Summer Time...And The Livin' is Easy

Or.... not so easy over here lately.
Things have been pretty darn crazy over here the last few weeks.
We closed on our old house and on our new house, and immediately got started getting it ready to move in.  We have been leasing back our old house so we have been able to stay put for an extra month and a half. Of course, we ran into some unexpected problems/costs that we did not anticipate, putting us a little but behind.  But we are down to 5 days and counting until move-in day....and not near ready!!! Blaine has been doing a lot of the work which means he has been at the house literally from 7am-10pm every day, leaving me as a single mom.  But honestly, we have been so incredibly busy, that it has really been OK.  I feel like between packing, standing around looking at the house wondering how the heck it will all get done, swim lessons, camp, play dates, trips to the pool, standing around feeling overwhelmed, and errands, every. single. minute. of. every. single. day has been jammed packed!

Day 1 of pulling up tile

Getting ready to pull up carpet and lay new floors!

Boys checking out their view from the top

 The fancy gold, jet tub (blah!)

 Breaking in the backyard

 Hardwoods being laid

We took Blaine lunch one day only to realize we had to lock the boys in our bathroom because the rest of the house was too dangerous.  That certainly did not stop them from having fun!

Thanks to my mom, she has been helping me by coming over on the weekends while I go run errands and run to the new house to drop stuff off.  She even came over one day so I could take the boys to Driftwood for a party.  A fireman that Blaine works with had just bought 200 acres about 5 minutes past The Salt Lick and had an End of Year Potluck out there on the property. 

 I had to get a shot of Eli going down this HUGE slide the first time, because I knew that it would be the only time he would go down once he realized how fast it was....and I was right. He was not happy when he flew up and landed in the pool of water at the end.

 Now, this is what I call a tree house!!!!

Even though we are not in the house yet, we have been taking full advantage of the neighborhood pool, which I must say is AMAZING.  I love summer days at the pool!

There is a new splash pad right next to the pool so we can go back and forth between the two.  Cash has no fear in there.

Eli started taking swim lessons there.  It started off a little shaky and just when I was about to stop the lessons, things turned around and he started doing amazing!!!  

Eli started his very first camp at The Nature Center, the Tadpole Experiment Extravaganza.

This is how I found him when I picked him up. You cant tell from the pictures, but he was a sweaty, dirty mess, who had a great time at camp!!!!

Although it seems so silly, I am so proud of him for enjoying camp.  Eli is a pretty shy kid, a little timid, gets a little nervous in big groups of kids and in places that are new. I held my breath every time I dropped him off at school the entire year because he would have rather stayed home, and the majority of the time I handed him off crying as he reached for me.  I was a little unsure how he would react to camp, but he was awesome!!! We had really been talking it up in the weeks leading up to it and I think it paid off. We even made a trip to The Nature Center last week so I could show him where his camp would be.

I am kind of obsessed with this camp, and want to sign him and Owen up already for next summer. Eli has learned so much, their days are jam packed with really fun outdoor activities. He is a mess every day I have picked him up, which is what camp is all about!!! Owen is sad he can not go this year, but I have tried to make our morning together as much fun as I can in-between Cash's nap and my mad scramble to get things done while I only have two kids (which somehow seems mountains easier than three kids).  Eli comes home talking about all the really neat things they did...go on hikes with binoculars they made, do tons of science experiments, go to the planetarium, visit the animals and have "visitors" to their room like a snake and giant tortoise, they have science specialists that come in to teach the kids, learn about sound and movement and different insects. I just love it.  Had I known, I would have signed him up for more than one session!

I was able to get out for a fun evening of running and margaritas last week. I did not realize how desperate I needed to get out until I found myself double fisting margaritas and downing them faster than I knew I could.  Melanie and I did the Moonlight Margarita Run benefiting The Trail Foundation.  There was a gala after the run, and my friend Katie bought a table and invited us to sit with her.  Rachel came over to watch the boys before I headed out but before I left, Cash and I sat outside while he enjoyed a frozen banana, his new favorite treat. We are in the middle of the never ending teething phase so it must feel good on those gums...that by the way still have no teeth! Those two bottom ones have been desperately trying to push through forever! I think he is too busy growing his hair that he has no time to grow teeth!

Cash is totally on the move. He went from four steps in a row, to walking the entire distance of the house within a few days.  It is quite funny to see this little, chunky baby walking around.  He will pick up big trucks and toys that are as big as he is and carry them around. I guess he knows he needs to get fast and strong quickly to keep up with his brothers.  

He has started throwing fits when he wants something or someone takes something away from him.  But he has also become way more independent so I can put him down and he finds plenty of things to play with and does not need me to constantly entertain him or be next to him.

And if I am really desperate, all I have to do is put him in the highchair with a snack and he is totally occupied!

Well, I'm off to pack some more....and have a panic attack about all that needs to be done in the next 5 days.

Cash's First Steps

Day 1

Day 2