Home

Thanks to the awsomeness of Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa Dooley, our house is now a home.  I can't even begin to express my gratitude for all their help.  In just two short days, we got almost everything done.
Grandma and Grandpa spent a lot of time and effort to reupholster our dining room chairs, and added a vinyl covering to protect the fabric from the messiest of the inhabitants in the house.  They look wonderful.  I love the fabric Grandma picked out. 
When Mom and Dad got here Wednesday afternoon, they started the difficult muscle work of bringing in all the furniture (most of which went upstairs) and because of poor design, it was a challenge at times.  Grandma had made Nick's favorite, Stroganoff, for dinner, so we had a scrumptious feast on Wednesday night.
Thursday was spent going through all the boxes and finding the right place for our things.  Mom spent much of her time in the kitchen/pantry getting everything organized and put in the most logical place.  I spent my time split between corralling kids and going through all the clothes and putting them in the right drawers and closets.  Dad and Grandpa golfed Thursday afternoon. 
Because he has been without his barbeque for three months, Nick wanted to BBQ on Thursday.  So we had some delicious New York Strips, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower (Dad's favorite) and leftover apple salad and potato-rosemary bread.  It was mouthwatering.
After dinner, Mom, Grandma, and I started hanging pictures.  I think we did a wonderful job, getting things just right, and enjoying each other in the process.  If you ask Dad, Grandpa, or Nick, they may tell you they wondered how we got anything hung at all! (There was quite a bit of laughing involved;  I'm sure you can't imagine.)
Friday morning found us finishing the details.  Mom organized the linen closet, Grandma and Grandpa finished the chairs and helped me hang the last of the pictures, and I set up my "pretties" table.  I haven't had all my breakables out in over five years; it was much like Christmas opening all those boxes and wrappings to find all my delicate, pretty things. 

Joey had his first school pictures taken today.  It was one of those milestones for this momma.  It makes my heart twinge when I think of him growing up. I'm so proud of him.  Another milestone for him will come at bedtime; he will be sleeping in his own room for the first time in over three years!  We decided that we would put him in the "spare" bedroom with the queen bed.  He has his own desk, a light by his bed where he can read before going to sleep (something I wouldn't want him to do with Nick and Ethan in the room).  The bunk beds are still set up, so when we do have company, Joey can sleep on the top bunk, and our guests can have their own room with an actual bed.  If you came to visit us in Alaska, you should come visit us again and enjoy the improvement!

Just as a side note; Nick still has trouble staying in bed.  At naptime yesterday, I found him asleep on the floor....under the crib!  That boy makes me laugh!

Bunk Beds

The boys were so excited to get their bunk beds back.  We didn't get them set up on Sunday, but they had their mattresses on the floor and didn't have to sleep on the ground for the first time in three months.  On Monday, before picking Nick up from work, I worked on building the bunk beds as a surprise for Nick.  I got the bottom bunk done and the top bunk three-quarters of the way done before I needed to leave to get Nick.  He was pleased he had so little to do, as it would have taken past bedtime to finish had he had to start from the beginning after dinner.

The boys did well in their beds, but still ended up in our room at sometime during the night.  During nap today, I peeked in on the boys and found Nick asleep on the floor.  It cracked me up.  Then at bedtime tonight, I peeked in on them again (it didn't seem possible to me that they would be so quiet so quickly) and found them all asleep, Nick on the floor again!

Welcome To The Evergreen State

We now live in the state nicknamed the "Evergreen State."  However, this is what I am surrounded with! I have laughed to myself everytime we drive back from Oregon; as we cross the Columbia on Hwy 97, we are greeted with a sign that says "Welcome to the Evergreen State" and yet there is no greenery in sight.

We do have some beautiful fall foilage at the base of some of these hills (not pictured) that is quite stunning.  The area is not totally devoid of greenery....but for the most part, this is what see everywhere I go.

THEY'RE HOME

The men finally made it home.  The truck is all unloaded, and our garage is full of all our boxes and furniture.  The men are resting now; not sleeping, just taking a break.  I'm not sure, yet, whether we will get anything moved into the house.  Deservedly, the men are exhausted.

That's the latest.  Have a blessed day.

4:30 AM

I got a call from Nick this morning; as in 4:30am this morning!  They had just crossed over into Washington, he was able to use his cell phone again, and even though he didn't want to wake me up, he wanted me to know they were back in the US.

