Just Checking In...

Just popping by because it's been a while. We managed to cram in one week at home between trips. Aside from unpacking and repacking, I fit in three full days at the pharmacy, a birthday party, a visit to a friend from out of town, hosted a dinner, checked out a house and somewhere in there we squeezed in church and a visit with my parents. We've had some seriously good times with friends and family. Other than that, I've spent many long nights with a certain 3-year-old who has taken to night terrors and fits all night long. Lucky for me, I am his chosen parent for providing comfort. Which has landed me in his bed more nights than not and with many fewer hours sleep than any human deserves. He's been exhausted and crazy and maniacal. Finally, though, he had a great day today, and our fingers are crossed that it continues through the night. It took him a week to recover from the last vacation, so I'm really putting the hammer down on enforcing early bedtimes for this next adventure. I'm exhausted to the bone and can't even think straight. My kids and my life just about did me in this week, but soon we'll be on to the next, and it'll all be a distant memory.

Loved this post of Sarah's.

Gavin was seriously dragging at the Torrance's house. He could hardly sit up. We were such a hit!

This troop of cousins enjoyed some corndogs on a Sunday night.

I do have some good news, though. Graham moved up to Room 3 at daycare, and though I personally haven't contributed much to picks-ups or drop-offs on Thursday, Monday or today, I have received reports that he's really turned over a new leaf, talking a bunch and doing really well. His favorite tricks are jumping (though he has yet to get fully airborne) and stepping up and down off of doorways/boxes/anything. He prefers an audience that claps and cheers for him, and I'll provide that for him any time to get one of his award-winning smiles. But...he continues to demand to be held all the time, and he's not afraid to use his voice. It's a lot. This morning before work, I almost melted down with all the screams and demands and neediness thrown my way pre-7am. My patience is extra thin when I'm tired and stressed. As they say, these boys will be teenagers before I know it, so I'm doing my best to soak up the cuteness of them right now. But sometimes...it's very difficult.

What a downer of a post, and really quite uninteresting, too. Stick with me...sunnier times are in our near future. For now, I've got to tie up some loose ends in preparation for packing up the family for an early departure tomorrow. I need to preserve the last glimmer of brain power that I possess, so...see ya!

Paint and Postino

The paint project is still very much under way, and we are still very much avoiding our house. Thankfully, my parents have willingly opened their doors and provided us with a little refuge. And by little, I mean big. A crib in a dark room, a fully stocked playroom and a park down the street...we may have just started a new thing. It's a great place to change up the scenery, and I've even been able to sneak away to complete some mandatory CE. (And then blog with a few spare minutes.)

With all of our doors off the hinges and resting against various walls, I learned that the house is not exactly kid friendly this week. Graham knocked down one of the doors on Monday night when I wasn't paying attention, and we were super lucky because not only did it miss knocking him out, but it also landed on a beanbag chair, harming nothing on its way down. After he got a giant goose egg from falling off a tall surface where he shouldn't have been playing earlier this week (doh), it's probably best if we keep the little rascal away for now.

So, Super Nonna grabbed the boys from school yesterday and kept them overnight. Dylan was on a trip. With the kids secure, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was exchanging texts with some fellow jaded co-workers at the height of their apathy in the middle of the work day, and we put an after-work plan in place.

It was a couple of $5 before 5 glasses of wine, a full meal, and lots and lots of loaded conversation...all of which helped to fill up my soul. But the conversation was really the best part of the day. I came home to a dark, quiet house all a shambles but with significant progress toward the paint project, which made me pleased. I high-tailed it out of there as soon as Jose and crew arrived this morning and fit in some cardio kickboxing before meeting my mom with the boys at swim.

I typically subscribe to this belief. I'm a big homebody, but it simply isn't the way things will work out this week.

This place is starting to look SO much better and brighter with a fresh coat of paint about 300 shades lighter than the last icky brown color.

Plenty of walks with Nonna

Playing trucks with Papa

All parties have really come out a winner with the boys (and all of us) spending so much time with Scott and Jude this week.

