Keys almost in hand

We officially purchased a house yesterday! We've been keeping it on the dl because well, we really weren't sure it would happen. The whole process was soo slow compared to last time we purchased a house. I'm not really sure if the sellers were the cause or their less than helpful agent or if things just are slow here in california. Oh well. We made it. almost.

The sellers requested an extra 14 days to get out of the house after closing... so. now we are waiting for 14 days. We should get keys, etc, on July 4th!

 okay okay onto the photos!

https://plus.google.com/photos/105029818198756907003/albums/5743663384712317201?authkey=CJyyyKGVxJTo1gE

ta da.

There are captions that help explain the photos on the upper right of the screen - which is not the most logical place for a caption.

We are pretty excited, and I for one am very anxious to just get in this house! Can anyone guess why???? We will be in there 3.5 weeks before I'm due... yay. At least we will hopefully make it before my due date! The completely selfish side of me is frustrated that the sellers are taking so much extra time. We've met, they are such a nice family, they've seen me and my very pregnant self. Surely they must understand how much I want to get in and start making home? grrr. I'm sure they feel the same about us; We've seen their family, they have 5 teenagers, surely we should understand how much time it takes to pack up 7 adults and their past 10 years worth stuff.

Mickey Nursery

Brian told me it was okay to do new themes for the kids' rooms in our new house. I'm SO excited.
(We signed half the house docs on Tuesday, and will close next week!!)

As I am now in my 8th month of pregnancy and have not had any place to "nest" for the last three months, all I can do is think about what I will do when we move in. Those that know me well understand I have a NEED to create things. As a professional graphic designer this need was fulfilled on a daily basis. But as a professional mom I need to find other outlets. Luckily you can hand make tons of stuff for kids. (I have not had access to any "kid stuff making supplies" for months and I am going crazy. This little boy needs some home crafted mama lovin too!)

I've had a good example of a creative problem solving, my mom. So my creativity was cultured as a small child. I would hear my mom say, "we should have a cottage for the bazaar!" The bazaar was her business, if you are curious check out her blog www.forgetmenotdreams.blogspot.com. She doesn't do bazaars any more, but you will get the picture from her current business pics. Anyways,  months later I would watch a gaggle of adults put together the facade of a cottage... thatched-ish roof and all. Later she would declare they needed other things like a life size santa, a general store, and various winter wonderlands. You should see what she does with weddings now! My wedding was just the start!

So I like to "think big" occasionally. And themed kids rooms (while I still can) are the perfect opportunity to be creative in a big way. FOUR BLANK WALLS! What am I going to do with those four walls for my newest little boy... Micky Mouse Nursery! duh

I gave Brian a few options and he liked the big mickey head on the wall the best.

I don't know the room dimensions at all, so I'm hoping everything will fit in the space. I do have a few pics I took for reference, so I'm not too far off. I think it should be a good project to work on for a while. The walls are already yellow the only new pieces I would need to buy are the shelves and curtains. The rest I can make! I may make the curtains if I can't find them. (No the baby's name is not Camden, that is just a cute craft I saw on Pintrist and am totally going to copy.)

Over the top? Slightly obsessive?? I don't really care. I haven't had any real "space" or "home" to picture for months, nor any way to make progress towards preparing our home or myself for a new baby. I now feel slightly accomplished.

I currently have a car seat, baby clothes, and a nursery plan. 

What more could you need for a new baby?

Don't worry, in a few weeks we will have all our stuff back and moved into a new house. Why the Lord thought it would be best to cut things so close I will never know. But indeed; Things will work out.

Cars Land Preview!

We entered in the a lottery to preview Cars Land a few days early... We had four people enter and I won! But you could select up to six people to come with (if they had season passes) so we all got to go anyways!

We were allotted the 1-5pm time slot, so we hung in Disney for the first half of the day, and went over to Disney California for the second half. After a bit of confusion we realized they had put the wrong color wristbands on us (how were we supposed to know blue was morning and green was afternoon? We had to go get things straightened out, but we were able to get in line before our time slot.

They had us enter in the area between the restaurants in the Pacific Warf area (the food area with the Mexican restaurant, the Asian restaurant, and the bread-bowl place- side note they have added a Ghirardelli Chocolate store in this area!) As far as "entering Cars Land" this will be a side entrance, but it is an awesome way to go! Here are pics as you walk through this area:

I mean wow. Not only does it perfectly mimic the movie, but this desert area is so expansive it feel like you just stepped into the movie and can't even see the rest of Disney. It was quite the entrance!

We walked up and right there was Luigi's Tires! I think that some of the stores along the main road are in a different order than the movie, but everything looks so authentic you don't notice. Luigi's happens to look exactly like the movie. It is also one of the three new rides in Cars Land. It is a bumper car ride with a twist. It is a hover tire ride. Picture a tire shaped hockey puck on an air hockey table. Then throw in 3.5 ft beach balls. Right. Everyone starts out with a beach ball in their hands, and then when the cars start hovering you can throw your beach ball. (I keep typing breach ball.. labor on the mind i guess :)
  

No I didn't go on that ride.
Let me explain.

We went with Jeff and Shelly from Brian's work. They are some of our new hang out buddies and have a love/obsession with Disney that is equal to ours. This is our second trip to Disneyland together.
Jeff, Shelly and Brian wanted to make sure they got to ride the Radiator Springs Racers ride. There was only a 30 min wait when we got in, so they ran off (and took the camera with them) to go do that before exploring the rest of the land.

 Then the ride broke down. (Which is of course why they have preview days.)

But they stuck it out (nearly 2 hours) and were practically first on the ride after that! Preggo girls are not allowed, neither are short little boys, so Brad and I didn't go. But Brian raves that I will LOVE this ride! If I have time I'll post his movie later. But the cars inside are lifelike to the movie- with moving mouths, expressive eyes, and those unique cartoon "car movements" they have. It is similar to Test Track in Disney World, but this one ends with a race through the desert. Brian's car won.

In the mean time, Brad and I explored the rest of the land. But I only had my cell phone. So a toddler, a stroller and one hand to take pics didn't work out well. So I only have a few.

There are a variety of treats at the Cozy Cone, including drinks that come in "cone cups." The actual ones are cooler, with a built in handle and Cars Land sticker. It may be a $10 pop, but you will have a lifelong desk ornament boasting the awesomeness of Cars Land!

Other fun features were the Cars themselves! Mater and Lightning McQueen take turns driving out in front of the Cozy Cone for visits! They don't have the fully animitronic mouths, but their eyes move, they have hydraulics that make them bounce up and down, and they talk to you. Mostly they say funny lines from the movie, they don't say stuff like, "Hi giant pregnant girl in purple." Just, "Howdy there!" so yea. Brad LOVED meeting them.
We met Lightning first, there was no one around and we just walked up. But then Lightning started revving his engine and going up and down so Brad was a bit nervous at first. Hence no pic. But as soon as Lightning start talked Brad thought he was awesome and since no one was around he walked up and could touch him and take some pics with the disney pass. I'll have to find those pics sometime.

Then we went on Mater's junkyard jamboree, which is a souped up spinney ride.

The tractors are static, but the wagons swing around as the ride circles. It is a bit unique in that you don't actually go in a circle. You go along the outer edge of three circles and your wagon swings around as you exchange circles and change direction. Complicated mechanics, but really fun.

This was the first ride ever Brad was really nervous to go on. But as soon as we starting swaying around he was squealing with delight at every turn. The bonus about this ride is that it can hold A TON of people at once. We walked on this ride. After grand opening I bet all the rides will be crazy, so this line will move the quickest out of all three rides. It is worth going on a few times, for kids, it is pretty thrilling! It is pretty thrilling for highly preggo girls too and the older ladies across from us. It really swings your around!

After that we just walked around and visited each store. Eventually we gave up on ever eating with the rest of our party and went to Flo's V8 Cafe. I got a milkshake- very tasty.

 Brad got the kid's mac n cheese meal... pretty much cafeteria quality. Not really a surprise from Disney. Brian later reported his meal was of equal quality. But really, none of Disney's food is super great. Don't get me wrong, it is better than other amusement park foods, but still, not super great.

After our time was up we went to visit the new entrance to California Disney- Buena Vista Street!

It is very nice! Good shopping - finally- lockers, a trolley, and a breakfast/lunch place with a Starbucks and ice cream!


Lovin the new additions to California Disney!

Beach Morning with Pup

This past week we've had Brian's parents visiting. We all wanted to go visit our San Luis Obispo relatives, so we thought we'd caravan up there for the weekend! It was so much fun!
As at any Saponas gathering, there was lots of food and lots of talking and joking around. It is so nice to have family around.

Anyway! Aunt June (relations are complicated, so we just say aunt. the true lineage of relation is much more complicated.. father's side, mother's cousin/great aunt's, son's, wife = aunt!) Aunt June gave us a tip on a nearby leash free dog beach! Of course we had to check it out. We are a dog family. And when I say "we" I really mean all of my family plus alllll of Brian's extended family are in love with their dogs and do rediculous things like take them on long car trips because we miss them and want them with us.

