Moving on up

 It's official--the cast of L to the Third is going to be trading our view of the Franklin Mountains of El Paso for the Front Range and Pike's Peak of Colorado!  It's all come as a bit of a surprise, especially as Captain Husband thought we were going to be in El Paso for at least three years, but it turns out that we won't even make it to a full two.



We're still working out all of the details, like where we're going to live and just when exactly we're moving, but I think it's safe to say that the entire family is pretty excited for this next adventure, especially as it's only a day's drive away. So who wants to come visit once we're settled in at our new location?

Stopping to smell the flowers in San Antonio

A few weeks ago, Sammy and Charlie's Auntie G emailed me to let me know that she and her husband were going to be journeying to San Antonio, Texas, to visit with some family.  I couldn't resist the opportunity to see the two of them, so we made arrangements to meet at the San Antonio Botanical Garden the weekend they were in Texas.

The boys and I tackled the eight-hour drive to San Antonio on our own (Captain Husband wasn't able to take the time off) last Saturday and checked into a hotel on the northwest side of town where we explored for a little bit before settling in for the night--it had been a long day in the car and we wanted to be well rested for our visit with Auntie G and Mr. P!

Sunday was a beautiful day to spend wandering through the gardens (although a little too humid for me--two years in El Paso has definitely ruined me in regards to humidity); all of the greenery and flowers were a welcome sight after the long drive the day before through the Texas desert.  Both of the boys really seemed to enjoy themselves and the extra attention that Auntie G and Mr. P lavished on them.

Before we knew it, it was time for the boys to take a nap, so we said our goodbyes and headed off on our separate ways.  I'm so glad we were able to meet up and visit, even if it was only for a little bit; hopefully we'll be able to get together again soon!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: A few fun finds

{You might be wondering just what's been keeping me busy these days, or at least busy enough to be dropping the ball left and right in regards to keep up this blog.  Well, I'll tell you--I've been busy finding fabulous vintage things all over the place thanks to local thrift shops and estate sales.  If I keep this up I really am going to have to consider opening up my own little vintage store.  Captain Husband thinks I'm nuts for buying quilts when we live in the desert, but we won't always live in El Paso, right?}

{I found this lovely Arts and Crafts drop-front desk at an estate sale a few weeks ago; the estate was of a couple who had owned their own antique store, so going through their house and giant garage had me feeling like a kid in a candy store.}

{This stunning step-back cupboard came from the same estate; it had been hidden at the very back of the garage and no one seemed to notice it.  Of course, they probably had more sense than me and realized that moving an 8' tall and 4' wide ONE-PIECE cupboard just wasn't worth the trouble.  Thank goodness the ceiling in my garage is high; this thing just barely fit inside with only a few inches to spare.  The movers are going to hate me the next time we have to PCS.}

{And last, but not least, is one of my favorite thrifted treasures: a full set of vintage Lustro Ware yellow kitchen canister set, bread box, and salt and pepper shakers.  I honestly don't think they've ever been used--the bread box still has the Good Housekeeping seal of approval sticker on it.  I found them at a thrift store in New Mexico and nearly did a little dance when I realized that the bread box was filled with the other things and that they were all included in the already ridiculously low price.  I think these might be my best thrift store find to date!}

Charlie's eight-month update

I'm having a little bit of trouble coming to terms that my baby boy is now eight-months old; it seems like just yesterday he was this tiny little creature that I had brought home from the hospital.  But there's no doubt about it--Charlie is fast on track to becoming an independent *gasp* toddler.


Charlie is this close to crawling...in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he figured it out by the end of this week.  He's very adept at going from a seated position onto his hands and knees and Charlie has also mastered the art of scooting along the floor on his bum.  It's slow going, but he doesn't seem to mind--Charlie's just so happy to be able to get to some of his favorite toys on his own.

Charlie has figured out how to use his two bottom teeth over the past month and loves to chew on steamed veggies like cucumber, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and sugar-snap peas.  He has nothing but disdain for being spoon fed, so I've started letting him finger feed himself and Charlie seems to really enjoy this new independence.

