Surviving March

2 weeks old!

So this post had this original title, then I reassessed and felt a little guilty over it's seeming pessimism so I changed it....then sat down today for the 110th time to write a post and realized....there are some days that can't ever accurately convey what life is like right now other than.....surviving March. When you have a few ticks and a leak....and a teenage boy whose heart longs to go home....to the point of pining non stop some days....and a landlord that fixes nothing but watches our life from afar and frets over everything kids do, a landlord that's actually becoming a bit creepy, and a husband that is pouring himself into school day and night...and rightfully so....it becomes a bit of a load to carry. The baby, the teenage boy, and academy I can deal with. What seems to send it sailing into the deep blue depths of insanity would be the landlord, the posts falling out of 2nd story decks, pvc pipes that don't unscrew in an entirely optimal manner, the inability to use the van due to a little tick issue...and a leak...or 3...that results in the need for life rafts in the basement.

If I wasn't so head over heels in love and living on a cloud right now this month might be a little tougher to conquer. But, as is it, life is a little more than laughable at this point. So...I spend my days waging a tick war, washing every article of water laden clothing we have ever owned that now reside in sinking boxes, drying out school books and trying to salvage any piece of the life we have left that floats in a lake in the basement...cause we did, after all, choose to leave our entire life packed up...in the basement...once we learned we were staying here. I rescue fish from sink drains and busy myself trying to piece together the piece of crap pvc pipe that wasn't installed correctly to begin with...the one that completely disconnected from sink at the DRAIN HOLE when I went to unscrew it...yep, the same drain the landlord has "fixed" 4 times in the 6 months we have lived here. I plunge non working toilets on a fairly regular basis. I try to maintain my sense of humor and resist the urge of getting a restraining order as the landlord comes and goes much too often while Brad is away. And I nurse a new baby and refrain from renaming myself Bessie. So that pretty much sums up life here....ticks, leaks, fish, drains, pvc pipe, landlord, toilets, clothes, carpet.....all while looking through rose colored glasses because I am desperately in love with this new tiny boy in our lives. This chubby, rosy cheeked, bright eyed cherub that eats and sleeps and doesn't have much to say about life right now...utterly content to be wrapped in the blankets of love from the multitude of people in his tiny life.

On the baby note, I somehow accomplished the feat of sliding back into pre pregnant size 8 jeans at 11 days post partum. Much to my delight, zipper actually went up quite effortlessly after having fought with it...and won....3 days previously. I'm now under pre pregnancy weight....and very ready to run. Cautious husband strongly advised against it and since I have absolutely no desire to ever in a lifetime end up with rabdo again I have made decision to let body fully recover from birth...and wait til sweet boy is 3 weeks old. Spring is absolutely amazing in the east...it defies words....so running amidst it all is quite the motivating factor and will be amazing.....or as amazing as running gets in the messed up sort of way that it is. So, next Monday it is! P90X and Journey to the 8K....cause a 1/2 marathon is a little optimistic at this point. Richmond. Nov 2012. I'm gonna run it.

So.....somewhere....over the rainbow.....I will blog again and tell the many stories that filled our life this month. Someday. But right now I'm going to refrain from mooing, go nurse a baby, throw yet more loads of soaked clothing into washing machine....take van to carwash so I can thoroughly vacuum the entirety of it all while refraining from depositing tick eggs into our shop vac. I'm going to set up a 1 acre obstacle course for excited children and I will not look at another carseat, strip one down, or attempt to put another one together for no less than 5 years. And eventually I will blog again...someday. For now....more pics. On the pic note...the battery in our brand new camera has completely died so camera has to be returned. It's under full warranty but it's taking for-ev-er to get through the replacement process. Back to phone pics.

Sweet love.

When there are no couches....which I'm beginning to really miss now. It only took 6 months to miss them and start dreaming of luxuriousness. My nighttime dreams now consist of deeply cushioned couches with pull out beds hidden within....especially after yesterday's brick sitting episode.

And when the camera comes out kids immediately gravitate towards it for their moment of fame. I'm especially fond of the camo gun that made the pic. Grant's statement of the day yesterday...

"Mom? I've decided I don't want to be in the army when I grow up anymore...cause they die."

Me..."Ok".

Grant..."I want to be on the SWAT team."

Playing with the phone. I actually kind of hate the whole self portrait phone pics but I amused children by doing it anyway...and am fulfilling the promise to post it. Lovely.

Watching Grayson back up the van.

Forbidden climbing. I must add here...this house is merely a rental so making it homey is not of the greatest priority right now. So, that little fire hazard of a plug thing going on in the background....yep, not so concerned about hiding it. Oneday, when we settle here, I'll make a house a home. Although, I will say, it's getting a little embarrassing having people over...especially all of the amazing ones that brought dinner. The carpet...yep, we told him not to put it in and we agreed to rent it on those terms....linoleum throughout. So, the carpet's a little humbling as we have guests....or really a lot humbling. And any furniture or wall hangings creating a homey environment...they don't exist. So our visitors are greeted by nasty crapped out carpet and a bare home. We just let the kids fill it up and create the warm environment...and it's less crap to move when we find a new rent house...with hard floors.

When you're #11 you can't afford to be picky. This is what happens when you tell daddy to buy cheap and save the difference. He comes home with this. Still makes me laugh. Real mean wear pink!

Officially settled into the new sleeping arrangement.

Being blessed by 2 entire weeks worth of meals brought to us by the church. Studying husband in the background.

Spring in the east. Just a glimpse of what the trees in our yard look like right now.

Our date night buddy.

Stage 2 of the deticking project.

Stripping them all down.....without makeup. Sexy.

There are no words to ever in a lifetime accurately convey just how much I loathe putting carseats back together. About the 5th hour into it and the 104th forgotten piece my patience was just a little bit tested. About the 75th overlooked part I began to seriously debate the importance of chest pieces. I now have bruises in the shape of brick imprints on my butt due to the hours of sitting there conquering the carseat task.

When all the laundry baskets are put up and out of reach they get the rolling office chair.

And when the office chair is turned over and stored under the desk.....

....and when that's not tall enough.....

Yes...they do get in trouble for this but they are quite the motivated and undeterred ones. One thing's certain....they're great problem solvers.