We weren't super prepared to play at the beach. We also thought it would be cold and windy and we would stay for maybe 45 min. We were wrong! It was warmer on the beach than inland!

SO we shed our jackets and rolled up our pants. (We were semi prepared for the beach. Back up clothes for the kiddo, plenty of towels, water, toys, etc. Just no swimmers for brad.)

We ran up and down the beach for an hour or so. Both Portland and Brad would get their toes wet but that was it! Portland had fun running up to all the dogs and trying to steal their toy balls. Brad just was happy to run as much as he wanted for as far as he could. I think track or cross country running may be in his future.

There was a little bit of convincing on my part, and a few sneaker waves surprised Bradley's legs, and then he was ready to play more in the water. I had to find a stick and play fetch with Portland to get her to venture out in the water past her ankles. What a baby dog! She is just fine in the water too. Surfin the waves like a pro after a few minutes.

Both Bradley and Portland are smarter than I estimated though. When mommy said it was enough he went over to dad to go run and play in the water. Portland did the same thing with the stick. Little hooligans are in it together!!

Soon Porltand and Bradley were fairly soaked through. Portland didn't seem to mind, and kept bringing us the stick still the very last minute. I figured Brad would stay dryer if he wasn't tripping over his pants, so we dropped those.

Aunt June came with all the sand toys and of course a squirt gun. Brad was so so on the sand toys, but refused to put down the squirt gun. (hmm funny how the squirt gun remains in SLO and other toys came home with us.)

After the pants were off it wasn't long before everyone decided his shirt should go too. Brad thought his diaper was unnecessary if the rest of his clothes were off. Pretty soon we had a naked baby on the loose!
(yes his sweet peener is blurred out for his future privacy. once it is on the Internet it stays there right! Too bad his mom still thinks it is adorable to post naked two year old pics of him.)

I couldn't handle more than a few minutes of full frontal before I put on his back up shirt (I am brilliant and had a back up back up in the car for the ride home). But he loved his naked romp in the ocean for the time he had. After 20 minutes Mom declared it time to go. Sad faces all around- even aunt June and Brian looked sad when I started giving the minute to minute warnings. It still wasn't super warm, and shivering baby makes me nervous.

We had so much fun we will have to make Port San Luis beach a regular part of our visits. I think Portland will forever remember the word "beach" as a holy and sacred word never to be uttered in jest. She loves the beach too much. The same could be said for Brad, but he will bring it up for the next few days and tell me how much he loved the "water fall." Water fall = all bodies of water where water make a swooshing sound of any kind.

Toddler Day

My family thinks my toddler is an angel, Is very mature for his age, and incredibly sweet.

Those things are not true today.

Bradley has had a morning cough for a week, and had crummy mornings for the last few days. Today he told Brian his ears hurt. So Brian suggested I try to get him in a dr's before the weekend. It was 6:30 am, no dr office opens till 8 or 8:30. Luckily I at least had a good lead on a good pediatrician.
I called and was lucky that they had a 9 am opening. By the time I got the appointment I would have 25 min to get out the door and over there. It is close so I wasn't too worried about the time. Right as I hung up they reminded me I would need my license and insurance card. I quickly threw on some clothes and a layer of make up and came out to gather Bradley and my purse. I did a quick double check to make sure I had my ID and insurance. The insurance card was gone. And it wasn't on the couch where I had been using it...
Our apartment isn't big, and we only have 4 or so surfaces where you can put anything. So after 10 minutes it was very clear that the card was not on/in the couch, not on the kitchen chairs/table, not on our bed and not on the floor. A quick prayer and another search revealed nothing. Again. Now it is 9 am and we are late. A little light went on and I angrily pulled the couch away from the wall to reveal the insurance card. Hmm I wonder what small child would put something behind the couch. He would never do that with the dog's balls or quarters, or anything important right?

The receptionists were very nice and helpful despite being late. This pediatrician's office had a little kid play corner, so Bradley went and played nicely for a few minutes. However not long enough for me to get through the new patient forms required for the receptionists to make a new patient folder. My sweet, dear, 2.5 year old decided it would be more fun to run around the office climbing on chairs, jumping off of end tables, turning the lights on and off, and screaming then throwing himself on the floor any time I asked him to stop. At least the office was empty except for the receptionists. Maybe being late was a blessing in disguise.. maybe.

