Random August Endings

Just a couple random pictures:

Goggle lady, and trips to Target (with Harper, naturally, and sporting Elmo slippers.)

My last few OB checkups were in the morning, so we were able to walk there and back. It is exactly 1 mile each way. One the way back, we spotted a roadrunner dashing along the wall and stopped to watch it. Such fun birds. 

A week and two days to go. Oi.

Remember this unicorn "kitty" from Utah? Well Dev had forgotten about it until she saw me blogging. Then everyday she kept begging, "Go to grandmas? Get kitty back!" So I looked up stores that carried them and decided to surprise her. We went to Barnes and Noble. They have a huge selection of the big-eyed beanie babies, but Devry spotted "kitty" right away. She ran up to it, pulled it from the self and shouted with glee, "There it is! It was here!!!" Totally melted my heart. 

That evening, I explained to the boys that she calls it "kitty" and that it was no big deal. Apparently this stressed them both out - which is at least semi understandable as she has two other stuffed animals that are indeed cats. They kept trying to get her to say "unicorn" but it just wasn't sticking. As she was climbing in bed she came up with a compromise that was totally adorable. Meet "Kittycorn"! The name was an instant hit and she has been a prominent figure in Devry's life since. :)

That One Time There Was An Eclipse

Before we moved from Casper, we learned that on August 21st, 2017 there was going to be a total solar eclipse and Casper was right in the line of totality. The city at that point was already really stressed about how they were going to accommodate the massive influx of population. Casper has only about 60,000 people, and it was estimated that during the eclipse that number would rise to 150-200,000. Hotels started booking out then. 

And then we moved. As the time drew near, it didn't even occur to me to drive up to Wyoming or anywhere that fell in the line of totality. Pierscen was in school, I was massively pregnant, Ryan had work. Etc. I wondered how the schools would handle it and if the kids would get a chance to watch it. The answer was yes and no. If your child had the special ISO glasses (or whatever they were called) they would be permitted to watch it outside. Albuquerque was supposed to have about a 75% eclipse. If the kids didn't have them, then they would watch it inside on the news. I didn't get Pierscen glasses. Didn't even think about, sadly. I started feeling really guilty as I was hearing about many of my friends making the drive to see it. I started kicking myself for not going to Casper. Yes, it would have been a horrible drive. But we would have had a place to stay. Probably lots of options, actually. And then the eclipse news started (while I was having our carpet cleaned) and as I was trying to watch it on the computer/watching updates from our friends elsewhere, major mommy guilt settled in. I felt like a failure. Everyone who witnessed it said that it was the most amazing/spiritual/inspiring/breathtaking/you-name-the-adjective thing they had ever witnessed. My only consolation was the fact that I didn't buy the glasses. Because this was our view:

Of course not long after our window of viewing the eclipse had passed, the sky miraculously cleared up. Ha! I did learn that in the next 30 years there were actually be a few more that cross the US, so my "once in a life time" opportunity isn't completely lost. And though yes, I was genuinely upset with myself for not making it happen, I just had to remind myself that though wondrous and amazing, and probably totally worth it, witnessing the eclipse does not/will not change what matters most in life. 

That afternoon, I stood at the bus stop with my camera ready. Why? Because this is my favorite time of day. Pierscen, in his incredible 5-year-old abounding love, rockets off the bus every day yelling, "MOM!" and barrels into my arms. It brings tears to my eyes almost every time. This is what matters most. We have a life time together to learn, explore, and have adventures together. And yes, I still really want to witness an eclipse in totality some day. But if it doesn't happen, I will still have a life time of wonderful memories. 

Decor Decisions

I know, I know. Kind of silly to have a whole post - or any post for that matter, dedicated to my home decor decisions, but it's a big deal for me! Haha. Months and months ago I purchased a "Good Eats" sign from Bed Bath and Beyond on clearance. It sat in my garage because I didn't know where to put it. I finally put it up above the cupboards and then decided it was time to do something with the rest of the space. 

A vintage market came to town and I went with a couple of my friends. I really wanted to buy something, but assumed it would all be overpriced. Add the word
"vintage" or "antique" to anything and the price usually skyrockets. But I was pleasantly surprised. I ended up purchasing a jewelry holder (which I had no intention of using for jewelry, a farmers market bucket, a jar, and some lambs ear and some cotton. Then I went straight to Hobby Lobby to get a couple other things because I finally had some direction and knew what I wanted. 

For the first time, probably ever, I went straight it and with very little deliberation, picked out a blue plate, cup, and some blue flowers. 