Dylan arrived this morning and made it to the second half of swim before hitting up a CrossFit session and meeting back up with us at the parents' house. And now, with some CE under my belt, it would be best if I stopped hiding behind my computer and contributed to the care of my children for the first time in a while.

Decompression

I need a new routine. When it's been a long day at work followed by the usual nighttime shuffle (and preceded by a night of highly interrupted sleep), I'm usually left with an hour or two to myself. Instead of plopping on the couch, I find that it's hard to slow down, and then I start prepping the swim bag for the next morning and tackling the dishwasher...and then pick out outfits for everyone for the next school/work day and start picking up for the cleaning people (which is obviously better than having to actually clean)...but both things don't happen for two more days!

Then, I turn on re-runs of The Middle, which is in my top three all-time favorite shows because I'm simple like that, but I don't really watch it. It just makes me happy to hear the sound of the Hecks while I pitter patter around the house. Eventually, I make time to blog or read or watch a show, but I usually nearly fall asleep before I finish whatever I'm doing. On the other nights, I am doing a much better job at turning off the motor in my head and taking a freaking chill pill almost as soon as the two Gs are down for the night. But when I need to decompress the most, I just can't stop. Thank goodness the grind is so short so that I don't lose my marbles before every weekend.

Anyway, I've finally stopped, and here I am. Since my last check-in, we had an over-the-top 40th birthday party for Eric. Anne outdid herself, as always, and we were all well-fed and quite possibly over-served. In fact, most people didn't leave the party house until the morning because we kept things safe and legal and slept it off before driving home. Sunday was really something. It may have been the laziest day I've had since Gavin was born. It really helped that the boys didn't come back home until around noon. Then, Dylan and Gavin went to see the Lego Batman movie in the afternoon, and I never made it out of my comfy clothes.

It's hot, but luckily not too hot to keep the boys outside, where they stay entertained for 25 times longer than they do inside.

I wasn't too tired on Sunday to take a thousand pictures of this guy...

...being the cutest thing...

....ever.

EVER, ever.

By Monday, I was ready to move again. G2 and I hit the gym and a well-check (good news...he is well!), and after a nap, we headed back out with the big brother for a playdate at the park.

Oh. That's what all the noise from inside the pantry was all about.

I never pass up a chance to snuggle with this one.

"Painting." Such a fun idea.

Pit stop for some Booty.

And now, at the risk of sounding like a broken record...Dylan left on a trip, we did our school/work thing, and we will be happy when Thursday evening rolls around again!

Also, my mom checked in on Gavin's baseball practice today. Dylan went one time a couple weeks ago and watched, too, and the pictures and videos are so cute. The only evidence I have that he's really doing baseball is the charge to my credit card every month, since I can never get much info out of Gavin. (Today when I asked him how school was, he told me, "Miss Ali said I put my pants on backward after the potty.") So, it's nice when someone checks in on things every now and then.

I'm not familiar with this warm-up exercise, but I'm no professional baseball player.

And with raw talent and ability like this, not to mention his obvious enthusiasm for the sport, I think it's safe to say, "Major Leagues, here comes Gavin!"

The Mean Guy

Graham had his first day of daycare on Tuesday. I got big brother to school, loaded up the baby again and drove around the corner to hand him off to the nice young gal in Room 1, and pulled up to work with five minutes to spare. After patting myself on the back for getting my circus on the road in time with only a few minimal hiccups, I promptly focused on the job and felt confident that both my boys were just fine. I was super excited to see them both when the day was done, and I stopped for G2 first.

"He had a hard day," she told me, and then handed me his report card.

It said this:

Bit a friend :( Screamed through naps and was very mean to the other kids.

And then she assured me it was probably just first day jitters.

I was mostly confused. I'm no child psychologist, but can a baby who is barely mobile be purposely malicious? I guess it's possible, but I've never known Graham to be anything but sweet. I apologized for his behavior and went on my merry way.

