Yes...

...I do have a pulse. Just not a very strong one right now.

Here's where I've been:

Wednesday night after closing I went in to do all the taping in the rooms I planned to paint over the next few days. Got to bed at 4:30 am.

Thursday at 9 am I was back in the house painting. Went to bed at 2:30 am.

Friday morning at 7:30 am was back to let in the blinds guy, Verizon guy, and take reciept of my POD. Oh, yeah and paint some more.

Saturday, Mark was back from the boat and ordered me to sleep in. In fact I didn't have to lift a darn thing out of that POD. I've done plenty of lifting since, though - don't worry.

Sunday. I painted. Then went and ate dinner. I'm now blogging... I should be unpacking - or moving furniture into my bedroom... but I'm blogging.

Here is some photo documentationess:

The B-rox and Kenny hiding in the master bath shower. They thought it was hilarious. Oh, and Go Navy!!! Beat Army!!!!

Kenny doing a little downward dog. Namaste.

The painting of the kitchen.

The main floor powder room.

Kieran's room is on the Left and Braxton's room is on the right. A (as soon as we get the decal's) space bedroom and pirate bedroom, respectively. Oh- and Braxton chose that color. It's called gamma sector green. Go buzz lightyear... Oh, and these rooms look totally cool side by side. My bedroom. The picture isn't great (taken with my phone) but it's a nice pretty eggplant purple. A color choice that was not made by me. Not vetoed by me either. Just painted by me...Yaaaayyyyy!!!! My stuff! Oh S*&$!!!! Don't hit my deck!!!! This "podzilla thing is driven by remote control once it's off the truck. It's a little frightening.

Ok... I'll post more when my brain clears out from all the paint fumes. And when my back can stand sitting up for longer than an hour... I feel old today.

Woo Freakin' Hoo!!!!

Mark and I are official! I signed all the closing papers today and we now have keys to our very first home. My fingers are insanely cramped - as I had to sign for mark and this was what I had to write - on every single piece of signable paper:
Mark Andrew McDaniel by Sarah Marie McDaniel his attorney in fact. Seriously. I had to write all that out. Damn you Navy and sending my husband away on the very day we close on the house, thus leaving me to deal with it all. OK, I'm off to paint! More later!

Brotherhood

Not everyday is a walk in the park.
This one was.

THe oldest.

Because its been a while since I've done some child specific posts - and because my journal is packed and I can't put this stuff in it right now.

Braxton has never liked being dirty. Ever. His first birthday was not the blowout we expected. That was the first moment we really noticed he was different... He completely freaks out if he spills, or if he gets dirt on him. In some respects I'm so grateful for this attribute. I never had poo adventures with him. He learned to be a neat eater quickly, and is always in a better mood when the house is clean and organized. (Though he's not generally one to stand up and say he'll clean it...). Anyway, Braxton loves fruit. Except watermelon and oranges. I finally discovered why yesterday. They "get all drippy on him". No joke. He won't eat them because they'll drip on him and make him messy. I guess that means a night at the Melting Pot is out...

A little backstory:

Many months ago, while brushing Braxton's teeth, Mark and I were discussing possibly taking the boys to a Sesame Street Musical. (We never did... durn it.) Anyway, I said the word "tickets" and the boy erupted into giggles. Hard core belly laughs. Weird, I know. So, to this day that word still makes him dissolve into a giggling mess. This is how my dinner went last night:

B-rox: "Daddy... TICKETS!"

Mark: "TICKETS!"

B-rox: "TICKETS!"

Mark: "TICKETS!"

By this point the laughing was uncontrolable and he could hardly say the word - but managed to continue to squeak it out for an entire inning. At which time I, the killjoy, said the words "pajama time" and killed all the noise instantly.

The B-rox and his brand new big boy bike. Here's where I'm having trouble. Braxton seems to have learned the phrase "I can't". Right now he seems convinced he "can't" pedal.

On our little excursion, this is what I heard while I very patiently, and lovingly encouraged him.

"Mom, I can't pedal because my knees are too big"

"Mom, I can't do this because my booty is too small"

"Mom, I can't do this because my shoes are too slippery"

"Mom, I can't do this because my toes aren't working"

"Mom, I can't do this because my head is too hot."

"Mom, I can't do this because I'm still young."

There were more, but those are the only ones I truly remember and don't want to make any up, so as to keep the integrity of the post.

This "I Can't" phase is very frustrating and exhausting. I don't know where he got it, as the most I have an occasion to say I can't towards is opening a spaghetting jar now and then. This is not the attitude of an achiever - and I really hope he outgrows it.

Moving. Oi.

For those who have been settled nicely in their cozy little homes for five years or more - I kind of hate you right now. Here's why:

1.

2.3.Yes, that is an air mattress. No, we don't make the bed. Is there really a good reason to? I'll send you five dollars if you can give me a good reason. Since it's my blog I'll decide wether it's good or not.

4.

And my closet. Both of my dressers were loaded over the weekend, and my nice neat folded piles were attacked. I'll give you three guesses as to whom did the wrecking... Oh to have drawers again...

5. In the last three and a half years Mark and I have moved (including this move) five times. Yes you read that right. Five. For the doubters here they are in order:

Corvallis to Corvallis. 1337 to 1229. Not the hugest jump - but its a move and they suck. (oh, I also didn't include any of the things like from the dorm to the manor, manor to apartment...)

Corvallis to Alexandria. Finding apartments online blows. We arrived and signed a Lead paint waiver. We hit the jackpot there, eh?

Alexandria to Pittsburgh. Six months of small town awesome. The birth of my second child. A roommate not suited for the hormonal mess that is pregnancy. New construction that uprooted many nests of Brown Recluse spiders. *shuddering just thinking about it*

Pittsburgh to the "Greater DC Area". Home. For what we thought was the forseeable future. Then summer hit and we couldn't use the pool...

