Surprise, Pools, Pigs, Paint, Cribs

Been a crazy couple weeks...
Family visits.
Doctor visits
House repairs
Still no pick up returned - frame shops, paint jobs, reassembly, blah blah blah. New rental.

The big celebration at our house was Kevin's arrival! No, just kidding, we celebrated Randy's 60th birthday - and with that we celebrated Kevin and Kevie coming with Jan, Rick, and Denise to surprise Randy on his birthday. They had been working on the details since hunting and we played house host due to the size of the group and the fact that it made it easier to contain E & G. Was so good to see the family and see how happy Randy was that they came for him. E was very intrigued by the whole birthday thing - she was impressed about buying balloons and decorating for Grandpa and all. She even had the song down - that is until we all sang it. Then it all went out the window.

Due to our "living conditions" everyone stayed at Eric's or at a hotel - which worked out nice for us because they let us come crash their pool. The water was chillier than I expected but that didn't stop all the kids from going down the slide!

We even had a couple good days where we headed outside and played on the lake with the sleds. G is getting better outside but still has trouble getting and standing up!

G's gland is getting smaller and after another ultrasound showed we are still in the clear. However the boy is cutting i teeth and between the gland and the teeth - we aren't sleeping through the night. I'll admit, he isn't terrible to go back down. We usually hand him his water and he chugs a good amount down and then rolls over but I'd be happier if he'd sleep more than 3 hours at a pop. He's starting to pick up some words too - he'd got rough versions of hello, buh-bye, Lola, Go, Mom, Dad and noises that cats, dogs, and dinosaurs make.

Matt and the families butchered pigs too over the past weekend. We had our list ready and Matt was excited about the planning and doing of it all - this year we did brats, andouille sausage, and some breakfast sausage - a bit different from last year with the bangers but Matt is still excited to try and do it. I spent the day with the kids. On Sunday, Matt smoked and we packaged everything up.

We are also starting to concentrate on the final baby's arrival. It's hard to believe she'll be hear before we know it. We've been prepping E for her little sister - but the whole idea that she's in mom's belly seems a bit far out for her mind to comprehend.

EER putting blankets on ALR.
EER: I'm covering up my baby sister.
ALR: That's nice.
EER: Mom, you go to the doctor?
ALR: Sometime, I'll go to the doctor.
EER: You see, Nurse Natalie? (That's E's nurse.)
ALR: No, I'll see my own nurse - but she's nice like Nurse Natalie.
EER: Ok.

Matt and I spent our holiday prepping the baby room - I finally got 90% of the clothes sorted and stored and with the contractor finishing up the ceiling downstairs, we put those away. We painted the nursery and when we ripped off the paint lines - We were disappointed to see we had painted a racing flag on the walls! It took another week and more tape and another paint color before we got it to a place we like.

We also took some time and got the new crib up too. We had so much "help," probably too much help. We had our 36 week appointment and she's measuring at 6 pounds. Hard to believe it's coming down there. I was hoping to see her face again but like her brother - she had her face into my spine and her little butt in the air. We'll just haftah wait to get a glimpse when she arrives.

In the meantime, the temps are record lows so we are just worried about staying warm and keeping things safe. Daycare and schools even closed because of record lows.

Sitting at the table - after Matt had spent the morning alone with the kids.
EER: Daddy pooped in the potty. 
ALR: Oh? Did you clap for him.
EER: Yeah.
MJR: Yes, I did Eleanor, thank you for sharing. 
EER: We say bye poop!
ALR: You do know if she's sharing this with me, daycare may be aware too?
MJR: Yeah, I was just thinking that too.

Snow, Glands, "progress"

It's been a week.
It started with snow shoveling, which is fine. E thinks it's great. G is better about it but still not sure. Both kids would do better with it if they left their mittens on!

Then the week had a turn - Matt came down with something and ended up staying home for a couple days to get over the chills, cough, and whatever else was keeping him down. We had taken E in on Wednesday to see the doctor for some minor bumps we wanted clarity on but then Friday came. G had some other type of bums that we thought should be looked at but that wasn't the "star" of the show. The side of his face had become red and swollen. They did lab work and an ultrasound to tell us that he had infected glands. We were lucky - no hospital admittance or surgery but another antibiotic to attempt to take care of the infection. I'm all about meeting my deductible this year, but not in the first week!

