Pack Out # 6!

The packers are coming tomorrow and I have the least amount done, ever. I usually get all worked up that I'm not organized enough but, this time, I could CARE LESS! After the second kid, I think you just start letting go of anything you think you have control over. This is a good thing!

I did manage to get my bedroom-sized closet cleaned out. Anything we're packing and don't want the movers to touch we're stuffing in there. It's werid to see bags of snacks, laundry detergent, toys and the portable DVD player in there but it's the safest place in the house. These packout guys can get pretty careless. When we moved from San Diego to Japan, someone packed the bathroom trash can...along with it's contents. Lovely.

We usually get the cream of the crop in the moving world. When our driver for the move from Land O' Lakes to San Diego showed up he was alone. Yes, alone to move large items. Even better is that he had been in a previous "altercation" with the guys that were packing. Something involving guns...

The packers for San Diego to Japan were pretty stellar, too. They were not only lazy, but careless. Until I offered booze that could not be shipped and they shaped up pretty quick. They were stinky and fought with eachother the ENTIRE time.

Japan was out of this world! The packers showed up and took their shoes off EVERY time they came in the house. Carrying a couch? Take your shoes off! They even wrapped cushions. Oh, they were so wonderful. The took ONE break, to scarf down lunch. That was it!

The move from Monterey was an interesting one, too. One of the packers was a "shim." Turner saw her/him for the first time and said "look, a girl" because he was in the identifying stage. Yeah, honey, Mommy doesn't know what that is. The male packers, without being prompted, told us that shim was a female. In fact, she was dating the secretary. Yeah, we didn't need to know that. They took breaks like CRAZY and fought the whole time. The mover showed up with two guys he just hired. They fought the whole time and were so slow that we didn't leave until 11 pm!

So far, so good today. You can never tell until you're unpacking on the other end...

It's Starting, Already!

Let me just say, I know I've been spoiled since returning from Japan in 2005. HOWEVER, it's never easy getting used to "ship" stuff again. John's class split up in to the "top sider/bottom sider" sections in December and ever since then I can't help but keep tabs. Our dining room window faces the street and starting around noon I see the other husbands start coming home. By 3, at the latest, most are parked in their designated spots. I still wait. By 4 Turner's ansy, by 5 I give up and put Ollie on in the Mei Tai so he'll sleep. I have to STOP. John being CHENG just means it's going to get worse, very soon. Gone are the days of ever counting on him to be home so I can make dinner. I have to suck it up and just be thankful for having him around for so long. (...deep breath in...)

With the orders modification, the ship he's going to is "in the yards" -meaning it's being overhauled (instead of being deployed very soon) . No water time for him. Just long work hours. I know he'll leave the house around 4 and possibly be home by 7ish. The "ish" meaning later.

I'm just so happy we'll be in Jacksonville, where I can count on getting out of the house every day! I think it will make a big difference -getting out to the park, going for walks and just not having to brave single digit temperatures!

The packers come Monday and Tuesday and I've got NOTHING done. I figure just survive and we'll figure it out on the other end!

Falling Short

It is really all I can do to keep up these days. I just feel like I'm in a hampster wheel running my ass off. In actuality, I can't even get out for a run...

Eli is such a sweet boy, but, man, he is non-stop. He has always had a strong personality but now he's starting to show (well, since 5 1/2 months) how quickly his motor skills are developing. He hits milestone after milestone. Just when I think "he HAS to have this week off from something" -he gets more teeth, or learns to clap. I have to change his diaper with his head/upper body between my legs just to get the dang diaper on half straight. He's very manipulative, and I fall for it. We've given up any hope for getting him to sleep on his own at any point right now. We've decided to wait until we get to Jacksonville to introduce him to Turner's crib. I need him to sleep for a few hours on his own. I'm going crazy.

Turner's starting to speak in sentences and I adore it! I love everything about the things he says. This morning, he had a motorcycle in one hand and half a banana in the other and says to me "Mommy! Which hand? The motorcycle or the banana?" It was so cute. Any time the camera is out he says "Mommy! Take a picture of me" and then makes the weirdest "cheese" face. It's hilarious.

The movers are coming the 9-11th and John graduates on the 12th. I'll be happy when this 3 years of schooling are finally over! When work is over, it's OVER! No more studying!! It's so hard when Turner's begging for Daddy to play but Daddy's working on flash cards.

I've been avoiding the gym with the excuse of not wanting the kids to get sick. EVERY time I go, someone gets a cold. I just can't deal with it right now and would rather deal with a giggly butt!

I guess when all's said and done and the boys are old enough to remember, they'll know their mamma played with them all day. Even if that meant the dishwasher never got unloaded and all the clean clothes are in a pile on the floor...