1st Day at the Pool

The kiddos braved the still fairly chilly water to have their first pool day on a 85 degree April Texas day!  I have a feeling by the end of the summer these two might have grown fins…This was a trip to our friends pool that is in the community next to ours.  I think having 2 pools within a mile of our house will be a key to beating the Texas summer heat!I also taught them to lay on the cement to warm up, I remember that from my own childhood memories as my Grandma had a outdoor pool right across the street from her house.  They both thought it was a pretty great trick and after awhile that is all they wanted to do!

Beaver Bend Oklahoma Camping Adventure

We took off on Friday night for a weekend camping adventure.  The kids were so excited so although they took naps they were both quick and by the time the drive started they were ready to zone into their movies.   Their individual DVD players were the best Christmas present ever…  The drive was gorgeous filled with lots of cows and rolling hills and trees.  It reminded Mike and I both of northern Minnesota/Wisconsin.

We grabbed dinner along the way and that was our only potty stop before pulling into the entrance to the State Park.  As we drove we scoured the gas stations in the last town for firewood to no avail, it was not as concerning because we saw a lot of downfall and thought that we would be able to drag some logs out of the woods.  We arrived at the camp sites and drove past the first 30 or so as they were all occupied.  We arrived at the last campsite and there were 3 spots left, phew!  This campground operates on a first come first serve place and there were only 60 available spots.  We thought we’d be ok as we were early in the season, but were surprised by all the people that were up camping along with us. 

We started the tent set up in the dark and struggled a bit.  We even got the giggles as we set it up wrong a few times and the tent looked quite pathetic at first.  Then the hoots and nighttime sounds got the littles afraid of “things that go bump in the night” and they were in the car waiting for us to finish up.  Finally we had the tent set up and we started to unpack things…that is when we noticed that we a) had no firewood and b) realized that the car was running low on battery per its please to power it down or start the engine.  I tried to start the engine and it wouldn’t work…giggles ensued as M and I thought, what more could happen in adventure already.    We decided to keep our fingers crossed and hope that the car would start in the morning…

Next order of business, fire, thankfully our neighbor had more than enough firewood and was willing to share.  I even asked if he had been finding our trials and tribulations comical…he was more impressed we were camping with the littles as he had a 14 month old and wife back at home.  Anyway he kindly shared firewood with us and saved the night.  Elin decided she didn’t want to wait for the fire or marshmallows and went to sleep, it was 10 p.m. after all.  Stella beat both of the kiddos to bed as after exploring for a few minutes and seeing her dog bed go into the tent she called it a night, so much for our watch dog!  Thomas was not so easily distracted…he wanted “marshmallows in his belly.”  Thomas happily roasted marshmallows and might have consumed 1-2 as well, by the end of the weekend we decided he more liked playing with the fire and roasting the marshmallows than actually eating them.  About 11 p.m. he curled up on my lap and fell asleep by the campfire.  M and I then enjoyed the dancing flames and some alone time before we too snuck to bed about midnight. 

Our night of sleep was far better than I remember ever camping.  The kids were exhausted, it was about 65 degrees in the tent so we weren’t too hot or cold and we all fit on a queen size air mattress.   We woke up at our normal time about 7:30 and started on breakfast.  There is something about the taste of camp food that always makes it a little bit better than just some regular home cooking, maybe it’s the dirt or possibly the firewood would be more accurate?!  Either way a perfectly made sausages, scrambled eggs, coffee (thanks to Starbucks via packets) and a nice cup of ice cold orange juice had our tummies all happily filled.  The kiddos happily played in the dirt and Mike and I strategically planned our exit strategy for our next crisis, while also pondering how the heck did this happen?!  When he went to start the car that morning it started, phew, BUT it said we have 0 miles to empty as far as gas goes.  We could not figure out how that had happened and we knew it was going to take us some really great luck to make it the 22 miles to the nearest gas station…seriously ensue giggles again…we were convinced that either the gas was sucked up by the battery charging or monsters had come in the night and robbed us of our gas.  Fingers crossed we packed up and headed on our way…about 10 miles into our trek and still with the gas meter telling us we had 0 miles to empty we heard a familiar beep that notifies us of our current miles to empty…it now said 68…hmmmm.  We both breathed a sigh of relief and kept on our current path to get gas….then a fishing license…then firewood.Along our route we stopped in at the Beaver Bend State Park center which also housed the history center for the area.  Since we were there we took 20 minutes and walked through the exhibits which showed how the area had survived and thrived over the last hundreds of years.   Then it was time to get back to camp and cook lunch, we had successfully ate up our morning and any chance of doing something outdoorsy…I told Mike we would need a major revamp after lunch/naps or this trip was going to feel like a sit and eat one…which none of us really enjoy. 

