Moving + vacation + busy work = holy crap!

Summer fun in the sprinkler


Mr. Cool


Dad and Gus doing their daily exercises


Our great friend, Cliff, who lives in Austin, sent Gus two vintage Santa Fe RR t-shirts (Cliff's aunt made these). Cliff is rad!




The move to the new(er) house seems to be on! We've been under contract on our house for a couple of weeks now, and we're just working through the inspection details. We close on Sept. 17 and must be moved into the new place by Sept. 18. The siding issues on the new place are being addressed, as well, so it seems to be working out. I'm a little sad we're leaving our house. I love it here. I'll miss the bright green paint in the dining room (punk rock was the color swatch, I remember so well). I'll miss the character and the very 1960's kitchen. I'll miss our yard. Somehow I'll even miss seeing the Hallmark Factory every day. I'll miss the kids' rooms b/c they are the only rooms both kids have both known well.

But, I'm super excited for the new place. Our backyard there is amazing. It's like a park--so many trees, and it backs up to a ravine behind our house. Our yard is fenced in, but it's a very subtle fence that blends in well with the wooded area. The previous owners are leaving a jungle gym/playground in the backyard, too--it's huge and in great shape. The kids will love it. The landscaping is pretty established but there's still room for me to add things. But most of all we're excited for the fireplace. We've never had one and it will be so nice to have one this winter. And it will be nice to have a daylight basement, too. We do need to paint some of the rooms right away (bedrooms, especially), and over time we'll make other improvements. We want to add on a sun/screened in porch to the back of the house within 3-5 years, so I'm looking forward to that. Photos to come once we've made the move! I'll definitely post "before" and "after" photos of the master bedroom--the paint in there is currently lime green and coral. MY EYES! :)

The kids start their new school in a couple of weeks. We're waiting for the "green light" that the building is ready (it's a brand new place). Our friend Mo has been our interim daycare provider, watching the kids at our place on M, W, F. She has a little guy, Zeke, who is Cleo's age, so it's been fun for all 3 kids. Poor Mo is probably a little fried at the end of the week, though! She's been awesome, taking the kids apple picking and to butterfly farms and whatnot-she totally puts momma to shame! I need to do more fun stuff like that, but it's so hard when I have to work 1/2 day from home. I always feel somewhat guilty just going to the grocery store. But we're anxious for the kids to start school. I think (I hope!) they'll both really dig it there.

We're getting ready to take our family vacay to Michigan in a couple of weeks. We'll go the week of Labor Day. I'm so anxious about it b/c I'm super busy at work and we move the week after we return from vacation. But we've already put the deposit down on the cabin, so it's going to happen. I know once we get there I'll feel better, but it's stressful to think about. I'll post photos. It's always gorgeous there--in the 70's and the lake is just amazing. Just what the doctor ordered when it's so hot here in Kansas in September.

Photos are from Andy's company family party last week and random photos taken recently.

This crazy life

I'm going to attempt to cover all the crazy stuff going on with us right now because, well, there's A LOT. GOING. ON.

Birthdays: Both kids are celebrating birthdays this summer. Cleo turned 2 on July 22, and we had a small family gathering at our house. She was thrilled to receive mostly Dora gifts, including a backpack on rollers (you know, so she can take it through the airport when she's traveling for work) and a Dora guitar. She is 2...golly, where does the time go? These babies aren't babies anymore...reminds me of a quote in book called "Ten Little Babies" by Gyo Fujikawa that Cleo received from Leah, Dan, Bea and Ben: "One happy baby Alone, having fun, He became a grownup And then there were none. "

Gus turns 4 this week! He had a really fun party this past Sunday at Lawrence Gymnastics and Athletics. He and a bunch of his friends and cousins played inside the gym, ate cake and then played on a water slide. Gus is still talking about it. It was really rad and perfect for a super duper hot day (over 100 degrees...).

Speaking of the weather, geez. I hate to be a complainer like so many other Kansans during this time of the year (if I had a dollar for all of the Facebook posts about the HOT WEATHER...), but seriously, it's bitchin' hot here! Today is supposed to be close to 105 or 108 and that's without humidity. That's insane. We've been in a heat warning for a couple of days now. Good times. But that's what you get in August when you've had sooo much rain this summer. I always want to leave KS during this time of year and come back in the autumn, but I'm trying to embrace late summer more. I feel bad for it...it gets so much hate. So I've been listening to the cicadas at night and trying to enjoy the sun on my face b/c I know I'll be pining for it come January.

Miami!!! Andy and I leave for our mini-vacay to Miami tomorrow morning. The kids are going to Burlingame to hang w/ Gma and Gpa and Lucy the dog. I think the kids are more excited about going to B-game than they were about their bdays. Which is good, b/c it helps ease the sadness when we're not with them. We are super excited to get some serious sun and beach time, though. This is Andy's company trip they take (for making his sales quota). We're gone through Sunday. I'll be sure to take some hilarious photos of scantily-clad old men on the beach for you all. I'm sure we'll see plenty...

STRESS!!! So, I've hesitated even posting about this b/c it's soooo up in the air right now, but might as well update everyone (my 2 readers! Ha ha). Our little, lovely house is on the market. Yep, that's right. There's a FOR SALE sign in our front yard. It's been there now for 2 weeks officially and no offers yet, although we've had quite a bit of interest. Why? Well, we "bought" a house but it's contingent on us selling our house first. And we've run into some issues w/ the inspection of the other house (that we bought--the siding has to be replaced), so honestly the new house may not even work out. We're supposed to find out this week, but we'll see. We've decided no matter what we're leaving our house on the market for awhile just to see if we get any bites, and hopefully when and if that happens we'll have found a house we love. Wish us luck. It's been super stressful keeping this house clean for viewings. So hard! The kids probably think I'm so mean b/c I'm always cleaning and getting frustrated when they make huge messes. I'll be happy when we're through all of this.

Ah, almost forgot. Our daycare provider is no longer going to watch the kids after next week. I've gone through major denial and sadness about this, and my heart is broken. But it's a good thing for all, and it was inevitable. Jen is taking a part-time job at the Catholic school her kids go to, and after a frantic search for a replacement daycare facility we've enrolled the kids in Montessori preschool. I am so excited about it. The Montessori schools in Lawrence are always super booked up, but a new one is opening in west Lawrence and we got in. So Cleo and Gus will go starting in September on M, W, F. I'll start to work in the office on those days and from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So it'll be a change for all of us, but I think a good one.

So...I THINK that's it. More when we get back from the land of g-strings! :) And no, I'm not wearing a g-string. Can you imagine? Wait, please don't imagine. Ha ha. But I did buy a super cute bathing suit for this trip...it's a 50's style suit that comes down over the hips (it's black)--very 50's pin-up style--and it's the first suit I've ever actually liked. Can I get a holla from all the pear-shaped ladies out there who are happy the 50's suits are making a comeback?! WOOT!

More later.