See Jack {late June 2013}

This is an ongoing series of videos that I am sharing so that our extended family can keep up with how Jack is growing and changing in these early years.

See Jack stomp in puddles in the driveway. He loves to do this.

{late June}


See Jack's reaction to getting rained on.
{late June}


See Jack try to open the front door. He always wants to go outside.
{late June}


See Jack take his first steps down the stairs with no hands! 
Well, he does at the end, anyway. This guy is not a fan of doing things on command :)
He is really good at it now, and can do both steps without holding the wall.
{late June}

Travel Status (aka our temporary lives as wanderers/gypsies)

We're back to being gypsies again. A different home every week. Suffice it to say, our lives are not normal right now. I thought I would share a peak at what our week currently looks like while Daniel is on travel status for work (this is so that I can look back and remember how crazy this is as well as for anyone who is interested or has asked for more details).

Sunday 

Morning: Get up and drive 50 minutes southwest to attend church in Huntsville, AL.

Lunch: Grab a bite with friends then head home to pack. Jack typically sleeps on the drive home.

Afternoon: Pack and load the cars – if we're lucky, Jack will continue to nap when we get home. This process seems to take about 1.5 hours and involves a master list that I update weekly. The list includes information like what food items we have on hand that need to be taken with us. We pack one large rubbermaid with pantry stuff and 2 small coolers with anything that needs to be refrigerated. This saves us from having to throw away food on a weekly basis.

Late Afternoon: Drive 60+ minutes northeast to whatever location we are staying at in the Chattanooga, TN area. Unload our cars, unpack as much as we can and then head out for dinner.

Dinner: Eat at a local restaurant or meet up with friends or family as we are too tired from traveling to try to cook.

Monday-Wednesday

Daniel gets up early to drive an hour to Watts Bar for work. Jack and I try to adjust to being on Eastern time (thankfully Jack sleeps in).

Monday is my grocery day and I get any food items we didn't have at home (and anything we might have forgotten).

During the week, Jack and I do various activities in the Chattanooga area (and the occasional playdate) and I also try to squeeze in a couple of workouts at a local YMCA.

At least one evening during the week, we try to do one fun thing as a family (typically a hike/trail run or a last minute to run to Dairy Queen).

Bedtime for Jack is at 8:30 Eastern (we had to move his Central bedtime back to 7:30 because having a toddler staying awake until 9:30 was not working for our family).

Wednesday Night

Daniel and I pack as much as we can after Jack goes to bed.

Thursday

Morning: Daniel leaves early for work and when Jack and I get up, we have breakfast and then I pack up everything that didn't get packed the night before. I let Jack play in the car while I load everything. I do a final walk through in the house (the first week, I forgot a cooler that was in the freezer!). Then we head home.

Afternoon: Jack and I get home around lunch. I unload the car and start doing laundry. If I'm lucky Jack will go down for a nap and I can try to unwind before Daniel gets home. 

Night: If we aren't too exhausted and it is a Life Group week, we try to make it down to Huntsville to spend time with our small group. Otherwise, we eat out and maybe grab groceries for the weekend.

Friday-Saturday

We try to do something fun as a family (typically a bike ride or hike). We also do any chores or house maintenance that need to be done (like mow the yard).

I spend some time planning the menu for the upcoming week and adjusting my master list to include pantry or refrigerated items that we have on hand.

Sunday - REPEAT the above 

This lovely lifestyle is working for us right now. It isn't always fun, but it allows us to be together as a family.

Thursday Things {Random, August 2013)

1. This marks six weeks of Daniel working in his new location, two hours away from our home.

2. We could potentially be living like this (at a different place every week and at home every weekend) until December. Yikes!

3. Someone has already asked us if we have considered living in a camper again.

4. This is the first full week that Jack, Sophie and I stayed home. We have been trying to travel with Daniel (or visit family) but this week had some extra complications, so we stayed behind.

5. We are all missing Daniel. Everyday Jack asks for "Daddy" and Sophie whines at least twice. When the whining (dog) and crying (toddler) occur at the same time, it takes a serious toll on my patience.

6. I know Daniel is missing us too.

7. Since Daniel is away, I treated myself to takeout of Hibachi Chicken and Tempura Vegetables. I figured that I might as well do something that I enjoy (Daniel is not a fan of any kind of Asian cuisine).

8. Also, you know how cooking for two can be a challenge? Well cooking for just me and Jack is even harder.

9. I cleaned the house for the first time since our lives turned upside down. If you look at it from the perspective that we aren't actually here that often, it didn't need that much cleaning. However, toilets still get rings around them (even when they aren't being used) and somehow dog fur still accumulates everywhere.

10. Holding Pattern n. 1) A usually circular pattern flown by aircraft awaiting clearance to land at an airport; 2) A state of waiting or delay; a static situation; 3) a state of inaction with no progress and no change.

That pretty much sums up our lives right now. We have a lot of decisions that we need to make but it is kind of futile to make any until we are a little more certain about our future...

See Jack {early June 2013}

This is an ongoing series of videos that I am sharing so that our extended family can keep up with how Jack is growing and changing in these early years.

See Jack in his happy place: his daddy's car.