As if he didn't know that I would have wanted to hear from him at any hour.  Of course,  now I can't go back to sleep.  I want to start the laundry, move some things around in preparation of their arrival, take a shower.  Unfortunately, all of these things would wake the children, and that is the LAST thing I want to do at this time.

I wanted to talk to Nick longer, but he kept trying to get me off the phone.  If you had only talked to your spouse for a grand total of fifteen minutes over the last four days, you'd want to talk, too.

I guess we won't be making it to church.  I really want to to go, but the men will be driving up about the time that we would be leaving.  The boys will be much too excited to see their Daddy to be too upset about missing church.

Just three and a half more hours, give or take.

Didn't Hear, Again

I didn't hear from Nick again tonight.  So....they could be stuck in inclement weather, they could have decided to keep driving, or they could have found somewhere to stop and just forgot to call.

The worrying is not so bad; I'm not a very panicky person when it comes to health and safety.  That's not to say that I don't want those that I love to be safe and healthy.  I just don't jump to the worst case scenario, like, "My son has a fever....oh no, it's cancer!"  (This may seem like an exaggeration, but I know people like this.)

The worst part about not hearing from Nick is not knowing where he is or when to expect him home.  How far did they drive today?  Where did they stop, if they stopped?  How long will their drive be tomorrow in order to get home?  Will Paul have enough time to help us unload at least the big furniture before he has to leave?  Should I go to church in the morning, or are the men going to be home before I would get back?  I need a plan, and when I don't know where they are, how can I plan my time effectively.  I want to get somethings in order before they get home so that when it comes time to unload everything, we can just put things where they are going to go without having to rearrange anything in the house. 

I have already rearranged the living room to give better access from the garage, the dishes are all done, the floor is swept and mopped.  But there are a few things upstairs that could be moved around, but don't NEED to be moved around until I know when they will be back.

Goodness, I wish I could hear from Nick.

Good night.

Finally Heard

I finally heard from Nick this morning.  They had a very rough day yesterday.  Apparently, there was a fatality on the road at one point and they were sitting at the side of the road for a couple hours.  Then they ran into freezing rain and the roads were closed down due to jack-knifing trucks everywhere.  So they spent the night on the side of the road.  Nick knows from experience how nearly impossible it is to sleep in a U-Haul.  I'm not sure they got much sleep.

They were able to start moving again this morning; the roads were cleared and sanded.  The going is slow, but as it warms up, the driving gets easier.  Nick called me from Fort Nelson, BC.....about 500 miles from where they wanted to end up last night.  So now it looks like they won't get in until Sunday night.  I don't know how far they will try to drive today, I have no idea where they may end up, so I have no clue as to when they might make it home. 

The boys are really missing their dad, and as he only gets to talk for about 2 minutes a day, there is not enough time for them to tell him everything they want to.  Ethan cries everytime I hang up because he doesn't get the chance to breathe heavily into the phone for as long as he would like.  He is thrilled to hear somebody on the other end of the line, and spends most of his "talking" time pointing at the phone as if to say, "They're in there."

For missing their dad, the boys are really doing fairly well.  Bed time is probably the hardest time.  It is our routine for Nick to put them to bed.  I will brush Ethan's teeth and lay him down, but Nick supervises the boys' teeth brushing and tucks them in.  It will be nice to have him home so the boys can love on him.  I wouldn't mind loving on him myself, but I will let the boys have first dibs!

I will continue to keep you updated as I find out where and how the men are.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Never Heard

I never heard from Nick tonight.  I can only pray they are safe.  I have no way of contacting them, have no idea where they were planning to stay in Prince George.  They are probably sleeping away and Nick just forgot to call.  I hope to hear something tomorrow.  I am going to try to get some sleep tonight and try not to worry.
Good night.

First Leg

Nick and Paul have reached the end of the first leg of their journey.  They picked up the U-Haul around noon yesterday and got it all loaded up.  They got a good night's sleep and left around 4:30am this morning.  Nick said that they drove through some snow flurries in Alaska, but nothing too distracting, nothing to hinder their driving. 

Nick just called half an hour ago; they have reached Whitehorse, their first stop.  They will, hopefully, get another good night sleep tonight so they can leave at the same time tomorrow.  The plan is for them to drive all the way to Prince George tomorrow.  I will hear from him again when they stop.

