Home Sweet Home

We're still slightly living out of boxes. But today we hung all of our pictures on the wall. That's my favorite part. That's what makes it home to me. :)

I can't wait until we are completely unpacked and settled in. I am beyond excited to just relax. Though I am enjoying taking my time unpacking. We have SO MUCH STUFF! And I have been personally going through each box and deciding what we really need, and putting it where it needs to be. I have gotten rid of A LOT of stuff. And it feels amazing. :)

Our weekend plans have changed, which frustrates me. I don't like changes in plans. I used to, when I was younger. I couldn't stick with plans if my life depended on it. I liked to live by the seat of my pants. As I got older I realized there is a ripple effect. When I change my plans, I also change someone else's. It took me about 25 years to realize that's inconsiderate as hell. But, such is life, and the only person I can control is myself. Live and let live I guess.

On Monday my baby turns four. Wow, did those four years go fast. It's crazy to me that at the age of four he is already his own person, with his own thoughts, opinions, wants, expectations. Though he is still in the process of being shaped by us, and our thoughts, opinions, wants and expectations. It's such a fragile stage, and I feel the pressure. I want to be a good mom more than literally anything in this world, and I hope I am doing him justice. Even though he can be a handful and a half, I am proud of him, and I love the little person he is becoming. :)

Time to get back to life; unpacking and party planning. :)

Week of Chaos Coming Up!

Actually, it's more like a couple weeks of chaos!
In two days we start moving into the new place. It's not far from where we are now... haha. We live on the fourth floor now, and are moving down to the first. The apartment we're moving into is all renovated with new cabinets, appliances, wood floors, and new carpet. Very excited. But the best part is there is a patio and yard, not a DECK, so we can open the door and let the kids play outside. THAT was our deciding factor! I'm so excited, I already bought the kids a pool for the yard.
We start moving Wednesday. Then Saturday we are picking up my stepdaughter and heading out to Wisconsin. We are going to camp there. We are also going to hang out with some good friends, and then on Sunday, my Hubby's family has a Father's Day party every year, so we will go there. It's fun because there are a TON of cousins for the kids to play with. There are a total of 16 kids, ranging from 6 months to 10 years. So yes, it's a lot of fun for the kids.
Monday we head home, and that is Chase's Birthday. As part of his gift from my Mom, she boughts us a hotel and waterpark package. So we are going to take Lexi and Chase. I can't wait for that!!!!
Once we are actually home-home, we will have a few days of rest. Since Lexi will be staying with us for a week plus, we're probably going to be doing stuff every day; like park, beach, etc. During the school year we only get a couple days with her, every couple weeks, so during the Summer we realllly have to make up for lost time! We will also be getting ready for Chase's Birthday party too though. It's that Saturday. And then we have a few other things that night, and my High School reunion is that Sunday.
After alllll of that we will get to relax, with no plans until the 4th of July. Sounds perfect! :)
Even though we have so much to do, I'm really excited for it all. We are going to visit with a lot of people and make some great memories. It's going to be good chaos! :)

It's Campin' Time!

We got our camper today!
We looked at about 20, I kid you not. We decided on this one because it had the most of what we wanted, the least problems, we were able to talk the seller down to a very fair price, and we could get it today! So we did!
We pulled into the driveway, and both the hubby and I were instantly in love, trying hard to play it cool. The thing was so much bigger than we were expecting! It's a pop up, and a far bigger pop up than we've ever seen! We were originally going to get a pull behind, but with a pop up, this one in particular, we got sooo much more for our money! We wanted a fixer upper, but any pull behind under a grand was completely gutted. Actually EVERY pull behind we saw was completely gutted.
Look at how happy my son is! THAT is a smile!

The kids had so much fun in it! They were crawling all over, jumping, laughing, calling it their fort, their little house. It was adorable. Between me, the kids, and the hubster, we couldn't keep the smiles off our faces! I see so, so, so many happy memories ahead of us. I loved camping as a kid, and I can't wait to give my kids those same memories. I told my hubby, what I want from this camper, is to make so many good memories that I bawl my eyes out the day we have to sell it.