On Wednesday, Graham had a great day with me. After a few weeks of exceptional neediness for reasons I cannot and will not ever understand (babies...I just can't catch their wavelength), I was thrilled that he seemed much happier and had fewer tears to shed. So, I had high hopes for Thursday. Dylan was coming back to town for just the day, so I had him check on The Mean Guy when he landed in case a half-day would suit everyone better. When Dylan called, they told him that G2 was doing much better. Still not napping...but doing better. So he ended up staying for the whole day, which worked out good because in all my genius I didn't leave a car seat for the truck anyway.

Overall it was a really good week. The prep work to get us set for our day is a lot, our mornings are early, and our nights are a scramble. I even had to wake up Graham on Thursday so we could leave on time. Once or twice I've even thought, What have I done?? But then I remember that the alternative is doing the same thing I do every other day, and I'm glad for the change of focus, pace and environment a couple times a week. I feel good and productive. Gavin loves school, and once Graham gets the hang of daycare, I'm sure he'll agree that taking two solid naps in an actual crib and playing and exploring beats spending upwards of 2 hours in my hot car and being dragged around on errands. It's a long day for the boys...perhaps too long of a day...but they can handle it a couple times a week. Not too long ago, I probably would not have been okay with the craziness. My current self, though, sees how it is worthwhile. I essentially created my own schedule, and it's not really the most helpful schedule for the pharmacy, but if they will let me continue to work, then I'll keep showing up with a smile on my face.

Sunday football

What is this??? I haven't seen this guy sleep during daytime hours in months!

Back at it. This was a winning gift, for sure.

How could anyone ever call this sweet face mean?

We've had a couple of days of nice enough weather to be outside. Hooray for that!

Graham's daycare has a 3-day minimum, so he'll be going back for a few hours today while Gavin and I take care of some things around town. I decided to give him a morning nap in his crib so he could have every chance at a good half-day. I think he'll get the hang of things soon. Dylan took off on a day trip, and then we will have a one-day intermission from his travels before the next big trip, so we are looking forward to our Saturday. Happy Friday! It's one of the greatest days of the week!

Soaking it Up

I often hear advice from more experienced moms to "enjoy this time" and "soak it all up" and "they're only little once." I get it, and I know I will miss so many of the things that can only happen when these guys are little. I'm not the best at taking this advice, but I do have moments that I try to implant in my memory and treasure forever. When Graham cries in the middle of the night, I totally do not enjoy being woken up...but it's really the only opportunity for me to hold him while he sleeps. So I do appreciate that as much as I appreciate getting back into bed. And now, with Gavin, the moments I appreciate the most are when Dylan is home with Graham and we hit the town together. This usually involves a trip to the gym and then one or two other errands. He's still at the age where a run to Costco is fun, and he makes terrific company. We had Dylan home for a few days this week, and I was sure to take advantage of getting my solo Gavin time. I have a feeling by this time next year I won't be able to shove him in a shopping cart anymore. I love that little stinker, and he says at least one thing every day that totally blows my mind.

As far as my new working girl gig, it went pretty well this week. I wasn't able to get Graham into daycare until next week, so he stayed home with Dylan for my half day on Tuesday and all day Thursday. Dropping two kids off at two different places will add a new dimension to things. I do think that Graham will do great at daycare, so I'm not too worried about that. However, I'll have no help from Dylan before or after work for a couple months, so I'll have to get us all out the door by myself by 6:40 to embark on the one hour and twenty minute commute. It's a lot...but I still think it'll be worth it. I probably won't look very well-rested or pretty, but I never really have when I worked in the past either, so why would I change that now?

Tuesdays and Thursdays will be tiring. I'll probably throw a granola bar to Gavin in the backseat for breakfast. We'll be home in time for me to just feed the boys dinner, bathe them and then put them to bed. But it's only two days. When Gavin was a baby, I worked three days a week. That seems like SO much more than two days. And we will be in B Mode. It's like we have two different ways of living. When Dylan is home, we have more fun and are more relaxed, and overall it's better. When he leaves, we flip the switch from A to B and become much more regimented. I tolerate less BS from Gavin and everyone goes to bed earlier. The house is cleaner, the dishes are fewer and I can take "what's for dinner?" off my radar since I'm not really a dinner person. B Mode is not preferred but definitely has its upsides.

