The Help

One of the first things we did after deciding to move back to Arkansas was to get rid of Elvis. 



WHAT!?!?

Gotcha! 
About a week before the house was to be listed, we sent Elvis to stay with my parents. We thought it would be less stressful on him than if he stayed running up and down the stairs whenever there was a showing and then getting worried (read: bark non-stop) when the movers show up and start taking all of our things, etc. So he has been living it up in Arkansas, enjoying my parent's one-story, their dog Izzy and of course getting slightly spoiled. 
That being said, I had no idea how spoiled WE were with Elvis around. Of course we miss his furry face, companionship, opinionated grumblings and sassy personality. I also miss how scary his bark is when someone comes to the door (of course, once said stranger actually laid eyes on Elvis all fear would vanish but first impressions are important). But what we miss most about Elvis is how helpful he was - always picking up after the boys. 
That dog cleaned up every pea, every Cheerio, every piece of rice, every crumb that ever fell to the kitchen floor.
No matter the meal, Elvis took care of it. 
Since he has been staying with my parents, we have had to sweep every night, vacuum daily and scoop out Eli's high chair after every meal. And I find we end up throwing out these tiny after-meal schnibbles that I just know Elvis would be thrilled about - the crust of a sandwich, the very end of a banana, the over-zapped edge of cheese from the lasagna, the last of an old hamburger, a few questionable carrots at the bottom of the bag. In fact, I know Elvis' mouth is watering right this very minute while he reads this. 
He will be heartbroken to know he missed Eli's yogurt-covered face, the flakes of Pringle dust that sprinkled to the floor and the old bagel I just found in the back of the bread drawer. 
How do people live without a dog? 
It got so messy after one night that consisted of a white rice dinner, that we stumbled upon a genius idea! We started thinking about neighbor dogs that maybe we could borrow for after-supper clean up. Surely another dog would love to clean up this tasty treat! People should loan out their dogs for quick, on-the-go once overs when you just don't have the energy to do the kitchen floor justice. 
We texted the next door neighbor about borrowing his bull dog, Mo.
 Could we borrow your dog to come take care of a rice mishap, our lazy selves texted. 
Of course! our neighbor said. And within minutes Mo was led to our kitchen floor where he promptly turned up his nose (which is hard to do for a bulldog) and merely spread around a few stray pieces of rice before snorting at us in disgust. 
As if to say "Rice? You brought me over for rice?"
What!?!
Oh Elvis, how we miss you so.
Also? Damn, we are messy. 

Without Warning

And suddenly Eli is a toddler. He is running around asking to go outside, getting ridiculously excited about eating bananas, throwing balls and sitting in my lap for a good read. He repeats everything you say, like a tiny parrot. At 25 pounds and with a mouth full of giant molars, he is officially a toddler. He is an excellent mimic. He almost immediately recreates any sound he hears, including the yodeling ring tone my dad plays for him. His tiny "hee-hoo" at the end of the yodel is heart-breakingly precious.
From cartwheels to head stands to big jumps, he tries to repeat everything Jackson does. He loves any musical note that floats by and when you hand him his lovey he squeals with joy while giving it a good squeeze.
He is getting good at drinking from a cup. He loves to color. He tries so very hard to put on his shirts and like his big brother, he is incredibly ticklish. He finds joy in everything. In fact, tonight when I put a dab of salad dressing next to his peas he nearly squealed himself into a tizzy. I just wanted to scoop him up.
His happiness makes him all the more delicious.

WPS

I have been so neglectful. I have neglected this blog. I have neglected to keep up with Eli's developments and Jackson's achievements. I have neglected to mention our life changing events. Where to begin?

How about where we left off? Around Christmas? Sounds good.

I work in a department of only three people. In December, my coworker decided to leave for another job. This caused me a ridiculous amount of stress at work - cue the shingles. So I was pleased when my director hired a replacement and the training began in January. 

While things were still fast-paced and high-stress at work, the replacement was a hard worker and was catching on quickly. 