Greater DC Area to Greater DC Area down the road. Our first home. It's beautiful, it's ours and we can't wait. We're SO not moving for at least three years! (Hear that US Navy?)

A little product placement.

I figured it was time. All going to Goodwill Industries. Seriously good for the Karma. It's kinda like cleansing your palate after the first course. It just feels good.

And now for the free advertising (in fact we paid them...). Our choice of moving method. It seems to be big enough to fit our house, and I don't have to worry about Mark driving a big Uhaul truck around.

Oh, and I think these are delicious. I totally ate a pack just now while drinking my afternoon cup of coffee...

By pack I mean TWO sticks. Not the whole box. Jeez! What do you think I am?

The Beast.

Or, the couch. The couch that wouldn't die - and didn't want to move. It's a good thing its an inanimate object, otherwise our narrow victory would have been a loss!
This picture was taken relatively early in the hauling stuff out process. It ended up being the last thing out. That was after what I'm sure felt like forty trips to Wal-Mart (Thanks Peggy!), and a half an hour of beating the crap out of the last leg. Big and bulky SO doesn't work in townhouses...

Glowsticks.

We found a new monster repellent! Glowsticks. Reading "Geez Louise" by the light of the stick. The only light in the room were the glow sticks. Looks like graffitti right?
I love that you can see seventy-five different pairs of legs in this one.

Taaaa - Daaaaa!!!!!!!

This morning marked a huge occasion for Mark and I. We got to walk through our completed home. Yup, It's done. If it weren't for the fact that I had been up since 4am I would have been jumping out of my skin. It's gorgeous inside. I've decided to kennel the boys to keep it that way. Jk. Sort of. Angels are singing for my new kitchen. It isn't huge - but it's big enough for us - and completely gorgeous! HUGE fridge. Love it. Our walk through guy and Mark. My feet standing on my new kitchen floor. I'm a dork I know. But thats why you love me. A view from the top of the staircase, Dining room on the left hand side - that's the living room in the background. Awesome. U-shaped couch - here we come. Fireplace from the back corner of the living room. A view from the opposite corner. I can't wait... seriously. This is killing me.
This is standing at the garage door, looking at the front door. Look at all this beautiful shadowboxing! at the front door, looking at what will become the playroom.

Smart Ass

The most wearing thing about my oldest son lately, is his propensity for back talk. Oi. If only I had known how frustrating it was to my mom - I so would have never, ever done it. Ok... I would have done it less. I am beginning to realize that he back talks because he's smarter than his dad and I. It's completely exhausting. Case in point:

Me: "Braxton, please do not help me pack this box. I will get you your own box to pack."
B-rox: "mom, you go get your box to pack. I'm going to pack this box - so go away."
Me: (completely exhausted with it, but putting on a stern mom look anyway...) "Braxton Xavier - are you back talking me?"
B-rox: "No, mom, I'm front talking you."
Me: (Stern Mom look shot to hell now, lips quivering with the effort not to laugh...) "Braxton, DO NOT speak to me that way. Do it again and you will not get any boxes to pack!" (Then I walked away to laugh out of site and write it down...)

Oi vey.

Testing, Testing...

... 1, 2, 3. I'm currently testing out pulling pictures from my external hard drive. I have so many on my computer now that it's bogging down. It's time for me to (finally) use the external hard drive Pa Hat got me some months ago. (Sometimes I procrastinate...).

Look at how small my babies were last year. The EXHD works. Rock on!

Oh, and happy mother's day to all the mommies. I hope yours was as enjoyable as mine!

The Wedding...

Blogger seems to be working again this afternoon. Hope you like them Burt. Thanks for letting your wedding be the first... (that is a happy tear on her cheek) Love the look on the ring bearer's face. "You crazy uncle..." The ring bearer had decided he'd had enough of the crazy - and the flower girl was pretty close to walking out on it too...
Again, thanks for trusting me to take the pictures of your wedding - when you probably shouldn't have! Love ya mucho.

Some randoms...

Some photo documentation of the trip that is un-weddingish. A pretty poppy. It was so orange and happy, I had to stop listening to the people that were talking to me and take a picture...A cactus. Cacti were a huge hit with the B-rox. Driving to my sis's house from the airport this is what we heard:

B-rox: "there's a cactus, there's a cactus, there's another cactus..."

Me: "Braxton, what do you think about the cool palm trees?"

B-rox: "Yeah, thats cool. There's a cactus, there's a cactus, there's a cactus...""OOOOOOOH A BIG BIG HUGE CACTUS." The engine. Where men gather to think.

Man on a cliff. Or - if you're me - Daddy on a cliff. Hi dad! His propensity for this activity always makes my mom gasp. It was hilarious when I was younger.

Feeding dad some Cerretta's Chocolate during some down time. We went to the Cerretta's factory for a tour - but left early when Braxton got angry he couldn't hear over the hundred and fifty fifth graders. The one thing that is going to save me from having to get a dog. This face. This is what Braxton looks like after about fifteen minutes in a house with a dog. Swollen, splotchy (he still has the remnants of a rash from head to toe...) and incredibly uncomfortable. Poor baby. Awesome post swim hair. Morkupine Porcupine. I know this makes Uncle Sneaky uncomfortable to see - but Braxton wore my shoes for an entire twenty-four hours (minus sleep time). I thought it was cute...

Alright. I'm off to fold some post-vacation laundry. All 49 lbs of it.

The Acosta's

Here are a few more pics of my sister and her hubband. Oh, and their soon to be bambino...I know this one has to be bigger than blogger allows for you to actually see their faces... but I like it anyway.

Oh yes Burt, you're glamorous...

We'll pretend these were the engagement pics... wedding soon to follow - promise!