Only hearing from him once a day, and only after they have been driving for 15 hours, is not altogether easy.  I'm not worried, but it would still be nice to know that they are safe throughout the day, rather than just when they stop for the night.  But they get no reception in Canada, so I have to wait until they stop at the hotel for a call. 

Just two more days.  They plan to be in by Saturday....later in the evening.  They will sleep that night before unloading the truck on Sunday.  I will keep you updated as often as I am.  It will be nice to have them home.

Celtic Woman - A New Journey - The Blessing

In the morning when you rise,
I bless the sun, I bless the skies.
I bless your lips, I bless your eyes,
My blessing goes with you.

In the nighttime when you sleep,
Oh, I bless you while a watch I keep.
As you lie in slumber deep,
My blessing goes with you.

This is my prayer for you, there for you, ever true
Each every day for you, in everything you do.
And when you come to me, and hold me close to you,
I bless you, and you bless me, too.

When you're weary, heart is tired,
If the world will leave you uninspired,
When nothing more of love's desired,
My blessing goes with you.

When the storms of life are strong,
When you're wounded, when you don't belong.
When you no longer hear my song,
My blessing goes with you.

This is my prayer for you, there for you, ever true
Each every day for you, in everything you do.
And when you come to me, and hold me close to you,
I bless you, and you bless me, too.

I bless you, and you bless me, too.

I want to sing this when we dedicate our next baby, whenever that may be.

Long Day

Our day started way too early.  We were up at 3:45am to get ready to drive to the Sea/Tac airport to drop Nick and Paul off.  They have started their adventure; loading a storage unit full to the brim into a moving truck and driving almost 2600 miles in three days.  I am praying that the weather stays clear for safe driving directions.

As we crested Snoqualmie Pass, there were snow flurries.  It didn't amount to much, but made us a bit aprehensive for the rest of the week.  When we dropped the men off at the airport, Nick had a hard time saying good-bye to Daddy.  He wanted to pick Daddy back up as we were driving away from him at the curb.  The rest of the week should be interesting.  Even though the drive back was only 2 1/2 hours, I had a difficult time staying awake.  I tried everything; cranking the Christmas music, rolling down the window for brief periods of time (so I wouldn't freeze the boys), dancing, slapping my face.....I am sure that drivers in the other cars were calling the crazy person hotline to report a runaway loony!  We made it back in one piece, but we were struggling.

After lunch, we took Joey to school.  I brought the little boys home for a nap.  I wanted to lay down as well, but I couldn't guarantee that I would wake up in time to pick Joey up, so I stayed up and read.  I woke up a few minutes after three, already late for picking Joey up (he gets out at three.)  I ran through the house getting the boys up, throwing them in their carseats.  I gave a quick call to the school, almost in tears, letting them know that I was running late and to make sure Joey was still there (that he hadn't tried to get on the bus).  I was so worried that Joey would be scared or worried, but he seemed to do okay.  We went to the library after school to get a few books for the boys.

I put the boys to bed early.....Nick and Joey are still awake, whining and trying to find ways to stay up and get in trouble.  Nick's new "cute" thing is to empty the drawers in the dresser, unfolding all my hard work and throwing it around the room.  I think, when we get the bunk beds set up, I will handcuff him to the rail so he can't get out of bed.  Maybe not.

I know that I can't go to bed now because I would sleep for a few hours and then be wide awake for the rest of the night.  So I will try to stay awake for a couple more hours and then get to bed early (for me) and try to catch up on some sleep.  Good night to you all.

Celtic Woman - A New Journey - You Raise Me Up

I have always loved this song; first from Josh Groban, then Selah, and now this arrangement. Absolutely beautiful! Music has a way of moving through my very blood until it is bursting forth from every pore and cell of my body. This arrangement does that for me.
As a side note; I love to see a big, burly, manly drummer tinkling those fairy bells! Makes me laugh; kind of like an oxymoron.
Enjoy, and be blessed.

"I Can Do It!"

On our way home from dropping Nick off at work this morning, Joey exclaimed, "Mom, look!  I can do this!"  Trying to get a look at him over my shoulder and still keeping my eyes on the road gave me just a quick glimpse at what he was doing.  I about lost control of the vehicle.

