Two Bathrooms? Yes, Please!

I have always shared a bathroom with a bunch of boys. When I was younger, we had a kids bathroom, not fair! Three boys and me sharing a bathroom, it was scary. Then I got married and we started having our own boys and we've always had one bathroom. Well, as I was putting on my makeup this morning, my son walked in and said "I have to go to the bathroom" I didn't bat an eye until he said " can I go #2?" Well, I guess eyeliner will have to wait! Then I remembered, three more days and I'll have two bathrooms. I can make it. Want a tour? Here it is! The bathroom with the shower in it, is the funny bone room. Ours is identical to this one, except in the bunk room we don't have a weird couch, instead it's another bunk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kcKhDk3als

Oh yeah, I think I fixed the comment section, so if you we'ren't able to comment before, try again.

So This is Why I Have Brothers

       Yeah I know that sounds mean. For those of you who don't know me, I have three brothers. One that lives on the East Coast and the others live near me. My mom also lives on the East Coast and my East Coast brother and I often joke about how I live near the more unhelpful brothers and that is a bummer. They help me in their own way. They bless me with their presence when they are hungry. They enjoy sitting on my couch at Holiday functions. My dad once said I was their West Coast Momma. That's what you all want to be right? A caretaker for your dads and brothers, yeah me neither. But we are family and we love each other and being the only sister ( for a second I wrote older sister which is funny because it seems like I should be but I'm not the oldest) I have always guided or manipulated or dragged them where I think they should be. I've gotten a lot better and lately we've all coexisted peacefully but living very separate lives for a while. This is taking a long time to explain but know that I love all my brothers and they all drive me crazy and they are usually not the ones I call in a pinch. Ok you get the idea.
    So, Ian mentioned maybe we should start packing up earlier than later and maybe we could take advantage of the 3 day weekend to start moving. Then he was thinking maybe it's too much work to fit in 3 days. So I figured I'd start packing up and see how far we get. Either way, we gotta pack. So I called my brothers and promised to make them breakfast if they would come move some boxes into storage for me.
    So this morning, I look out my window and see my brothers car. He's done this before...party all night and sleep in front of my house so he doesn't miss the family function. So I woke him up and started making coffee, my other brother brought the bacon ( he had to call me from the grocery store because he didn't know where breakfast sausage was and he though maybe I wanted kielbasa....yep this is what I was working with) Okay so my dad crashed the party, now we have Larry, Curly and Moe, great.
    What these three men did over the next four hours was so impressive, it takes my breath away. My dad told me to start packing my boxes cuz you don't want other people touching your stuff. So they started moving a pile of bricks that I needed moved (yes, I have all sorts of fun chores at my house) and I started dumping out drawers. We moved dressers, bed frames, couches. It was wild!( I can't forget to mention my little sister in law was a life saver and came to hold Waylon)  I've never seen these guys move so fast. Seriously, this was a miracle and I was not expecting it. So, I don't know if we're moving early or not but business was handled today and these monkeys did it. In my youngest brothers words " Sis this is why you had brothers." Love you monkeys.

Utah

What a trip! We had a great time, the boys and I went to visit for 4 days and we got to see the new trailer! Here's a picture of the outside....ooooo pretty...

I had all this fun stuff to do and we didn't do any of it. Not really, we pretty much just hung out and had some much needed family time. Ian only had Friday and Saturday off so we lounged around. There's a really pretty bike path right outside the park and we walked on it several times a day. I packed the boys razor scooters in my luggage, so they we're scooting around having a ball. We did go up to Park City and walk around. They had the Olympics up there in 06 I think. It was beautiful.

