Snap shots of life in the slow lane

Our life right now is pretty unstressful. We are waiting to close on both homes and don't really have anything to do. The hotel is super easy to keep clean, especially with a housekeeper. =)

So we are finding out where all the parks and fun places to go are.

The next few photos are just random shots of us having fun.

I had found a snorkel on clearance. Dominic had been begging me for one so I picked it up. Caitlin tried so hard to be like big brother.

Dominic HAD to try it out that evening when Jon got home even though it had been pretty cool all day and the pool was freezing. It was chilly enough that Caitlin and I stayed in the room. Dominic was, of course, shivering when he came back.

The IHOP in New Bern was TERRIBLE. Every time I went there I left saying I wasn't ever going to return. Then about a year later someone would ask me to go and I'd go having forgotten how bad it was.

So yesterday we decided to give the one here a try. It was cleaner. The staff were more polite and the service was super fast. Kids eat free every day for supper so that was a bonus as well.

But the strawberry cheesecake pancakes sealed the deal. 

I got out the camera to take a picture of the yogurt all over Caitlin and she made this face.

I wanted to do a bit of shopping today so I bribed the kids with the park if they would be good for me. Went into Old Navy and the dressing room has a play area for the kids. I had to drag them out. Even the mention of the park wasn't enough. So it looks like I'll have no problem shopping there again. NICE!

The park was very simple, but the slides were a favorite and we'll be going back again. 

This slide was super slick and so Dominic would fly down.

Caitlin went down upside down a couple of times. Didn't seem to faze her.

Most of the time the kids would get off the slide and run around to the steps. But once I looked up (I was reading) and saw her like this.

Dominic was great at helping, but I felt better being there as a second spotter.

Dominic going up the spiral "stairs".

Making a Mess

This hotel room isn't child proof. Almost all of the surfaces are low enough that Caitlin can reach everything. And yesterday I was reminded that the cabinets aren't child friendly either. I was in the bedroom and Caitlin was in the living room playing Legos with Dominic. I could still hear him talking, but Caitlin had become very quiet. So I went to investigate.

When I came around the corner Caitlin came running from the kitchen doing her guilty dance. 

This clued me in to proceed into the kitchen.

And this is what I found once I turned the corner into the kitchen. It is mashed potato flakes that I hadn't used before moving here and had to bring with me because the box was open. Guess I won't be using it at all now.

I had to go down to the front desk and ask to borrow a vacuum because the house keeper had already finished with our floor.

Day of 1sts

Today must be a day of 1sts.

Dominic has taken swim lessons and loves being in the water. But so far, he hasn't been able to keep afloat long enough to actually swim.

Jon took the kids swimming so I could have some "quiet" time. I went down a bit later to take some pictures and was informed that Dominic swam across the pool by himself without touching the bottom.

Waving to me from under water.

I love this picture of the kids. Dominic is making faces under water in the back ground. 

Caitlin is trying to copy him.

Caitlin loves her little floaties. 

She's catching a ride with Jon.

Interview with a 4 yr old (complete with self portraits)

 Last year a friend posted an interview that she gave her son on his birthday. I interviewed Dominic last year and this year was looking for something and found it. Thought it would be fun to do it again to see what his responses were.

1. What is something mom always says to you? I don’t know

2. What makes mom happy? Me obeying?

3. What makes mom sad? Me not obeying.

4. How does your mom make you laugh? Saying gookenpukie (not sure of spelling since this is a word my dad made up years ago)

5. What was your mom like as a child? Like me

6. How old is your mom? 33

7. How tall is your mom? As big as daddy.

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Read a book

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Find me

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? I don't know.

11. What is your mom really good at? Having an m&m eating contest

12. What is your mom not very good at? If you mess up you're not very good at it

13. What does your mom do for her job? Work for Jesus

14. What is your mom's favorite food? M&M’s and chocolate

15. What makes you proud of your mom? If you can color a whole piece of paper green then I’ll be proud of you.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Wubbzy

17. What do you and your mom do together? Play

18. How are you and your mom the same? I don’t know

19. How are you and your mom different? Because you have a pony tail and I don’t. Because you are a girl and I’m a boy

20. How do you know your mom loves you? When you hug me

21. Where did mommy meet daddy? At a restaurant

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? A store

23. Who is Mama's best friend? Miss Janet

24. What is Mama's favorite color? Green and blue

25. Who does Mama love? Daddy

It's interesting to see how well he remembers things (my favorite colors and my age) and how the current situation tempers what he talks about. I had just been eating M&M's and he was wanting some. =)

After I asked the questions he wanted to interview me and proceeded to "type" the answers on the computer. (By the way, all of the clothes laying around are laundry that didn't totally dry in the dryer and I didn't want to pay another $2 so I spread it out. Just didn't want anyone thinking I was that horrific of a housekeeper.)

Now he's taking pictures to entertain himself while we wait on Caitlin to wake up.

