A Reluctant Thankful Thursday

I don't want to write a Thankful Thursday today. Instead I want to bitch and moan and complain and whine.

I could tell you that our "dream" house now has an accepted offer from another buyer and there is really nothing we can do about it. I could tell you that the stinking realtor who is still holding on to our earnest money from our expired offer didn't even bother to tell us that there was another bid on the house. We found out from a friend from church who lives across the cul-de-sac from the "dream" house. Had we known we could have put in another offer to secure our position and the seller (the REALTOR'S CLIENT) could have had the benefit of a bidding war on their house.

Nope. Now instead we are out of a dream house with our house up for sale. And the only reason we put the house up for sale was to buy the "dream" house to begin with. And the timing couldn't be worse with another little bundle on the way in just a few short months. Any other time I think I would just shake it off. But I'm just no good at being in limbo right now.

I could tell you how there are NO OTHER houses in the area that have everything the "dream" house had, and those that come close are twice the listing price.

I could tell you that I am devastated.

I could also tell you it is approximately the 12th day in a row of rain, and that does not help my mood.

And I could tell you that my mom's cancer and open heart surgery is weighing very heavily on me right now too. And that I am also worried about my dad who keeps falling out of his wheel chair and bed at the nursing home. Have I even mentioned that my awesome mother in law is fighting cancer and my wonderful father in law has early Alzheimer's as well? Because, yeah, that is going on too.

I could tell you that I really feel like it isn't just raining right now. It is pouring. POURING.

But I'm going to write a Thankful Thursday post instead. So here it goes:


-I'm Thankful that I have a warm, safe house to keep me and my family cozy and dry.

-I'm Thankful for my hubby's annoyingly optimistic outlook on this situation even though at times it makes me want to punch him in the face.

-I'm REALLY Thankful that right after hubby told me the news last night he followed it up with, "It doesn't really matter to me what house we live in. As long as I'm in a house with you."

-I'm Thankful that baby girl is kicking up a storm today since she hardly moved at all yesterday. It is good to feel those healthy limbs in action.

-I'm Thankful that we have our fabulous folks with us and that we are so close to our families.

-I'm Thankful that we even have the option of looking for a bigger house.

-I'm Thankful that Todd and I are healthy and that we have three healthy boys, and a healthy baby on the way.

-I'm Thankful that I have always preached that "everything happens for a reason" because now I have it perfectly rehearsed to repeat to myself.

-I'm Thankful for being thankful, cause whew!, I feel better now.


Continue to cheer me up folks. Heard any good jokes lately? Have any embarrassing stories you want to share? Or tell me, what are you thankful for?

Destressing

This past weekend was a bit stressful. On Friday my mom went in to the doctor to get an Eco cardiogram done on her heart because it looks like she may need open heart surgery. This while also fighting Multiple Myeloma. To say that this has me worried is an understatement. My mom is stressed and worried, and her usual flippant attitude is gone. That is a worry as well.

Stressful.

Then on Friday night I started to feel kinda sick. My stomach was feeling pretty upset. I ended up ridding my stomach of it's contents that night and early into the morning on Saturday. The rest of the day was spent trying not to move too much. Thank goodness Todd was home and able to get the boys out of the house for most of the nasty, rainy day to leave me to recover. But still.

Stressful.

And I know I said I wasn't going to write about it anymore, but here it goes. This house selling process is starting to take its toll. I know that houses in our area are taking an average of 12 months or longer to sell, but this 7 months already feels much longer. And I also feel like I am on a timeline here since we want to buy that other house before someone else does. Not to mention the process will get so much more complicated in a few months when we have a newborn here. PLUS, I am normally a very organized person and have the nursery and clothes and everything all ready by now. I haven't even bought anything for baby because I have no place to put it. I don't even know where we will be living. So frustrating.

Add to that the fact that Ben is still in his crib because we can't fit a twin size bed in that room and I'm starting to feel a bit nuts. Joey and Tommy were both out of their crib well before their 2nd birthdays, and I know Ben is ready. Every night he crawls into Tommy's bed and doesn't want to get out. I didn't want to get him a toddler bed because he is pretty big already and close to the weight limit on most of them. I felt like my hands were tied. Plus, PLUS, now is the time to potty train the little fella. He has been ready for a while (Joey and Tommy were potty trained at 2 years too) but I've been waiting to get him out of the crib first. See how this all wraps together? Ugh! I know I'm making more of this than I probably need to. And yet.