My sweet, innocent, five year old was back there flipping me off!

I had to take a deep breath to control myself before losing it.  I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I had no idea where he would learn such a thing, even if he didn't understand what it meant.  So I asked him where he saw that done.

"In 'Where Is Thumpkin'."

Whew!!  Just a childhood, finger-motion song he learned in school.  In all honesty, the "Tall Man" and the "Ring Man" are the hardest to hold up by themselves; he is right to be excited when he accomplished this feat.

I did mention to him that he should only hold up that finger when singing the song....just in case.

Cute Girls

My son has noticed girls!  I'm not ready for this.

We were doing a word search puzzle in his Cars coloring book.  The last word he was to find was "Sally."  He said, "Aww, Sally's a cute girl."  I started laughing; my son thinks a cartoon car is a cute girl.  Funny, and not too worrisome.
Then Joey said, "You're a cute girl, too, Mommy" and leans in to give me a kiss.  I thought that was very sweet.  I had to ask him one question...."Are any of the girls at school cute?"
"Yes"
"Who?"
"Riley M., Lindsey, Alexis, Maya, (pause), ALL the girls are cute!"

I should have known better than to ask.  Like father, like son.

Fishy Faces

My boys are so talented!  Ethan has been able to make a fishy face for months, which I find surprising because I find it difficult sometimes.  As you can see, Joey still struggles with it, and Nick still uses his fingers.  Aren't they adorable?!

It is now the first of October.  Hard to believe.  But the weather has finally started cooling off.  In fact, it can be quite frigid in the mornings.  But the afternoons can still heat up.  I left the air conditioner off today until I realized it was 80 degrees inside.  I decided to turn it on for a few hours.  I'll turn it off again here in a few minutes.

Not much to say tonight.  I know Nick wants on the computer now, so I better hurry.

The Month Of September

It is already the end of the month, and I have hardly blogged at all. I'll admit....it was because I was mad.

I was so mad at my experience of Joey's first day of school, I didn't want to blog about it for the longest time. Then, as time went by, I kept putting off getting back on the blog because I knew I would have to talk about his first day of school before continuing on to anything else.

Joey was SO excited to be starting school. I was excited for him, but afraid of how I would handle it if he came home crying. When it was time to pick Bubba up from school, I squealed like a school girl all the way there, so happy was I that I could go pick him up and find out how awesome his day was.

When Joey saw the boys and I waiting for him, he looked at me and started crying. I was worried about what had happened, and my Momma's heart was aching for him. I asked him what was wrong. He wailed, "I want to ride the bus!" I was hurt. After looking forward to seeing him after school, anticipating long conversations with him about every little thing that he did, he was upset to see me. Every question I asked him about his day got me a negative, pouty, Eeyore-ish answer. Now, I know that he had a great day; but he refused to share it with me. My memory of his very first day of school will forever be marred.

Joey has come to grips with the fact that I pick him up from school everyday. He is more willing to share the fun things he does in class, and his teacher has already told me that she feels spoiled with Joey, and that when she is with another child, she wishes that child can be more like Joey. (I know that she likes all her kids, but it makes me feel great to hear my son is special to her.)
Joey has gotten to ride the bus home twice now. A couple weeks ago, Nick needed the car, so we had to walk Joey to school. It took us 45 minutes! And then, I still had to walk Nick and Ethan back home. I decided, after arriving at the school, that there was no way that I would be able to make that walk again in just an hour, so I stopped in the office to let them know that Joey would be on the bus that afternoon. Joey's only comment about the bus ride he so anticipated, "It was a little long." He also got to ride the bus home again today and had the same reaction.

Little Nick is doing well. He is so expressive! He is talking so much more, and even if he is still difficult to understand, he is still communicating. His imagination is really taking off, fueled, of course, by his older brother. We go to the library after dropping Joey off at school at least once a week, where he can sit and color, do puzzles, or watch the lizard while I "shop" for books. The library in town is quite small, but it gives him an opportunity to do a "big boy" activity without his big brother. Joey can sometimes make Nick feel that he only gets to do "big boy" things because he is tagging along with the "real" big boy. (Older brothers will do that sometimes; I should know!)

