In the film Jurassic Park there is that scene where the kids are in the kitchen in the visitors center and have shut the door behind them because Velociraptors can’t open doors right? Then slowly we see the handle on the door turn . . . well today I had a similar experience.
There I am finishing up getting ready for the day in the bathroom. I had just shut the door on Mooch before he could do his little speed crawl through it. (Mooch isn’t allowed in the bathroom because he thinks the toilet is his own personal water park.) I hear him banging on the door with his little 9 month old hands, so naturally I look over at the door. Then I see it. The door handle is slowly moving down. I’m thinking: "No, he can’t. Can he?" Slowly my surprise turns to fear. I now know nothing will be safe anymore. Then Mooch pushes the door open with a smile and proceeds to crawl directly to the toilet.
So guess what? With the exception of the blog, I don't have to decorate for Christmas! Woo hoo! Festive I am not and the fact that I really have a good excuse to not decorate this year is sweet! Why am I not festive? Well I really can't answer that question. But the good excuse I have is that we’re moving. No really, we are moving. I’m not just saying we’re moving because we might be moving. I’m not saying we’re moving because I really want to live with my spouse again and am having delusions of grandeur. We are actually moving. We are physically packing our things and moving them from Reno to Sacramento. That is unless Chad miraculously gets another job somewhere else in the next 3 weeks.
We got our little 30 days notice in the mail saying we have to be out of the condo by January 1 - Just ask me how much I love the fact that we pretty much have to move the week before Christmas if we want any help from anyone. We’re moving to another condo with the exact same floor plan just in California. So that might be a little weird for a bit and we’ll see how the kids adjust. But in all honesty what better Christmas present can I get than finally living with Chad again.
So I’m packing, cleaning, and finishing up things for the next three weeks and then we’re out of here! Lets be honest it’s not exactly a huge shocker that we’re moving. I’ve only had like the last 9 months to adjust to the idea that we could move to California.
So if we don’t update a lot its because I’m trying to do something productive like scrub the toilets with a toothbrush, patch the walls up, think about packing my children in a box until this is over, oil the cabinets and stuff like that!
Cowboy can be a little obstinate once he makes up his mind, like any mature little 3 year old. Here are just a couple of examples of that.
So whenever we're driving around doing errands I plug my little ipod in and turn on "Apologize" by One republic. I tend to sing out loud when we're in the car and Cowboy joins in whenever he can. Well when we get to the chorus of this song, Cowboy thinks that they're saying, "Its too late to call the giants," rather than "Its too late to apologize." Don't even think about telling him its different. But I can actually see where he's coming from.
Yet another incident where Cowboy just can't be wrong and must always be right. Today we saw a ski tote on top of a SUV and told me it was a boat. There are in fact quite a few kayaks and ski totes around here being so close to Lake Tahoe.
This is pretty much how the conversation went.
Cowboy: Mommy look a boat on top of the car.
Me: No. That's for skis.
Cowboy: No its a boat
Me: That isn't a boat it to put skis in.
(This goes on for awhile and you get the idea)
Finally Cowboy gave up and said, "Okay mommy its for skis. Pretend its a boat."
I don't know that I really won that argument.
I hate Mondays, I really really really hate Mondays. I hate waking up to an empty bed and knowing I'm going to have to do it 5 more times before I get to see him again. Really its only the 47th Monday I've had to do it give or take a few. OK I'm done whining now.
One more week until Thanksgiving break. Chad and I decided to just hang around here for the Holidays. Mostly I’m just being selfish and don’t want to spend the break driving to and from somewhere only to not hang out with each other once we get there. We’ll also be here for Christmas.
We’re still looking for jobs. Chad is still employed but we're looking elsewhere since the housing market is so stinky and Pacific West, a residential construction company, isn't looking so great. It’s so much fun spending my kid free moments staring at a computer screen typing in the same info over and over again. We’ve gotten to the point where we’re applying to jobs anywhere, including Canada -although that one was kind of an accident but the job pays well so we’ll see.
Here's Cowboy just enjoying the ride. We're working on pumping his legs but he hasn't quite figured it out and usually ends up just kicking like a crazy man.
Here's my little blue eyed boy! Although its not necessarily the best parenting to let Mooch eat he swing, he sure looks cute trying to eat that grimy thing!
Mooch and me Smiling at each other because he wouldn't smile for the camera. He needed my beautiful self to smile at.
This is Cowboy saying "stick 'em up"
This is his angry face which is pretty much the same as his happy face below!
