Journey East

Now that we're finally settled and I got my camera back I decided I should probably update. The ride over went a lot better than I thought, thanks in large part to my mom who drove with me! As if you don't owe your parents enough already I owe her MAJOR for that. Another thanks is owed to the portable DVD player which promptly died once we got into our house but it was a well spent $70 for the long car ride. He watched that the entire time, wouldn't even sleep. We left Idaho and drove straight through to my Grandma Shirley's in Batavia and made excellent time- 24 hours! I drove the first 12 my mom the last. We were pretty exhausted on arrival and caught up on sleep. Thanks to Shirley too for letting us stay even with the stinky Tink puppy! My mom's family came to visit with us and meet Charlie for the first time ever and Charlie was sick and cranky as all heck. He went through a few outfits with the vomits, luckily not on anyone but Grandma and me (not so lucky for grandma:)! It was nice seeing everyone, sorry that we weren't the funnest to be around! They came out with a cake and a present for Charlie's birthday which was a surprise! My dad was swinging through so we were able to have dinner with (Great)Grandma Sullivan and see a few members of his family, Charlie was still pretty cranky. We left Illinois (Charlie was still sick and went through quite a few outfits on this drive) and drove straight through to Aberdeen Maryland and got to the Proving Grounds about 2 am. This is where it got fun, and by fun I mean I wanted to close myself in a closet and not come out for ten years. There was very little to choose from to rent especially with a dog. Charlie was confused, teething his three remaining eye teeth and screamed all night so there was very little sleep for anyone. When we found something it took forever for the guy to let us in even though we were paying a crapload to live there! $5200 in all, first months rent, pro-rated rent (first months rent again?? I don't know what their deal was) security deposit and a huge $1000 pet deposit. I was ready to leave Tink at the side of the road with a "Take me home" sign tied around her but I didn't. Unfortunately since it took so long for us to get in my dad, who stayed with us in the hotel on post had to leave to get back to work. My parents missed their 30th wedding anniversary because my mom stayed with us to help moving in, which was way nice having her there! Larin and I got the moving truck unloaded in a few hours while Mom stayed with Charlie at the hotel. The next day we unpacked everything from boxes and started setting up house. Once everything got moved in I started loving our new house and the neighborhood is fabulous!

Blowing out birthday candles
Uncle Dave was his favorite! Shirt numero 3 of the evening.
In shirt numero 2 of the evening.

Running a little behind...

I've been quite bad at blogging the past few months and like everything in my life I'm running a little behind! Christmas went off without a hitch, Charlie got spoiled (SURPRISED? No, me neither) and we got to spend tons of time with family and friends and it was fabulous. Sadly we had to say goodbye to Larin/Daddy the day after New Year's for two months. It was stressful to say the least luckily I have plenty of family and friends who helped break up the craziness and watch Charlie so I didn't go completely insane, completely anyways.
We first went and spent a few days at my sister Katie's and had a much needed girl's night where we stayed up way past our bedtimes then up to my mom's for awhile, home again and back up to mom's for the birth of my newest nephew Harrison Joseph Sullivan (Robert and Rachel's wee baby boy). The entire family was able to be together for the Superbowl including my dad which was a special treat since his job keeps him out on the road so much. While up at my mom's our dog Suzie got out most likely looking for Larin and has yet to be found just a week before he was due home. We were going to get another dog anyways once we got out to Maryland so me in my impulsiveness went ahead and got a puppy....a month before our cross country move....a puppy, otherwise known as a whining poop/pee making machine...a month before our cross country move. Oh, I already said that, I'm still kind of confused myself. Apparently I like things to be AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE. So now I'll be driving a two-year old and a barely three-month-old puppy across the entire United States of America. Bring on the ear plugs and Xanax. Wait probably no Xanax on account of me driving our huge truck but maybe a nightly one, with a cocktail, ok no cocktail because that's frowned upon whatever. Can you tell I'm stressed because I am. We've got most of the paperwork whatnot done just got to pack and move! I can finally post pictures because we bought a new camera as my beautiful son wrecked our other one, the one I got for Christmas three months ago...I'll let that sink in and shed a tear for our lost Nikon. And some of the puppy who is a Newfoundland. She was over 7lbs at 6 wks6 weeks-7lbs
is now a whopping 15lbs at 8 wks. 15lbs-8 weeks
I guess I shouldn't be surprised as she will end up around 130lbs. All things considered Ms.Tink is a pretty good dog just still getting the potty-training thing down.It was nice outside when we got back to Utah-for two whole days. Charlie LOVES being outside so we went and played outside for hours those two whole days and then the snow came. And then the rain came, and then the snow came again. And now it's been raining all day and expected to continue for a few days...way to go Utah way to freaking go! So we've been locked up in the house at least Larin is here to help with the crazy stir-crazy kid our once adorable wee one was. He got his very first real haircut (as in not buzzed completely off by me) and he screamed the whole time. He was not even distracted by the tootsie rolls. He is so dramatic I honestly don't know where he gets that-no snarky comments about me or I'll punch you in the face. Ok, that was a little overdramatic ignore that. Here's mister mini-Larin with his new hair which just makes him look more like his daddy! So we'll be headed off to Aberdeen, MD here at the end of March-wish us luck!!

