One Week Down

So yesterday marked one week since we arrived in Fort Collins.

The Drive
We left Wednesday after Ryan got off work and drove the two hours to my uncle's home in Iowa City. Ryan drove his truck, and I had all the kids in the van. Thursday morning we got on the road early and drove to Lincoln, NE to wiggle, nurse and potty at my friend Amy's house. Ryan had the big boys in the truck, and I had Ethan in the van. Thursday afternoon we drove to North Platte, where Ryan checked me and the boys into a hotel. He continued on (until 1am) to Fort Collins and slept on the floor here in our house. He woke up early on Friday, met the moving truck, and orchestrated the delivery of all our stuff. I checked me and the kids out of the hotel and stopped by my aunt's boutique/antique shop in the mall in North Platte. Then I got on the road with the kids about noon and arrived at the house shortly after the truck left.

Overall, the kids did really well in the car with only a few tantrums and not too many tears from Ethan. Collin was our little helper, handing things to both Brennan and Ethan and keeping most everyone calm. Thank goodness for older brothers.

The House
We are renting for a year while we wait for our home in Illinois to sell. We also really want to build, which will take time to locate a lot and pick a floor plan and such. For now, we are good.

Unfortunately, it has been quite the task to try to organize our 3200 square feet of stuff into 1700 square feet. The bedroom spaces are fine, but the living space isn't what we are accustomed to. We don't have an eat-in kitchen, so we have to use the dining room for eating AND office space. The living room is half the size of our old one, and we don't have an additional family room. That's a lot of things with no where to go.

But I do love the look of the house though (rear-loading garage, Rustic-façade style, wrap-around front porch). It also is light green with cream trim, which is totally my dream home.

We only have a side-yard, and since we are a corner-lot, we are surrounded on three sides by streets. With no fence, I've been hyper about the kids being out there. There's also nothing to do out there, since we left our swing set and sand box behind (and they'd be against the HOA bylaws anyway).

On the other hand, the HOA provides for a clubhouse and pool, as well as several parks, playgrounds and a biking area. I'm trying change my ideas about yards and public spaces. It's just different from the Midwest.

The Ward
We feel very welcomed in the ward. The bishop, relief society president and primary president all took the time to chat with us on Sunday. Even though they figure we'll only probably be in their ward a year, the other moms have helped me find a preschool for Collin (now) and Brennan (in the fall). They also filled me in on library story times and parks with sand boxes. I even got the scoop on McDonald's play places. I'm attending their book club in a few weeks too. Their bishop's wife teaches a free toddler music class at the church once per week, and it sounds like they meet at a park each week in the summer time too. Being a stay-at-home mom isn't as common as in Peoria, probably because it costs so much more to live here. There's only a few of us in the ward apparently. All in all, the members seem really friendly.

The City
It is really crowded here. I guess when you live in a place where people actually WANT to live, it can become pretty crowded. There are lots of busy roads and stop lights. I haven't been impressed by the drivers' friendliness. Everyone seems like they're in a hurry and a little rude on the road. There are people everywhere all the time, even on weekday mornings. There are always cars, buses and trucks driving by the house.

On the other hand, there are lots of parks, trails and biking lanes. The beautiful mountains are always off in the distance, and it was only a 15-min drive to the mountains on Sunday.

I was really impressed with the preschool during our tour yesterday too, so that's good.

Unfortunately, the cost of living here is pretty high, so we aren't quite sure how much house we'll be able to build.  In fact, as we've visited parks this week I've ONLY met nannies, no moms. Maybe we should get used to only 1700 square feet. :-(

The Job
Ryan is liking working for a smaller company. When he needs his computer looked at or a part on the engine swapped out, he doesn't have to fill out a work order and wait three days. Everything happens in less than a half hour! The commute is a little farther than before, and he actually has to deal with some minor traffic. He also got a traffic ticket this week too, so that was a bummer. He's getting settled in, just like we are. He is super happy and even took the boys for a hike this morning.