Eventually we were called in. They opened the door and in Bradley ran in. Full speed around the corner and down the hall.

I feel so helpless in these situations. You know yelling won't affect your child at all, and in the process will make you look like a grumpy, mean mom. But you can't possibly catch him- if you try, you will fail and then you will look like a crazy, can't keep up mom. Currently, I'm very visibly pregnant, so it is extra fun to look and see what the belly mom is going to do with her wild, loud, toddler.

So I take the slowest, most patient route I possibly can. I walk over, grab his little elbow before he can run again and turn him around. (at least this way I look like a grumpy, in control mom) This of course is met with yelling and frustration on Bradley's behalf; But the nurses were so sweet and right on top of things and asked him to hop on the scale. Hopping is always a challenge Bradley will take on.
We only waited maybe five minutes to see the doctor. Of course nothing was really wrong. *sigh* During the visit Bradley thought the garbage was very fun, as was the floor, as was the dr's spinny stool (while the dr was sitting on it). The doctor was very nice, and understanding of a 2 year old's temperament. At least Bradley was good for his exam. But any attempt to seclude him to a chair or corner was not successful.

To compound the "funness" of my morning, when we got home we missed the FedEx man, again.. I don't know why Brian felt the urgency to order this life size erector set toy when we don't have any room to build or store big toys, and Bradley can't play with it on his own till his much older, but he did.

This pic is a week or so old. But yes, he equally that fast and crazy today. Picture this blur in the Dr's office. I thought it was a very fitting picture.
(Side note-The coffee table is not there any more. The tv now sits on the coffee table.)

At least Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is on.
In my book it is totally acceptable to watch cartoons all day when you are sick and can't go out. 
We are sooo eating pizza and tater tots for lunch.

Limbo Apartment

I am on my phone so this will be short. We found a reasonably acceptable apartment to stay in for a few months. Upon move in we only had a few suitcases, a few toys, some kitchen cook wear, and food. I raided the dollar store for basic kitchen needs, bought an aero bed- a pregnant girl inn her third trimester cannot get up off a low air mattress once a night for the next two months. Luckily aero beds are double high so I can easily get in and out. THEN I hit Ross for the remaining bed needs. (we borrowed an air mattress for brad.) Ps I love Ross for bedding. I am never disappointed with my bedding purchases. I guess after a night we figured we needed some other basics. Luckily, and I find the Lords timing in my life to be a little unsettling, we have also put an offer on a house. So we felt comfortable purchasing a few things for the house that would make our lives better now. New living room set new and a new tv and used table and chairs from Craig's list. I really am so so happy to have a place to sit my "little" bum. Last time we moved I didn't have a place to sit for a week or more and I actually thought I would go crazy sitting on the floor. So now we wait. Patiently. *sigh It will all work out.

Last Week Was Hot

 So we went swimming. This is Bradley's most desired activity in life. For days he brought me his arm floaties. I figured when it got in the 80's it was time to go to the pool.

On Saturday the local outdoor airplane museum had their Cold War spy planes, the U-2 and SR-71, on open cockpit display commemorating the 50^th Anniversary of the Bay of Pigs. Um we were not going to pass up the chance to see the cockpit of the SR-71!

 

 One of the old SR-71 pilots was there, and so Brian sat there and asked him as many questions as possible while Bradley and I patiently waited.

 Then we had to go wander through the rest of the museum... of course. Even though it was verging on 90 degrees at this point.

 THEN we went to the Poppy Festival! (In 90 degree weather)

 Lots of fun.

On Sunday we went to yet another new ward, just for kicks, and then went hiking! 

I have to take a side note here and say that I love my religion. We have been living in a hotel now for at least a month and a half. Our little living room has a table with 2 chairs, a couch, a chair, and a tv. Our everyday, normal, is nothing compared to what it used to be, and some days this is harder than others. We sold our house on Friday, done deal, so for the first time we actually don't have a home anywhere. No address to our name. This was maybe a little sad for me this weekend.

So when we walked up to the new church building, late of course, and could hear the ward singing "How Firm a Foundation" from the outside of the building, I felt a sweet sense of "home" come over me. That song doesn't have any special meaning to me. But it was comforting to be in a place where I knew the words to the songs, I knew the people there loved me- even if they didn't know me, and I knew that the testimonies spoken that day would be as true as the ones I have heard many times in my own home ward.

Then we drove to the San Gabriel mountains and hiked on one of Brian's new trails. No, it was not one of those crazy hikes Brian occasionally takes us on.

Hiking is also one of our Sunday norms. It was so nice to have a normal day for once.