For lunch we had another yummy camp meal of beans, hot dogs, an orzo pasta (to which I didn’t have the right spice mix so I improvised), and chips.  After lunch we cleaned up and decided that the only way the kiddos, who at that point we showing signs of near exhaustion, would get a good nap is if they did it in the car.  It was a hot and humid (hot and spicy) 85 degrees and so we loaded up and off we went.  Within minutes they were sleeping and we brought Mike back to camp to get ready for his attempt at fishing.  He went out for about a half hour before calling it good.  I chilled with the kids/dog in the car watching him, chatting with my mom (we were keeping track of the weather) and catching up with a friend I hadn’t talked to in awhile.  Then Mike and I continued to explore the area driving around until the kiddos woke up.  We found a place for Thomas to go “shishing” as that was all he had been asking to do.  That too was quick lived.  As we got to the slippery slate rocks, Stella found out the hard way that slate and algae make for a nice slide.  Our very afraid of swimming puppy found herself totally submerged in the water and was frantically trying to get out.  In the 30 seconds it took her to free herself her Daddy was on his way to rescue her and me to get to Elin…we were scrambling.  Poor pup was absolutely terrified but as we already know she is able to swim she just prefers not to.  Mike casted for Thomas and about a dozen times and then he was unimpressed with the lack of fish, Elin took a turn and then we were off to the swimming beach.  It now was 88 degrees and although the water was chilly the kids had fun splashing around and “swimming.”   Thomas was fully decked out in his swimming gear and insisted he have his life jacket on.  He has always been a fairly cautious guy with safety things but as his vocabulary has grown it is funny how he will describe things as being absolutely horrific and terrifying.  The thought of wading in water with his Mom and Dad an arms reach away from him was still far too death defying for him to be comfortable.  This probably isn’t a the worst thing as Elin couldn’t be more opposite, aside from Coyotes and guys in general, this little lady has no fears even for personal safety.   After the kiddos were shivering and blue we finally convinced them out of the water.  Then it was time to head back to camp for some dinner, chillaxin’ and a campfire.   Mike wanted to try a new camp food and made shrimp tacos.  While he was cooking those in the cast iron skillet the kids and I assembled camp cones with just strawberries and very melted mini chocolate chips, our banana monster had successfully consumed and played with the group of bananas we brought on the trip.   Dinner was really yummy and we will be adding the shrimp tacos to our camping recipes.  Then it was time for dessert we threw the cones into the fire and although they were ok they were not what I was hoping for.  So we quickly moved onto the standard smore’s before E was begging for bedtime.  It was still 75 degrees with 70% humidity and after nursing and snuggling in the tent she and I went to the car to cool down and for her to fall asleep in her car seat.  By the time we got back to camp twenty minutes later we found Thomas curled up on Mike’s lap sleeping.  We laid the kids down and then were just about to enjoy the camp fire when the neighbors camping baby woke up.  Our worried little Mama woke up in the tent wanting her baby and crying saying the baby next to us wanted “mama milk.”  We reassured her that the mama was taking care of the baby although I am certain she felt she could do better as she was now up and worried sitting with us by the fire.  We made her a s’more and then went and laid back down.  After struggling to calm their baby and get it back to sleep our neighbors decided to ditch and run about 11:45 p.m.  We listened while they packed up and headed out, Mike reminding them to be safe and grab a hotel, rather than drive the 3 hours back to Dallas.  About Midnight we all went to bed wondering how early we would be woken up by the forecasted rain/thunder storms.  We woke up again about 7:30 and were surprised we all slept well and the rain hadn’t started.  It was overcast so we decided to pack up and get out of the area and back home stopping for breakfast along the way.  The drive was fairly uneventful, the kiddos were tired and we only hit the storm for about 5 minutes of driving, thankfully there wasn’t hail in this section of the storm. 

