We Bought A Home!!

Soooo I know I've been pretty tight-lipped about our move. I discussed it with B and we both felt like we had to keep this on the DL big time. Last year we went through a lot of dissappointment trying to buy a home and being conservitive about who we told was important to us.

I'm tapping out this baby on my phone after three margs but friends, I promise to write more and share photos as soon as we have internet and the time. I've wanted to share our journey down this road countless times. I will share all the ups and downs of being a first time home buyer. In the meantime...CHEERS!! we are so happy to be in a home we have fallen in love with. We're exhausted and overjoyed. Kinda like having a baby LOL!

at the beach

On Thursday, the day after our arrival, we were aching to see the ocean. Logan had never been and even though the clouds were hanging around, it was still warm and humid. B and I, along with our cousins, walked down to the beach after lunch, talking along the way. Again, the fact that we were able to spend so much quality time together is priceless. I will never forget any of the time we had together!

At the boardwalk we left the stroller and our shoes. I rolled my pants up, along with Logan's, thinking just our toes would touch the water. I set Logan in the sand and he began to whine right away. This kid, friends, hates weird things on his feet. He has to get used to it before he accepts that sand is a normal, yet weird, thing to walk on. I had to carry him to where the high tide had left a row of shells. I grabbed a big one and showed him how to scoop the sand and dig a hole. He was hooked. He played with the shell until we were ready to show him the water.

Everyone had spread out. B and I really made this moment special by just being together and as encouraging as possible for Logan. He is still in an anti-bath phase, and yet he loves playing in his water table. I lifted him up and as the wave came back to us I dipped his toes in. He was screaming at me, but as soon as the wave went away he began to giggle. I set him down and showed him how to run away from the wave and that was it: Logan was in love with the ocean. His shrieking giggle carried over the water, I'm sure heard a mile away. A few times, he lost his balance and ended up getting really wet. I had not prepared for that so a diaper and sweat shirt had to do.

We snapped as many photos of this memorable experience as we could. B even took a video of us. Being with our family in such a beautiful place makes my heart melt just thinking about how much fun we had. I cannot begin to describe how much I will cherish this day, and every other one, spent on the beach in New Jersey.

Swans

I will do my best to retell this beautiful story, though my Aunt Dana is really the only person who can tell it perfectly.

Her family lives on the Bay, between the main land and the ocean. It's a beautiful location and after my grandfather died, she bought the house next door to her. A quaint, beach house became my grandmother's home. Sometime after she moved it, a white swan showed up, taking particular interest in the water just outside of both homes. She (or Dana??) half-heartedly said that was grandpa keep his eye on his girls. It made sense, as Dana had not really noticed the swan before.

Almost 4 years ago, my grandma passed away. This was a very hard, sad loss for our family. Everyone was so close to this amazing woman. Two years prior I had spent the summer with her, living in her home while I took care of my cousins during the day and the time we had was golden. The kind of experience most people don't get to have with a grandparent.

Shortly after she passed, two swans showed up. Did I just give you chills?? It gives me chills! And now, these two swans make almost a daily visit to say hello. They were so close to the boat ramp as I snapped these photos. There presence brought a feeling of peace, something which my grand parents were good at. And I just knew. I knew it was them. Checking in on all their grand children and handful of great grand children. Takes my breath away.

Currently...

Making...myself pack. I hate hate HATE packing more than almost anything. And I hate moving. I want someone else to do all that fuss for me.

Listening to...Logan's laugh. Lately, he has been all giggles (when he's not demanding something or fussing from the two new molars poking through). His laugh stops me dead in my tracks. Totally intoxicating.

Craving...broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl at Panera.

Laughing at...Zombieland. This movie tips into the lame category every so often, but I really love Woody Harelson. "Where are the twinkies?!"

Wanna link up? Harvesting Kale hosts this awesome, easy, and quick blog circus. Again, still not in the know with wordpress in adding buttons INTO posts so if anyone has some know-how, help. Please.

___

I'm working on a few different vacation posts. Bare with me while I get my family packed and ready to move next week. I'm still going to be vague about that so, hang tight.

The Big Apple

I love NYC. I don't consider myself a traveler, although I would love to do it more often. Of all the cities in the country I've seen, NYC trumps them all. I love the smell. It's a dirty smell, but a smell that defines NYC. I love how busy and go-go-go the attitude is. So I was beyond excited when we made plans to go into the city for a day during our East Coast trip.

Friday morning, we (me, B and my most favorite cousin-who's-a-sister to me) woke up super early. The night before, we had been drinking in the hot tub for the third night in a row. My aunt introduced us to her friend Don and he works in the city. He volunteered to get us there, treat us to lunch, and get us home. We were elated! He picked us up and off we went to the city bus station a town away on the other side of the bay.

The sun was finally shining without a cloud in the sky. It was going to be a perfect day for walking the city! While on the bus, H and I talked. People, this girl and I are beyond besties. And we never see each other. And we like to talk. And we have loud voices. So there we were, talking about everything and we were shushed--twice! Note to self-no talking alowed on the early commuter bus to NYC! We laughed it off, called her the B word and kept talking, all while trying to lower our voices. It didn't work, but we didn't care.

We arrived at Port Authority, just off 42nd street and made our way to Times Square. H and B had never been before. I'm not sure how many times I've been to the city, but I was thrilled to be experiencing this with them! Their eyes were wide with wonder and minds open for the new adventure. It was intoxicating how excited we all were.

Times Square really threw me for a loop. It had been 6 years since a had last been and now with the pedestrian only areas, I was totally turned around. Regardless, we saw all the lights, the police men on their Morgan horses, and people speaking different languages. I don't think you can come any closer to a full blown cultural experience.

