Update before Christmas

It has been insane around here lately. Dan and I are trying to get our stuff together and over to Dad's before his folks get into town for the holiday. But that's not going so well. I'd say that about 60% of the packing is done, but I still have to reorganize the storage unit, move Nana's stuff back into the condo, finish packing, finish my holiday crafty projects, and continue to care for my small child.

**Update, I wrote that first paragraph, then I was sent to bed by Dan because like and idiot I was still up at 3:30am, Saturday. Not that it did a whole lot of good, I just got off the computer and kept boxing stuff till almost 5.

Today we did an insane amount of moving. We dropped off a couple things at Suzanne's place, then got most of our bedroom furniture, all of our clothes and almost the entire kitchen moved over. Pretty much all that's left over here is the computer, and some various little odds and ends. Actually I had to dig though boxes and a suitcase right before we left Dad's place because I realized that we had no church clothes over here, and we also moved all of Nathan's stuff, including diapers and wipes! Major shout out to my aunt Patty, I don't know how much we would have gotten done without you, your CRV and your dolly.

So, I'm feeling much better about the move, but most of my crafty projects won't be done till after Christmas. But that's ok, because I'll just enlist the help of Sara and Mom. Muah ha ha...(evil laugh) that was really my master plan all along! Just kidding.

Oh, and another update that most people haven't heard about yet is my current state of employment. I got released to work by my ob, and by the Dr. that diagnosed me with the tendinitis, I spent all day getting the forms filled out, Dr's signatures, etc. Then, when I went into my meeting with the HR people, I ended up turning in my badge. Don't get me wrong, Pepsi was a great company to work for, and I've got a lot more positive to say about them than negative, but I just really would rather stay here at home with my little man. I don't want a repeat of the situation with Devon where I was really hard core, and never had any time to spend with my family. Dan was happy to hear about my decision because he's been wanting me to be able to take care of Nate, but he left the choice up to me. This does put a bit of strain on us for now, but long term it will be a lot better. I've decided to get back into school, so I'm signing up for a couple of online courses next semester. With any luck in just 18 short years I'll actually finish! Just kidding, but seriously, with the class load and schedule I've tentatively mapped out I'm looking at 6 years, minimum... :( But after that I'll have an actual career and won't have to work 14 hour days in a warehouse, and I could go faster, but I really do want to take it easy and have time to spend with the family. After all, families are forever, but jobs come and go.

On a more fun note, on Tuesday night, we all went over to Dad's to decorate the Christmas tree, and drink hot chocolate and apple cider. It was a blast! But the dog has already knocked off about half a dozen ornaments. Nate and Lilly like looking at the pretty lights. Nate likes that almost as much as he likes ceiling fans. And they are both getting so so big. I can't even imagine how much Madi has grown. And I seriously cannot wait to see everyone for Christmas. The Lines's fly in on Christmas day, but the Anderson's won't get here till the Saturday after. Oh well, as long as they're here for the baby blessing, I'll be stoked. Speaking of which, I send texts, and as I uncover more phone numbers I'll try to call and make sure everyone knows, but we're blessing Nate on the 28th at 1pm in the Keating building. Spread the news.

Nathan had his 2 month check up on Friday and he has continued in his trend of growing like a weed. He weighed in at an impressive 13.4lbs, and measured 24.5 inches! Such a big boy. He seemed to enjoy the exam, he kept smiling and cooing at the doctor, but he wasn't so thrilled with the nurse. My poor baby got his shots. And he was not a happy camper. Luckily he bounced back pretty quickly and by the time we were headed out the door, he was dozing happily.

Well, I think that pretty much catches everyone up on what we've been doing the past week or so; it's been insane. But, with much effort on my part, I believe I've handled it well. Usually in stressful situations I kinda snap and my poor husband bears the brunt of it. He made me promise that I would make an effort to stay calm and pleasant during the move, and I have been trying my hardest. I will admit that I was snappy last night and I did make some pretty snarky comments that I regret. But all in all, I think the worst I got on the evil, mean,monster, troll scale was probably about a 4.....which is awesome considering moves alone usually get me to an 8(we did 2 in a week! Ryan, then ourselves), and unfinished crafts approaching the deadline are about a 6, and having people seeing my home in a state of disarray causes a 4-5 (and we've had 3 non-family people over in as many days), not to mention that I had to get rid of both kittys. I would have expected a total system melt down by now. Just goes to show, the power of prayer! :)