All in all...
We are settling in. Collin starts school Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons next week. We have story time on Tuesday mornings at the library. Music time is on Friday mornings. I workout at the clubhouse each morning before Ryan leaves for work. We are getting a routine again, which has been desperately missed this past month.

Thanks for checking up on us. Life is never boring with the Williams!

It's happening

Packers today, loaders Monday, leave Wednesday.

It's a whirlwind kind of move.

It's Official

Not looking forward to leaving our first home behind, but it's official.

There's now a sign in the yard and a lock box on the door.

Anyone know anyone wanting a wonderful home in Peoria, IL? And even if you aren't in the market, you can see all our home improvements in the 32 pics. Enjoy the link:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/5816-Brookmere-St_Edwards_IL_61528_M78876-59073?row=1

Our home really is beautiful, and I'll miss it. We have so much sweat and tears in these walls. Goodbye first home! May you be loved for many years to come... and may you sell quickly to the highest bidder.

Moving is Complicated

You asked for details. Here are some things running around in my sleep-deprived, foggy brain...

We are still hammering out our timeline. In the mix is: Ryan's last day of work here, when to have our stuff packed and loaded, whether to ship Ryan's truck or have Ryan drive it out and fly back for me and the boys. We are also trying to pack most of our own things, get the house on the market, and host an Open House. I want Collin to go to school until Spring Break, Brennan has a speech evaluation scheduled, Collin and Brennan have dentist appointments, Ryan and I have eye appointments, and Ethan has his 4-month well-check and vaccinations. Pretty sure there's a Going-Away Party thrown in there too. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned doing the deep-clean. Think our calendar is a tad-bit psycho!?

Anyway, I just sent a massive email to Ryan at work detailing the most recent (and last - I've done three this week) moving van line quote. We need to make a decision by the end of the work-day today (in 3 hrs), so I was going through everything. And here was the last sentence:

"Call/text when/if you want/need to talk."

Yep, that's pretty much the best sentence I've ever typed!! I think it's a perfect blurb to summarize the indecision and craziness at our house this past week. Oh my goodness: We only decided to make this move ONE WEEK AGO! Life is crazy.

PS: When this craziness is all over, I'll have to post about all the miraculous hand-of-God tender mercies that have been showered upon us through it all. I'm for real. As stressful as it has been, we really are being blessed beyond our wildest hopes.

Rocky Mountain High

(text by John Denver)

 

He was born in the summer of his *32nd* year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
On the road and hangin' by a song
But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care
It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long

 

He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as you can see
And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but kept his memory

 

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

 

 

But the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye
Rocky mountain high

NEWS: Ryan starts a new job (in Fort Collins, CO) on Monday, March 24th. We are super excited... but also really sad to leave our friends in Peoria. Here's to our new adventure!

A Different Kind of Valentine

Dear Mastitis,

You are far more wicked and awful than I ever could have imagined. I am grateful beyond words to have never experienced your awfulness until my third nursing baby, but rumor has it that I may see you again now. You have tortured me day and night for... oh no, has it really only been 48 hours?

Well, your stay in me is soon to end. Unfortunately for you, modern medicine will shortly eradicate you, and I'll be myself again. Four giant pills daily for ten days, and then I'll be able to eat, sleep, breathe, and cuddle with my baby again. No more fevers and chills. No more fire-filled nursings. No more gasps of pain. No more headaches and nausea.

Oh, I know you are hating my antibiotics today, but I am not. No sir. Today my antibiotics are my valentine.

Without any love,
A Tortured Mother

PS: Happy V-day everyone.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

So in case you missed the buzz, the Midwest has been in the negative temperatures for much of the month of January and now February. And what do you do when it's too cold to go outside?

You work in the house! Here are the projects that have kept us busy...

Master Bath
We've been needing a master bath remodel for some time, so we tackled this project over the long Martin Luther King, Jr weekend. First we removed the giant mirror and hung two smaller mirrors, with one over each sink (Home Depot: $60 each).