Mother's Day, Ian had to work so the boys and I went to a Calvary Chapel Church out there and then went down to a Cabela's store. The boys got squirt guns and cap guns and I got a rocking chair. We spent the rest of the day at the pool and I rocked Waylon. It was very relaxing. The last day the boys and I went into downtown Salt Lake and walked around exploring. Then we went and got Ian a few things he was missing like...an oven mitt, cleaning supplies, a toilet brush, a hand towel, a can opener...you get the idea.  Not that it wasn't entertaining watching him take out frozen pizza with paper towels but you know, I was really just getting it ready for myself. I did try to make the stay in the trailer as real as possible. Showering was fun. The shower is pretty tiny and Ian has taken to calling the bathroom the funny bone room because no matter where he stands he hits his ...yeah you got it. I made the boys take showers in the campground showers, just to see of they would protest. They didn't and I think it's a good idea for summertime. Also, I did laundry in the laundry mat before I left. I made friends with a gal, we were united by the fact that one crabby lady had taken all but one washer and dryer. She must've been having a rough morning because she was slamming the doors and making the two of us feeling very awkward. Anywhoo, my new friend gave me the scoop on where I should take my laundry. She usually takes hers to another laundry mat because it's faster and cheaper but on account of her broken leg she's not allowed to drive. (She did drive to the laundry mat at the campground but she told me she only does that in the mornings when the kids aren't around.....note to self...)  She also told me where all the kids stuff was until my brain almost exploded, there is a lot to do around there. So after that it was time to come back home. What was really nice was not having to drag the kids to places at certain times. Most of you know, we're at school three times a day and baseball games and chess club. I am so grateful for all my friends and family that have pitched in these past few months, but not having a crazy schedule is going to be heavenly.   So the boys and I flew home. A few hours later, Ian texted me that he was in the ER. He was on the ground and someone was 30 feet above him holding a metal pole, Ian was suppose to be checking to make sure the placement lined up but the guy in the air dropped it and Ian's hand got pinned to the ground. Nothing was broken, he is one lucky man.   Oh yes! The most important part, we found renters. After I wrote my last post, I noticed an IBEW truck outside my house. There was a lineman sticker on it, so of course I was staring, wondering what and who could possibly be in that truck. Turns out it was a lineman from out of state working in California and looking for a place to rent, it's a perfect fit and they're ready to move in, so the wheels are moving. I took a break from packing to write this and I better get back to it. Muah , take care until next week. I'm thinking about posting more pictures  and less words,  we'll see.

DOWNSIZING

    So I've been a busy bee, packing up little by little so I'm not overwhelmed....yeah that's the idea. It's hard figuring out what I really want to keep. I don't want to store a bunch of junk, but when you see it everyday, you grow attached. You know. I have a jewelry box someone gave me ten years ago for a graduation present, I've NEVER used it but that person is important to me, do I keep it? How about a special tea cup....I never drink tea but the teacup preserves a memory. This is what my life has become. My lovely sister in law Viva, flew in to help me get through some particularly crummy jobs. We sorted through my files in the office. It was like unearthing the catacombs. Why do I keep utility bills and old insurance cards? I found one of my brothers birth certificates, that was weird. Why did I keep a flyer for a house we considered buying five years ago? Yes, my sister in law, she's pretty wonderful.
    In the midst of all this, we started showing our house to prospective renters. Being that my husband lives out of town and I just had a baby, I don't mind telling you that I have been living in a pigsty. I'd like to say that I was actually very accepting about it. But alas, my house is small and I'm hoping to keep it clutter free so it feels more spacious, so the mess has to go. Keeping up on it, is killing me! When someone comes to look at it, I load up all the chillins and dog and go on an an adventure. We've gone for ice cream, dinner and invaded our friends houses. Last night, was one of these such nights. I was lucky enough to leave our dog and baby with a friend because on top of it, it was open house. My plan to run in and run out was thwarted by Houston's kindergarten teacher. She had planned a classroom scavenger hunt that lasted about 40 minutes. (Did I tell you, I showed up an hour early because I  messed up the time) The kindergartners have worked really hard this year and the tour was well worth it. My favorite part was the "When I Grow Up" poster. Houston proved that no matter what Dad does he is following in those footsteps and the rest of the kids made me laugh...too cute. Then we went to Wrex's classroom where all of Wrex's creative stories were displayed from the year and it made me so proud of him. His teacher played an evil trick on us, where we had half of a picture of our child's face and we were suppose to draw the other half. I really missed Ian at that moment , when I looked over and saw a mom carefully shading in her sons face. My poor child, I did the best I could but it was awful. His teacher told me they were going to display them on the wall for the kids to see. I formally apologized to Wrex this morning, he said it was ok, that his drawing came out with "hick teeth." I love these kids.

    So onto Salt Lake City this weekend. We planned to go visit Ian (all of us) let the boys check out their new stomping grounds and brake in the trailer. I can't wait to see it. I've never paid so much for something I haven't seen. Scary! Anyways, Ian just found out that starting Saturday he is working 12 hour shifts...bummer. But he dis get one day off, while were there. At this point, we take what we can get. So I made a list of things I can do with the kids. Apparently, they have a drive in theater. Score! They also have rollerskating, indoor rock climbing and an indoor amusement park. I don't know why I found all this indoor stuff. I'll probably be living it up on Mothers Day, with my kids hanging out at the pool in the trailer park. I know you're jealous, don't hate. So that's the plan. I just got another call that someone wants to see the house this afternoon, so again with the cleaning. Where's a girl, suppose to keep the laundry? In the drawers? Come On!