One afternoon my director stood in my office doorway and mentioned that a contact wanted to suggest me for a job in Little Rock and would I be interested in such a position. Of course I would! Eric and I have always known that our long term plan included one day returning to Arkansas to be near our families but we had never found the right opportunity. We were thrilled at the thought of it becoming a reality. So, after numerous phone calls and several interviews I was offered a position with the paper in Little Rock. 

While overjoyed to be heading back home, we had a house to sell. One that we had moved into less than two years ago. Do the math on that real estate, and you'll find it doesn't add up to the most lucrative of solutions. Add in a one year old that doesn't understand why the house has to be spotless for impromptu showings, and you got yourself the trifecta of real-estate stress - cue more shingles!

The good news is that we sold the house - twice! The first buyer's placed an offer a little less than a month ago and then lost their financing last week. The second buyers? So far so good but I'm keeping everything crossed right up until we hand over the keys. 

Jackson will nearly finish out the school year here, and of course Eli will transition smoothly. My mother has worked tirelessly to enroll Jackson in school and find the boys adequate child care. And we have already felt the benefits of our close friends in the area as they have helped us search for homes, schools, doctors, etc. 

We have been trying to do nearly everything for this transition from afar. But having such a tight knit group of friends and family has made things so much easier. From having a realtor that has supported our family and friends for decades to our friends driving by selected homes and weeding out busy streets to my parents eliminating homes with bad driveways and locations too close to Grandpa's Catfish Hole, our search for a new home went quickly.

With the help of our circle of support, we found a house we love in North Little Rock. It's in a good school district and very close to friends and family. So by the end of May we will have moved into our new home and started new jobs. Eric has started looking for a new job, as well. And Jackson has already started making plans to ride his bike to Mam and Granddad's house. 

In the meantime, Jackson is flying through first-grade level spelling tests at school and is outside on his bike nearly every day. Jackson is still loving his soccer team - The Thunder Kickers. He loves to practice and is learning how to be a team player. We are thinking of putting him in gymnastics as he loves to jump around and try to flip or cartwheel over anything that will hold still. But even more hilarious is watching Eli copy his every move. He tries to jump and kick and cartwheel his little body right behind his big brother's next step. Eli is making sentences now and at times gets a little sassy with a few "No-no, Mama"s combined with a good finger shake in my direction. It's hard to keep a straight face when he starts bossing. His animal sounds are varied and hysterical. Ask him what a horse says and he will give you every animal sound in his reprotroi eventually landing on the correct response. He loves cats and dogs  He'll stop anything to exchange a few words with a passing dog or get a wave in to a cat. He is also a big fan of birds and points them out on every page of a book if he spots one. It reminds me of when Jackson used to spot a robin in the yard and ask it for a hug. Eli's favorite book is Hop on Pop. He loves the pages with all the balls falling off the walls. He stares  at the pages with great concern as if wondering what these crazy Suess folks are thinking tossing these things around on a giant wall. Jackson's book of the moment are the Ninjago books and books about airplanes. He loves to read. 

Next week begins the packing and the goodbyes - the hardest parts of leaving. We are heartbroken to leave our Tulsa family. This is longest Eric and I have ever lived anywhere. We have been here more then 11 years and have made lifelong friends.

 I can't wait for them to visit us in Little Rock. 

