We should all be so lucky.

A little over a month ago we moved into the new place. The transition has been easy for the most part. The kids have adapted well to the neighborhood kids and we finally brought Moose home from the in-law's. I've made new friends and inched closer to knocking a few more things off my 30x30. Just a fair warning, this will be photo heavy.

I know Mama Kat requested our summer thus far in pictures, but I obviously need to get some things out of my head as well. Aren't you all the LUCKIEST??? I'm pretty sure I'm breaking all the rules this post. Summer from my kid's point of view... summer in pictures... pretty sure she asked for 5 pictures, it's gonna be more than that. I might break the internet this go around.

One of the first days we were here, two of the neighborhood kids introduced themselves and since then Logan's been pretty much inseparable from them. For the most part. They're easily 2-4 years older than him, so he doesn't quite understand yet why I won't let him go alone up the stairs without an adult to see if they're home. We've had a few incidents already where I've wanted to snatch him inside, but alas, I will not be THAT Mom. Where our last place had a kid or two within a 5 minute walk (big neighborhood, LOTS of the original residents from 30+ years ago, meaning most kids are moved out and on their own elsewhere), our new place has 3 kids Lo can play with just in our building. I'm content with this for now.

Another perk of our community has been the pool. Lillie likes to use the pool for relaxation purposes. She's not picky as to who holds her, just so long as they don't care not having full use of their biceps the next day. Both kids are fishes now. Not yet confident enough to take the swimmies off, but confident enough to jump off the diving board or edge of the pool and going under for a second. Baby steps.

My Boy and his "Gamma" have birthdays 3 days apart, which is super convenient... with the exception of the fire hazard 5 additional candles adds. Because my baby is now 5. FIVE YEARS OLD, Y'ALL. I die.

Little Honey Badger is a big fan of having so much light in the playroom. Lo likes it for early morning Lego building and Star Wars Coloring Book sessions. It's exactly where I found him this morning, quietly coloring after days of chaos (to be explained in *hopefully* tomorrow's post.) My favorite part is the closet (not pictured THANK GOD) where I can literally sweep the toys into the closet at the end of the day if I'm not feeling OCD.

And then he turned 5 years old 3 days after his Gamma's birthday party and I died. I DIED. Why are your limbs so long, BOY? Why do you look so OLD? How is it possible that you've left me hyperventilating in the both the Courthouse as I retrieve your birth certificate 5 years late AND in the Board of Educations registration center because OH. MY. GOD. you are five. FIVE. And they want me to explain health concerns and proof of vaccinations and I don't know how to explain your previous pre-k experiences because I live purposefully blissfully ignorant to keep me from panicking about moments just like this one and OH MY GOD WHERE DID THE LAST FIVE YEARS GO? I die.

I hung up some pictures. Like what I did there? Panicked momentarily and changed the subject? I'm getting good at that one. Anywho. I like the way the kids personalities are portrayed in their fingerpaintings from school last year. Logan so nice and neat, like I can hear in his head, "green goes here, orange here, a little red here, AAAAAND DONE. IT'S PERFECT!" Lillie's is more like, "HURRICAAAAAAAAANE!"

I hung more pictures. Because we just might be the luckiest people alive. Surrounded by love, laughter, screaming and chaos, good words, big hearts, twins born yin yang style 18 months apart with mirrored freckles and mirrored hair growth swirls and complete opposite personalities. We are so lucky. So very very lucky.

I decorated with the purchases I stashed and boxed away all during June. I'm particularly fond of Mr. Pirate Octopus. I'm super tempted to paint him on their vanity mirror. And maybe on ours too. Seeing as how the Husband likes to tattoo (new avenues taken EVERYWHERE, people!!!) I just might have him tattooed on the Husband by the Husband (I'm still a chicken who will never ever nuh-uh NO WAY get tattooed.)

He's five. I die.

Sigh. 18 months till she's five. I DIE.

And then I thought I really WAS going to die. Started off innocently enough as a sinus/allergy type infection. And then everything settled in my lungs and OMGSUFFOCATING! Neat little recipe though to soothe any morbid thoughts from your mind whilst choking on your own mucous. 2 bags of green tea, 1 bag of mint tea, steep in 20 oz of boiling water... add sweetener of your choice and heaven. Go on now, try it for yourself. It's my understanding this crap is floating around nationwide. Pretty sure I just performed a community service, you're welcome.
 

 His.

 

Hers.

 Ours.

Get a damn room already.

A month after we moved in, almost to the day, my kids went and left on their very first trip out of state without me. My womb, I kid you not, cried. I am so screwed when they move away to college or elsewhere. I talked to them every night except one, I sang lullabies in the middle of grocery aisles from over 500 miles away, I listened to my Mother pretty much parrot what I deal with on a daily basis and ached inside to have that noise and normalcy back under my own roof. I prepared myself for their return last night by kicking the Husband out of our room so I could sleep with both of them curled into me. Strangely enough, they both didn't argue when show their own bed. We're still pretty big advocates of "You sleep in your own bed unless a hungry bear is standing over you in your sleep threatening to eat you, and then you can come sleep with Mommy and Daddy." Apparently I taught them too well.

It was nice to wake up to the sounds of Logan wrestling with Moose and talking Star Wars to himself as he colored, waiting for me to roll out of bed and break the silence. Lo rises with the sun, no matter what time he goes to bed. Unlike his Sister who relishes every extra second of sleep she can get. So I cracked my back, made some coffee and hooked Moose up to his leash and the boy and I enjoyed a rare 20 minutes of walking the dog around the complex and catching up on his reunion events and all the naughty little tricks his cousins taught him. Apparently he was taught that squeezing his, ahem, balls would get the last of the pee pee out. This is why I feel completely and totally at a loss as to why God would bless me with a son. What on earth am I supposed to do with a little boy who says things like "balls" and likes to play Star Wars and gets embarrassed because some girls are SO pretty? BOYS ARE SO WEIRD, Y'ALL.

Also? After 4 sleepless nights, I took a 2 hour nap cuddled (for the most part) with Lillie Rae today. It's good to have my babies home. I wouldn't change this madness for anything in the world.