moving

We are here in Texas trying to settle in and acclimate. Actually, I think we are just trying to survive. Here's a little recap of the move.

We loaded and cleaned all day Saturday then headed out to Queen Creek to stay with my parents for the weekend.
The moving truck was crammed full of everything we own! I can't decide if it makes me feel like we have too much stuff or hardly anything at all!
We left my parent's house at 4:15am to get to the airport for our 7am flight. Jens was pretty excited. He did pretty well until the mid-flight throw up! Thank goodness for his blankie and Grandma saving us from a plane full of angry and grossed out passengers!

These two pictures pretty much sum up our livng conditions for the week. Jens is eating lunch (cereal) on a table and chair made of a food storage bucket and paint can. I should also mention that the little outfit Jens is wearing is an outfit from Grandma that she knows I don't want Jens wearing. However, it was the only clean thing he had to wear that could stand a disastrous house! Kale sleeps in a drawer. As you can see here he is snoozing in the kitchen.

Overall, the move went well. Mark and his step-dad made the 16 hour drive in good time and safely. I made the two hour flight with Jens, Kale and both Grandma's without a hitch, aside from Jens' reoccurring vomit episodes. That was the move. See part two for details about the move-in. Be patient. I don't have all of the photos yet to document the stressful, to say the least, move in.

2 weeks to live and other random thoughts

I have mentioned to a few people that moving, especially out of state, is like knowing that you have two weeks to live. I've got my "bucket list" - things I want to do before I "die". I know this is a morbid analogy and hopefully not a premonition of things to come. However, Mark and I have made a list of things we would like to do before we move. Here's a sample of what we have been up to.

This is Mark's wall of fame. He is so proud of this because he fit 60 boxes exactly on this wall. Needless to say, we've been doing a lot of this lately.
We've also done a lot of these lately. About a weekafter Mark and Jens recovered from their first round of pneumonia Jens picked it up for the second time. Mark was sick again too, but turns out he only had a sinus infection.
Kale. What a story he's been. I've been doing a lot of complaining about his not so stellar sleeping habits. But, he really has been good. I just have wonder sleeper Jens to compare him to. However, Kale has been sleeping for 8 hour stretches the last three nights! Hallelujiah!
Gals from the local book club
This is my friend Katy from high school who made it to the farewell party at Tumbleweed park last week. Thanks to everyone that came and sorry we missed those who couldn't make it.

Friends. I apologize for not posting pictures of all of our friends, but you get the idea. Now that we are healthy we have been trying to socialize every day! It's been fun and we are still up for more fun times if we've missed anyone!

Until next post...

2 months

Can you believe this lil' chub is 2 months? He weighed in at 15 lbs ... off the charts! That's the way we like 'em!

we choose...

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. Sorry for not updating you sooner, but I gues we just decided. Texas trumps Tucson.

cramping my style

Poor Mark! What he thought was a cold has turned into pneumonia! He's got all of the symptoms that Jens had. Thank goodness we snagged a nebulizer machine from the hospital for him to use.
We're counting down five weeks to the move and instead of spending time with family and friends we are stuck in the house...alone. we appreciate the brave visitors who have come to take care of us while we are sick.
I'm still hoping a praying that Kale and I come out strong in this mess of sickness.

Johnson's book of medical ailments

I just got a call from Aunt Cathy asking how we are doing with our sicknesses. If you read my previous post you will have noticed that all within the last week Jens has had pneumonia and we have all suffered from some stomach garbage and all that it entails. When I was getting off of the phone with Cathy I told her that I would call her if we developed any other sickness. Seven minutes after she called (I checked the caller id) Mark called to tell me that he is sick at work with the aches and pains of a cold! NO WAY! Please understand if we never have friends again because we are under quarantine for YOUR safety!

shoppin' in the rain

Picture this:

I am carrying Kale in the car seat with my left arm and the HUGE umbrella in my left hand, trying to keep all three of us covered. Jens is carrying my rather feminine green purse walking surprisingly obediently next to me while holding my hand in the pouring rain. It would have been easier with a shopping cart, but they were all soaking wet! Now I couldn't find this picture, so the above will have to do. It is actually quite appropriate to our adventure today.

It so happens that Mark wanted a ride to work today so I could have the car. I guess he figured I needed to get out. I'm usually happiest staying home all day (I really don't mind not getting out of the house), but with Jens getting pneumonia and earning a trip to the hospital, Mark and I getting some terrible stomach bug on Sunday, Jens catching the bug on Tuesday and Kale catching that same bug today....(I need a breath) all in one week.... I suppose I should get out!

I had a list of stores that i wanted to peruse through today, Target being one of them. I am in desperate need of some summer shorts since last summer's shorts don't fit. Go figure! I just had a baby! So off we went. Mind you, this is the FIRST, yes the FIRST time I have been out shopping alone with the two boys. Didn't i pick the best day to venture out?! Moving along...Kale was pirched up on the shopping cart and Jens just had to have the umbrella. So, I pushed the cart while Jens held my hand (which is amazing) dragging the umbrella behind him. I managed to browse the clothing section and hit the dressing room three or four times (this is when I really hate the 6 item limit. Can't I just get it done all at once?). Jens was great! And Kale slept the entire time. I got to the register to pay for the great new shorts I found and I couldn't remember my pin number for my debit card! Does that tell you how long it's been since I've been out? Just a minor snaffoo. So now, how do you get out of the store with another bag to carry? I squeezed Jens in the seat with Kale's car seat and the bag of goodies and held the umbrella over our heads. And thank goodness for the nice man who held the umbrella over Kale while I loaded the car. It doesn't matter that he was actually waiting to take my cart into the store!

So....here we are all in smiles, home from a very successful first shopping trip in the rain!