20 days until Christmas or 20 more days of putting tree ornaments back on the tree every 10 minutes

My son is adorable. He is also rotten, very rotten. God made him adorable to try and even out the rottenness- he did not foresee the amazing level of rottenness. Don't get me wrong I love that kid like crazy but it does not make him any less rotten.
Proof: He climbs on everything. I pull him off the table at least 20 times a day. I know I have the tendency to exaggerate but this is not the case this time.

He despises time out but this does not deter any bad behavior one tiny bit.

Major wedgie from trying to escape his diaper and/or from putting his hands in his diaper.
The fact he can pull a gangsta face like this is all the proof anyone needs.
I am coming to believe the curly hair=evilness. The curlier the more evil. I fully intend to do studies to prove this.And EVERY TIME I try to take a picture he reaches for the camera. I can not get a shot without going through a couple of these shots first.
I made the mistake of letting him see some of his presents, this ended in major tantrums anytime I open a closet. He knows they are in there and I won't let him play with them. He tried to help me put up the Christmas tree. Helping to him was throwing the ornaments at the tree, getting angry that they weren't staying like mine, walking up to the tree and hitting it while yelling "DON'T". After I was done with the tree he decided he was scared of it. Further investigation of the tree proved it to be non-fatal so he began pulling ornaments off. I have only had the tree up for a day and have began contemplating a way of roping it off so I am not continuously putting ornaments back on. I am also contemplating tubal ligation. It is going to be a long 20 days until Christmas.

The Dentist and why I hate going.

It's finals week and I'm supposed to be studying so I thought what better time to update the blog, right. So this is my procrastination post. I hate the dentist, not the actual person, I'm certain they are normal nice people but while they are drilling my mouth they are pretty much plain old evil. I'm also a very anxious person, like super should take medication for it anxious and the dentist is something that kicks it into high gear. I take crazy care of my teeth in order to not go. I had been putting off going for awhile and then decided about a year ago it was about time. I went and had 3 cavities no surprise considering I hadn't gone in forever. The dentist, who was actually not too bad to look at, said they were just surface cavities and he could fill them in a short appointment. Next week I came in for a 20 minute appointment or so I thought here's a synopsis of the past YEAR of dentist appointments:

-Supposed 20 minute appointment gets extended, dentist keeps saying things like "Whoa" -"this is going to be longer than I thought" and something about my tooth "having an abnormally large pulp". He tells me I might need a root canal and I'm going to be in pain for awhile. What?

-Pain, lot's of it. I despise tooth pain. I'd rather have labor pains. Seriously. The dentist even called the next night to check up on me- he knew this was going to happen. See evil.

-Ibuprofen, lot's of it.

-I lie to myself, convince myself the pain will stop because there is no way I'm going back.

-I finally go in mostly because my husband threatened to kick me out on the couch if I didn't. I see another dentist who takes an x-ray and gives me the whole abnormally large pulp bit and how they couldn't have foreseen this until they started drilling. I can wait and see if it stops but then the tooth will probably die and I'll get an abscess and have to have a root canal anyway and other problems or get a root canal. I opt to wait- the dentist cannot win.

-I give up probably because my stomach couldn't handle anymore ibuprofen. I schedule the dreaded root canal and pout. Anxiety builds- I'm fairly certain a root canal will kill me and leave my child motherless further feeding my hate for the dentist.

-Part one of root canal- I was unaware there was more than one part. More hate- more pain. Root canals suck, no matter how much Novocain they give you they inevitably hit a nerve and you will cry. It still hurts and costs a pretty penny even with insurance. Now I'm sure they made up everything, my tooth will hurt forever and they are just in it to take my money and leave my child motherless. Pain eases a bit so I have hope.

-Part two of root canal-what I thought would be the end and then they explain that I have a temporary crown and need to set up another appointment for the permanent one. I have survived so far so I'm thinking that it can't get too much worse and I figure I've paid for it all… nope wrong.