Then we removed the strip of lighting over the mirror. Ryan crawled around up in the attic to move the electrical to hang these three beautiful pendant lights (Menard's: $15 each).

We also sanded, stripped and stained the vanity cupboards to match our bedroom furniture and the espresso mirrors (multiple products at Home Depot: about $50).

Last but not least, we painted the walls the same sea-foam green color as our bedroom (Home Depot: $25). I also found this cheap piece of artwork for over the toilet at Big Lots ($10).

Ta-da! New bathroom.

Laundry Room
Our laundry room needed a coat of paint too. It's been just primed (and therefore unwashable) for 10 years, and you can only imagine the filth. It's nothing fancy, but oh so much better.

It's the same light gray as our kitchen. It looks nice all fresh and clean.

Kids' Bathroom
This project shouldn't be posted here, but it's another remodel we've tackled relatively lately. The day before I had Ethan, Ryan and his mom repainted our kids' bathroom. It was also just primed, and the dirty handprints and bright blue toothpaste smudges were driving me crazy. Now it's a fresh pale yellow.

 The accents in there are now gray. All the towels are from Target ($7 each).

Part of this remodel was buying a new toilet (Home Depot: $200) and putting the old one in the basement for guests. See why were able to enlist Nana's help? :-)

I spent way too much online on this gray chevron shower curtain, but I love it (West Elm: $60).

And that's how we've spent our time with no yard work keeping us busy. We can always find another project to tackle!

3 months with 3 kids

So it's been three months now - three months with three kids. First, I'll post a little about Ethan, then I'll write a little bit about what it has been like around here.

ETHAN

First, a little bit about my 3-month old Ethan. Ethan is super smiley and fun to be around from 8am - 7pm. He loves his brothers and watches them like a hawk as they run and play. He loves to smile, and he is super chunky (12 lbs, 6 oz at 2 1/2 months). He nurses every three hours for about 15 minutes in all. He likes to see what's going on, and he is discovering his voice. I love baby cooing. Adorable.

But any time the sun is down, he's our little Gremlin. I picked up a prescription for acid reflux tonight for him. It is supposed to take at least three days before we'll notice any change, if at all. I certainly have my fingers crossed.

Ethan still sleeps exclusively in his car seat or a swing. After the Zantac starts working, we are supposed to start experimenting with back-sleeping. In the past, he's choked and spit up every time he's been on his back. Maybe he'll sleep in his crib some day!

The last two nights he has gone to bed at 8pm, so I am hoping that's a new routine. On the other hand, it's been more than a week since he has slept peacefully. He woke up four times last night alone: 10, 11, 2:30 and 4:30. At ten and eleven, I waited about 15 minutes into his shrieking, and then I went in and held him and rocked him. At 2:30 I listened to his shrieking for almost an hour, and then sent Ryan to hold and rock him. At 4:30 I nursed him, but he was barely hungry and just nibbled for 3 minutes per side and went back to sleep. FRUSTRATING!

Before this past week, he actually went six days IN A ROW of sleeping 9:30-6:30. It was wonderful but short-lived. Now I can't get him to sleep more than a few hours without shrieking! The doctor and I have a few ideas: colic, gas, teething, acid reflux. We already medicate for gas (simethicone with each feeding), and in three days he'll be fully medicated for acid reflux. Colic, unfortunately, just sucks. When Ryan and I really get at wits end, we give him Tylenol hoping its teeth. Who knows. Here's to some rest for him... and his momma.

Ethan doesn't take a pacifier. Two weeks ago he also stared protesting a bottle. We're on our fourth brand of pacifier and our second type of bottle. It is super frustrating when he gags and/or kicks it back out with his tongue. When he gets tired or fussy, I just have to let him scream/cry. There's no way to "plug him."