The next day, I went to work. This is what I came up with:

I loved it! But... there was something bothering me a bit. Couldn't quite put my finger on it. It was beautiful as it was, but when I asked Ryan if he thought it was too feminine, he replied, "Which part? The cutesty part or the flowery part?" He said it jokingly because honestly he doesn't care, but that's when I figured it out. It WAS too flowery! I'm not a huge flower person in decor. Like I said, it was pretty as it was, but there really were too many flowers. I started by removing them from the jar and raising the jar up a bit to just stand on its own. That helped a lot. Then I decided to remove it from the bouquet on my jewelry holder. That really did the trick. I loved the lambs ears, but you couldn't really see it behind the flowers. And once it was gone I realized that I had purchased the blue stuff to be an accent color, but by including it all over the place, it had become the theme rather than the accent. Take away the flowers (minus one sprig in the bucket) and that did the trick!

It's a small thing, but it has made a very big difference in the way the kitchen feels. And it had also made a big impact on making this house feel like home. I get it. Spending money on decor sometimes feels like a waste. It's just STUFF. But it's incredible how it makes things so much more personal and homey! Totally worth it. 

Puddles and Pedicures

As promised, I took Devry back to the splash pad the second day of school. We met up with friends and had a great time.

Those three weeks pre-baby were important to me. I told myself that I would do something with Devry every day. It didn't have to be big or anything. Many days it was just grocery shopping, but I just wanted to make sure that time didn't slip away from us. I just wish it had been longer. But I'm very grateful for the time we did have. 

Just a pretty sunset:

A few weeks before baby came, my friend Jessamin and I went to get pedicures. This is an extremely rare thing for me. It was a lot of fun. Jessamin is one of the most amazing people I know. 

Shortly after I got home, the kids came in from swimming with Ryan. Pierscen was in mid-sentence when he noticed my toes. "Woah! You painted your nails! You've never done that before!" Devry's mind was blown. She has never seen my nails done before, so she went crazy. She started begging for me to paint her nails. Problem was, I didn't even own any nail polish. This is how very rare it is! And truthfully, I had hoped to put this off as long as possible because I knew as soon as she realized his was a possibility, she would want it all the time. So the next day we went on a date to Walmart.

I took these pictures because Devry has been extra attached to Harper since Pierscen went to school. She goes everywhere with us, and she always wants her to be safe and buckled in. 

You can't tell she's excited at all, can you?

We got home and I painted her toes before we went to the park to play. I did not do a very good job, as I am really out of practice at this - and generally just not good at it period. Haha. Good thing she didn't care. She was so happy! When we got to the park to meet up with friends, she sat on the picnic table for 20 minutes showing off her nails and yelling at her the boyfriends to come admire them. Haha. 

After that it became a frequent thing. Like almost daily for a while. Partly because she wanted different colors, but partly because we went swimming a lot and they would come right off. (Cheap nail polish and very thin coats to avoid having to use the hairdryer, pictured below.) Ryan thought it was awfully cute though. 

The picture below has nothing to do with anything. It was just our first Sunday without dad, so we went for a morning walk. Church went pretty well. A tiny bit chaotic, but not horrible. :) Here's to many more Sunday adventures. 

Last Day of Freedom/First Day of School

The day before school started I gave Pierscen the choice of whatever he wanted to do as a last adventure. He chose to go the zoo. 

It was a beautiful morning, pleasant weather, and we had a great time. Here's some pictures of our fun. 

Pierscen is cute because whenever he sits on this throne he becomes King of Africa and often the only way I can get him to leave is to ask him to show me the animals of his kingdom. (I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but some things never change. Haha)

The chimps are always a favorite. This time was no exception. The two baby twins are hilarious. One of them started at one window and would somersault all the way down the hill to the next set of windows. The other one eventually joined and they wrestled a lot and provided great entertainment. 

Look how cute the baby giraffe is!

Now this was a fun experience. There are a number of peacocks that live at the zoo. They will let you get sort of close, but they tend to keep their distance. We sat down to eat lunch and one came up and was eating popcorn on the ground. We happened to have a bag of popcorn with us, so we offered him a few pieces. He got closer and closer. It kind of freaked Devry out, which was funny. But then I offered some by hand and it actually took it! That was awesome! I've never fed a peacock before!

And because it was the last day before school starts and we likely won't be back for a while, I let the kids ride the carousel. They loved it. 

Devry found this seal statue and gave it a big hug saying "Harper! My Harper!"

We fed the fish/ducks on our way out and called it a day. It was a really enjoyable morning. 

The next morning we woke up bright and early to get P ready for school. It's been very interesting - P has always been a super early riser. 6:30 is sleeping in. But from the day that school started getting up in the morning has been super difficult for him. For the first day we opted to drive him, but he would take the bus home. 