Pick-up update - there isn't one. Still at the shop. We are over $10K worth of damage now.
Room update - Matt and I took down all the wallpaper in the room - this wasn't a NEED to do but an opportunity of the moment, figured it was easier to do it was a blank, empty room. He and his crew of 1 then worked all of Saturday to put up the sheetrock. Turns out that builder didn't use standard size sheetrock - so they ended up putting it up twice.

I'll take a better, more productive week, thank you. I did get a lot of the baby clothes sorted through and boxes into the system I was hoping for. That came with help from my parents - Dad helped Matt demo and prep the room while Mom and I worked through some of the boxes and boxes of baby stuff. I kept going and now just need some space to set up to prep.

MJR: I have an important job for you.
EER: Important job!
MJR: You are going to get all the screws I take out and put them in this tray.
EER: Important job!
10 minutes later.
EER: GIVE. ME. THE. SCREWS.
ALR heads downstairs
ALR: You and your team doing okay?
MJR: This is not my team, she is a dictator.
EER: Momma - I have important job!

10 years, Organization, Chewy

This is a big post.

This is my 10th year anniversary with the blog. Nothing I have aside from select relationships have last as long as the blog. I've had 29,425 page views from across the world - US, France, Russia, Ukraine. The blog has seen some highs including the birth of my children and my wedding day to some personal lows. However, even during these lows, I have not abandoned this ongoing verbal dump of my mind. When people ask what I blog about... I always feel a little sheepish, when I admit my life. It's not wild or exciting or grand, in fact it's a bit dull and mundane. Sometimes the biggest happening of the week is the trip to Sam's Club. However, the reason I blog may be a bigger piece to the puzzle. I'm an incredibly sentimental and nostalgic person and I want to provide a piece of me and my daily life to my family and to myself later on. The blog while it has served as a creative outlet for who I am, it also holds time and memories that may be forgotten. Yes, it may have been the boring Sam's Club trip but it's the conversations and pictures and snippets of my life that I want to capture for later on. Even our real trips/vacations - I try to capture details about places, things, food so that we can relive it again and savor. Yes, time is this steady beating drum, but when you look back and try to grasp at those moments and memories that seemed so clear at the time, it can be difficult to recall with the clarity you'd like. That's why I blog.

I may not be good at it and I may not reread everything I write but once (if even), I don't proofread and I don't go back to edit, except that time I mixed up b and p up in reference to a crab sandwich. But in all honesty, I am not upset if it reads rough to others - the pictures and the words are real time captures of where I am in life for my children, myself, and my husband. By all means, I have no problem with other people peeking into our life and hope that they gain a little insight on the hot mess that we are.

So, with that - on to 2019. Did I also mention this is the 699th blog post I have written. I'll admit I could have timed that a bit better - but after 10 years, 7 houses/moves, 1 husband, 2.5 kids, 3ish cats, and thousands of words, I'll take what I can get. Heck, I'd love to write a book one day but I don't know what about or when I'll even find the time to gather up these words into a coherent piece of work that others will want to read - but it sure would be fun.

Okay, anyway, back to 2019.
Here's what's happened to us since Christmas.
The thing I've been dreading for about 7 months - we moved the kids into the same room. I've had so much anxiety - how will this work, how will they sleep, how we will sleep?
We put Grady's crib in and are still working out the logistics of the night routine but it is what it is while we muddle through to the answer.

We also have been working on the baby clothes for the next baby and sorting and prepping for that, removing all the Christmas things from the house - E was upset about the tree.
EER: The tree is gone.
ALR: Honey, Christmas is over. Mom took it down.
EER: I don't see it anymore.
The next day.
EER: Mom, I don't see the tree anymore.
ALR: I know, I took it down, we will have another tree next year, at Christmas time. 
EER: It's gone!
The next day.
EER to MJR: Dad, the tree is gone. 

Mom came and helped with the clothes and Dad came and helped with the ceiling - which E says is "broken" - she's not wrong. The new dishwasher was installed, we'll see if that fixes the top end, what any other damage is, and then fix the sheetrock after we know the leaking is done.  We also decided since the room was cleared and the dust/crap is everywhere, we may as well take the wall paper down. I still hate wallpaper and I'm better at it than others. Nothing better than 7.5 months pregnant standing on a ladder chipping away at rose wallpaper.