Stats: Charlie is currently wearing 18-24 month clothing and probably weighs around twenty-four pounds.  He's settled into a regular nap and bedtime routine and is generally sleeping through the night most of the time (when Sammy leaves him alone, that is).  Charlie is babbling a ton now and is beginning to copy the sounds and movements of others--he loves to blow raspberries whenever Sammy or Captain Husband do and shake his head back and forth in imitation and he's even started to wave.  And in other news, Charlie has mastered the fine art of clapping!

Wishing you a totally egg-cellent Easter!

Charlie's seven-month update

I'm a little behind on giving you the monthly update on Charlie, but better late than never, right?  Charlie is now the proud owner of two bottom teeth and he enjoys using them to chew on a wide variety of things, such as baby carrots, his fingers, and just about anything else he can stick in his mouth.  I'm still working on introducing him to solid foods--he appears to really enjoy sweet potatoes, peas, and applesauce, but was rather indifferent when it came to avocados; Charlie also appears to have a sensitivity to bananas of all things, so I'm going to wait a few more months before reintroducing those.

I decided to movie Charlie into Sammy's room when he turned seven-months old; I think the transition was made easier on both boys by having them take their afternoon naps together for a week and a half before making the big move to sharing a room overnight.  It appears that the only thing keeping Charlie from sleeping through the night was being in our bedroom--he's only woken up once in the night to nurse since we made the change, which means I've been getting a full night's sleep again.  Speaking of sleep, Charlie has turned into a napping champ over the past month.  He typically wakes up at 8 am and plays for about two hours and then naps from 10 am to 12:30 and then again in the afternoon from about 3 pm to 4:30; thanks to the time change, he's going to bed at 7:30, which means Charlie actually gets to see Captain Husband most evenings now.

Other stats: Currently wearing eighteen-month clothing.  Has started getting into the crawling position and rocking back and forth, but he still hasn't rolled over yet.  Loves being tossed into the air and having raspberries blown on his tummy.  Likes to get into yelling contests with his big brother.  Enjoys playing peekaboo and hearing me sing silly songs that feature his name and dancing to Beatles songs.  Absolutely adores bath time and has figured out how to scoot around on his bottom in the tub.  Thinks Sammy is hilarious and that Sandy Cat is his nap-time partner in crime.

Charlie's six-month update

I had every intention of posting this last week, but my laptop has gone and lost it's mind and has decided to take my external drive along with it.  I'm still trying to figure out just what is going on and will probably resort to taking it in to the geeks at Best Buy but after the debacle that was the last time I took my laptop there, it's probably going to be some time before I'm back and running at 100%. Anyway, Mr. Charlie now measures 27 1/2" long and weighs just over twenty pounds and is wearing 12-18 month clothing.  He has yet to roll over on his own but Charlie's so close--plus he's got a lot of weight to hoist around.  Still no teeth, but he's showing all of the classic signs of teething--copious drooling, chewing on his fingers, and sucking on his bottom lip.  I peeked inside his mouth and it looks like his bottom canines are the ones giving him trouble (and keeping us up at night); I might have a vampire baby on my hands.  Aside from the occasional teething woes, Charlie continues to be a ridiculously easy-going baby--as long as his belly is full and his bottom is dry, he's a happy camper.

As you can see, Charlie's totally sitting on his own now and loves to watch the antics of his older brother and Sandy Cat from this new vertical vantage point.  Tummy time continues to go well and Charlie's started to push and scoot himself around a little bit on his belly in order to get to toys just out of his reach.  He's also started babbling a bit more and making different syllable sounds, but nothing delights Charlie quite so much as blowing raspberries at anyone and everyone.  Charlie's agenda over the next few weeks is to tackle some more solid foods (he's sampled pears and bananas so far) and to make the transition to sleeping in his crib full time, which means sharing a room with Sammy; I've actually managed to get both boys to nap simultaneously in the same room so I'm hoping the transition won't be too painful.

And just for fun, here's a video I took of Charlie tickling the ivories for the first time: