Sleeping Beauties

And the Search Goes On...

Jared and I are in the process of looking for a new childcare situation for the boys. Their current care provider is having another baby next month and only wants to work part-time in the fall. So, Jared and I have been talking with and visiting potential care providers this week. It's such a struggle! We are so spoiled by our current situation with Julie - not only is she wonderful with the boys and affordable, but she also lives only a block away!

Last week, we visited an in-home provider, and it was bad from the beginning. As we were driving up to the house, Jared said, "is it the house with the creepy looking guy on the porch?" Sure enough, it was. After being kind and talking with the people, we got back in the car and immediately agreed to cross the place off the list. Jared said, "the house was dingy, the toys were dingy, and she was dingy." Then, Jared told me the husband's nickname is "Scary Gary" (he does production of haunted houses). Scary Gary is the creepy guy that was on the porch. So, needless to say that is out.

On the other hand, we visted a pretty good one later in the week. It's an actual center with various classrooms and many kids. One of the things we liked best was the diversity of the kids that were there. Until then, we didn't realize that we were looking for diversity when choosing a place. But, now, it's high on our list.

This week, we met Latoya who provides care out of her home. Great place, clean, structured, no tv time, affordable, etc. But, the lady was kind of odd - she didn't speak except to answer our questions - which she answered with one or two words or an "Mhmmm." Thinking she was just nervous, I kept trying to break the ice with funny ancedotes about the boys. But, to no avail. So, that one's out too.

I'm wondering why we're having such a hard time this time. I think it's because we are spoiled by our current care provider. She's wonderful, affordable, and so close to our house. Our expectations are very high!

If you're reading this and know someone who's looking for a job in August, let us know!!!

My First 5K!

On Saturday morning, I ran my first official 5K race. I started training months ago with the Couch to 5K app on my phone. Back then, I could barely run two minutes at a time. But, Saturday, I ran the full 35 minutes and 34 seconds it took me to finish. Not only that, but it was raining the whole time!

I am very proud of myself for setting this goal and working so hard to achieve it. In the process, I've lost over 20 pounds - woo hoo! Thank you to my friends for inspiring me and supporting me in reaching my goal.

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a lovely Mother's Day weekend. Saturday was spent with the Cline side of the family at Noah's first t-ball game followed by lunch/play time at Jon and Sarah's. Noah's game was quite entertaining to say the least! It was a beautiful day outside, so we spent the afternoon playing at Jon and Sarah's house.

Here are the boys driving Noah's car.

Feeding the fish in the pond


Sage making mudpies. This was a huge hit!


Sunday, we had breakfast with Jared's Mom along with Justin and mommy-to-be, Cora. We also spent time at the park.
Here's Sage with some flowers he picked for Momma.

Welcome to the club

Another one of my dearest and long time friends had a baby - a few hours ago actually. Jen had been in labor for many hours - since sometime Thursday and it's now Saturday. Yesterday, I told her that I remember labor being a lot like an endurance challenge on the television show "Survivor." Only the prize she was waiting for is a lot better than a million dollars! So, congratulations to Jen and Andy and baby boy Evan! There were many people praying for you and who are now so thrilled that Evan is finally here (8 days after his due date).

Motherhood is life's sweetest gift and I feel overjoyed when one of my friends tells me she is pregnant or has a new baby. It reminds me all over again of my experiences with Sage and Kai and makes me cherish them even more. I cherish their sweet little faces, their infectious little laughs, and even their attempts to be mad and throw tantrums. I cherish the moments when they are wild and crazy and also when they fall asleep in my arms. I cherish the moment each of them were born and every moment since (except the moments I have to spend away from them). I simply love being their mom!

Motherhood is life's sweetest gift and I welcome you to the club, Jen. May today be the first of a lifetime of cherishable moments. And, to all of you in the motherhood club - Happy Mother's Day!

"Those" People

We are officially "those" people. Years ago when Jared and I were newlyweds and living in Fort Hood, we spent many evenings eating out at neighborhood restaurants. We always enjoyed ourselves except for when we were stuck sitting next to a family with noisy, rowdy, seemingly uncontrollable children. We wondered why "those" people couldn't control their kids or why "those" people even took kids out to eat at sit down restaurants in the first place. Well, that was easy for us to say not having kids of our own yet.

Now, it's a different story because we are "those" people. Jared and I took the boys to Applebees tonight and within five minutes, we wondered what made us think it would be doable and maybe even fun. Sage and Kai were noisy, rowdy, and probably seemed uncontrollable. Let's just admit it- they were out of control! Sage was standing on the seat, crawling under the table, and making a huge mess! Kai was screaming, throwing things, and making an even bigger mess! Jared and I ate fast, squeezed in a few sentences about our days, and then asked for the check and to-go box (which Jared left sitting on the table when we left).

So, I apologize to those that were near us at Applebees tonight for being those people. We won't eagerly take the boys out to eat again for a loooooong time!