We Interrupt this Madness to Bring You a Special Bulletin

I should not be blogging right now.

I should be packing boxes, cushioning photo frames with bubble wrap, picking up the odds and ends that are all over the house.

Yup, we are moving!

We found out last Tuesday afternoon - which is why I have been MIA in "blogland" since then.

Between that, putting on a pirate party for Noah's birthday - complete with a pirate ship cake -  and then taking him to Chuck E. Cheese and Cars 2 on his actual birthday, and getting things straight for girls camp, I have been a little swamped. 

 

(I will share more about the cake and party details later! But Noah sure loved that cake and made sure that his LEGO Captain Jack Sparrow was sitting on top. Made the two hours plus of prep work totally worth it.)

I still can't believe that my baby boy is FIVE YEARS OLD, and I definitely don't think the moving thing has sunk in yet either...even though half of my house is already packed up and stacked in the garage.

Did I mention that we are moving this Thursday - one week from today?

I know. Madness. Seriously.

But we are excited too. It's all happened really fast. Pat was approached by a recruiter that he worked with while on the never-ending job hunt before we moved here to AL. The guy has kept  in contact with Pat and sent him postings from time to time about other jobs - Washington state, Wisconsin, New Mexico - but all were even further than the 10 + hours away from family so we passed. Then about three weeks ago, the guy emailed Pat about a job, a better job, back on the East Coast. Only an hour or so away from my mom and step-dad's house (the house they will retire in) and only five hours from my dad, step-mom, and youngest brother and sister in VA - where we used to live.

Three phone interviews, a two-day-trip-to-meet-in-person-and-check-out-the-area, and a week of waiting-to-hear-the-news later, he was offered the position!!!

My family is ecstatic. Holidays, long weekends, spring break, etc...we'll be able to see each other. The kids and I are actually going to head down there as soon as we can after we get unpacked. We can't wait!

I also can't wait to find out if we get the house we've applied to rent. My mom ventured out there yesterday to look at some properties for us. I feel like I have been on realtor's sites and Craigslist 24/7. But when this house popped up, my heart skipped a beat. It reminds me so much of the house we had in Virginia. (I loved that house.) Mom looked at it, and it did not disappoint. She kept going on and on about how perfect it would be for us. It's right next to walking and bike trails, two minutes from a state park with a lake and swimming pools,  just down the road from a cute ice cream parlor (bonus!), minutes away from everything, and they accept dogs - a miracle!

Still, it's bittersweet to leave here (except for the "tornado alley" thing - I won't miss that). It was such a blessing to find this job two years ago - an true answer to many prayers. We have enjoyed the area and met so many nice people. I know the kids will miss their friends. That's the toughest part. I've been teary-eyed quite a few times and cried like a baby when I had to tell the young women I work with at church that we were leaving, but being closer to family will be awesome. Abby and Noah never smile bigger than when Grandie or Papa come to visit. It's been hard being so far after living five minutes away for thirteen years. And Pat is really excited about this great opportunity and can see himself with this company for a long time which is good...

because this packing stuff, especially in two weeks, is just plain crazy.

I May Have Jinxed Myself

For the last couple of months, I have been sorting through the kids' clothes - baby clothes, 2Ts, 3Ts, Abby's 4 and 5Ts. I had ten plastic bins full of them. I am now down to four. Even Peter Walsh lets people keep a few things for sentimental value, so I have one bin for Abby, one for Noah, and two more to give to my sister-in-law.

But today....

I gave away our crib.

Yup, the crib.

I've been thinking about it for awhile now. Do I sell it? Do I save it for my sister (who lives across the country and it would probably cost more to get it to her than it would be to buy a new one)? Do I give it away? Do I just keep it because I am a sentimental sap of a mom?

Then I was talking to my neighbor across the street, and she mentioned that they needed to get a crib for their 7-month-old great granddaughter who is with them most of the time. Her granddaughter (baby's mom) had given away all of her baby stuff a few years back...and then SURPRISE!

A few other gals I know did that exact same thing - thinking they were done, got rid of everything, and then, lo and behold, they got "prego" and had to buy all new stuff within a couple of years.

I joked with my neighbor that I hoped giving them the crib wasn't jinxing me too. 

Don't get me wrong. I loved when the kids were babies. Going through all of their tiny clothes, I couldn't help but get a little weepy. And like I said, I couldn't part with two bins full of  favorite outfits and blankets (and a few toys too).