When we came home in mid-September for Lisa and Brian's wedding, my cousin Kathy came over to take pictures of Nick and Ethan for their 3yr and 1yr portraits, respectively. She took some amazing pictures of both boys. Nick is very photogenic, even when he is pouting. I had a couple different outfits for each of them, and Nick did not want to change out of his first outfit, so he pouted most of the rest of the time. Only after Kathy allowed him to help take some pictures did he cheer up enough to give a couple more smiles. I can't wait to be able to get the pictures printed up. What I'm going to do is, pick a few out of the lot and let people pick their own favorites of each boy that I will have printed up for them.

Ethan....boy, what an adorable kid he is. He took his first "official" step (by accident) on Aug 15. After that, Nick and I would have him practice walking between the two of us. For the first week or so, we could get him to take one or two steps. Then, the next week, he would take three or four. When we came home in Sept., he was up to six steps. But that weekend, he started venturing out on his own a bit. That next week after we got back, he just started walking ALL over the place. I have even seen him stand up on his own (without pulling himself up) once or twice.

Ethan loves to jam. When he hears some up beat music, he is dancing and head-banging to the beat. He will also fake sneeze. I have tried to get a video of him doing it, but he is usually so interested in the camera, he won't "perform." But he is so cute when he does! He tips his head back as far as it will go for the "aaahh, aaahh" part, and then throw his head forward, making some semblance of a "choo" sound. It usually comes out on a laugh, because he is so tickled with himself. And of course, Mommy is tickled, too. I always say "God bless you", and that gets him going again.

Nick and his Dad will be flying up to Alaska on Oct 13 to get our stuff out of storage and make the 2500 mile drive back home. We should have our stuff by the 17th, if all goes as planned. Please pray for good weather and safe driving conditions. It is a little worrisome that there is talk of snow already. It's not necessarily the roads, as those are usually well plowed. It's more concerning that they might be driving through a snow storm. In a big U-Haul, that is a little more scary than in a smaller, personal vehicle. I think the thing I am looking forward to having back the most is the boys' bunk beds. They are so sick of sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags! I don't blame them. I'm also looking forward to Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa Dooley coming to help us unpack and find a spot for everything. Well, us girls will unpack....the boys will go golfing!

Well, I had to get the month of September chronicled before starting a new month. It's hard to believe that it is October already! Have a blessed week.

Sleepy Boys

Ethan fell asleep eating lunch, not something that usually happens. He is much to interested in eating, to fall asleep.
This is my son who is too big to take naps. He falls asleep on the couch after school at least 50% of the time.

The boys sometimes have a hard time going to bed, or taking their naps. When that occurs, I usually find them asleep int he doorway. (I have to put the gate up in their doorway so they don't keep getting out of their room. Even if they are out of bed, they are still confined to their room and eventually fall asleep.) This is the result....curled up in the doorway.

Pretty Pictures

Sept 19, 2009...Lisa and Brian's wedding at Rockaway Beach.

We stopped on the way to enjoy this most beautiful view from a lookout point. The weather was fantastic. I have always thought Oregon beaches are the most beautiful on the West Coast.
I can't even remember the last sunset I watched at the beach. This was a particularly spectacular one, better in person. I love how the towering clouds were painted with just a touch of color.

The newly wed couple Lisa and Brian taking a walk along the beach.

It's not often I allow pictures of myself to be taken, but we were at the beach, at a wedding, so I couldn't really get out of it.

We stopped and Mary's on the way home on Sunday, another beautiful day. Ethan loved the trees.

My Walking Baby Boy

Ethan has been so amazing. Last weekend (not the one we just finished, but the one before that) when we came down for Lisa's wedding, Ethan was still just walking a few steps at a time. But while we were at Mom's he started venturing out a bit more. He would let go of the furniture on his own, with no prodding, and walk a few steps to no discernible objective....just to walk. For the last week, he has been walking ALL over the house, practicing all day long. He can be so funny sometimes, looking like a drunken sailor. Sometimes he will switch directions, but we can tell it wasn't on purpose, because he starts going sideways a bit before getting his feet straightened out going the right way.

You can see at the end of this little video that he came to give "baby" kisses. What you may not be able to tell, is that he had the entire lens area of the camera in his mouth! I love how he lays his head on his shoulder in a look that SCREAMS cute!

Disco Baby

Joey is instructing Ethan in the groovy dance of disco. Ethan is a great dancer. He loves to jam.