. 

Now Will is very much a cat person - not so much a dog person.  I think he has always had cats around.  His mom and brother still had two of the cats that have been around for quite a while when we first moved here; Sophie and Missy.  Missy sadly past away last year (she was getting up there in age).  Will also had two cats that he got while in Germany that made the long trip to Oregon with him.  I actually did not mind those two cats as well.  Sparky was just a crazy little thing that just made sense that it would be Will's cat.  The other cat, Tigger was sweet, but I am not sure Will liked her as much.  I thought she was cute and she always jumped in my lap whenever I was around her. So, Will always holds up the cat part of the debate.  At Colin's age I could just see him getting scratched a lot, which would quickly not make me like a cat and I hate the idea of declawing the poor things...seems a little cruel. 


The Dog Side:

I have always (until recently) had dogs around, ever since I was in the 3rd grade.  That was when we got our first dog, Sandy, (she passed away a few years ago).  She was like 17 or 18, which is a long time for her breed.  I have definitely never known a dog like her.  She was her own form birth control, she never did get fixed but would never let another dog near her so it was never an issue.  She finally became somewhat "friends" with my older brother's dog, Mick, the last few years of her life.  Mick just adored her.  Mick is a little Jack Russell Terrier, very energetic and jumpy.  The poor thing was abused and abandoned; you can really tell by his timid behavior. Will was nice around Sandy and Mick, but he kind of kept his distance.  Even though Sandy loved him!   I have seen a few dogs that Will has liked.  His mom and Michael's dog Rusty and Charlie, a dog we had for a little bit in Oregon.  He was one of the cutest dogs and just fit Will!  He had reddish, curly hair that I used to tease Will was the reason he picked him (and that he secretly wanted to put gel in it and spike it up the way Will wore his hair at the time). We could not take Charlie with us to VA, which was very sad, but we met the family he went with and could tell it would be a great fit for him.

You just never really hear stories about boys and their cats, you know???  It is always a boy and his dog.  I think there is a reason for that.  I would love probably any cat we had, as long as it was not a devil cat, but I just think that every child should experience a dog.  At least we both agree that Colin is too young right now and it would be safer for him and the poor future B family pet to wait a few years.  Who knows...maybe there will be a cat and a dog in the family and they will just be best buddies who happen to share the love of a boy!

Moving Day

We still have a few more trips in our future but we got most of our boxes/furniture moved today!  At least the things we need to have to make our first night there tonight!!!!  I am so excited...I think this occasion calls for a bottle of wine to celebrate - I am thinking the bottle of Chianti that I have been saving for a special occasion.  Right now we are at the apartment waiting for our sheets to dry.  Luckily, our TV is still here (Comcast doesn't set our new place up until next week), so we are watching the West Virginia game!  Go Mountaineers!!! I have to come back tomorrow morning to take my final (need the internet). It will be weird since the place is getting pretty empty.

So, I have to do a big shout out to my father-in-law, Bill.  He really hooked us up today with moving assistance.  He was a TREMENDOUS help. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I felt bad for him and Will moving the heavier stuff down three flights of stairs. 

Oh, and Colin loves the train table!  We're so excited to set that up! Thank you Bill and Michael for that!

Colin was also a big help!  Or maybe not.  He first started unpacking his toys all over the living room; once he was distracted I was able to get all of his stuff upstairs so he could unpack there.  Then he helped me in the kitchen.  He either put everything he got out of his box (with no breakables) and put it all in the sink (lined up very nicely on the edges).  Or he put the really important things in the blender.  This picture has Spider-Man, a froggy lid and a few other things in it. 

A good thing about moving is that it helps motivate a person to purge!  We have made quite a few donations to the Good Will lately.  It is so nice to get rid of stuff that we do not need anymore.  Some things are hard to part with (like some of Colin's things).  I am getting better as he gets older though.  I will not attempt looking through his infant clothes for a while though; I have parted with all I can for now!

Will and I may not always do things in the traditional manner, but our life has been crazy, spontaneous and just wonderful - what more could we ask for!  I think that the order we have done things has worked out great for us and I would not change anything! This has been a wonderful experience and I am so excited for all of the projects Will and I have planned...starting with the master suite!  Will actually picked out curtains today; it is so cute seeing him get so excited and into it!

Ooh, sheets are done...time to go to our new home!!

Officially Ours!!!!

                                                  

We are HOMEOWNERS!!!  Can you believe it???  It is so crazy sounding!

Will and I closed on our house this morning.  It was such an easy and quick process.  The whole thing was actually.  We started looking at the beginning of February and almost two months later we own a house! After we got the keys we went to Lowe's and bought paint for the master suite! We decided on a Thundering Clouds (a blue) for that room. I think we are going to do a pale yellow or tan for the master bathroom, but we're not decided yet. We want to get one room totally done before moving on to the next one. Our furniture will be delived for our bedroom in a few weeks, so we have plenty of time to paint.  We have until the 9th at our apartment, so we can take our time moving things over as well. I cannot wait for our living room and bedroom furniture to get here! We got some of our living room furniture today! So exciting!!!

We are both ecstatic about the purchase of our first home together! It was such a wonderful experience to share together!  Nerve-racking, but wonderful!

We are so excited!! We are homeowners! This is our first place together where it is totally ours! We are done with apartments!! Today is such a great day!  Oh, and Colin LOVES the house!  He is going to have so much space to run around!

An Oyster Roast You Say???

Will, Colin and I went to our first Oyster Roast yesterday!!  We had so much fun and it was such a beautiful day to be outside.  Our drive up to Maryland was a little longer than usual, everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the nice weather.  I love the parts of Maryland I have seen so far, beautiful!  We were heading a little past the Bay Bridge, a very pretty area. 

Our hosts were Will's Aunt Mary Ann, Uncle Jerre and his cousin Kevin and his wife Sarah.  Colin loved Mary Ann's house.  He spent the WHOLE time walking the paved path around the house.  Will and I took turns walking with him.  We were both so exhausted by the end of the night.  That was probably at least 3 hours of walking back and forth. Colin slept very well last night and even slept in a little this morning. 

Will and I did not try any uncooked oyster, but we did have ones that was roasted or baked, whatever you would say...cooked.  No chance of being alive.  Uncle Michael tried an uncooked one, I was very impressed!  I actually liked the oyster.  I had one that Jerre cooked with tabasco and some other seasonings.  It was delicious!

This summer, Kevin and Sarah may take us three out on a boat!  That would be a lot of fun.  We may have also found some fellow Marc Broussard fans...we are hoping to go to his concert in this area this June!  Yay!  Cannot wait!

Now time to finish my final project and pack...moving starts next week!!

Sunny Days

The weather has been so nice this past week.  I am always ready for spring when it comes, but more so this year with the winter we had in Virginia this year.  How do I describe it...umm...snow, snow and more snow.  Colin and I took advantage of the sunshine yesterday while Will was running some errands.  Here are a few pictures from our morning. 

Colin on his first bike!  He does not use the peddles yet, but he lets us push him.  The bike has a handle that comes up for us to push him without killing our backs.  It will be even easier when Colin learns how to steer with the handles!

Colin racing me up the hill and then realizing that I took a break to snap a photo.

Taking a water break.  Playing is very hard work!  I know that I was exhausted and was so ready to do homework when we got home.