With us now living in the beginning of “tornado alley” I am having a healthy respect for the meteorologists and the weather forecasts of severe storms.  I hope we never are in another tornado or something similar to the one that we had in Colorado in 2009.  As predicted this storm front did cause tornados they just started a bit more North and East than we were.  Mike kept giggling at me as I continued to check in with my mom and with the weather reports, I wasn’t taking any chances. 

After we got home we unpacked and then stripped down in the garage for a tick check….gross!  We are again living and near ticks and a whole slew of other super weird and new to us critters, bugs and snakes!  Thomas was the first lucky winner, then we found one on me, and then Mike.  The good ol match trick (that apparently is no longer recommended due to the heat causing the ticks to release more goo when hot) didn’t work so we moved inside grabbed alcohol, tweezers and zip lock bags for the evidence.  We all had the creepy crawlies and the final tick count was Thomas-1, Mike-3, Stacey-2 and Stella-1.  Somehow Elin lucked out and was missed.  I am also surprised that the kiddos had any as each night I was checking them out, Mike and I were not as smart with our own checks regardless ticks are gross.  After we de-ticked we then went straight into a hot shower and finished with the cleaning after camping process.  Lunch and a 2.5 hour family nap later and we were all somewhat recharged and ready for some seriously relaxing and continuing to unpack and rid all our clothes/bedding of possible ticks.  

Overall another successful camping trip in the books and a lot of great memories!

*the pictures are all from my iPhone as my camera was out of batteries…last time I don’t check that before heading out on a trip.  Although the phone pictures are better than nothing, they don’t do the landscape justice as it was gorgeous!*

**Update**

The kiddos have been playing “camping” for the last 3 days.  They have their suitcases and headlamps and move from the playhouse, into their truck, then into their book nook under the stairs.  I think it is safe to say that they had a good time camping.  I opened the “tent” to find Thomas telling Elin stories before they went to bed, just like Mike does when we are camping. 

Painting away the yellow

Shortly after we moved in we realized that we couldn’t stand the bright yellows that were all over the house.  The entire entry, dining room, main room/kitchen, 2 bedrooms and one of the bathrooms were all various shades of bright yellow.  It was overwhelming, so much so that we decided painting was a must. 

After many swatches of color samples we decided on our colors, hired a painter and in 2 days our house was completely painted.  We are really happy with how it turned out and as Thomas said “the sunshine bright doesn’t hurt his eyes anymore.”

Kids Fort/Book Nook

We decided to turn our main levels under the stairs storage area into a kids fort and book nook.  During the kids nap on Saturday I painted the room and then on Sunday Mike and the kiddos got to work hanging all the shelves and the magnetic boards.  The kiddos now have a space to play and hang out and not going to lie, Mike and I enjoy hanging out in there too!

Morning Breakfast Date

Thomas, Elin and I were invited over to breakfast with our neighborhood friend Tripp, Boston, and Grahm.  After some morning cartoons and breakfast the guys built a fort and were nice enough to let little Miss Elin join in the fun. 

