Lifesavers.

Nothing will make you realize how INSANELY good you have it until your mama goes out of town to visit your baby brother in Hawaii. At the end of the month. On the weekend you are moving. I need not elaborate, nor do I wish any different. I hope she and B have an amazing, relaxing, healing weekend. (mom's legs are in bad shape and my B was diagnosed with stomach ulcers after an all night trip to the ER on Sunday, but they are feeling much better together)

Today, my sister met me at my office at 8:30 to take Hardin to CFA to play during my first closing.  After that, we went and met Jason at Hardin's preschool for his teacher meet and greet. When I got back to the office Cathy was waiting to pick him up for a spend the night. Mimi landed this afternoon, and they've both kept a steady supply of pictures coming to assure me my boy is more than fine and having a BALL with his cousins.

I am really not sure how we would survive without our amazing support system. I know every mother must feel that way, whether it be friends or family, we'd all be in a world of hurt with each other to lean on.

Hardin shocks me with his adaptability. He hasn't missed a beat being out of his routine. He charmed his teachers, played great with Yaya (Lara) and my last text of the night was Mimi saying he is so good, playing very well with Cawley and Lil, and saying thank you all the time. Cat bought him rain boots with Lil, and they spun and spun and spun. When they weren't racing.

Mimi also said Hardin can't get any whiter. I dared her to wait for winter. He's looking mighty pasty next to his cousin with Indian blood:)

I'm already getting excited to return the favor (aka soak up every ounce of these three kiddo's joy). Hopefully we'll host the cousins soon in our new home. We closed today, moving Sunday!

Easter in August

I bought this outfit with Easter in mind, but I found it while packing and thought I better try it on since Hardin is so long in the torso.  It's a good thing I did, because it fit like a glove today so it would've looked a little silly in 8 months.

There is a sweet little county chapel up the street from us and I've been wanting to go back to take some shots ever since we took Mimi's Christmas card picture.  I couldn't really get H to sit still long enough to utilize the actual chapel, but he found a tree he absolutely loved.  For the record, I'm sure this is the first of many trees my little monkey will climb.  In the majority of the shots, he's begging for the dum dum I brought to bribe him.

Birthday Party Fun

Today we met some friends at the new house for a paint picking party, and then went to sweet Sadie's 4th birthday party.  It was at an indoor gym and the kids had a ball.  I still find it hard to believe that we have these three little kiddos less than a month a part in age.

Just like daddy.

Jason better really watch what he does, because whatever it is, Hardin's right behind him.  He will happily show you how he's stwoooong, like daddy, including arm motions.  He also follows him around the entire time he's working in the yard and narrates.  This has led to my favorite thing, when Jason is gone in the morning before we get up (most days, between work and golf) he quickly runs around and then declares daddy's at work, he's on the twactor.  I'll be sad the day he realizes J actually doesn't work all day on the lawn mower.  Especially Saturdays.

This little video is of Hardin's new "thing."  He's been hitting his golf balls for as long as he's been walking, but lately he's developed a practice swing.  He no longer hunts for a ball to hit, he'll just stand around and practice his swing for a good 5 minutes.  Why you ask?  Because Jason does this ALL. DAY. LONG.  Not nearly as cute as an almost 2 year old though.

Our weekend was fun for H, and exhausting for us.  Other than a quick trip to the Swan Coach House for Jason's cousin's wedding shower, I worked from sun up way past sun down the entire time.  This packing and trying to get the house ready to rent at the same time is for the birds.

We did jump ship this morning for a little while when I walked outside to find our first perfect fall weather teaser day.  We ran through McDonalds for a large cup of coffee, and I enjoyed that while H ran around the park for a solid hour by him self.  We swung by great clips after the park, I didn't realize how bad his hair was until I looked at that picture from yesterday.  This time went MUCH better than the first.  He whimpered a little at the beginning, but I held his hand and the iPhone with video and he did great.  

After naps, we all went outside until supper.  We knocked out everything on the "outside" list, and I can't tell you how good that feels!  Hardin was so sweet, he followed us around bringing us our water bottles wherever we were working.  We were all disgustingly dirty, and H was thrilled with that. 

Love this kid.

This is my favorite Hardin picture in a while. It is impossible to be grumpy around him, even when packing! The kid lights up our little world.

Back to my baby :)

My last few post have not centered around the purpose of this little blog.  My blog, my distractions I guess.  BUT, I'm back on track. 

