All Work No Play

My sister Debbie just left after 2 weeks and we're all so sad. The poor girl worked with me from sun up to sun down while she was here, so it was certainly no vacation for her but her help and her company saved my life! She says I have to post before and after photos of the house so that she can see that her hard work paid off, those will be coming next week. It was really so hard dropping her off at the airport yesterday and I was in a bad mood all morning just knowing that they had to leave. Keely is also feeling the loss with her cousin Gavin gone and first thing this morning she said, "mom, I wish Gavin was still here." Me too!

LOTS and LOTS of painting

...and unpacking

Thank goodness the kids have been incredible

Goodbye Debbie and Gavin we love you!

Still here!

If you're wondering if we're alive we are! We don't have the Internet until this weekend and we've been moving, unpacking and painting non-stop! I'll post some pics and updates soon...hopefully!

Outer Banks

Just a couple of pics from our vacation so far. This is my favorite place to come every year; so fun, so relaxing!

Keely on the beach with her best buddy Max

Ben playing in the sand with his cousin Andrew

Ben is hilarious to watch in the sand. See the sand on his face? That's because he lays down and cuddles the sand like it's a bed or a teddy bear.

The boys on their lap tops, a pretty common sight during downtime.

The kids at "church." We had our meeting at the beach house on Sunday because there's an unofficial annual mormon singles trip here every year on Memorial Day weekend and apparently about 750 people show up at church. The little ward here just passes the sacrament and then sends everyone home.

shining like the top of the Chrysler building

So Keely was in the bathroom for a long time the other day and I figured she was getting into trouble but I was too busy to care; all I knew is that she was busy and entertained and I had a lot to do. After about 45 minutes I decided I'd better check in and I was like, "Keely, whatcha doin?" to which she responded, "Just cleaning the bathroom mom!" I have to say that as soon as she said this I imagined a massive puddle of water on the floor with rugs and towels strung all over the place so I hurried into he bathroom to see if I could minimize the damage. To my great surprise the bathroom was gleaming! I won't pretend that she didn't use a hand towel to clean (gross), and the strong smell of watermelon would suggest that she also used a large amount of hand soap but regardless it smelled and looked great; the sink, the floor, the cabinet, the mirror...the only thing she missed was the toilet (thank goodness!). Relieved and happy I just turned back around, shrugged my shoulders and said, "Wow... good job!"

10 Years Baby!

Last week Shawn and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. I can't believe how quickly time has gone (and how much older we look!). I made a video for him but for some reason blogger wouldn't let me upload it. Anyway, since it was our big 10 how could I not make a list of 10 things I love about Shawn? So here they are in no particular order:

1. I can always be myself with you, whatever I’m feeling. If I’m happy, I can be all the way happy, if I’m sad I can be all the way sad and I know that you’re with me trying to experience whatever I’m experiencing.

2. You’re a mean competitor. You’ve never let me win a game on purpose once and believe it or not, I like that.

3. You’re a great dad. I love that you call and tell stories to Keely every night when you’re on a business trip, even if you’re in London or Ireland. I love that Ben’s your biggest fan.

4. Relationships mean so much to you. You’ve always been better at keeping in touch with both friends and family and you’re always aware of people’s needs and what they’re going through.

5. I love your lack of opinions when it comes to clothing, home furnishing, etc. Sounds funny, but I love that you’ll just wear (almost) whatever I buy and that when it comes to decorating the house your only opinion is “comfortable.” I don’t know how I’d manage with someone who had strong opinions in those areas.

6. I love that you’re so cuddly. I know I’m not the most cuddly person ever, but I really do love that you are. There’s something comforting in knowing that you’re always there with a hug when I need it.

7. You’re one of the most content people I’ve ever met. Whether we go out for the night or just stay in and get a movie, whether I cook or we go out to eat, you’re just happy being with people you love.

8. You’re so thoughtful. I love that you still write me letters, realize when I’m stressed and that you’re always there to help with whatever’s going on.

9. You have such a strong testimony. One thing I’ve never doubted is your belief in the church and you take whatever responsibility or calling you’re given so seriously. You’re such an example for both me and the kids.

10. That I knew what kind of person you were after our very first conversation. You have always been completely genuine and you live exactly what you believe. I knew after our very first date that you were the kind of person I could spend forever with.

...and here it is

Yay! We move in the first of June and we're so excited. After LOTS of looking, bidding and praying we ended up with a home that we feel will be just right for our family and we're super excited that we'll live near grandma and grandpa when they get home, and until then we get to be right by Kristin and Abram! It feels like June will never come but I'm sure that with all that we have to do before we move we'll stay plenty busy and time will pass quickly.

A Slimy Frog

Well things are still hectic here and we are still waiting to hear on our house, but in the meantime I will attempt to blog every now and then, so I’ll share a new one with you. I must say that I realize that most people blog about happy, shiny things but I tend to want to record all things because I often think (hope) our imperfections add a little personality to life.

Yesterday Keely got put in time-out because she wasn’t sharing with her cousin and she hit him. I was on my way down the stairs when she started screaming for me to come back. Here’s pretty much how our conversation went:

K – “Mom, come quick it’s an emergency!” (repeated about 4 times)
Me – (heading back upstairs) “It better be an emergency!”
K – (I have now entered the room) “This skirt won’t stick” (regarding a dress-up princess book she’s playing with)
Me – “That is not an emergency…and you are not supposed to be playing when you’re in time-out!” (now I’m heading back downstairs) “I’d better not hear you again or you’re just going straight to bed!”
K- (at the top of her lungs) “I’m not going to bed you slimy little frog!”

Ouch! Did she call me a slimy frog? Seriously, it’s creative and new and I have no idea where she got it from but it kind of stings. As you can tell I think we both need to work a little on our communication skills, or maybe we communicate a little too well?...whatever the case may be the scene ended up with a good stare down (from both sides) and an apology (from Keely). I'm only hoping that at least one of you can relate to that experience, otherwise I'm in trouble! Don’t worry though, all was happy and good by the end of the night and she even told me that I’m the best mom in the world when I tucked her in (see, happy and shiny).