Settling in…

The pile of boxes being sent to be recycled/composted shows what we have been up to.  We have also tried to return to “life as a new normal.”   The kids and I have tried to balance unpacking and working in the house with normal activities such as art projects, story time and trips to the park.  The kiddos are doing pretty well.  Elin will inquisitively say some friends names like Dalhia, Reier, Ruby or Gabe and “sleeps” meaning they are gone.  I can tell she knows that life is different but as long as we are around,  she has been dealing with it fine.  Thomas on the other hand is still working through some big feelings on moving.  He is missing his friends and our old house.  It is heartbreaking to listen to him talk about what he misses.  Even thought Mike and I know he will be fine and in the grand scale of life this will be a small blip, right now to him it feels huge.  I have scoured my resources to ensure that we are hitting all our bases.  So far letting him ask questions and talk thought what he is feeling is helping him immensely, as is getting out of the house and meeting other neighborhood kids.  He has also been carrying around his super hero “things” and like lovies he never lets them out of his sight. 

Mike flew back to Seattle on Tuesday night to drive Stella home.  He had an epic road trip with some camping and fly fishing planned, through Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma.  The weather had a different plan.  The start of his trip went smooth and he was able to fish one day in Montana catching a brown trout.  After stopping in Bozeman for the night and checking the weather he revamped his plans.  A major snow storm was coming and he knew he needed to hop on the road and skip his planned am fishing.  Instead of stopping in Casper, WY to fish and chill with a buddy he pushed on to Denver a day ahead of schedule. It was a long travel day day for he and Stella and thankfully good friends, a beer, and his brother and future sister in laws place awaited them. 

The next morning they again were on the road early to beat the storm as it was moving through Colorado.  Mike and Stell were on the road for 14 hours and finally pulled in front of the house at 9:30 p.m. we were all finally together as a family in Texas.

Hello Texas!

We left Seattle on our flight at 11 p.m. and landed in Dallas at 4 a.m. Central time.  The flight was uneventful until we started to land and then it was pretty bumpy, or more like a roller coaster as we descended.  Up until that point the kids and the cats had done fine, when the bumps started we all were a bit uneasy.  Anyway once we landed we got ourselves together, went and got all our luggage and then got to Mike’s truck.

The kids were quickly asleep and we were able to watch the sunrise as we drove to our new house.  Mike and I were really excited about driving up to see “just where we would be living.”    Although we were exhausted when we drove up we were pleasantly surprised and happy with the decision we had made to buy this house.  I know that is wild, but when you have 5 days to look, find and buy there is a lot of trust and faith that go into it.  We quickly set up the air mattress, that we flew with, got the cats settled, and crawled into bed.  It was a quick first “night” in our home but when the morning came we were all excited to check things out!

Grandpa and Grandma Laschen arrived that afternoon to help us with the kiddos and unpacking.  They came to the house and we started to get organized before we headed off to dinner. 

The next morning our stuff arrived on the truck and the guys made quick work of unloading.  Thomas had been talking about getting a “4 wheeler” when he moved to Texas.  He was a happy camper when he saw his 4 wheeler in the garage, he must have rode that “tractor” for 10 hours.

The unpacking was much quicker than the packing process and just after lunch the guys finished and were on their way.  In the first day, with Grandpa and Grandma’s help our kitchen was mostly unpacked, it was amazing to finally have a functioning kitchen after a week of eating out or on the go.

We didn’t take a whole lot of pictures while Grandpa and Grandma were here but we did get a few!  The rest of the weekend we unpacked, organized and did shopping to make the new house functional.  Before we knew it Sunday had arrived and it was time to see Nana and Bampa off.

That night we walked to the park and checked out our community pool.  Our new normal was slowly sinking in.  Stella was still in Seattle enjoying her vacation with Kristie.  The kitties were starting to adjust and come out of hiding and the laundry room.  Poor things were terrified and very unsure of the move and new house until our furniture arrived and things started to get more “normal.”   