THE REST OF US

As for me, I'm tired almost always. I lose my temper, especially with Brennan. The hardest part for me about having this baby is that we have a schedule that he has to adhere to. When Collin and Brennan were each born, we could cancel everything (story time, playgroup, lunch bunch) until I felt like going and like I had things under control. If I needed to go to the store, I just had to get there at some point on a given day. Now with Collin and Brennan being in school, we have to be certain places at certain times each day. It is stressful to have Ethan always nursed, napped and happy. Very often he is screaming in the preschool hallways. The schedule is definitely more hectic this time around.

As far as Ryan, he's ready to have his wife back. I have now been MIA for a full year. I got hives at the end of January 2013, followed by horrible morning sickness, then terrible pregnancy exhaustion, and now newborn exhaustion currently. Do you blame him for being frustrated?

Of course, I'm ready to be me again too. I am trying like heck to lose this baby weight. So far, I'm down 25 pounds since delivery, but these last 15 pounds haven't budged in a month. I'm tired of being hungry all the time, and it is really hard to work in 30 minutes on the elliptical each day. I am only successful about 4 days per week. I am also tired of being tired, but I'm also tired of napping my life away. Unfortunately, a tired and hungry mom doesn't equate to a very patient, loving mom.

Collin and Brennan are super great brothers. They don't want to hold the baby or anything like that, but they will make silly faces and talk to him to cheer him up. They like to introduce him to people, and they are kind and gentle with him. Brennan loves to kiss the top of his head and pet him. Collin is always willingly to rock his car seat carrier if he's screaming in public. They are good little helpers, and I really mean that.

AND THAT'S A WRAP

How's that for a run-down? We are doing pretty well. I have had a TON of help from neighbors and friends. I also have had Ryan and his parents around a good bit of time too. Having lived here almost six years has really come in handy. We love the people we have come to be surrounded by here in Peoria. We are constantly impressed by the Christ-like service from members and non-members alike. The Midwest is definitely where it's at.

Happy Birthday, B!

Our little Brennan turned three today!

 

Brennan picked going to the Caterpillar Visitor's Center for his birthday activity, so we started the day by opening a present with construction worker clothes. Each big boy got a hard hat and work vest.

Here's Collin modeling the get-up. Brennan adamantly refused to put anything on.

When we arrived, we managed to coax one photo out of B wearing his hard hat.

They both got right to work. Here's Collin. He looked super adorable in his costume.

 Lots of other visitors commented on how prepared he was for his day of work.

 

Nana and Papa were able to be here to celebrate with Brennan. (B's birthday is one of the reasons we did Ethan's blessing yesterday.)

Each time Brennan wanted a fruit snack, we made him get dressed for a photo. One fruit snack...

 Another fruit snack...

and this photo cost us two fruit snacks because he put on his hat AND his vest.

 Of course, there's no way he'd give us a smile for any number of snacks!

When they were done being workers, we headed to lunch. B picked going to Wendy's. After nuggets and fries, he got his very own Frosty, which thrilled him.

Before naps, he got to open his present from Nana & Papa. It is one of those pillow pets (a monkey) with the starry-night lights on top. He LOVES it.

After naps, we enjoyed the cake he picked out himself.

Side Story: Last Sunday I got stuck going to church on a snow-covered hill. A pickup truck had to tow us up the hill. Ever since then, the big boys have been playing various games with towing: laundry baskets and bungee cords, excavator booms and dump trucks, etc. Brenn picked this cake because Elmo is being towed by Big Bird, just like Mom.

His final gift of the day was a Caterpillar cement truck. It drives by itself forward and in reverse, spins and talks. They have a real one at the visitor's center, and he loves it.

 

Now a little bit about Brennan on his third birthday...

Mr. Duck

Brennan is very confident. For example, first thing in the morning his overnight diaper is very full. Some mornings he removes his jammie pants and waddles around the house. His super-full diaper swings back and forth as he stands tall and saunters across the floor. He definitely knows who runs his show!

Mr. Copy-Cat

Everything Collin wants, Brennan wants. Everything Collin does, Brennan does... except for in matters of cleaning and pottying, unfortunately. I think it's probably just part of looking up to his big brother, and I figure he'll outgrow it at some point, but he really has very little personal creativity when it comes to playing. He just follows Collin's lead a lot. He has no idea what to do when he wakes up from his nap before Coll gets home from school. It'll be interesting to see how C's full-day kindergarten in the fall affects his personality. I am excited to see who he really is.

 

Mr. Coordinated

Brennan may be our athlete. He is runs, kicks, throws, climbs, catches and jumps quite well. I hope to get him into soccer this coming spring/summer. He loves to move and be active.

 

Sweat doesn't seem to bother him at all, especially if he gets a popsicle out of it. He doesn't seem to be a fan of cold though. He hasn't played in the snow at all this winter. He just stays inside with Mom.

Mr. Performer

Brennan loves to get others to laugh. He loves to be silly. He loves to "tell jokes." Every joke is a "knock-knock joke," but most start with a question. He also likes to dance and sing. His singing is often just humming. He also likes to play musical instruments.

Last week Collin had a friend over to play one morning. It was cleaning day, so I had out a sensory box for them to play with full of rice and stars, bells, beads, cups and spoons. I expected a minor mess. I was cleaning in the bathroom when Collin called, "B is dumping rice on the floor!" I finished the toilet scrubbing, and when I rounded the corner to come out to the kitchen, Brennan was taking scoop after scoop out of the tub and dumping it on the floor! He was really enjoying being naughty in front of company. Sigh.

Mr. Stubborn

Brenn doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do. He decided one day he didn't like milk, and he hasn't had a sip since. He does not help with chores around the house, unless he's threatened with time-out. He will not practice his letters, and he will not work with me on anything (like singing his ABCs). When we go to the library, he picks a big stack of books, but when he get home, he wants us to read the same book over and over again... until I return it to the library and he latches onto another. Everything has to be his own idea. If it makes Mom happy, he wants nothing to do with it. Ahh!

 

Mr. Social



B loves preschool, which he attends on Monday mornings at friends' homes. He seems to be much better behaved on the days he goes to school. We think he thrives on being surrounded with people and new activities. I plan to enroll him in a preschool program next year that meets three mornings per week. I hope he (and I!) will be much happier. I have received many compliments on his cute conversations from the leaders in nursery and from the other preschool moms. He seems to be a wonderful little guy; he just likes to keep that part of himself hidden from me.

Mr. Mischievous

Brennan chooses to be naughty a lot. When I ask him why he did something bad, he answers with a perfected the shoulder shrug. Either he hasn't yet figured out how choices lead to consequences, or my consequences aren't nearly severe enough. He loves to annoy Collin, which isn't hard to do, by not obeying "the rules" of whatever pretend play they are doing.

Love you, B-B! Happy birthday!

Now that you know a bit about Brennan's interesting (and dare I say, difficult) personality, does anyone have a book recommendation for me? I feel like I need to read something to better understand him, but I have no idea where to start. I love him so much, but days can be really hard when everything is a fight. He and I are so different. I think Brennan will be my child who teaches me the most, so I better get started learning.

Ethan's Blessing

What a fun weekend! We blessed Ethan in church today. We had the pleasure of playing host to lots of family...

Uncle Jared & his friend Charlotte drove from Ohio on Friday evening.

Uncle Rob flew in from Arlington, Va late on Friday night.

Uncle Ron & Aunt Kristie and three of their kids (the ones not on missions right now) drove in from Iowa City too.

Nana & Papa came from Washington on Saturday afternoon.

Our neighbor Laura, our Peoria Grandma, was able to come too. Unfortunately, Jake (our Peoria Grandpa) had to work.

 

We had a wonderful time and already miss all the noise and laughter. Thank you for coming! We love you!

And not to be forgotten, we still definitely felt the absence of Grandpa & Grandma Morello (away serving a mission). We love you too!

Here are some nuclear family photos.

 

 

And one last photo, just to give you a good laugh.