Attack of the Little Brother

I've been playing referee lately with the boys... whether it's James crawling over Tyler or James stealing the toys right out of Ty's hands... Mommy has been having to come to the rescue. Well, something interesting happened the other day... Tyler finally got some revenge!

James was drinking his bottle, and Tyler rolled over next to him. He then started pulling James' hair and sticking his hands in his face. It was pretty funny to see the look on James' face - he was like "what the heck?!" - oh what a rude awakening is coming for the big brother VERY soon!

What's a Mama Hawk to do in such a situation? Take pictures, of course!

Tyler is starting to get ready for his crib which will be set up at the new house... and he's a funny little guy - sleeps "bottoms up" most of the time. Makes me laugh every time I see it. 

And what happens while I sit down for 5 minutes to write a quick blog post? THIS!

I'm in big, BIG trouble ya'll!

Strangely Calm

Alright, so I'm a week away from a HUGE cross country move - of which I've never experienced before. I've lived all but 6 months of my life within the borders of the state of Texas... so the mid-south (or whatever) will certainly be a bit of a culture shock. So, you'd think I'd be freaking out and stressing over all of this, right?

Am I in some sort of denial? I don't know... all I know is that I've made some peace with it, and after 6 months (or darn close to it!) of being without my husband for the work week... because he has been working in TN for that long - I'm ready to get this show on the road. Ready for my family to be together. To set some routines. To have a partner in crime again - someone to give me the liberty of a bubble bath after a long day full of whining and fussy babies.

Today has been one of those days, the kind of day where a Momma Hawk needs a break. Or a stiff drink! Since I don't drink... a break is about all I could hope for. I don't know what's going on with the boys today... must be teething issues on both fronts... because they've been equally fussy all day. The only thing that makes them happy is a meal and a nap. Even at that - they both were in bed for the night at 7... but I've had to go and put them both back to bed after each of them waking up crying at one point over the last couple of hours. Poor kids - I wish teething didn't have to be so miserable for everyone.

All of that being said - this motherhood gig can be tough. I've now experienced just about most of the world of parenting options - I've done the working mother gig, the stay at home mom gig, and essentially the single parent gig... and just for the record - John hates it when I say that. I'm most certainly not single... BUT Monday through Friday since January - I've been doing it on my own... so I know what it is like to raise kiddos without a partner for at least part of the time.

I for the life of me can't see any of the options as being easier than the other. It's all tough, totally worth it... but tough. If you're working - you've got to rely on someone trustworthy to take care of the kiddos during the day while you do the 9-5 job... but then you have to go home and do all of the parenting, cooking, cleaning, and anything else.

Staying at home might seem to some as the easy way out - but there are no sick days, no vacation days... a lot of sweat and tears... crying and sometimes you just long for another adult to talk to for a few minutes. Sure, you have your family as your sole focus... which is a beautiful thing... but it can be equally as hard as working outside of the home.

Good Lord, single parenting is just rough any way you look at it. Presumably most single parents would have to work outside of the home... then go home and be both mother and father to the kids.

Parenting is tough no matter the situation, but boy is it rewarding. Not exactly what I expected, but a wonderful adventure that I'm so ready to share day to day with my husband again. So for that reason, I'm ready for all of this. And it doesn't hurt that they're sending me a crew to pack up the house... and then I've got a crew meeting me on the other side to help with the unpacking as well. Praise the Lord!

James' 1st Haircut

I'm not sure who was more traumatized... I think me... because my baby boy is growing up so fast! It really wasn't too bad overall - but he sure does look older now!

I love these little men, and their Daddy so much!! We're in the full swing on this cross country move... packers & movers come a week from tomorrow. So things are about to get NUTS.

Wordless Wednesday - Almost

So, I turned 33 on Monday... it wasn't glamorous - Tyler was vomiting all weekend and stuffy... so my adult contact for the day mainly consisted of a trip to the pediatrician. It's been a bear of a week with these two little men - James is teething again, and Tyler of course is sick... and we're talking sick to the point where you can see it on his face that he just feels terrible. It's a lot to deal with both of them being miserable at the same time, but I'm trying my best to hang in there. If only we could get some sleep... but that's when Tyler has most of his problems - because he gets super stuffy when he lays flat. So he's been sleeping in the bed with me... which means that there is very little sleep for me, and lots of waking up to calm my tiny man down.

So I thought I'd give you some photos to enjoy of these two little crazy people that I live with. HA!

Bought and Ready

Last week, I went to Memphis to choose our new home. I bit the bullet and left the boys here with family, and took two nights alone with John. It was the first time we had truly left the boys for anything more than work or one company Christmas party... so it was a nice treat to just hang out with my husband for a couple of days. Of course by Friday - I was ready to see my little men again... and naturally our flight was delayed by an hour and a half coming home.

I think I looked at about 7 different homes, and had it down to three that were acceptable... but of course had two that really were my favorites. Both for totally different reasons. One had an AMAZING pool, but needed quite a bit of updating that we'd have to fit into our budget and time restrictions with two toddlers. The other was really nice on the inside - move in ready - but didn't have the pool. Ultimately, we chose the one without the pool - with the hope that we can put in a pool next spring/summer if we choose to do that. I think that would be a nice addition for the kids... and we probably could make it prettier doing it to our tastes. Strange thing is that Memphis doesn't really do anything like a community pool - so we won't have access to one unless we come home or put one in.

Anyway - here are some photos of our new house! We will close on it May 25th and will be moving on May 31st. Nothing like quick turn around, right?! Oiy!

I will of course take more pictures once we get settled - there is a total of 4 bedrooms - but only two are pictured... and 3 1/2 bathrooms as well... so look for more photos to come!