And when you think you've seen it all - may this bring a smile to your face. Yes, this is after a sip of chocolate milk (diluted with whole milk) and yes, that is a Chewbaca backpack.

Old Questions, Old Year.

I'm so over 2018 - Done. Over. No More. And the closer we've gotten to 2019 - the more over 18 I am. Between work stuff, the truck crash, the dishwasher/ceiling issue, the fallen tree, the broken ornaments... and heaven only knows all the other stuff I don't want/didn't plan for, Good riddance 2018. Yes, there was some amazing in there. The last baby coming, the trip to England.. but seriously, 2018 - I'm done with you.

Two years ago I set out with some questions for the year of 2017.
I looked back on these questions and it hit me how fast things can change. And how much those questions apply to this year.

Whatif we leave Bismarck
- to be honest it's the first year that we've actually talked about it seriously and started game planning career plans and end games. We have not left the city as we love our house and Matt's doing awesome at the airport.

Whatifwe are blessed with another child.
- Last Baby is set to arrive in February. I refer to this addition as compounded chaos. Someday I have no clue if I'm coming or going. We rely on frozen food options and sometimes sleep is just a concept not a practice but we are very lucky to see this little girl come into our lives and are excited for the new addition.

Whatif we have to say goodbye to someone we love.
- this year we did. And I'm not okay with it. Grief is a messy process of stages with advancement and regression. Some days I come to terms with it and others it catches my heart with a cold hand and squeezes the breath out of my lungs. I've not come to peace with it... I'm just aiming for 2019 to be the year I can breath with the loss. Here's to people that you continue to hear in your head.

Whatif we get a different car.
- funny, notfunny? We are driving a different car, but not by choice. After the accident with the pick up we have been using Mommy's car and Daddy's Rental to get around. We have no plans to change out our vehicle. We hope to see the pickup right away in 2019 back in our garage.

Whatif we get to go on a wonderful tip - where will it be?
- The trip of a lifetime would be May's trip to England. We talk about what we saw, what we experienced, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. My only change would be to stay a few days longer - it was so short and we tried to pack so much in. From now on, our only planned trips are to Sam's Club.

Whatif the Cubs win another World Series?
- They didn't. The Sioux haven't won since the Cubs did either.

Whatif Matt lets me get another Cat?
- I don't want one. One Lola (especially at 3 am) is enough. She's really gone from the top of the heap to the bottom of the barrel since the kids came. She takes it in stride and entertains herself in the summer with the heaps of voles and mice she kills and drops on the deck.

Whatif we finally have a family party/picnic at our house?
- We had the Moser Christmas this year at our house and we also had E's and G's birthday parties and G's baptism. We wanted to do a housewarming party but gave that up a year or two ago. Who are we kidding, we can barely plan an organized cleaning of our house let along a full family affair.

Maybe the questions will be for the end of the year?
-How's work going? Where are we working? What is Eleanor into now? What is Grady saying? What is the new baby's name? How do the siblings get along? How has our family changed? What are we celebrating? What are we sorrowing on? Where have we been? What does 3 kids actually look like? Is Matt going for his masters? What hobby is Matt driving Amanda crazy with? Is Amanda actually sleeping through the night?

It's so hard to predict the passing of time, especially over a 365 day swing. We can plan for some things like the physical growing of our children but we can't plan for how they grow or how they will respond. We can't plan for the emotional response and impact. We know the ticking of time will lead to changes - bright spots and dark, scary shadows but what they specifically are and when they will specifically happen - one can never be sure and it's impossible to fully prepare for that.

First images of the kids in 2018.... so many seconds and breaths ago.

 Happy New Year... to you and yours.

Surgery, Ceilings, Timber, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, and Christmas

Christmas.
It's not just one day in the household of Moser-Remynse.
It's 4 straight days.
Actually this year it was 4.5 days.
That's right - the idea of a schedule with normal eating routine was tossed out the window!

Christmas had a little lay-up before we started. Grady had surgery to put his tubes in his ears. We had had it scheduled for the second week of January but they had an opening that we jumped at. With all the ear infections we've been fighting since October, the sooner those went in the better. He went through surgery pretty well - came out with some tears but was happy to get something in his belly. However on the car ride home - it all came up. And after we got home - it came up again.