This is the one picture we got of Mooch smiling and I had to go and screw it up by not quite framing his face. Oh well I take what I can get! As you can see Mooch is standing. He discovered he could pull himself to standing about a week after he started crawling last month. He thinks he should crawl upstairs too! He's currently working on the dare-devil stage of holding on to things and walking. Needless to say he's pretty mobile and causing trouble!
Its been quite some time since I posted any pictures. So here are a few from our mini-golf outing a month or so ago. Yeah thats right these are a little old. But Enjoy!
Hey remember when I said I’d whine again? Here it is! Oh and for those of you who somehow find comfort in my life being not wonderful good for you! I’m glad at least someone is benefiting from my whining- oh wait I mean venting!
Okay so yet again my life is totally not my own. Really I have absolutely no control over anything including my own sleep. It’s so great! (I hope you’re picking up on the heavy sarcasm) To give you just an idea of how I feel . . . imagine going white water rafting. If you fall out of the raft you are supposed to point your feet downstream and swim at an angle to the shore. I feel like I have fallen out of the raft in really big rapids with nothing but a life vest on. Oh and did I mention that there isn’t a shore line only really high cliffs running down both sides? I’m keeping my head above water for the most part, but I have no control over what happens next. Oh and I seem to be hitting a few large boulders sitting in the crazy river that is my life. Yes, I had a little time to think as I drove back from Sacramento and the kids, thankfully, were sleeping. So that gave me time to come up with this whole river analogy in between bouts of crying.
The housing we had hoped to be able to get in Sacramento didn’t work out. It stinks but apparently we are supposed to be somewhere else. I know things happen for a reason- If I didn’t know that well I’d probably have been institutionalized by now. I’m more frustrated than anything that we had a plan, a good plan that would result in having my family together again, and it didn’t work out. We’re still going to have to move sometime in the next month-ish. We’re probably going to have to move into an apartment that is half the size of our condo. I just want to be with Chad again, is that really so hard to have happen? I’m just frustrated in general. Can you tell? Boo hoo poor me!
So in the words of Pocahontas “just around the river bend” . . . okay not really but once I started thinking about rivers that stupid song popped into my head. So on the drive home: I cried, thought about my life in general, and I sang Disney songs out loud as my way to cope with the stress. Does that mean I’m going crazy?
Oh and to clarify we can rent one of the apartments that Chad's company built. It just isn't something I want to do long term. So we're not in a really tight spot YET!
So one of my friends apologized for whining on her blog and I personally didn’t feel that she was whining. To me, whining connotes a negative feeling. I like to call it venting. She was being a single mom to 4 kids for a few weeks. Something no one could possibly do without feeling a wee bit of stress!
I would like to apologize as well, but I probably shouldn’t because that would mean I was sorry and that I won’t do it again. While I’m sorry that some of you have to read about our crappy days and I am trying to be a bit more positive about life. I’m going to be honest; I’m probably going to whine again. So know that I appreciate all the support we’ve gotten from everyone. I’m not saying things to get sympathy from anyone. Writing about it is just one of the many ways I’ve been dealing with stress. While Chad has been living and working in a different city during the week, we've both learned a lot. Apparently Chad learned that I could survive on my own if I anything happened to him. Somehow talking about him being dead was supposed to have comforted me. I love my super sensitive husband!
Anyways. . . I’m going to try harder to focus on the positive and then maybe, just maybe, you won’t have to hear about the negative! (I’ll save that for phone calls to my mother).
Well it’s been a little over 8 months since Chad started working in Sacramento. We both feel like some change is on its way. Whether it’s moving over there or finding something else. Who knows? Either way there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Anyways two of my sister-in-laws are also in the middle of or just starting down the wonderful road of single parenting. It’s made me think a lot about what I’ve learned from all of this. I joked with my sister in law about making a list and then thought, why not? So here it is…
The Semi-Abandoned Wife: 25 things I learned while being left to fend for myself and my children
1. Take it one day at a time. Don’t count down how many days it will be until they are home again.
2. Personal Scripture Study
3. Take personal time every day, whether it’s to read a book or paint your toenails.
4. Try to get out of the house every day. It’s more for your sanity than for the kids.
5. Try to get one-on-one time with each kid. They need it that much more when only mommy can give it.
6. T.V. dinners while convenient are more expensive than actually making something
7. Keep the house clutter free it definitely cuts down on the stress
8. Get rid of things that are weighing you down like toys, clothes, and whatever else you keep but don’t use.
9. Potty training while dealing with a spouse being gone is difficult. So wait until the child is ready or you’re only going to make things worse for yourself.
