Sandbridge 2014

On our way home from the beach I told Bryan it was a pretty much perfect week.  He laughed and told me I always said that, but I insisted this time I really meant it.  (He could have reminded me of the night I declared"I need a vacation from my vacation!" and he sent me off to get a Dr. Pepper with my sister but he's smarter than that.)  It was a big year- my grandparents, my immediate family, and three of my aunts and their families all stayed in one house.  Crowded, yes, but so fun.  I laughed until I cried on many occasions

Yet again, our girls were in heaven at the beach.  Jilly could build sand castles all the livelong day and was pretty good at convincing people to help her.

Mattie is a little water baby.  She loved the ocean and would fearlessly sprint out into the water so we had to always be on guard.  She also was a huge fan of beach chairs.

Jilly and Mattie don't quite get the concept that vacation = sleeping in.  For most of the week one or both girls was up by 5:55 which, conveniently, was sunrise.  I didn't love getting up so early every day but I did enjoy a few morning runs on the beach with my dad, and it was fun to get some early beach time before anyone else was up.

I am the oldest of all the cousins so my youngest cousins are just a little bit older than my girls.  Jilly and Mattie love all these cute girls and were in heaven having so many friends around all the time.

My girls are the only grandkids/great-grandkids so I was very spoiled with help and the girls were totally spoiled with attention

I have gone to the beach with my grandparents nearly every summer of my life and I think it's so fun that my girls will also have these memories with Grandma and Grandpa Rice

Everyone takes a night to feed the masses and my mom's night was by far the best

You didn't think we'd leave the beach without a jumping picture

Six on Saturday

Some highlights from our first full week as Marylanders not on vacation.

1)  On Saturday night I gave the girls their first bath in the new house and while I was busy trying to get them to look and smile at the same time I didn't notice a few unwanted floaties care of Mattie joining the bath.  I quickly got the girls out then drained and cleaned the tub.  Definitely an eventful (if unpleasant) first bath.

2) The mosquitos are throwing a rager of a Welcome to Baltimore party for us.  The second we step outside my sweet girls are surrounded by evil bloodsuckers.  We now bathe in bug spray.  Also, the cockroaches- blech.  But, we found this cute bunny out on a walk one morning.  

3)  On Tuesday night I left the girls home with Bryan and met my parents and sisters Katie and Jenn at the Washington D.C. Temple.  There aren't words to tell you how happy this made me.

 4) We experienced our first thunderstorm this week.  My California girls were in awe - Jilly was extremely concerned that the road was going to turn into a river and wash the cars away.  

5) This week we've mastered Target (twice), Costco, Ikea, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Walmart, the mall, and the library.  I've pushed the girls to the limit and they've let me know it.  Friday was a total bust, but snowcones and a 7:00 bedtime made everything all better.

6) Lastly, a little sneak peek at the one small spot in our house that is pretty much done.  That bannister has Christmas garland written all over it; I can hardly wait til December.

Stayin' Alive

Moving is no joke.   We are up to our ears in boxes and general disorder.  I think maybe someday we’ll get this place organized, but so far things have been sloooow going.  A few tidbits from our last few weeks:

+ Packing up and leaving was hard.  I was alone for the last few hours that the house was ours and I sobbed as I packed the remaining items and cleaned every room one last time.  That place was chock-full of memories and I hated to leave.

+ Our parents are amazing.  Bryan’s parents took Jilly and Mattie so we could load the truck without children underfoot.  Then when we got here my parents took both girls for a couple days then kept Jilly for nearly a whole week so we could unload and get a head start on unpacking.  My girls have the best grandparents in the world.

+ Before leaving we sold our cars so in our first few days here we had to purchase two new ones.  That was really, really fun and not stressful at all… (sigh.)

+ After one week in our new house we packed up and left for a week at the beach.  This was an excellent idea because we really needed the break and had a wonderful time (I’ll be sure to inundate you with pictures soon) but also a terrible idea because coming home from vacation is hard enough, coming home from vacation to a new home that is in total chaos really really stinks.

+ Because I like to needlessly stress, I was super worried about Jilly adjusting to the new house.  We got her room all set up first, and it looks nearly identical to her old room.  When she got here she immediately ran upstairs and I could hear her saying “Oh, it’s beautiful!”  She also loves the basement (which is a playroom) and having “my very own backyard.”

+Speaking of our house (more specifically townhome), it was built in 1949, which is amazing.  But this also means it has lots of character and quirks- we’ve had to adjust a bit but we’ll take it.

+ Ikea is equal parts my best friend and arch nemesis.  We are so lucky to have one only 15 minutes away, but it has stolen many, many hours of my life in the past couple weeks. 

another day, another Ikea trip 

+ Thanks to a little mess-up by me, and a big mess-up by Comcast we haven’t had tv for three weeks.  This actually hasn’t been as traumatic as I would have thought (too tired to watch) but I am very much looking forward to having it back at the end of this week.

+ More to come, hopefully sooner rather than later but I make no promises.

seven

Once there was a girl who really really really liked a boy who was tall, dark, and quite handsome.  After many months of waiting the boy finally noticed the girl and held her hand one night and the rest is history.  A very happy history.  Happy Anniversary to the one I love best.

- A few weeks ago Bryan and I spent a solid 5 minutes debating if this was our 7th or 8th Anniversary.  You know you're getting old when. . .

- We don't have a history of very romantic anniversaries (we've spent every anniversary except one either apart or on vacation with my entire family.)  But this one may take the cake.  I'm already out east staying with my sister and Bryan is making his way across the amber waves of grain to our new home.

- That being said, we did sneak in one last date to dinner and the temple before we left, and it was so nice to take a break from moving craziness and celebrate.

friday five: Jilly edition

1. Summer has brought naps back into our lives (bliss!)  Jilly spends as much time as possible playing outside and often crashes in the afternoon.  On Saturday she didn't get a nap and couldn't quite make it through dinner.  

2. Last Sunday Jilly was so excited to put on her church dress but I told her she had to wait for Mattie to wake up so they could take a bath together.  When Mattie finally woke up Jillian ran in and said, "Dee! You want to take a bath?!?" Mattie replied with her usual jibber jabber.  Jilly came back to me with the saddest face and said, "Mattie told me she doesn't want to take a bath."  Apparently I should use Jilly as an interpreter more often.  

3. Jilly is very into nesting.  She loves to gather blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, books, and toys to make a nice cozy bed for herself.   This was super duper helpful when I was trying to pack. . .

4.  There's nothing we love more than a fancy afternoon at Target

5.  On Sunday in Primary they announced that it was Jilly's last Sunday.  When we got home Jilly told me "My friends are going to miss me very, very much."  Little does she realize how much we are going to miss all her sweet friends.  

^^ Saying Goodbye to Gredtel, Mayzie, & Clark, Lydia & Rowan, and Kylie