Oh Lawdy...

Being a parent is tough!  There are some days, like today, where it's all I can do to keep from ringing Banks' neck.  He's not happy with any of his toys, is whiny, and the only word he knows is "no."  Tonight, we were at dinner with friends and it was all I could do to keep him from a complete melt-down.  I even gave him my iPhone to do whatever he wanted to do with it and even that led to tears when he wanted "uh-nudder one"-meaning another game, picture, or whatever in the world he wanted to look at that would appease him.  I couldn't get him to bed fast enough.  There has been only one other incident where I considered leaving him in public so that I could dig a hole and poke my head down in it.  I am seriously dreading the two's if it is anything like the little taste I've been getting of it lately.  We might not leave the house for that year and I am serious.  We've become pro's at time out.  He's been to time out at every friend's house and most recently went to time out in the Grove.  He even sent himself to time out today for hitting me.  It may be necessary to graduate from time out soon.  I need one of those little frowny face wooden spoons that I can pull out of my purse, say in instances like at the restaurant tonight, that will put the fear of God in him with its very presence.

 Then, there are other days when all I do is laugh because he keeps me on my toes and he is a funny little boy!  I overheard him, pretending to be on the phone, say "Hey baby.  What's up?  Not much.  Bye-bye." and about fell out of my seat.  Hey, baby????  A few days ago we were playing with the sidewalk chalk and he put his little chalky finger on my sunglasses.  It left a little white smudge and he told me it was "bird poo-poo."  His little mind is so inquisitive and he talks ALL. THE. TIME.  He especially likes to announce what he's doing "I runnin!" or "I sit white he-uh."  He is funny about his play these days, too.  I came downstairs today to find some of his vehicles lined up just right.  And the cell phone is there too, just in case he needs to call his baby again.

And, reading an Easter book in the blow-up pool in the middle of the den just because...

And when I see that little face that looks like he got busted doing a big no-no it makes me want to run up the stairs and wake him up and give him a big squeeze and forget all about the teeth grinding he made me do today.  That little stinker...

Bye-bye paci!

I have been dreading and dreading it but we finally gave up the paci last weekend.  And we survived!!!  We have a nest on our front porch and ever since we moved here we've been talking about the baby birds, the mommy and daddy birds and how they feed the babies worms.  So, we decided that the birds needed the paci's since they were babies.  It worked like a charm.  He says, "baby birds, paci's?" everyday but understands that they're gone and he has to go to sleep without them.  You know, I felt bad taking his paci's away from him.  He was REALLY attached to them and I felt like I was depriving him of something he loved!  Not the last time I'll feel that way, I'm sure.

Having a final moment with them:

"Let's see if I can get two in my mouth at the same time"

And, saying goodbye forever!  Leaving them on the porch for the baby birds.

Things I've learned...

We've been in Oxford for a little over a week now and so far we're loving it!  I will say that I am totally out of my comfort zone as far as friends go.  I am having to put myself out there (read: I keep inviting myself places) and it is a really foreign feeling for me!  I guess I'm just wishing I had some ready-made best friends!  Banks and I have been getting out and doing something everyday-going to the park, playing at Square Books Jr, going for a walk on the Square, running errands.  It helps me to feel like I'm a part of the community that way.  I'm sure all two of my readers are laughing hysterically right now because I know I make it sound like we moved to Iceland and not just an hour down the road!
In our short time here I've learned a few things:

• people do not scoop poop here like they did in Memphis.
• it only took me four days to get "small-towners" where I complained about having to drive ALL the way across town to go to Kroger (all the way across town is like five miles).
• I miss the familiarity of Memphis and my Memphis friends.
• things go at a much slower pace here than they did in Memphis and I LOVE that.
• my Target withdrawals have not been nearly as bad as I thought they would be.
• there are tan, skinny college girls everywhere.  Not good for the ole self-esteem.
• I need to go on a diet.  I need a better tan.

Banks has been making the most of his time here at the new house:

Making sure he's close enough to see the "tee-bee"



Laughing it up...

Perfecting his golf swing

It's done.

But it wasn't pretty. After a long moving day, most of our items were delivered to our new town house. I say most because we had to leave a few outdoor items behind at our neighbor's house (which calls for another trip to Memphis to retrieve said items). I think we may need to be on Intervention or Hoarders based on the amount of stuff we have. I asked a friend who has moved several times if she had any advice for me before the move. She said, "throw away as much as possible, drink heavily and try not to divorce Matt." Can I get an Amen? Best advice I've ever gotten and most applicable when it comes to a move.

Leaving our house was harder than I'd imagined it'd be. Do you recall those high school days when you dumped the person you were dating and then got mad when they went on a date with someone else? You didn't want the person, but you didn't want the person to have anyone else. That's exactly how I felt about our house. We were ready to move on, but I didn't like the idea of someone else moving in, changing things, and making it their own. It was ours. It especially didn't jive with me when the girl started getting mail at the house. How dare she. But, it is now theirs and we're in this town house that makes me feel like we're living at the beach. Just minus the sand and beautiful water.

We're all adjusting well. I'm not sure that Banks even knows we've moved. He doesn't care about anything except the stairs. Buford, on the other hand, has been one big stress ball. If we had a vet here I'd be tempted to get the guy some doggie Prozac or a mild tranquilizer. But soon enough he'll settle down and stop freaking out that he's going to get left every time the door opens. It has yet to feel real for me. Most of the town houses next to us are vacant...either for sale or their owners just come down during football season. For that reason, I've yet to meet a neighbor and make a connection. Once that happens, I think the rental will feel a bit more homey. That and maybe if I'd stop calling it "the rental" or "the town house" and start calling it home.  But, nonetheless, it is home and we're loving Oxford life so far.  I'm looking forward to this week and getting together with some other moms and their children.  I need to get out, get accustomed to things here and get comfortable with my new little life!

The toys are unpacked and this little guy sure is happy about it.  Here he's showing me his truck.  We told him it was a monster truck, he calls it his "cookie mah-stah truck".

Playing out in the new front "yard".

Remember the stairs I was telling you about?  He loves to go up them and throw something down them.  He does not love to get in trouble for doing that.

A week of lasts...

Nine days.  That's all the time we've got left here in Memphis.  People keep asking me if I'm sad and honestly, I haven't been the least bit sad until this week.  Prior to this week, we were fully engulfed in getting our house sold.  Once we accomplished that, we focused on trying to find a house to buy in Oxford.  And when that didn't work out, we spent all our time and energy finding a rental.  Now, we're packing and cancelling services and setting up new services and making sure my favorite catalogs get sent to the new town house.  You get it...we've been so busy looking to the future that I hadn't taken the time to stop and think about what I'm leaving behind.

So this week is all about our favorites.  Banks and I have been hitting up all our favorite parks, having picnics, going to the zoo and to My Big Backyard, playing in our own backyard, taking walks around the neighborhood, and seeing all the people that have mattered the most to us.  Our friends had a great "going away" dinner for us last weekend, our Sunday school class is having a lunch for us this weekend, we spent some QT with Banks' cousins, and we're seeing all his/our friends one last time before we hit the road.

It's all making me a bit sad.  It's not that we won't ever go to another park or have another picnic, but it'll be different.  Not necessarily different bad, but it'll be different and that makes me nervous.  I'm getting sad about leaving our friends here.  It's comfortable, our kids play well together (for the most part!!!), and it's easy.  I'm getting sad about leaving our house.  We came home from our honeymoon to this house, brought Banks home from the hospital here and had many a good cookout here.  I learned to cook here, how to plant my own herb garden, and how to raise a child here (since he's so grown and all but you catch my drift).  Our home is filled with memories and I guess I'm getting nervous that leaving here means leaving those memories.

Part of me has yet to accept that this is really happening.  I'm not sure how that's really happening since everywhere I look I see a box or bubble wrap and my home is in complete disarray but because we're moving to a rental and not into our next home, I feel a little as if I'm going on vacation.  So if you call me mid-afternoon and I'm drinking a fruity adult bevo you may need to come to Oxford and slap a little reality into me.

Now, don't be fooled.  This move to Oxford is not a bad thing.  It's what Matt and I have always wanted to do.  It's just now that it's here, it's a little scary.  You know the whole thing...change is good but it's just scary.  So bare with me while I make the adjustment.  I'm so excited to stroll around the Square, to be able to leave something in my car and not have a panic attack that it'll get stolen, and most importantly...be there during football season!!!

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with lasts. However, it may be the last time I allow Banks to pick what he's going to wear. He was dead set on the pj's and boots and because Daddy was wearing a hat, Banks had to as well. Such a nice ensemble.

Enjoying his last trip to the zoo for a while.

Yo mamma...

We had a great Mother's Day today. We went to early church, had brunch and (some much needed after getting up early for church) mimosas in Oxford, secured a place to rent (hallelujah), and enjoyed an afternoon in the back yard cooking out!!!

I had full intentions of having a photo shoot in the Grove. We walked in, Matt snapped this shot, and the camera battery died. Amazing.

Packing can be fun???

As long as you get to play in the boxes!!!

I'm sorry for my lack of posting and it probably won't get much better over the next few weeks. I'm using every nap or spare moment to pack a box or two. While it has been stressful for me, Banks has been having a ball climbing into boxes, scaling boxes, and pretending to go "nigh-nigh" in the boxes (which is a bit freaky to me as he likes to lay down in there and close himself up like he's in a coffin or something). Hopefully once we get settled down in Oxford, I'll be better about my posting!!!