We drove it over to my Dad's to show him, and he was so excited and happy for us that he volunteered to put in new cabinets for us. TOMORROW. So bright and early tomorrow morning, my hubby is heading over to my Dad's and their going to do all the wood work. I'm so happy about that. As you can see, or tell by all the ORANGE, it's from the 70's. Aside from the new wood, we just have to recover the fabric. Otherwise, it's ready to rock!

Yay! Color me all kinds of happy! =D

Hello Old Friend

my dear, sweet blog, i've taken you for granted, and i know it!
i'm so sorry!
life just gets in the way of my blogging. how unfair, i know. you deserve better. and i am going to try. i am going to give it my all, i swear!
last weekend was my bestfriendforever's wedding. i cried more than expected. not suprising, i'm kind of a cryer. ah well. and the wedding, on top of being gorgeous, and a fairytale was the most fun i've ever, ever had at a wedding. and i didn't just get to attend it, but i was in it! Maid of Honor, thank you very much! =D
two things and two words that made the night: photo booth and open bar. the photo booth was ingenious, amazing, exciting, appreciated, and such a great idea. and the open bar, well that was allllll night long, and that too was much appreciated. hands down, best wedding i've been too! so cheers to that!
and now finally, finally, finally Summer! finally! that rain and gloom was getting me down! and i forgive you mother nature for giving us no spring, because the summer sun has made me forget all else. i am so exstatic for the beach and the park and everything in between, every day!
i was born and raised in cold, dark Minnesota and one thing i can do is appreciate the Sun! Nine months of winter will do that to a person. so luckily for my kids, i hate to see a sunny day spent indoors. we haven't made it to the beach yet, but Olivia got her new, purple life jacket, so our first beach day is on it's way!
Chase's Birthday party is fast approaching and i'm pretty much set. won't get into all that, but i'm excited and he's excited. it's going to be a great day. :)
we've decided to get a camper this summer. we love camping, but it's kinda hard with little ones, so we decided a camper would make it easier. and maybe more fun? and easier? lol. whatever, i'm just excited! some of my FAVORITE childhood memories were camping with my parents, and i want to give that to my kids as well. so i am stoked! we are getting a fixer upper camper, i'm sure. but i am fine with that! i love the idea of building and painting, and making something our own. i love it a lot actually. :) i just want to get the ball rolling, and get some hard core camping done!
i have so many plans for this summer that i can't even think about it or i feel like they will swallow me whole and it will suddenly be fall, and that is the absolute last thing i want! yikes!
i pray for a very, very slow summer. may it drag on even more than that miserable winter did. amen. lol. speaking of amen, Chase has now memorized our dinner prayer. which is the cutest thing in the world, hearing a three year old recite a prayer. everytime he says it i think, "i'm doing something right." even Olivia gets into it. i will ask Chase if he wants to say the breakfast/lunch/dinner prayer and Livi will instantly put her hands together, and talk in her baby talk along with him, and after we all say "Amen," she will yell "Amen!" and then start clapping. it rocks!
my kids are growing way too fast! seeing their baby pictures makes my heart ache, but watching them grow and learn is the most amazing experience of my life. i remember when Chase was first born, i was 24. and i would think, "how did i live 24 years without you?" i'm on those same feelings with Livi. how did i live with out this little beautiful, fussy, sweet, amazing, tiny me? lol. hard to imagine.
the day before the wedding we took Chase to get his hair cut. My best friend is also Chase's Godmother, so Chase was their Ringbearer. so he had to look sharp! it was nap time, Chase was fighting his very patient stylist and Livi was running around like she owned the joint. and there was this little old man, who could probably tell we were at our wits end, and he started talking about how he couldn't wait to have grandkids. yada yada. in the middle of our kids' embaressing temper tantrum. he said he saw excitement and love. Bless his heart.
anywho, i suppose i've rambled enough for now. but i've blogged, and that's what counts! i love blogging! i miss it when i'm away, or neglectful. lol. so, see you soon!