-Part one of permanent crown. Once again I discover that there is more than one part. $400 more. Stupid. On the upside pretty dentist is back so I can stare at him while he defiles my tooth. He slips with the drill and drills a chunk of my gum and tongue off and they try to pretend it didn't happen. I felt a sharp jab of pain even through the Novocain and have blood flicking all over my glasses I know something is up. They try to cover it up and have a conversation with me even though I can't answer back since there are four hands, a drill and now a large amount of blood and gauze in my mouth. I decide that dentists are evil all the time- I had given them too much credit. Did I mention this was the day before Thanksgiving and I have been instructed to take it easy with the food…I curse cute dentist under my breath to choke on a turkey bone.

Part two of the permanent crown has been scheduled for the 15^th I will go and undoubtedly hate it. My tongue has pretty much healed up, I'm not dead but I still hate the dentist.

Feeling VERY grateful.

As most of you know we had another close call with Larin's father last week. He was very close to death a few times in the week we were up there, it was scary and deja-vuie (no, not a real word). It took me back to when I was laboring in the hospital and waiting for Larin's phone to ring with more news on his father's status and waiting for Charlie to come so we could get up to Idaho and hopefully see him once more. We made it and he had a successful surgery and was blessed with more time. And we love Grandpa Harris so much! Now a year and a half later we were sitting in the same hospital in an even more serious situation. Once again the man beat the horrible odds and is still here with us, he has a very long and laborious recovery ahead of him but as he has shown us before he is a fighter. Why does it take something so scary and sad to make us realize what we have I'll never know, I wish I noticed the amazing things in my life more! It was a major stressful week, Charlie got an ear infection so the little sleep we were getting lessened. Then coming home and making up for the time away added stress and I was not a pleasant person to be around I'm sure. Than Larin's birthday came around and he decided he wanted to do nothing...relax all day. So we have and it's been wonderful, and we had an awesome family nap and I sit and look at my family and think how great it all really is. My husband is such a wonderful man who takes such great care of us and still loves me even on my meanie days. Then there's Charlie, who has decided to ring in the terrible twos 6 months early, but still has those moments that makes my heart melt, makes me laugh until I cry, and sometimes if he feels like it will cuddle me and give me hugs and kisses. So I've felt so picked on and tired of life's curve balls but than I see this and remember I have it pretty rad...pretty rad indeed.

Long time...

I know it's been like over two months eek, bad. School, all sorts of travels, all sorts of stuff with the wee one and just general life! Charlie is all grown up now, he wants to do everything by himself. Now that he is walking he all but refuses to allow me to carry him when we go places. This invariably leads to plenty of bumps and bruises. Poor kid also has my bruise-like-a-peach gene and a new bruise everyday! The other day he began throwing a temper tantrum and running down the hall with his eyes closed and ran right into the wall. I'll admit, I laughed pretty hard. We've got to do fun stuff now that he's is older and mobile. I finished my summer semester so now we are doing swim classes before I have to start up fall semester. He is so excited about it and is doing fabulous. No longer scared of putting his face under, which is good, and true to self he tries to do it all by himself. All for now here's some pics.Note the pen marks all over his right leg, I still don't know where this pen came from or went to.

He turned a table over to make a chocolate milk lake, and then climbed in.

At the aquarium!

Charlie's new name- Messy McGetintoEverything....

Due to the recent weeks of naughtiness I do believe we should change Charlie's name. Messy McGetintoEverything. How did I come to this decision, I can show you better than tell you..... Keep in mind I only catch very little of his naughtiness on camera, so imagine the following pictures happening over and over day after day.
Caught red handed

Mashed Mac n Cheese
Ever wonder what happens when you stuff 10 Teddy Grahams in your mouth and then realize it's too much to swallow. This is what happens.
He has been dragging around his toys like this, I don't know why...
Ever get a random nonsensical text or strange phone call from me, this would be why.
Oh, and he's naked because he just had dinner, and it's easier to just take off his clothes then wipe him down.
He thought it was pretty funny
Until he realized I was mad and he was in trouble
Yes, those are tampons that he got out from under the sink
I don't know how food ended up smashed into the wallNow that he can stand and climb onto things it is only getting worse, it is amazing what a kid can do in one minute, like eat half a bowl of dog food or use the toilet to 'clean' their toys.

By the time Larin gets home and Charlie is doing something naughty I don't even have the strength to yell so I just laugh. That's the reason God made kids so darn cute, so you don't beat them senseless by the end of the day.