To be honest, for the longest time, I have felt perfectly content with having my girl and my boy...and now a 70lb lab pup with separation anxiety. We have definitely entered those elementary years with Noah turning five in a couple of days and Abby going into second grade. And as much as I miss those baby days sometimes (except for the sleep training part - I was so bad at that), this bigger kiddo phase is a whole lot of fun too (except for the getting them to clean their room part - haven't figured that one out yet)...and they still love to snuggle.

I may be able to give up the crib, but this mama wouldn't know what to do without those snuggles.

Well, THAT was scary...

"Kelli, do you let Noah have nuts?" my husband called from the living room as I was putting away clothes in Abby's closet. Pat was snacking on the cashews we'd gotten him for Father's Day, and, of course, Noah wanted one.

"Yeah, he eats peanuts. He's fine," I yell back.  He is almost five after all. We've pretty much cleared the choking hazard phase.

About a minute later, I hear Noah cough a few times and start to whimper that his throat hurts, and he comes into Abby's room hoping to get a little sympathy from Mommy.

"What's wrong, buddy?" I glance over for a second.

He's grabbing at his throat. "It hurts, Mom," he whines. "It's tratchy." (- aka scratchy.)

He'd been coughing a little that morning so I didn't think much of it and told him to go and get some water. He comes back less than thirty seconds later. "It still hurts, Mom."

"Did you swallow a big piece of the cashew? Does it feel stuck?"

"Yeah," he is starting to cry.

Not really knowing what to do, I say, "Try eating a piece of bread. It might help push it down," as I am still putting away laundry.

He comes right back with a bite taken out of the bread in his hand, "It's not helping, Mom."

By this time, the poor little guy is crying. Pat thinks maybe he scratched his throat when he ate the cashew so I asked Noah if he wants a popsicle hoping it will soothe his throat some and help calm him down. Popsicles usually do the trick.

Not this time.

"Look at this, Kelli." Pat had noticed bumps on the back of Noah's neck.

Hives.

Within seconds, Noah's coloring had become splotchy and raised white spots appeared under his eyes, on his eyeslids, and between his eyebrows. He face looked almost swollen. He started rubbing his eyes and even behind his ears attempting to relieve the itching.

"Has he had cashews before?" Pat asked me.

Knowing that this was definitely an allergic reaction, I realized that he must not have.

Crap.

My youngest brother, Michael, has severe food allergies so I've made it a habit to keep Benadryl on hand, just in case. That stuff has worked wonders for him many times.

Noah was getting more and more upset as the symptoms continued, but I was able to get him to take a teaspoon. I called my dad to ask if I should go to the doctor since he and my step-mom are practically pros when it comes to dealing with allergic reactions.

Since Noah was still coughing and complaining about his throat, Dad said to take him in so they could take a look and listen to him breathe and make sure everything was okay.

I was hoping that by the time we got there that the Benadryl would start to take effect. He could barely keep his eyes open in the car so I figured it was kicking in.

When we got to the Urgent Care office, Noah was conked out in his booster seat. I went to get him out and was relieved to see that the hives were already starting to go down.

Thank goodness.

We went ahead and took him in to be safe and ended up with a prescription for a pediatric steroid to counteract the reaction.

One cashew. ONE caused this crazy reaction within minutes.

Scary.

Really scary.

I'm always telling Noah how much he reminds me of his Uncle Michael ("Mi-tule" as Noah calls him. The coolest uncle EVER!) when he was Noah's age. Always making up jokes, being silly, begging for a toy every time we go into a store...even his facial expressions, love for all things Toy Story, and obsession with McDonald's...but the allergy thing?

That similarity we definitely could have done without.

Fishful Thinking Thursday - "Be the Change!"

Last week, Abby and Noah were invited to "Panda-mania" - aka Vacation Bible School - by one of Abby's best buddies. They loved it!!! Songs, crafts, games, "Chatter Chipmunk" theater, cupcakes...they had a great time.

I wasn't quite sure how Noah would do being that he has never gone to preschool, and the only time he's really been away from his mama is during Primary at church, but with a little bribery for letting go of Mommy (worked 4 out of 5 days) and "no strikes" during VBS, he did surprisingly well. (And I did too...for the most part.)