But enough about my job and our modes. Here's what we've been up to this week!

Waiting for Daddy's truck

I don't even know

A picture from Daddy Daycare

Backyard shenanigans for the boys and me while Dylan was at work

He has turned into a real jumping bean lately.

He hasn't been very easy to please lately, but I can still catch at least a few of his epic smiles every day.

It took a long time to leave the gym this morning because Gavin obsessed over this dumpster for-like-ever.

We had an awesome family Saturday today. We cashed in on a Groupon for the Children's Museum in the afternoon. The plan was to keep Graham in the carrier, but I think he ended up having just as much fun as Gavin. From there, we picked up dinner from Pei Wei and went to the Scottsdale Quarter for the first concert of the Fall Concert Series. It was 105 degrees and super crowded but somehow still enjoyable. We had two tired boys on our hands by the time we made it home. Also, can we talk for a second about the ahi tuna salad from Pei Wei? I must declare it the best under-$8 meal of all time. My goodness...that will be added into the rotation for sure.

Admiring our reflections

This guy and his one-liners from the backseat...

And the best news of all is that the weekend is not over yet! But seriously, I could do without the triple digit temps in my life. Maybe next weekend will be cooler?

Young Mind, Old Body

It's no secret that having that extra cocktail or two doesn't do a person any favors when it comes to getting quality sleep and feeling okay the next day. Especially when you're over 30. But sometimes, it's just completely worth it.

Last night was the annual DBD Christmas Party, and as usual, I got rowdy, just like everyone else. And, as usual, I found that after scrambling around for a while, the top part of my dress was a bit ill-fitting, and I had some near wardrobe disasters. We caught some fun shots on the big camera, but this girl's a little too done for the night to upload those, so you can look for them later this week. In the meantime, here are some iPhone shots.

Waiting for Dylan to get ready. Why not take a selfie?

Hi Amanda. (Starting a new trend with my shawl.)

Jeremy! What?!?

It's nothing short of a miracle that Dylan has been able to join me at every single DBD Holiday Party. Five in total, now. He flew in from Philadelphia just in time on Saturday and met me at my parents' house, where I was dropping off Gavin for the night. Dylan had been in training in Philly for an entire week...except that he wasn't in Philly, he was in Delaware...except that Philly is not in Delaware. The Northeast is so crowded and confusing to me. Anyhow, after a week of solo parenting, I for sure needed the break...and the drinks!!

He was exhausted, I was exhausted, but we put on our game face and had a complete blast. The bar was open, the food was good, and the DJ was a no-show. No problems there...D found a hot dance playlist on Spotify, plugged his phone into the sound system, and accepted requests all night long. We had an amazing room at the Montelucia. It's a really, really nice property if you've never been there. We followed it up with brunch at El Chorro this morning. Whilst in Paradise Valley...

Then, it was off to pick up Gavin. When we got to my parents' house, G was ready for a nap...and I was too. So we stayed put, got our rest, and then welcomed all of our extended family in the afternoon for our holiday get-together. After consuming too much sugar and catching up with the cousins, it was finally time to get home and let the poor pups out of the dog run. I know Dylan was more than ready to be back at home. As for me, I still feel like complete dog poo and plan on making it an early night. Well, earlier than normal even. We've got a lot on the agenda this week.

P.S. I managed to ruin two phone screens just while Dylan was on the East Coast. The first was shattered when I dropped it in the dirt on our walk. As soon was it was replaced, Gavin dragged my phone across the floor face-down while I was in the shower and gave it some deep scratches. Sometimes, though, you just have to get in the shower, and when you're alone with the kid all week something like this is bound to happen. What can you do?

P.P.S. I ordered stamps for my Christmas cards from USPS.com, and the post office managed to lose them for 10 days. After a few phone calls, they finally turned up in my mailbox...so I hope your Christmas cards arrived safely to you. I love, love, love checking the mail this time of year!

Oh, and I can't really remember what we've been up to for the past week besides chasing Gavin down from high places. He's a monkey, but such a cute one.