Things I've learned this week

• I AM an anti-dentite. I know that now.
• When it is spring vacation and we are off school for a whole week, one or more of the kids will ALWAYS get sick.
• Their germs will, without fail, infect me and I will get sick.
• I really do hate the dentist. (Have I mentioned my dental hatred yet? Have I?)
• Not being able to chew because of sore teeth would take me to a very mean place were it not for the soft, chewy goodness of Reeses Peanut Butter eggs.
• Which I vow to stop eating.
• Tomorrow, I promise.
• I can lose hours dreaming of my scrapbook room in the new house.
• Dropping Josh's car off at the car transport place will make this move seem like actual reality. Which means I've got a lot of junk to get throwing away.
• Make sure to clarify with the kids about the ACTUAL timing of the move. Otherwise, Chase will tell his entire class goodbye on the Friday before spring break. A few panicked mothers will call to check on us.
• A bag of clay makes Chase ever-so-happy. (Note to self: Stop stifling his creativity with your laziness).
• Favorite thing this week: Warm chocolate chip cookies and walks with my kids.
• Best quote this week from Josh: "I'm so tired of genital herpes." (No, he doesn't have them, but he's sick of seeing the commercials on t.v. for it).

My brother, the man

Had a little conversation with my brother, Daniel, the other day. We were chatting along, calling each other names (as per our usual) and he mentioned the new car he just bought.

Oh. No. He. Didn't.

(He did)

He has joined the ranks of families everywhere who find their kids' car seats no longer fit in the backseat of their previously-spacious cars. He bought a minivan.

I proceeded to give him grief about such a choice (what are sisters for?) and he started to launch into the virtues of owning such a vehicle. How they were getting it fitted with a DVD player for the kids. How they will have room for the third car seat for the new baby in a few months. How he can now just basically hand all the pants in his closet over to his wife (as clearly she will be wearing the pants in their family).

He retorted with just how comfortable his van is to ride in. That, sure, he wasn't in favor of it at first, but now what with all the comfort.

I replied, "Yeah, well, moo-moos are comfortable, too, and you don't see me walking around town in one."

So, Daniel, enjoy your new Moo-Moo (as that is what I will forever call any car that you drive). And when you are driving to JC Penny for some must-have fall fashions, and you look down to realize you've chipped a nail while plugging in Veggie Tales for the children, and simultaneously you're choking up listening to your favorite Celine Dion CD, just relish in your comfort. For you are a man. A real man.

A man who gave up looking cool so his wife would be happy.

And that, my dear brother, makes you a better man than you will ever know. (But I will be forced to still make fun of you, sorry).

Good and crazy

"People are just plain good, Mom. Isn't that great?"

Said Chase after being so relieved to find no one had taken McKay's Game Boy. We accidentally left it in the waiting room of the doctor's office.

Where we were waiting because Chase is sick. With strep throat.

Again.

And hearing this news, Josh slipped into a frenzied seizure that almost sent him checking into a hotel, where he would be forced to grow out and eat his own fingernails, wear empty Kleenex boxes on his feet, and sport nothing but a long, white beard and a bed sheet. Ever the level head, I calmly reminded him of a little thing called hand-washing and Purell-hand sanitizer, which brought him down off his Howard Hughes-like ledge and back into reality.

Can't say that I blame him though. It was a nasty go-round for him a month ago (which you can re-read about here).

So yes, Chase, people are good. And Daddy is a little bit paranoid and crazy (but we still love him anyway).

Me, a thinker?

Peter, over in Scotland, nominated little ol' me for a thinking blogger award.

I am honored and have to say this is my first time winning ANYTHING in my life (unless you count the Future Homemakers of America National Conference I won in high school, which I pretty much touted that as the equivalent of, I don't know, the Nobel Peace Prize, but at the time it was a pretty big deal for me). So it is with great honor that I accept your kindness, Peter. Thanks for thinking of me, and thanks for reading the drivel that comes out of my blog on a daily basis.

So, as an honorary recipient of this award, I get to bestow it on five others (who in turn get to bestow it on five more). Kind of like sharing the blog love. So here goes:

I have to give my first award to my friend, Annie. See, when I started blogging, I wrote a post about Annie that you can read here. I sent her the link (and it was the first time I shared my blog with ANYONE). She sent me back the link to her secret blog, which prompted us both to come out of the blog closet. She's a very good friend that I miss, and I love reading up on her life (even though I wish she had less of a life like me and could post MORE FREQUENTLY. Hint, hint.) She is one smart cookie and well-deserving of a thinking award.

Second award goes to my fabulous mother-in-law, Oma. She is a well-traveled woman, thoughtful friend, doting grandmother, and fashionista extraordinaire. She constantly inspires and amazes me with her wisdom and advice. Chatting with Oma is one of my favorite things to do. I just love her.

Third one goes to a new friend in Alaska, Michelle at Scribbit. She is one of the most creative people I have ever run into. Her blog is full of humor, fantastic ideas for kids, gourmet recipes, and lots more. I can't imagine a nine-month winter, and she lives it with a smile. She's great. Pop on over.