The "Panda-Mania" program was FREE - gotta love that! The only thing they encouraged was for the kids to donate gently-used or new backpacks for a school that the church sponsors in Haiti and if we could bring in change to help with other supplies and shipping costs.

Abby and Noah kept reminding me to give them coins and get a backpack to send in by Friday. Sure enough, by the end of the week, there had to be at least 100 backpacks all stacked up on the stage waiting to be sent off. Almost 200 kids also made beaded necklaces and collected a big bucket full of change - all for these school kids in Haiti.

In Fishful Thinking newsletter for June - Raising Socially Responsible Children - Dr. Karen Reivich explains that "Social responsibility is the commitment to bettering the good of a larger social unit—your community and the world—rather than oneself" and encourages families to sit down together and plan a SIMPLE summer service project where everyone (big or small) can pitch in and "Be the Change you wish to see in the world" (– Mahatma Gandhi). The kids at VBS definitely got a jump on that!

On our last faculty call, I was able to chat a bit with Dr. Reivich and the other faculty moms about the tornadoes that swept through our area and caused so much devastation. As mentioned in the newsletter, "In response to these tragedies, many families create opportunities to talk about the importance of helping others and working together as communities," and I have seen it first hand. So many amazing people and families have come together to help those recovering from these storms. As a family, we've been able to contribute as well and continue to keep those who have lost so much in our prayers.

On a lighter note, Dr. Reivich also points out that "there are plenty of non crisis-based opportunities to help our children learn that we, as a people, are in this together. For example, participating in Earth Day events, taking a 20-minute walk to pick up litter, helping a neighbor plant flowers, and inviting a new family over for dinner, all demonstrate to our children that we care about others and the world, and how we can put this caring into action."

There's a great worksheet right here that you can use to brainstorm ideas and come up with a service project that fits your family. I am interested to hear the kids' answers #4 and #5. I bet Abby's will have something to do with animals, the earth, or helping "poor people to get more money" ( - she always asks that in her prayers)...but Noah? You never know with that kiddo.


*If your family is interested in completing a simple service project along with mine, please leave a comment or email and let me know. I'd love to host a link-up near the end of summer where we can share our  "Be the Change " experiences!

Dinner Conversation

"Mom? Can we get a chick-ten for our bact-yard?"

"No, Noah. We can't have chickens."

"Why not, Mom?" (Knowing full well that just around the corner from our neighborhood, there's an old, crumbly house that used to have chickens running out into the road on a daily basis.  "The Chicken House" as we call it. And we just got back from visiting my cousin who also has chickens.)

"We live in a neighborhood, buddy. We aren't allowed to have chickens."

"But why not?"

"You have to live on a farm or somewhere that has a lot of land."

"But I could keep it in my room."

"Um...no. You definitely could not keep it in your room."

"I tould build it a house in the bact-yard."

"Rocket is in the backyard, bud. He would probably eat the chicken."

"We could build it in the FRONT yard..."

"We can't, buddy. We aren't allowed to have chickens."

"Mom, tould we MOVE to a farm?"

Laughing and not really knowing what to say at this point... "You never know, buddy. Maybe someday."

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I have a feeling that this won't be the last I'll hear about getting a chick-ten.

A Few More Favorites...for Father's Day

I always knew that if we had a baby girl, he'd be wrapped around her little finger...

and that if we had a little boy, he'd grow up to love the Cowboys, golf, basketball...and we'd have an ongoing argument about whether or not he'd play football. (It makes me WAY too nervous.)

I've been right on all accounts...except I didn't think the football debate would start until Noah was older. Pat is already asking him if he wants to play in the pee wee league.

Boy, oh, boy... 

I'm all for father/son bonding, but I'm not quite sure I will ever get the football thing... 

and the fascination with "potty humor". 

Definitely gets that from Daddy.

This One is My Favorite...

 

It was my anniversary wish...

Take the kids to the St. George, Utah LDS Temple where Pat and I were married and have family photos taken - with no complaints and nice smiles (although I did have to bribe Noah to cooperate with a trip to the dollar store). 

Fifteen years...really?

Of all the things Pat and I have done together over the years - the goals we've accomplished, the obstacles we've overcome - there is nothing that brings me greater joy and contentment than knowing that we are sealed together for time and all eternity to our sweet kiddos...

and for that, I will be forever grateful.