Lost in the Move

The only thing lost in our big move from Northridge to Colorado Springs was my spark of creativity that motivates me to take pictures and then blog stories about them. I've been completely unmotivated to do this. Downloading our pics from our camera to the computer has helped a bit, but I'm not in a story writing mood so we'll see how this turns out. I'm hoping I get the spark back soon, we'll have to wait and see! Here's what's been going on this past month:

Mother's Day

As part of my mother's day gift, Marc whisked Carter away on his first whirlwind father/son campout. They car pooled with Carter's friend Logan and his dad and took off around dinner time. The second they were out the door I was off to the nail salon to meet my friend and get a relaxing pedicure. I had Anderson with me and Julie had her little guy Reid, but they were very well behaved little boys and allowed us a little mother's day pampering. Afterward, I went home and put Anderson to bed and turned on the TV. I had planned on watching a chick flic but ended up watching some season finales while embarrassingly eating way too many peanut butter m&ms. It is certainly a good thing Marc doesn't leave me home alone too often, the consequences of that are too frightening to think about! The next morning I was off again for a little more pampering--an eyebrow wax. I love mother's day! Carter and Marc got home not too long after I was done and Carter had soo much fun camping. They got to the campground, pitched their tent, ate lots of smores and hung out with all their friends until really late. The boys were exhausted enough that sharing a tent wasn't an issue. The three year olds zonked out cold. After eating a quick breakfast they packed up and came home. I sure wasn't kidding when I said it was a whirlwind camping trip, but they had a lot of fun so I'm sure we'll do some sort of camping this summer.

One Last Time at the Beach

It's the first time I've looked at these pictures and they make me a little homesick for California. We had a great time going to the beach with friends a week before we left. Carter, Derek and Faith with a little help from Marc dug a pretty big hole in the sand and built a few castles while the moms and babies gabbed and vegged. We threw and kicked the beach ball around and saw a few dolphins and even a seal. It was a perfectly exhausting day, just like all beach days!

The Move

As much preparation and thought as we put into the move prior to the day's arrival, it was still extremely stressful. We had so much help Tuesday night emptying our apartment full of boxes into the big truck, but the next day Marc and his dad spent hours making sure it all fit into our allotted 10 foot portion. (We used ABF--a company that drives the trailer for you and you pay per cubic foot) At one point Marc told me we might not be able to take our rocking chair he so carefully finished for me when we were expecting Carter. I told him that simply wasn't an option. Many hours after expected, they finally finished with only one large box left out that we ended up shipping through the mail. Of course I wasn't very happy since that time had cut into my cleaning time. With two boys and no toys cleaning was impossible. I had to be their entertainment. We ended up relaxing that evening with friends eating and watching American Idol's finale. We went to bed late and woke up early Thursday to give the apartment a disappointingly quick wipe down before checking out. I feel sorry for the new tenants, but really it turned out to be slightly out of my control. After a few quick errands we were on our way to our first pit stop--Vegas. Good-bye Village Apt E6!

Carter's Real Birthday

We spent Friday May 25th in Vegas. It was Carter's birthday and interestingly enough we were in Vegas last year for his birthday, too! When Carter first woke up we let him open his first present--the one he'd been begging for for weeks. His three pack of cars--Boost, Wingo and Snotrod. Wow was he thrilled. He proceeded to chip the paint on them immediately (something only I would notice because of my compulsion to keep all things nice, clean, and new!) by racing them down a ramp made from a coffee table and a section of spare wood flooring my aunt had lying around. Once showered and ready we took a trip to Target so my aunt could do a little spoiling. She bought him Red and Stanley and Lizzie--more Cars!--and some books that he opened later that night before dinner. We then left Anderson napping with Aunt Marilee while we took Carter to see the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay (okay, my memory is already gone, I think that's where it was!). Marc was in charge of the camera and none of the three pictures he took turned out so we don't have any of this event, but it was certainly fun to watch the big fish, sharks, and turtles. Carter got a little freaked out at some points, but over all I think he enjoyed it. We went back to the house and had one of the best BBQs I've ever eaten and we all ate so so much since it was so so good! We also had ice cream for Carter's birthday. Saturday was the day of the big drive. Marc was kind enough to find a $60 dollar deal on a flight from Vegas to Denver so he flew Anderson and me to Colorado while he and Carter made the long drive in one day. Thanks to the DVD player and Carter's new movie Monsters Inc, Carter was an angel. He watched that movie alone 4 times plus a ton of other ones, too. What on earth did parents do before portable DVDs in the day and age of carseats? My parents (who live in Colorado Springs for those who don't know that) were thrilled to have the boys finally here!!! Sunday night we celebrated Carter's birthday again with more cars--this time Purple and Yellow Ramone, Flo, and DJ--plus some games, books and a fantastic letter game from Grandma and Grandpa Phillips. Since we're not big cake eaters here, I dipped cones in chocolate and sprinkles and we had birthday ice cream cones. Carter loved it and has been on an ice cream kick ever since.

We had to wait a few days to move into our new place and after a few minor delays and issues we moved in on the 31st. We got unpacked within a few days and are feeling somewhat settled now. Marc started his internship last week and is carrying his own patient load. One perk--we splurged and got Comcast so among other really great things I get to catch a Gilmore Girls rerun every afternoon at 3:00--which is right now so until next time when my creative story telling juices are flowing. . .