My fourth award goes to a very funny lady at Here In Idaho. She cracks me up EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I discovered her blog quite by accident, and now make sure to check it daily. She is absolutely hilarious. Her writing reminds me to never take life too seriously.

And last, but not least, is the admirable June Cut-Off Cash at Bye Bye Buy. She and her husband are trying to go an entire year without spending money on anything extra (they've saved almost $10,000 since January 1). I think (besides that threesome with Angelina Jolie) that this is my husband's deepest fantasy (one, sadly, that he'll probably never get to see play out) and I truly enjoy her writing. She is fantastic, and always makes you think.

There are more obvious family and friends that I wanted to nominate, but I figured Oma could get that ball rolling. Plus, I wanted you all to have a peek at some of the blogs that make me laugh every day (in addition to yours). Keep the blog love rolling!

I'm BAAAACCCKKK (did you miss me?)

Well, I returned last night - safe and sound - from my mini-vacation to St. Louis. We had the house inspection on Saturday and it went really well. A few very minor things to be addressed, but nothing that gave us reason to want to back out of the deal. I took about 700 pictures of every nook and cranny in the house - so that Josh and the kids would have an idea of where they will be spending the next several years of their lives. Everyone was very excited by what they saw.

We are getting a steal of a deal on this house, but it is needing a bit of a face lift. The house is 13 years old and sporting the original, ever-so-lovely decor of 1994 (which means loads of mauve, forest green, and peach). Kind of reminds me of my wedding, actually. If only I had a bad perm, spiky bangs, and some tapered jeans, the flashback would be complete.

There is forest green linoleum throughout the kitchen and sun room. Pink carpeting adorns the dining and living rooms. The walls and counter tops of the kitchen are a bright, nauseating shade of mauve. Thankfully, the kitchen cabinets are fantastic and will stay as-is (white 42-inch beauties). We will be replacing the entire main level with hardwood floors; we'll be painting every room in the house; and replacing the counter tops in the kitchen. (I know, I know, we should keep the pepto-bismol counters, but really it would make Hannah far too happy. I am nothing, if not indifferent, to the happiness of my children).

The basement though is really great, with a family room, bedroom, full bath, sewing room, and two offices ("FINALLY, I'LL HAVE MY OWN WORK SPACE," says Chase), and the upstairs bedrooms will be like-new with a fresh coat of paint. The yard is beautifully landscaped, green grass and exquisite flowers and shrubs.

Best part? The homeowners association fee includes landscaping, snow removal, and use of the pool that is right across the street. Oh yeah, I am not at all sad to relinquish my post as yard/snow girl.

Otherwise, the trip was pretty uneventful. Got to relax, sleep in, eat bad food, and see a movie (The Hoax, which by the way, is fantastic!)

Josh had the home front well under control and the only complaint came from Hannah who said, "Daddy tried to do a pony-tail in my hair and it didn't look berry good." I give him props for even trying. I was sad to miss seeing their excitement on Easter morning, but had the good fortune to catch an early flight home on Sunday.

Anyway, thanks for all the well-wishes. We are excited to move forward on this new part of our lives. You will, no doubt, be hearing a play-by-play over the next few months of what will hopefully be our LAST move. Feel free to stop listening when you get sick of it.

Bursting with the weight of my secret

All right, time to let this all out. Most of the family already knows, but for the few friends that read this blog now and again, I can finally spill the secret that I have been carrying like a lead weight for several months.

We are moving to St. Louis.

Josh has a great job opportunity that came our way (surprisingly) from his former firm. It's a fantastic career move - one that we could not pass up. We feel that the Lord has practically beat us over the head to get us there. Never in our lives have we felt more inspired to make a move than this one. It feels right on so many levels that I won't go into here, but sometimes - when you know; you know. And there is no disputing it. This WILL be our last move for quite some time (or maybe forever). Yes, we're plantin' some roots.

We told the kids tonight - and surprisingly, there were no tears. I think we've shown them that moving across the country isn't as scary as it sounds. They had no trouble acclimating when we moved here, and they are excited for the new house.

Which, by the way, we have put an offer in on and not seen yet (talk about a leap of faith, no?). I leave early tomorrow morning to fly out for the inspection, but we feel certain it's going to be great. We've seen similar floor plans and pieced together the layout from online pictures. It's a 5-bedroom, 3.5 bath, 2,900 square foot home (plus a full basement) in the suburbs of St. Louis. It needs a teensy bit of remodeling - but we're hoping to get it all scheduled and done before the kids and I actually move in. We'll have a smallish yard - about a third of an acre (though by California standards that is quite huge).


Josh will move out there and into a hotel at the end of this month. We hope to close on the house mid-June, and a few weeks after that, the kids and I will follow - giving them the chance to finish school. We'll have Josh home on the weekends (fun commute for him) so it shouldn't be too bad. We've done it before; we can do it again.

We will be sad to leave California (and unfortunately I gleefully threw out all our winter gear when we moved here) but there are so many great things waiting for us in Missouri. We'd love to host any visitors - so feel free to stop by if you're passing through or coming just to see us. We'll finally have the room to host. St. Louis - here we come!