What do you think? Do you think he was excited?!

We got there with enough time for a few pictures. His friend Lydia is in his class and we walked in with his other pal Lucy. I'm glad he has a few friends in Kindergarten with him and he will see lots of his other pals on the playground. 

At first we weren't sure if we were supposed to go in the classroom, but then all the other parents filed in after the kids. Honestly, we probably didn't need to because the moment Pierscen walked in the room we were out of sight out of mind. In fact, we couldn't even find him for a minute. He had walked in and found his cubby and was already putting things away. We found his spot and took a couple pictures, wished him luck, and slipped out. Devry had a total melt down. She did NOT want to leave him. 

The school had a Boo-hoo breakfast for the parents that I was unsure if I wanted to attend. Ryan had to slip away for work and Devry just wanted to play on the playground. The only way I was able to get Devry to leave was to offer going to the park. So we headed to A Park Above which was practically deserted. It was awesome! 

As always I forgot that there is a splash pad there and we were unprepared. I had a good fight with Dev who wanted to strip down naked in order to play. In our own backyard, okay, but probably not in a public place. So I contacted some friends to meet at another park and that's how I got her to leave. I told her we could come back the next day with our swimsuit. 

We played at another park, ate lunch, and Dev took a nap. I woke her up the first day so that she could come wait for the bus with me. (The bus stop is across the street, thankfully.) She was so excited! Everything we did that first day - and pretty much every day since has been based around when Pierscen will come home. She misses him a lot, but knowing the bus is coming helps to keep things in perspective. 

As the bus pulled up I could see Pierscen waiting near the front, a huge smile on his face. He lept off the bus yelling, "MOM!!!" All those mama tears I had been holding back all morning - they were overflowing. How I missed my little bear! Honestly, I was very excited for him to start school and I knew he would love it. But there was something about the Kindergarten status - all day school- REAL school where he would have to make friends, make good choices, navigate mean kids, etc. That's the hard part. Wishing I could be there and help him. 

The picture below on the right is one of my favorites. It was a complete accident as you can tell by the quality, but that barrel hug is 100% genuine. I love this boy so much!

And how sweet is this? Pierscen threw his arms around Devry too and they just hugged and hugged. It was amazing. 

As we walked across the street I asked him how his first day was. 

"Good! But uh, mom? I already forgot some things."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Like what I learned."

Hahaha! I couldn't help but laugh because that morning we had told him to try his best to remember what he learned so he could tell us all about it. At least he remembered that he was suppose to remember... Ha! The good thing is that he did remember the sign to use the restroom and the rule that you aren't supposed to put your mouth on the white part of the drinking fountain. In my opinion, that makes for a pretty successful day. ;)

The really great thing with having his substitute teaching be in our ward is that she sent me some texts and updates that were really awesome to have. I accidentally erased the text, but the first day she told me that at recess there was a boy that was crying on the playground. She asked Pierscen if he would be willing to go talk to him and see if he wanted to play. Pierscen replied, "Sure!" and ran off to help. He talked to the boy for a while and then the went to play on the slide together. That report made this mama bear feel really good. She also says that they refer to him as the "Bright kid" in class because he is their go to when they need a question answered and no one seems to know. We had to talk to him about being patient and helping other kids figure out the answers, maybe offer to help teach them instead of getting frustrated when they didn't know. Bless his heart. Hope he doesn't become the know-it-all. Haha. 

Skipping ahead a bit, I told P that he should write a thank you card to Mrs. Jennifer to thank her for being his substitute for the first three weeks and asked him what he wanted to get her. He said, "I know! Let's get her flowers from Smith's like the ones we got you for your birthday!" So we went to the store and I let him pick out some flowers and we got her her favorite candy bar. We stopped by her house to deliver them, but she was just getting out of the shower. A few minutes later she called to thank him and then she sent me a text talking about how incredibly sweet he is and how she was going to keep his card forever. Pierscen couldn't stop grinning. We didn't do it for praise. I just wanted him to recognize how good it feels to do something nice and to thank people who help you. We are glad we still get to see her on Sundays. :) 

Now going back to the second day of school... Pierscen's dream of riding the bus to school finally came true. :) I had more anxiety about it than he did, obviously, because I never rode to the bus. But he has been dreaming about this day for a long time. Haha. He was thrilled! It's hard to send a kindergartener on the bus, but the driver is great about it and has them sit at the front of the bus. He has loved it. Our stop is the last one before school so the bus is super full, but on the way home he sits by his friend Oliver pretty much every day and it is great. And just like that - he is so grown up!

I miss this little guy a lot while he is gone, but it is also great to have some one on one time with Devry. At least for a few weeks before baby arrives. ;)