1st Trip To Dallas

We took off Tuesday morning bright and early for our trip to find a house in Dallas. We landed got our rental car, grabbed lunch and then headed to the hotel.  After a quick stop at the hotel it was time to head out on our house hunting adventures.  With Mike along we met the realtor and saw the first 5 houses in our search.  Mike and I were both astounded and in disbelieve about how much the houses were and what we were looking at.  They were huge, some even had master bathrooms bigger than our kitchen in Seattle.  We immediately started to narrow our search and decided that too big just wasn’t for us or our air conditioning bill!  After seeing some potential we headed back to the hotel for dinner and rest!   Here are some of the things we saw and liked while house hunting

Wednesday morning we were up and the realtor picked the kiddos and I up for day 2 of house hunting.  As the day progressed I found 2 houses that had a lot of potential that I wanted Mike to see.  After a recharge at the hotel and an Elin nap we headed back out on our hunt.  I had come down with a super ill feverish case of mastitis, boo, boo, boo!  Thankfully, I know of a homeopathic treatment that along with rest knocks it out of my system pretty quickly without needing antibiotics.  So after a full day of house hunting, I was tired.  We grabbed a quick dinner out and then headed back to the hotel where Mike took the kiddos swimming. Thursday morning the kids and I stormed Walmart for some morning play time and then walked to a little pond to “feed the ducks.”  Little did we know this pond was also filled with cute turtles big and small.  It was the wildest thing!  We had also decided that a full day out house hunting for the kids was too much. 

So we narrowed down our search again and waited for Mike to get off work before we went out as a family.  By Thursday night we felt like we had 3 favorites and we wanted to head back to look at them again on Friday before we made a final decision and an offer.  After we saw the houses we headed over to Mike’s new bosses house for a dinner and some swim play time for the kiddos.  By the time we left they were both exhausted and sleeping in the car, which allowed Mike and I some much needed adult conversation time.

I had a sheet of paper going listing out pros and cons, Mike had his and we were also getting input from our families.  Buying a house in a new town in 5 days is crazy wild/stressful and a huge leap of faith.  On Friday after Mike got done with work for the day we went out and looked at 5 houses all in the Frisco school district.  We had decided after talking with Mike’s boss and his wife that that would be the best educational decision for us with the kids, especially Thomas, being school aged.  So off we went.  We decided on the Remuda house and put in an offer.  We then went to a Hibachi Grill to “celebrate” finding a house and the beginning of our new adventures in Texas!   This is the house we thought we bought below (more to come on that).

At the hibiachi grill we were instantly surprised by the price of 2 beers and a shirley temple.  We in fact asked the server if we had been charged right, to us $4 for drinks was not the norm.  We then enjoyed our dinner with a few Elin tears here and there.  She was not a fan of the fire and was in fact pretty terrified that we were all going to burn up.  She would hide her head, cry and say “hot” and “scared.”  After we finished torturing Elin we headed back to the hotel for more swimming.

Saturday we woke up and headed over for more duck/turtle feeding before we headed to the airport.  All was going well with the home buying and we needed to stick close to the hotel for fax/email purposes.  At the airport we hoped as we flew back to Seattle the paperwork would be signed by the buyer and as we landed we’d get the confirmation email that “we had bought a house.”  Well we landed and instead of the above, we got a text message from our Realtor saying to call her ASAP….UGH!  It is never simple is it?!

Anyway a long story short, a second buyer had come in and they wanted us to compete for the original house we had found.  Mike and I talked and decided that we were not willing to budge too much more for a few reasons: 1) we were at the top price range with that house and the fixes we would have done immediately (needing new fridge/washer/dryer and replacing carpeting/flooring) 2) the taxes at that house were really high 3) our realtor said, well maybe since this is happening it is a sign that the “cookie” house is the way we should go?! 

On Sunday morning we found out that we had in fact been “out bid” on the Remuda house.  So onto fingers being crossed for the Cookie House.  Our realtor called and got in touch with the sellers and in a few hours we were buying a different house, the house we originally wanted, but thought it was “just outside” of the price we wanted to pay.  Thankfully the sellers came down in price a bit and as always it seems like the cards played out perfectly for us to the the right fit.  Below is a picture of the house we did buy!!  It is a 5 bedroom 4 bathroom home with a community park and pool.  It is a perfect fit for our family and we are so excited that we bought this house instead of the other home.