Aftermath

It's over.
Christmas has come and gone.
The holidays brought all the seasonal requirements: lovely gifts, power outages, snow drifts, warm fires, tasty treats, road trips and family fun.
Our holiday road started with a trip to Fort Smith for the first round of Christmas. Growing up an only child I am always in a state of awe to see a family of five do up the event. With everyone married, a few kids here and there and Grandparents, aunts, etc. popping up, this season opener has become quite an event. It was amazing to have everyone together and we were lucky to have Emily and Justin in from New York.
Our next stop was to my parent's house. Everyone took turns holding Eli during an emotional Christmas Eve service. 2012 left us with big losses. Seeing little girls in glittery-gold angel wings acting out the Christmas story was at once lovely and crushing. And seeing my dad hold Eli and Jackson at communion for a blessing at once made me proud and heartbroken.
Jackson enjoys church and listened to the stories. For the most part, Eli did fairly well but a baby can only handle so many harp solos.
As snowflakes softly landed, the boys enjoyed opening gifts and being cozy by the fire. By morning we were chunking food into snow drifts and wondering when power would be restored. The winter wonderland was a first for Jackson. He'd never seen a world trapped in ice. We left angels and men in the snow.
By day two of off and on power surges we'd learned new camping skills and were naming Jackson's football Wilson.
Power outages be damned, my dad started boiling water over the fire as we all knew my coffee-less mom could only keep the Christmas spirit for so long. It was fun to layer up and thank goodness for family, fireplaces and a hot cup of joe.
Our next stop was Tennessee for a family reunion like no other. Eric's family knows how to ring in a new year. 2013 was welcomed with good music, good food, moonshine and some amazing dance moves. The annual family talent show included a father-son duet. Eric and Jackson sang and danced their way through Michael Jackson tunes. Jackson received his first family-reunion medal: the "dancing machine" award. It was Eli's inaugural Tennessee trip, and I was happy he was finally getting to meet all of Eric's  family. It meant a lot that Grandma Jesse could officially meet him. But it stung to think that Omi would not.
This holiday had highs and lows but I dare not complain.
I just hadn't realized how happy I was to see 2012 end. When the clock struck midnight and our family embraced, I wasn't sure why I was crying. Relieved to let a year of loss go? Sad to leave the last year of these lives? Overwhelmed at how lucky we are?
Both?
 I don't know.
I still don't know. Just moving on.
Home now and still playing catch up - stomach bugs, laundry and the Christmas tree are still staring me in the face.
We miss everyone. Always. Always.
It was a perfect whirlwind of holiday.

Lucky

On Monday my right side hurt.

My rib cage, specifically, ached.

 No big deal.

 I lug that 24 pound baby around pretty much every minute we are together. Not only is there lugging going on but I am also emptying the dishwasher, cooking, laundry, making beds, vacuuming, etc. during previously mentioned lugging.

On Tuesday, I felt fine.

 Great. 

 Must have slept wrong.

On Wednesday, my side ached again and now a tiny spot of what appeared to be poison ivy showed up on the right side of my stomach. It itched. Then by the end of the day, a tiny spot on my back showed up. 

Itchy. 

Both spots would be places I might have scratched after touching poison ivy which we have been known to have in our giant backyard.

Odd, but believable.

 I have never been one to experience terrible reactions from poison ivy but my mother glances toward the leafy vine and instantly collapses into a heap of red and itchy - so I figured maybe now is my long-overdue, inherited poison ivy time?

Thursday I was an itchy mess Calamining myself numerous times. Friday I continued treating this mysterious poison ivy. Poison oak?

So strange.

Get ready, it's about to get WebMD all up in here.

I was prepared to deal with this hideousness as it ran its course accept that the pain in my side was not subsiding. It was getting worse. It was like an ache that no matter how I rearranged myself, would not disperse.

Sunday morning I couldn't take it anymore. My side seared with pain. I went to urgent care where a doctor said "Well, it probably isn't something like shingles because that would be really rare for someone your age, but let me take a ... OH DEAR GOD IT'S SHINGLES!"

I was given an antiviral to take five times a day and pain meds. (Just for fun fact: The antiviral is safe for nursing.) I figured the pain meds were unnecessary as I would just try to control this with ibuprofen. That evening I could not reach for the pain meds fast enough. The pain was so intense and there was no relief.

Slowly, I have been feeling better and it appears as though its course is coming to an end but little did I know the shingles were just the kick off to our illness-series, brought to you by Children's Motrin.

One week after my itchy self left the urgent care the boys and I returned. 

Eventually we would learn that Eli's simple cold had turned into RSV/pneumonia/ear infection/stomach bug, etc. Jackson was the best assistant as I was back to lugging a sick baby and all the items with which they arrive: lovey, bottle, Cheerios, burp cloth, diaper, etc.

 Jackson carried my purse as we went from waiting room to exam room to x-ray and so forth. He did explain to me that he was going to carry it with the flower embellishment hidden toward his stomach so that no one would mistake him for a girl. 