That night - after his stomach had settled and E got home, we went to the live nativity that I was aware of. They had individuals in the manger and then beside the manger, there was a pen of animals - a couple cows, a couple sheep, a couple donkeys, and a llama (we think it was a stand in for the camels). E was a little mystified by the whole thing. G just liked petting the donkeys. It was a bit cold that night so we stayed long enough to take it all in.

We kicked off the Christmas weekend small... with the Pinkertons. They were passing through on their way to Minot and it worked perfect to have them stop in for a playdate and gift exchange. E and G came home early from daycare. For the most part, the kids all play so well together. E did hit a rough spot where she chucked a wooden toy container at Oliver and attempted to push her brother down the stairs but I guess we all have bad days?! Oliver, Allison, E and I made pretzel bites - which was fun to do even though E kept gobbling up the building material and coughing on the product!

Saturday was the Remynse Christmas at Eric and Amanda's house. We showed up late.
We started with a few presents to open. E got a baking kit that she really liked. G got a truck that he liked making motor sounds for. Matt and I came out well too - a instant pot and a set of birkenstocks. After lunch - G went down for a nap, Amanda and Eleanor made little fruit Santas. Was cute of her to think of an activity that was age appropriate and E was excited about. E was the most excited about the tablet that Grandma and Grandpa got her - we let her and Grandpa play with it for awhile. Then for supper (the pizza throw down) they got to sit on Grady's new table! Matt and Eric made pizzas for all. I think Matt had the better pizza but Michele and Randy said it was a tie. That night, the kids were tuckered out when they got home!

Sunday was the Moser Extended Christmas at our house. Everything was going fine until about 20 minutes before people started showing up. The dishwasher started backing up and the sink was backing up. Long story short - I know have multiple holes in my guest room ceiling because the water started coming through the light underneath the dishwasher and the seams started giving away due to the water. Jaden and Matt worked hard to figure out what the clog was - I was glad he had support. I will admit at the end of the day I had a meltdown - I hadn't even had time to sort through the baby clothes that I had laid out in that room, so they are just thrown into the other room until I can re-sort through them again. Aside from that - the food was good and the meal went along well despite plumbing problems. People visited and it was fun to hear the conversations and bantering around me. E got along great with all and took a special liking to Sam.


Monday slowed down a bit. That morning, we had our Christmas exchange with our little family. E got an art easel and some jewelry, G got his own chair and a tool workbench. Matt and I exchanged art that reminded us of our England trip - not planned, perfect coincidence. We soaked in them playing with their toys a bit. We relaxed a bit more - eating breakfast, being slow, taking naps (both kids) and then we got ready for the Dagman Christmas. We went and bought a new dishwasher - an unplanned present!

 

We got Christmas outfits ready and took pics in front of the Christmas tree. Ten minutes after the pictures, while we were getting our coats on, the tree fell over. Both of the kids' first year ornaments broke - I was devastated and trying to keep it together until E starts crying. Then I lost it. Their handprints are things I can't replace but Matt and I are going to glue them back together. So we composed ourselves, loaded the vehicle and showed up late to Grace's house. This kids had so much fun playing with their cousins! They had a few gifts and filled up on sugar and we thought we had already pressed our luck when we left at 10:25. Before bed, we got things ready for Santa and put on our Christmas Jammies.

Tuesday - Nothing is so sweet as watching your sweet-faced toddler come running out of her room, in her plaid-dress Christmas Jammies, yelling "Santa is here!" We examined the plate of cookies and spread that we'd prepped the night before and headed down to open our Santa sacks. E got a paw patrol pillow case and paw patrol panties with a wonky donky book. G got a boom box and a "that's not my penguin" book. We got on the road late and headed to the farm.

It was a nice day, relaxed, with plenty of food (prime rib and steamed king crab) - once again, we were gifted too much (that's been the theme of the past 4 days). And we enjoyed conversation and each other's company. The kids both napped too - so that was winning for everyone!

On Monday afternoon -
ALR: Eleanor, Santa will be coming tonight, we need to get ready for him.
EER: Get ready for him?
ALR: Yes, we set out cookies and milk for him.
MJR: And carrots for the reindeer.
EER: And coffee.
MJR: Obviously, you've been talking to Grandma about what Santa needs.

But yes, we made sure our Keurig was on and a K-cup was ready for Santa.