{early June}


See Jack play in the rain. One of his other favorite things to do.
{early June}


See Jack try on a suit jacket for his Grandpa Moore's wedding. 
He was not happy about not being able see his hands.
{early June}


See Jack play with his cousins and Uncle Mark in the castle 
for cousin Izzy's princess birthday party.
{early June}


See Jack have fun with his Nana.
Ride a little horsey, go to town. Ride a little horsey, don't fall down.
{early June}

Advice for Soon-to-Be Parents

Some good friends of ours are at the hospital today expecting their first baby. I am so excited for them and have been thinking about what kind of advice I would offer brand new parents.

Here are a few things we have learned over the last 21 months...
1. Nothing can prepare you for becoming a parent. On-the-job training is the only way to truly garner the right experience. Once your precious bundle arrives you will be thrown into the fires of parenthood and there is no turning back. You will learn as you go. In a year, you will be so shocked at how far you have come.

2. If you are ever unsure about a parenting decision, just think back to how you were raised. Your parents did a pretty good job (you're alive, right?), and they did it without all of the products we have access to today. If they could do it, so can you.

3. Those first few weeks are going to be tough. You will be running on very little sleep. It's going to get a little harry at times, but it will be ok.

4. Things that might have grossed you out before parenthood, well, they won't bother you so much any more. I'm not saying that changing diapers is pleasant, but you will soldier through the tough stuff because you love your child.

5. Nothing can really prepare you for the love that you will feel for this child. Daniel and I have both been shocked by how excited the little things our son does can make us. We want to get up and cheer for every little milestone. On the flip side, it hurts to watch him experience any kind of pain. That first fever. The crying that you can't figure out. It all makes you hurt for him. Having a child is truly like watching your heart walk around outside your body (paraphrase of Elizabeth Stone quote).

6. You will be anxious for your little one to learn how to do things. Each new thing is exciting: rolling over, crawling, standing, etc. But one day you will wake up and realize that you miss those moments of snuggling your newborn.

7. Never be afraid to do what you feel is best for your baby and your family. There are so many right ways to parent. The mommy wars are ridiculous and you shouldn't give into pressure to do something a certain way. What works best for some, may be a terrible solution for others. Go with your gut and do what you believe is best for your child and your family (after all it isn't just about the baby).

8. Once you feel comfortable getting out of the house, do it. Make an effort to go to church, or to the grocery store, or out for dinner as a family. You can only get good at those things by trying. You will probably have some moments of feeling overwhelmed but it's ok. Just get out there and try.

9. Don't be too afraid to let people interact with you and your baby. For instance, at the grocery store, we always interact with other shoppers (even when my son was little). I always say "hi" and smile and engage with people who show interest in my child. People love to see babies. I know not everyone will agree with me on this and you obviously need to keep your baby safe, but I really believe that it is good to engage with people around you.

10. Your life is going to change, no doubt about it, but it is ok to do things you did before you had a baby. If you work at it, your child can adapt to how you want to live your life – after all they have nothing to compare it to. 

This baby thing may take some time to adjust to, but you will get the hang of it. I promise.

Biking at Hays Nature Preserve and Playing at the Terrame Natural Playground

Back in May we experienced our return to biking at the Hays Nature Preserve. 

Since then, Jack and Daniel have been taking weekly bike rides at Goose Pond Colony (while I did my weekly kickboxing class). On occasion, I have been able to join them.

Today we went back to Hays Nature Preserve and explored some new dirt trails in addition to the paved greenways we rode on last time.

One of our trails took us to a Giant Tupelo Swamp. We didn't stay stopped for very long since the mosquitoes were thirsty.

Halfway through our ride, we stopped at the Terrame Natural Playground where we checked out features like teepees, a fort with a climbing wall, a music center and digging pits. 

The playground is made of all natural materials and in 2012, it became the first Arbor Day Foundation certified Nature Explore Classroom in Alabama. 

The temps during today's ride were perfect, and since we were moving most of the time, the humidity didn't really bother us (except for that stop at the playground).

After our time on the trail, we went to Chickfila for lunch. While we ate, we realized that the bottom had fallen out of the sky! I am so glad we weren't still on our bikes. I'm not sure what Jack would have thought about being caught in a rainstorm.

I am really grateful that we were able to spend some time together doing something that we all love. Especially since Daniel will be traveling for work for part of this week.

If you enjoy biking and live in the Hunstville area, we would definitely recommend checking out Hays Nature Preserve for biking (dirt or paved) and running. They also have trails for horseback riding if you happen to have horses. 

Today's ride was just under 9 miles, about a third of which was on dirt. 

Books I Read in July (#14)

So I didn't read a single book in June and barely squeezed in one book for the month of July. Reading when your life is somewhat upside down is tough.

Back in June, I started reading the book The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. It is the classic, swashbuckling story of a young man wishing to join the King's service as a musketeer. In this endeavor he becomes friends with the famed Three Musketeers. The book follows their adventures in love, conspiracy, war and finally justice.

I found the story to be slow moving at times – this may have more to do with the fact that it was originally written in French. Occasionally I felt a bit lost in what was happening, but overall it was a good story. The last third of the book held the most intrigue for me and I found myself unable to put it down at the end. Overall this is a good read and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.  

“All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall.” ― Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

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I am still reading The Story in conjunction with the congregation where I worship – I have completed the Old Testament and have really enjoyed this walk through the Bible.