Spending Money

This weekend was tax free weekend. So we went shopping. We needed quite a few things and had put off getting them because we knew that we were moving. And now we needed some new things for the house as well. So we drove to Mt. Juliet (suburb of Nashville). At one store we were able to find most of the things on our list. But as the shopping cart began to fill up I started to feel panicky. I know that we have the money for it, but I just can't stand to spend so much. So I volunteered to take the kids outside so Jon could go through line and I wouldn't have to see the total. Completely crazy, I know. But it somehow made me feel better.

The kids have been having so much fun in spite of the cramped quarters and crazy messed up life we seem to be leading right now.

Caitlin playing with Dominic's hat.

Dominic enjoying his legos.

Dominic and Tolkie watching a dvd during quiet time. 

The cat would actually move if the screen was turned so he couldn't see it.

The kids asked me to take their pictures. Notice that in most of these pictures Dominic is wearing the same shirt? It isn't the same day. He had a drawer full of shirts and every time I wash this he puts it right back on again. He said green is his favorite color.

Dry Air

You might remember my mentioning the mold in our little hotel suite. It has gradually gotten worse as each day goes by. You can now visibly see mold in spots all over the walls and it feels so wet when you walk into the room.

Yesterday Jon called and complained about the air conditioner over flowing and pouring water onto the carpet again. So the repair man came up for the 3rd time since we moved in. The carpet was so damp that his pants were wet from kneeling while trying to fix the problem. He supposedly fixed the problem and brought us a dehumidifier to dry out the carpet. I was supposed to place it outside our door at 4pm yesterday. He felt like this would have given the carpet enough time to dry out. 

Well I have been keeping the dehumidifier hostage and am refusing to return it. I can breath in my little rooms now and the towels, sheets and our clothes aren't feeling wet anymore. 

We have asked the seller of our home if we can move in before closing so we can get out of this hotel. But in the mean time I refuse to "breath under water" while I'm in my hotel suite. So if the dehumidifier leaves I'm leaving right behind it. Tolkie can survive in a kitty hotel until then. I WILL NOT put up with living in a rain forest anymore now that I've felt the dry air again!!!

While we wait!

My kids have been adjusting very well to the changes we've had lately. They have found a ton of ways to entertain themselves.

This is Dominic's guitar. He's getting pretty good. =)

Dominic has been enjoying emailing all of his friends. He will dictate to me what to say and then type underneath in his "own words". He will place his hands on the keys and try to type just like me.

 One of the perks of living in a hotel is the elevator - at least for Dominic. He has learned to operate the elevator and will ride up all by himself while we ride the other one. He's quite proud of himself.

Watching the helicopter take off next door.

Caitlin's palate is much larger than Dominic's. Dominic will eat the same thing every time we go to Taco Bell (or any other restaurant). But Caitlin seems to want different things. Since she loves vegies we ordered some sides and she had a little salad. She was happy and ate the whole thing. Dominic had his bean burrito that he has every time.

Our temporary home

Our hotel is a pet hotel. Since we have a cat they put us up in a place that accepts pets. When you walk into the lobby it smells like a vets office. Not the best smell, but one I can live with to prevent poor Tolkien from being alone and stressed in a kennel.

But the main problem with the hotel is the moisture. Apparently the hotel was built on a swamp. So there is water dripping from the air vents and the carpet is moist. I put the dirty clothes on the floor and a few pieces molded. A paper brought into the room will soon become limp. Add this to the small spaces and us eating out for every meal and we are very ready to be in our own home.

My mother-in-law has been watching the kids in the afternoon during their quiet time while I look at houses. Because of my extensive internet searching, I had narrowed down the list of homes to look at. So I only had twelve homes to look at over two afternoons. The first day I found a home that I really liked. It was one that I didn't think I would care for and almost took off the list, but figured it wouldn't hurt to look at it. I walked in the door and felt at home. I had Jon come back that evening and he liked it as well.

So tomorrow my dad comes over to give us his professional opinion and if they (Jon and Daddy) can't find anything wrong with the home we will be making an offer. I'm super excited!

Safe and Sound

We are finally here in Cookeville, TN. We (my mother-in-law, the kids and I) drove over on Wednesday. The kids were really good. The battery was dead on Dominic's dvd player. He was so disappointed, but handled it very well.

The only problem that we had the whole way there was with our phones. For some reason no one could call us. I did wonder why Jon hadn't called to check on our progress through out the day. Turns out he (along with several other people) had been trying all day to get a hold of us.

The past two afternoons I have spent with the realtor. She has shown me some beautiful homes. But I walked in the door of one and fell in love. It wasn't the one that I was expecting to like the most. It's not the typical style that Jon and I would have gone for, but the home is gorgeous inside and it feels like home.

I called my dad and he's coming over on Sunday to check out the house and give us his professional opinion.

We are staying in a decent hotel, but would really like to be in our own home so we are praying that this house is the one that God wants us to have and we can proceed.