I finally cleaned off my camera and found these from the past weekend.  Cawley & Co. headed up Saturday afternoon because we had a family baby shower for Jason's cousin Sunday.  The kids had a ball at the shower!  There was a bouncy house, sprinklers, chalk, balloons... and COOKIES.  My word that kid of ours loves a cookie.  Once he found the table with them, every time I turned around his little hand was reaching up patting around for another one.

Once again I was so sad for him when they left.  Monday morning he woke up saying "caw-wee.  il-ye-an... CAW-WEE????  Where are day?"  I sure love how much he loves them, but I sure don't like his sad little face when they leave.  

I couldn't have said it better myself.

We've reached the point before the move where I go into freak out mode. The "if anything bad happens it's all my fault because I do this all damn say for other people" mode. Jason and I have often laughed at how we are the worst home buyers. A former appraiser/current inspector married to a former agent/current closing attorney. For real, if there's an angle, we've thought it.

Which leads to the obvious next question. "Why did you buy a house in Winder GA during the end of the peak of the market?". I said we were difficult, not smart. We were also young.  But as you know I wouldn't trade a minute here for anything in this world. Well, almost anything. We are confident history will not repeat.

I feel like my lovely SIL and niece look above. Mouths like whoa.

He's how my super clean under achieving self handle Monday.

1) Email in late to work to drive an hour to pick up new patio furniture that I HAD to have, to match the new outdoor rug in the middle of my kitchen.

2) Pretend to work while micro managing move out/move in stuff. Schedule 9 zillion things.

3) Claiming I need Xanax to deal with the feeling of paying people to do things I know I could easily do. Paint. Clean. Move. Lawn. Carpet. But I just don't have enough hours in the day as it is, much less the extra. This is HARD for me. I'm a DIYer. If not for the J-O-B and active toddler.

4) Mom drops of H at office after Gymboree. We cruise through the grocery store outer isles, while I dream of all the carbs in the middle. H looks like he belongs in Winder in a sleeveless shirt and no shoes eating a bag of popcorn.

5) I have this internal conversation.
Me: Clean your kid before bed, you didn't last night.
Mind: I mean really, how dirty is he?
Me: He went to Germ-boree today. Gross
Mind: He hasn't gotten sick yet, he's fine. I'll brush is teeth good.
Me: He literally stinks. Let's do this. Ugh. I want I lay on the ground and play 'tunnel' instead.

And that's Monday! Ahhhhhhh!

THANK YOU for all the sweet messages, text & emails about my nephew. Lara has LOVED seeing them and hearing them, and she appreciates the support!

MEET MY NEPHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My lips have been unsealed.  I am finally allowed to talk about THE BEST THING EVER.  My new nephew.  Arguably the most long awaited nephew ever.

The studies have been done, the home has been tested.  List of required repairs completed, and list of personal questions answered.  The pee has been tested, as well as the blood.  This has been exhausting on my sister but much more exciting.  In 3 weeks, the hearing is set, and a very important judge is going to make my sister a MAMA!

She's been trying to get pregnant for FIFTEEN YEARS, since 1997.  That's 1-5.  That is difficult.

But you know what they say about God's plan, he's a lot smarter and wiser than us.  My sister was in a terrible car accident when she was 18, and broke her pelvic bone in 7 places.  Everything has been a little off since then.  She suffers serious back pain, and our Good Lord gave her a baby she doesn't have to pick up.  An almost 7 year old, who wants to be hugged not held. 

To say that Lara and Jason are happy would be the greatest understatement of all time.  Happy it is not enough.  Complete maybe?  Complete and content?  All the good words, that what they are.

And the boy?  Oh he's over the moon for them.  He's been with them for a month now and is loving every second of having a real family.  A mom and dad.  The whole 9 yards.
Man are we excited to have him.  And man-o-man has he fallen into step seamlessly with Lara and Jason.  Being around them will make your heart full.  They fit.  They mesh.  They LOVE.

Today I met them to take some family pictures after work, and I can't tell you how many times he said the phrase "the whole family" when we were framing shots.  I may or may not have cried my eyes out between the park and Target where we went for dorky aunt Tiff to let him pick out a new backpack. 

He's as charming and sweet as he is cute.  We all love him and are so happy to have him in our family.  GOD IS SO GOOD!