Stressful!

So. I've decided to stop the madness. My mom's situation is out of my hands. I will put it all in God's hands, were it is best dealt with anyway. So please. Pray for my mom if you would.

The house will sell. It will just take time. If we are meant to have the other (PERFECT) house, we will. I suppose this is helping me to learn patience. And, because this has been taking so long we have paid off some big bills. AND! Because Todd settled a massive case at work recently he should be getting a pretty hefty bonus that would help us with moving expenses and even new furnishings and updates for the new house. So there ya go.

This morning I bit the bullet and decided to order a toddler bed for Ben. And it is adorable. I also ordered some new bedding that I think he will love. See?

The bed also looks similar to the one in the pic but it is a caramel color and has little side rails. It is gonna look great! :)

*sigh*

Breathing a sigh of relief. After a week of rain the sun is finally making an appearance. Figuratively, and literally.

PSF- Belly Shot- 6 Months

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek
It's heeeeere! And it is really looking like a baby belly now, and not like I've had a few too many donuts. Though I may have.
Because, oh dear. I am packing some serious junk in that trunk. Wooh!

WW- Mmm...Cake

The day started out sunny and warm, and though it is not even 9:00 yet the boys have asked me approximately 800 times if I am having a good birthday. Yes, I am. I don't even feel any older. Imagine that! ;)

And just look at this cake! I'm a little nervous that I may eat the whole thing before Todd gets home from work tonight. It's just a little egg whites and milk. That's healthy, right? Surely my doc wasn't talking about birthday cake when he said to take it easy on the simple carbs.

I'm Not Afraid!

Tomorrow is my 33rd birthday. And even though I posted my age on my "bad" list yesterday the truth is that it really doesn't bother me. To me age is just a number. Turning 30 didn't bother me and turning 40 most likely won't bother me either. Just numbers. Really. It has caught me a bit off guard that I am at the 33 year marker already because I feel much more like 23, but how you feel seems to be much more important than the actual number anyway, and I still feel like a kid.

Nope. I'm not afraid of getting older. Maybe because I'm not afraid of loosing my good looks. I never claimed to be good looking in the first place, so that isn't a big worry. Not much to loose. Haha! I actually feel much more confident about myself now than I did at 16 anyway. So maybe my age is working in my favor in that department.

Perhaps I'm not afraid of getting older because I don't think getting older equals death. I mean, on a certain level I guess it does. But my sister died when she was almost 9 years old and so I grew up knowing that death can come knocking at any time. It isn't an age thing to me. Nothing to fear there.

Nope. Birthdays are just another day. I'm not really a whole year older than the day before. Just another day. No big deal. Now if I woke up tomorrow and I was suddenly 78 years old? Well, then that would be depressing. But I suspect that I will only age one day at a time, which leaves me plenty of time to enjoy and many more fun times to look forward to.

Tomorrow is already looking good. The predicted snowfall for today turned out to be a false alarm. I looked out the window this morning and saw green grass. Yay! And tomorrow the weather is supposed to be sunny and in the mid-fifties. Woohoo! PLUS, my mom called and said she is making me my favorite chiffon cake with cream cheese frosting. Does it get better than that? I think not. AND, I get a birthday wish. Can you guess what I'll be wishing for? I mean, I said I wasn't going to post about it anymore, and you aren't supposed to talk about your wishes anyway, but I bet you can guess. It rhymes with "bell our mouse".

And look at this!

Shauna sent me a birthday gift last week. Isn't that so sweet? A bookmark, a memo pad and pen, and a photo album (that I couldn't get in the picture because the boys have already stolen it to use as a wallet). So nice. Thanks, Shauna!

I think this birthday is also easy on me because I really love my life. I am exactly where I've always wanted to be. I've got the yummy hubby, three fabulous boys, and a baby on the way. I've never actually been pregnant on my birthday before so that feels like a gift in itself. Life is good. And I think my 33rd year will bring even more wonderful times. And some hard, trying times too. But having another birthday just means getting to be here for it all. And that is the important part. I'll gladly and gratefully add another year on.