10. Don’t read books that are stressful or emotionally draining it really only makes you feel that much worse. I highly reccomend Young Adult fiction Shannon Hale really pulled me through a couple of times.
11. DO NOT have a baby while your husband is gone unless you are willing to deal with the baby blues (or worse) on your own.
12. Talk with your spouse everyday if you can. Don’t just talk about how your day went either. Because lets be honest every day is pretty much the same. Write down a question for each other every day such as: what was your favorite vacation as a kid? You're trying to improve your marriage here.
13. Praying over the phone while it seems strange is very beneficial to your marriage and your sanity.
14. Playgroups and Play-dates are huge life savers. Your kids need to socialize with someone besides you even more so now that you are the only parent at home.
15. Go to the temple as often as you can. Not only to feel some peace but to experience real quiet.
16. Write in a journal or blog or something. While it’s tough it helps to throw the whining out into the universe and then you and your spouse don’t have to carry all the weight.
17. Prayer, need I say more?
18. Take a mommy time out every once in awhile. Three minutes in a corner is very beneficial some times.
19. Go get your hair cut at least every month and a half. Even if your spouse isn’t there to enjoy your beauty at least you can.
20. Take a shower do your hair and make-up every day. It somehow makes it easier to not pity yourself when you have actually done something with yourself.
21. Get a hug from someone every day. (the smallest arms make the best hugs)
22. CRY if you feel like it! You don’t have to be tough all the time.
23. Talk to another adult besides your spouse every day. My mom and sisters have saved my bacon!
24. In th words of my dad, "You are tough and good looking!" If you can do this you can pretty much do anything!
25. Love your spouse. The situation you are in is because of choices you made together as a couple. You need to deal with all the stresses and heartaches as a couple too! Once you start blaming your spouse for things it quickly leads to resentment, which quickly leads to your marriage rotting away. It’s not good!
I can’t believe that as of this Friday it has been five years since we got married. Crazy! Its been wonderful being married to my best friend. He's a great husband and a great dad! I know he's made me want to be a better person. Love you Chad! 
Here are a few of the bridal pictures I think they are totally awesome so I thought I'd include them. My Dad started doing photography stuff as a hobby about 10 years ago. I had the dress and we were going to Lake Powell so we thought what the heck lets take a few pictures if it doesn't work out we'll get them done in Utah. So here are a few of those. Frankly my favorite picture is the one of a few of my sisters and my mom in their swimsuits! 
The day before our wedding Chad and I were in Star Valley helping his parents pack their home into a U-haul for their move to Reno. So after packing and cleaning for 2 days Chad and I drove the U-haul to Utah. So essentially I drove a U-haul to my wedding.
The day Chad and I got married started out very nice. But by the wedding breakfast a windstorm had picked up. Needless to say there was no power throughout the whole valley during our reception. Which worked out fine since it was outside anyways. Here are a few pictures of the lovely day. Going through them made me realize there was an inordinate amount of kissing. Ahh young love!
Yeah the look on Chad's face is that of guilt. He thought he was so stinking funny shoving cake up my nose. I let him know that someday and somehow I would get my revenge. I'm sure everytime he eats cake it is in FEAR! Good Times!
As many of you well know being at home with the kids can get quite monotonous. I’m just trying to do stuff to keep us all busy until its time for bed again. I don’t know why, but this week it seems worse than ever and its only Tuesday.
I’ve finally started getting ready to move. I’m no longer sitting in denial about it. We still don’t have a clue when or where or how we’ll be moving. But I’ve decided to get a jump start on the cleaning. By cleaning I mean washing my blinds, cleaning out my cabinets washing them and oiling the wood. I need to start going through all the baby junk. I’m trying to get a jump on things so that when whatever is going to happen finally happens, I’ll be somewhat prepared for it.
I feel like I’m 12 again and not allowed to do anything until I get my chore done for the day- TRUE STORY. But at least it has givin me some purpose beyond mothering my children. That and I won’t feel like such a slob if my mom comes out to help pack and move. I know she would be disappointed in the maintenance of my house. But really who has time to scrub the floorboards with a toothbrush?
By the way does anyone have a good way to get hard water off of a glass shower? I’ve tried everything from CLR to toilet bowl cleaner- which stripped the nickel finish on my hardware but did nothing to the hard water. I’m to the point where I’m about ready to bust a razor blade out. And since the last time I cleaned with a razor blade it ended in stitches through my thumb nail . . . okay we won’t get into that because it’s gross. Needless to say I’m fighting a losing battle being only armed with a squeegee and various toxic and useless cleaners.