We made our way to FAO Schwarz, just for the heck of it, and then trecked through Central Park to the MET. If you're keeping tabs, then yes, we WALKED nearly 40 blocks in one morning. It was great, but our feet were screaming by the time we got home.

The park was beautiful. It was the last day of school for many kids so each playground and shadded grassy area were lined with strollers and filled with kids and their nannies. I saw not one, but two people taking pictures of squirrles. That made me giggle. We walked past the boat pond and finally arrived at the MET, our main goal for the entire day trip.

After two hours of paintings, furniture, and staged rooms, we were famished. We called Don and grabbed our cab to 55th & Park. Of all the times I had been into the city, I'd never been to Park Ave and I can honestly say it is my new favorite place in NYC. What a beautiful strip of lofty apartments, business buildings, and wide streets filled with hard working millionaires (or so I like to think).

Don took us to Cellini, a 5 Star Italian restaurant. I had the most divin lobster ravioli ever with a vodka sauce...It was heavenly.

Before we knew it, we were racing back to the Port Authority via subway to make the 330 bus and we barely did by 2 minutes. The day was incredible and the only bad part was how little time we had to enjoy everything. Regardless, it was a special experience and I can't wait to go back again.

Fire on the Mountain

On Saturday, I was out shopping (alone!) and noticed that the sky, which was the most perfect blue without a cloud in sight, had a plumb of smoke billowing over the foothills. This is our 4th fire in four weeks and the biggest yet. As of 4pm on Sunday, it is at least 14,000 acres, though most likely more.

View yesterday around 1pm from our front porch.

View from downtown around 730pm

Sunset aroun 845pm

Ash gathering in our back yard this morning.

The same view, just now, from our front proch. Ash is spinning around in the wind outside. It's hot, we don't have AC, just a fan, and the windows are closed. My throat already hurts from the smoke. Please say some prayers for rain! The wind is carrying this fire and making it impossible to become contained right now. Nearly 250 fire fighters are out there, lots of evacuations and several destroyed homes.  So so sad.

Currently...

Reading...Giving Birth by Catherine Taylor. I've been reading it for awhile and am loving it.

Loving... how close I slept with Logan last night. He was having a rough time getting to bed, it was crazy-hot in our house and laying with him in bed was the only way to make him happy. Our first official full night of co-sleeping. Other than B vacating to the couch, it was a great night.

Eating...Paninis. I have two at work, one for today and one for tomorrow.

Drinking... Sweet tea.

Looking forward to...Duh! Our vacation next week! It is all I can think about. My mind has already checked out!

In other news...

There was an insane storm that missed us, but really hit towns south of us. Lots of rain and hail. Since it was so hot, I'm glad it didn't rain here! Rain=closed windows without AC.

Work has been a bit stressful. A few mistakes have been made, not intentionally, but I just hate when that happens! Even if I have nothing to do with it, the stress makes me feel somehow responsible.

I haven't had a run this week yet and I really don't care! I know...I will try to get one in tonight or tomorrow.

I found a new game on my phone called 100 Floors and it's rather addicting.

Link Up!

Pre-travel Thoughts with a Toddler

I thought it would be fun to write about how I want our trip to the East Coast to go in a meer 9 days. First of all, I cannot wait! I am so excited I can smell the salty, humid air! I have asked for tips from friends and baby message boards and here is the plan. It will be fun to come back to this in a few weeks once we're home to see how much of a plan it actually is!

• Clothing: I will dress Logan in some light pants and socks, no shoes, a tee shirt and light sweat shirt. His shoes will be packed in our carry on.


• Traveling gear: His car seat for the flight and I have borrowed a carrier from a friend so I can wear him on my back through the airport. I may also bring his harness along.  My carry on bag is going to be a large purse I have. It has a lot of room for all my things plus diapers, wipes, snacks, etc. I may have one other bag just in case!


• Food: I will have 5-6 of fruit pouches, 3-4 boxes of juice and 1 sippy cup for water. Crackers, fruit snacks, cookies and dry cereal for snacking. Honestly, I don't care what he eats as long as it makes him happy!


• Entertainment: Computer with pre-loaded movies. He loves Thomas and Elmo, and we'll bring Shrek along (a new fave).  I will also bring along some crayons and a coloring book and a new, quiet toy of some kind I have yet to purchase.


• Comfort: Pacis...yes. I am going to bust out the pacis for Logan. He has been weened of them since February, but I happen to know this kid still loves them as he steals Baby E's all the time. ;) This is also for comfort with any ear popping and over all keep-the-kid-as-quiet-as-possible. I will also give him a half dose of Tylenol 30 minutes before take off and before you all jump all over me for medicating my kid, you'd do it too. I've traveled with many kids his age and it's necessary. His blankie and maybe Elmo will also travel in our carry on.

Since Logan is over 2, he will have his own seat so we are bringing along his car seat. We're hoping that the familiarity of sitting in it will help him stay calm enough for our 4 hour flight and maybe we'll even get a nap out of it. Who knows. I'm hesitant to just pull him out of his seat unless he is totally melting down for a walk up and down the aisle just because I know once he is out, the harder it will be to get him back in his seat.

I'm a little worried about the time change. Not going there, but coming home. It's two hours and if he gets used to waking up at 7am there that is wayyyy too early for us back home! He has started to sleep in later lately (past 7am) and we're loving it.

I'm already praying everything goes smoothly! That our flights are on time and that waiting is left to a minimum. I know how restless my toddler gets and the longer the wait, the harder it will be.

Do you have any other tips or tricks to pass on? Leave a comment. Thanks!