I am so glad I can't handle everything on my own right now, because we never had this much fun or support when I was in charge

Hey there! I'm trying to write once a week and I'm a little behind....what else is new! Well last week, I rented a storage unit and started downsizing and sorting what I will use in the next year and what will stay. It was especially stressful because little Waylon had an ear infection, I've never heard of an infant having an ear infection. It was horrible. I literally wore him in the ergo carrier for two days. It was exhausting. So much so, that I thought I would cash in a groupon I purchased for some yoga classes. I've only taken a class at the Y and I have some Giam videos so I'm very much a novice. But I discovered, I LOVE hot yoga! It could be that I am just wound a bit too tight lately or that I am just in the perfect place in my life where I really need something to help me relax and clear my mind but I am a huge fan. In fact, they gave me the first week free so I have been recruiting babysitters to go back as often as I can. Love it! On another note, we ended our weekend visiting some friends at their ranch in the desert. It was such a beautiful drive out there, I've missed that desert drive this season. Once we got there, we took a hike around the property and went into a real cave that my friends have fashioned into a wine cellar. At the end of the cave it looks like a dead end mine and they threw in a fake skeleton, it really freaked Houston out, but it was funny. We  kept whispering "Chester Copperpot." Then we relaxed and had a barbecue and later shot bee bee guns. The boys had such a good time and Waylon was in a much better mood. It was such a great way to end the week. Once again it showed me all the people who are coming along side us to get  through this time right now. Whether it's helping me pack a box, watching the kids or showing the boys how to shoot a bee bee gun. Thank you.

Surprise!

So it's the kids Spring Break and the thought of keeping the kids entertained seemed a bit overwhelming, seeing as we just got through "Presidents Week." So I planned to visit my mom in Maryland. So that meant I had to brave a 4.5 hour plane ride with the kids alone, but then we'd be smooth sailing at Grandmas House for a week. Unfortunately, it also meant not seeing Ian for a month between his work schedule and my out of town schedule. So I got through the flight! Waylon slept in my arms for about 3 hours so I felt extremely lucky and sore and buff at the same time. The older boys played video games the whole time. We made it to Grandmas house! We spent the evening goofing off with my brothers and sister in laws and stayed up way too late,  it was so fun but it wasn't the same without Ian. I woke up the next morning and made my way up the basement steps towards the coffee, when I opened the door, I saw my husband asleep on the couch. Even now it makes me tear up. I was so confused in that moment, I thought for a split second I had been living in a dream and we really weren't living so far away from each other and then it hit me...reality,that is...he hopped on a plane after work changed flights and drove 2 hours to my moms house just to be with me. I am still in shock, that my husband who HATES flying, has become such the traveler, for me. I felt so grateful that I can experience that overwhelming love. Being the planner that I am, my old life never had room for unexpected reminders like this. I feel so grateful for this. I feel I should post this, for the simple fact that, I don't want to glaze over this memory. I was truly surprised. My mom and husband really knocked my socks off with this one...

Here We go...

Wow, been a while since I checked in, there's a good reason for that. Waylon was born in the end of January and now I have three boys and were down a parent so it's a bit crazy. The hubs has been coming home every other weekend, since we figured out once a month was way too long. Now that I have an almost three month old, I'm crawling out of my hole and starting to rejoin society.Thank you to so many friends and family that have come to my rescue with dinner, or coffee  creamer or shuttling the boys to school/baseball or driving me to a breastfeeding support group. Who would've thought there was more to learn  by the time you have three. I am so grateful to you all. Big news here, I may have lost my marbles because I've agreed to take the family on the road, starting in June, and follow Ian in his apprenticeship. So we will be moving from our two bedroom beach cottage in sunny Oceanside. California and moving  into a fifth wheel starting out by Salt Lake City and going wherever we are called. The territory the apprenticeship covers is Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah. The kids are so excited, we've camped before in our old trailer in the desert and they think it's just an extended camping trip. Lets hope they stay this optimistic after the move! This is something I never  saw myself doing. Sure, maybe if it was just me and my man but with kids? Well, it turns out I miss him more than I thought I would, there's a good reason we got married almost ten years ago. I knew he would travel and I thought "well he works 6 days a week 12 hour days, I don't really see him now!" There is a big difference between that and seeing him for 48 hours every other week. The kids miss him terribly and he is crushed by missing these early days in Waylon's life. We all know this first year in a childs  life flies by so fast and then its gone forever. Well we got to thinking, there will be a day soon when my kids may protest a trip like this. When junior high starts homeschooling will be much more difficult, I expect. Also, the bigger the kids, the more cramped the trailer will get right? Not everyone has this opportunity either, many couldn't if they wanted to because of jobs, commitments and the list goes on. For us, things have fallen into place and we're going to seize the day and be a family on the road for the next year. We plan on meeting new people, experiencing new things and allowing ourselves to enjoy life's adventure. I am actually very excited. I have discovered that we are by no means the first family in this trade to try this, I feel lucky that I can ask others about their experiences and pick their brains, I'm so grateful I found powerlinewives.com what an amazing support for wives of lineman. I expect to blog about our adventures, how convenient to have already started this blog, guess I should actually tell my friends and family that it exists. Can you believe I typed this all one handed with Waylon in my arms...yeah I'm talented.