Good/Bad

Good- We were outside all day on Saturday enjoying the sunny 70 degree weather and we had a blast!
Bad- Today is 40 degrees and rainy as it was yesterday for our open house.

Good- Five groups of people came to our open house yesterday.
Bad- The couple that was supposed to come back for a third time was not one of them. I don't know if that is good or bad.

Good- I will not be writing about selling our house again until we actually get an accepted offer, because I'm sick of thinking, talking, and writing about it.
Bad- Selling the house is all I can think about lately which means I may not be posting much. Well, actually, you might think that is a good thing. ;)

Good- My birthday is in a few days.
Bad- I'll be 33. 33! Huh? How did that happen so quickly?

Good- Another birthday (even 33) just means I'm still alive.
Bad- I'm 33.

Good- I just bought a WHOLE TON of fruit this morning. Lots of apples, pears, bananas, two packages of strawberries, and two huge bags of grapes.
Bad- It was super expensive and it will probably only last us until Thursday in this house.
Good- The grass is getting green and pretty, and buds and leaves are appearing on the trees. Woopee!!! Spring may finally be here!
Bad- We are supposed to get a few inches of snow tomorrow. Spring may have to wait.

Good- I had a 24 week check-up for baby at the doctor's office and everything looks fabulous. Baby's heartbeat was 159.
Bad- The doctor annoyed me with all his "easy on the simple carbs, and keep exercising" crap.
Especially when I noticed the doctor's scale has me 8 pounds heavier than my home scale. Grrr.

Good- My spell check is working.
Bad- I know that because I always spell exercise incorrectly. Shouldn't there be a "z" in there somewhere? Or maybe an "s" in place of the "c"? Whatever.

Good- I had a dream about donuts last night, and it was lovely.
Bad- Todd dreamed that I was cheating on him and woke up angry with me.

Good- My boys picked wild flowers for me from our backyard because, in their own words, "they love me so much".
Bad- Nope. Nothing bad about that!

Third Times The Charm?

The open house went really well last night. Don't they all? Everyone seems to be in love with our house, and yet we still haven't gotten an offer. I guess that is the problem with most first time home buyers. They just want to keep looking and looking, just in case.

The couple had actually already been to see our house when we had the open house two weeks ago. This time they brought their realtor and their parents with them. They seemed to really like the house but said that they were going to see a few more houses last night as well.

This morning I got a call from their realtor who told me that they really love the house and are very excited about it and will probably be coming to our open house on Sunday. Huh? So glad I did all that extra cleaning yesterday. Ah well. I guess the only thing they had reservations about was the one car garage. We'll see if Sunday's open house makes any difference for them. I bet they'll want to see it a 4th time. ACK!

So, I guess it will be a weekend of more cleaning for me. Woohoo! I hope you all have something more fun than cleaning planned. It is supposed to be a lovely weather weekend. Have a good one! And keep those fingers (and toes) crossed. Hopefully you'll be able to uncross them soon before you develop cramps. ;)

WW- Keep Your Fingers Crossed

We received yet another call for a private showing of our house. It is scheduled for tomorrow night and then we have another open house on Sunday. Wish us luck!

A Busy Week

Well. That was a nice little unintended bloggy break.

The week's summary:

The concert and girlie getaway were awesome (except the part where I FORGOT my CAMERA!). Sarah and I had an absolute blast and laughed nonstop for two days. Shopping was fun, dinner at Olive Garden was scrumptious, and the concert was fabulous. We really weren't expecting much from the concert seeing how our musical taste has definitely grown and changed since our New Kids obsession back in the day, but it was a great concert. Really! I was so impressed. We did a lot of screaming like teenagers (Hey, we were in the 11th row! It was exciting!), dancing, rushing the stage like a bunch of loonies, a bit of drooling (wow. they are much better looking than they used to be), and then some more screaming. So much screaming that Sarah woke up the next day with a migraine. Oops. Still, she swore it was all worth it. What a sport!

It felt like I had been gone for a week. I was very happy to see the hubby and my sweet boys and they were all happy to see me too. Bonus! We rounded out the week nicely with decorating our Easter eggs, and lots of food at the grandmas' houses.
But my favorite part of the weekend had to be seeing my little men all dressed up.
Now that is a good looking group of fellas, if I do say so myself.

Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend, and are able to catch up on some sleep (we aren't the only sleep deprived family after this weekend, are we?) this week.

The Fun Continues

(Get ready to throw your rotten tomatoes)

It was a lovely weekend. All that free time and all that peace and quiet. It really was awesome. Of course I tried to pack WAY too much into one weekend. Too much cleaning, too many errands, and not enough sleep. But it was still very nice. Unfortunately I don't have any girlfriends in the area to go out with, but I did get to watch three chic-flicks (yes, including Twilight again) that I've been wanting to see. It was nice to be able to sit back and relax and do as little or as much as I wanted to. But it did feel a little odd.

And boy was I excited when I saw my guys pulling up to the house on Sunday afternoon. It was a very good feeling. All my boys running at me telling me how much they missed me. And such a relief to have them all home safe with me again. I can't tell you how many horrible things I imagined as they drove the three hours to and from the cabin.

I spent the rest of Sunday snuggling with the boys and trying to pamper Todd, who really does deserve the "Husband of the Year" award. Not only did he do a fabulous job with the boys but he was fighting the worst cold he has ever had. He actually had a temperature of 102.3 for the whole weekend. I swear I have never known his temp to go over 98.9. He never gets fevers. He was SICK. And he didn't even complain or try to make me feel guilty. What a man!

And guess what else!

I'm going away for a "ladies only" trip tomorrow. My girlfriend and I have been planning it for the last few months. We used to be HUGE NKOTB fans when we were younger and when we heard they were going to be having a concert in the area we decided to go. You know, for old times sake. And since the venue is two hours from her house and one hour from mine we thought we should bite the bullet and make it a whole day affair complete with shopping and an overnight stay at a lovely hotel! Woohoo!!!! I can't remember the last time she and I got to hang out without the kiddos. I am so excited I can barely contain myself. Shopping, eating, relaxing in the hottub, a concert, and quality time with my bestest friend. So exciting!

And don't you worry. Todd is getting payback (although he does go on quite a few hunting trips every year) at the end of the week. He splurged and bought he and his dad tickets to the Brewers home opener game for Friday. See? It is a win/win all around.

Now I've got to run and tie up a million loose ends before I leave tomorrow. I'll be sure to post pics on Wednesday when I get back. Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend!
(Okay. Go ahead and launch those tomatoes)

All By Myself...

Don't wanna be
All by my-ah-ah-ee self!
Anymooooooooooooooooooooooooooore
By myseeeeeeeeeelf
Anymooooooooore
OOoooohhhhhh, oh, oh, ohhhhhhh

I think the person who wrote that song probably didn't have any kids.

This weekend I am going to be ALL BY MYSELF, and I am going to love every minute of it. Todd is taking the boys up to the cabin with his folks for the weekend and I'm staying behind to have another open house on Sunday. I just can't imagine all the free time I'll have. Oh the things I'll do.

I'll watch Twilight until my eyelids break the toothpicks holding them open. I'll stay in bed until 8, no wait, 9! in the morning. I'll go shopping BY MYSELF for as long as I like. I may even try on clothes. I'll get whatever I want for dinner and eat it while it is still hot! I'll talk on the phone without shouting and screaming and fighting as background noise. I'll eat SNACKS without having to share with three hungry mongrels. I'll take a looooooonnnnngggg shower and then I'll DO MY HAIR! Heck! I may even take a luxurious BATH!

The possibilities are endless, I tell you!

Still... I always have this weird feeling that I am going to burst into tears when I see all the men I love most pulling out of the driveway. And I know I will have to restrain myself from packing my bag and jumping in the truck with them at the last minute. And the house will probably feel eerily quiet and bare at nighttime. And... no good morning kisses. Or fresh heads of hair that smell like Johnson's shampoo.

Who knows. Maybe I will be singing that sappy song by Sunday afternoon.

WW- Just A Little Off The Top

Todd has been begging me for weeks to cut the boys' shaggy hair. All you have to do is scroll through my last post to see just how out of control their hair has gotten. I know it really bothers Todd so I finally gave in and took them to my in-home salon.

Me? I don't mind it. I actually prefer their hair a bit longer. Maybe it's because with fresh haircuts they go from looking like the wild, adorable, little boys they are to handsome little men.

And they are growing up fast enough.