We finally went to Sacramento to visit Chad. The guy who Chad shares an apartment with was working in Reno this week. We had fun just being able to see Chad after he got off work. The apartment he is in is furnished and he even has cable (a luxury we don’t’ have at home). Unfortunately they don’t have anything in the kitchen including plates and silverware. So Chad didn’t get to come home and eat. But it was nice not having to cook. Lets be honest, it was nice just to see Chad. If we go again I will be packing some cooking stuff so we don’t have to go out.
Across the street from the complex he lives/works at is a nice park with a jogging path and 4 baseball diamonds. There is also the biggest behemoth of a playground. Seriously this thing had 8 slides attached to it; I counted 3 times to make sure. These are pictures of it from both sides and I honestly think the pictures don't do the thing justice. They even had a little water park and a toddler playground as well. Cowboy had a ton of fun playing on it Thursday night and Friday morning. It was big enough that I had to walk around it to keep my eye on him.
We also played a little baseball. Cowboy started out pretty far away from the sprinklers, but every time he hit the ball he'd pick up the tee and bat and walk to where he hit the ball last. So he ended up in the sprinklers. But it was a pretty warm day so it didn't matter a whole lot. the buildings in the background are where Chad works and lives.
Well a few weeks ago Chad and I were at the temple. Halfway through the session we experienced a small earthquake. That’s when I thought to myself, "Self, if I'm going to die this is the place to do it." I'm pretty sure it was around a 1 or 2 on the Richter scale. The Reno temple is on the North side of town and we live on the south side in a condo. Our old apartment is on the North side and it makes me glad we moved. The extra 600 square feet of living space was also a bonus.
Northern Reno has been the epicenter of a bunch of little earthquakes since late February. None of them have been any bigger than a 3.2 and we’ve really only heard about them on the News. Thursday there was a 3.7 that shook the house and Cowboy told me the wind was shaking it. We'd only felt little tremors until last night.
At around 11:30, I woke up to our whole house shaking. That sure was fun let me tell you. My immediate thought was "get the kids" but before I could even get out of bed it was over. I don't know how I fell back asleep. Ever since the California earthquake (I can't remember the name of it) when I was in 5th grade I've sort of been paranoid about earthquakes. I think it has something to do with my teacher telling my class that Utah was over-due for a big one. She also felt inspired to tell us that when it hit, the waves would bounce off the mountains and make it even bigger. I know it was very comforting to my 10-year-old mind. Anyways. . .
Somehow I fell back asleep. Can I just say that Chad didn't move an inch and the boys slept through the whole thing. Well when I woke up to feed Mooch at 2:30 the news said it was a 4.7, the biggest one so far. According to the news usually there is one big earthquake and then the smaller ones. But apparently we are working backwards? So there have been a lot of little earthquakes and one bigger one, at least they are hoping that was the big one. Well after reading through our renters insurance we're not covered for earthquakes. So guess what I'm doing today!!!
I guess I should clarify. Chad is still working for Pacific West Builders and he is still married to me! He is working in Sacramento Monday through Friday and home on the weekends. But I guess in around June they'll have a project back in Reno.
So I guess I'm sort of cool now that we have a blog? Seriously I've never gotten asked so many times if we have a blog than I have in the past week. That and I'm bored out of my mind!!! So I've finally given up and started doing a blog for our family.
Here's the latest family picture. Once Mooch is holding his head up a little better I'm sure this will get updated along with the rest of the kids pictures.
Know that Chad will probably not contribute to this at all. I'll be lucky if I get him to even read the thing, seriously. Plus he is currently living in another state, so I imagine it won't be a huge topic of conversation when he is here. Then again it can keep him updated on his own kids. (I'm not bitter about the situation at all can you tell?)
We're here in Reno and loving it, for the most part! I'm at home with my boys and love the good days but want to curl up in fetal position bawling on the bad days. Luckily, we have a lot of good days or we'd be in big trouble! This was actually a picture from a good day. I was laughing so hard I was crying which only made Cowboy laugh and do it more.
Cowboy is 3 now and a huge help, at least he thinks he is. He's been sooooo good with Mooch. We, and I mean we, still have our moments of impatience with one another. The shirt in the picture pretty much describes Cowboy. He definitely keeps me going.