Only a day later Jackson would be up next, catching the dreaded stomach bug that has been circulating. But like a champ the five-year-old made it to the bathroom every time. We all high-fived him on that feat. Plus, getting to snack on saltines, a little Coke and a few Christmas movies was a pretty good bargain.

And now as Eric and I are noticing our own scratchy throats, all I can keep in my heart is joy.

In light of recent events, it is more clear than ever.

How lucky am I to be able to care for my children? To clean up this mess? To change sheets and towels before administering more breathing treatments?

How happy am I to be able to cool foreheads and walk the floor with our unhappy boy?

We are sleepless. Sleepless because our children need care.

How happy are we to be sleepless?

Very.

So very, very.

Favorites

During the season when everyone is reminded of their favorite things, I've been thinking of the things my favorite things are up to.
 Did that read right?
Jackson and Eli are my favorite everythings. They make me laugh. They amaze me every day.
 Eli blows enthusiastic, noisy kisses that melt your heart. He will tell you what an elephant says and what a cow has to say, too. Surprisingly, what they have to say is very similar to each other. He now says thank you, hello, night-night, bye-bye, sock and he calls for Jackson (his favorite thing!).
But the most adorable thing he does is something I've never seen another baby do. When holding Eli on my hip, I'm able to walk around the house and get quite a bit done - make dinner, vacuum, put away laundry, etc. Eli enjoys being carted around and observing my tasks. However, every now and then he will suddenly twist himself around and pop his tiny face into my view as if to say "Why hello there! Don't forget there is an adorable baby on your hip!" It cracks me up every time. Right when I am focused on finishing up the moment's chore, Eli's face peeps in with a big grin. Just his way of checking in.
Eli officially loves bath time. Popping Jackson and Eli in the tub makes for some hilarious moments. Jackson is such a sweet big brother and makes sure Eli's hair gets washed. As for rinsing, Eli loves to duck his head under the faucet. He is definitely a child interested in doing things himself. Hand him a sock and he will work so hard at trying to get it on his tiny foot. After pulling out every single diaper from the box, he will work on trying to diaper himself. When that gets to be too difficult, Eli will crawl into the box. Like a cat, he is most comfortable after squeezing himself into a tiny spot, whether it is an empty box or his little foot stool turned upside down and into a make shift seat.
Eric's favorite Eli noise is when he plays (steals?) with one of Jackson's Hot Wheels cars. Once he starts rolling the tiny car back and forth, he makes a very loud, non-stop vroom-vroom.
Fortunately, Jackson is very good about sharing a few of his wheels. Jackson is loving his sandbox and the tree it sits under. He has become quite a skilled tree climber. The swing set is another favorite past time. At the end of the day, before the sun dips out of sight and the chill shows up, I will push Jackson as high as he asks on the swing. With every launch to the sky, he bursts into giggles. It is as if he can barely stand the awesomeness of swinging. Such uplifting music.
After years of "commissioning"other children's art work,  Jackson has finally discovered drawing. He always dabbled but rarely committed to art projects, coloring, etc. But during the last six months, he has started to really enjoy art. He loves to draw. He asks me to draw something so he can learn it and will try to recreate it.  He loves to draw cupcakes, dragons, castles, spaceships, boats, birds and family portraits. His favorite medium is markers. This makes me cringe, but I am so overjoyed that he has finally discovered his artistic side.
Soccer has started up again and he loves everything about it. From the shin guards to the goal, Jackson loves the game.
We are gearing up for Christmas. Eli loves the tree. I have strategically hung tiny bells on the bottom of the tree so as to alert us when Eli is on the hunt for Christmas tree ornaments. And Jackson enjoys trying to find Abraham Lincoln our Elf on the Shelf every morning.  We will be hitting the road soon. This year we will be taking our first lengthy road trip with two kids and the dog. Should be quite an adventure with these characters!

Trash Day

Shoooo-wee Mama! That trash can smells so bad. I mean that trash can smells like ... well, I don't want to say what it smells like.

 

It's ok. You can say it.

 

Well, that trash can smells like ... well ...  I'll just say that trash can smells like something that came out of your bottom.

 

Long pause.

 

I mean not your bottom! But someone's bottom for sure....

 

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