The Last Days (in DC)

The past six weeks to two months of our existence in DC were slam packed with stress, friends, getting things taken care of, realities of selling a home, and hope for our new life in Texas.

Erik's work threw him a happy hour his last week in DC. It was a lot of fun to meet his coworkers and his partner. I know that he will miss many, many people that he met while working at Deloitte (and Booz, his previous firm).

I look so cute! This is Jessica. A superstar. I just wished we had longer to get to know her.

How long is that moving van?

Don't worry, our stuff was only a portion of what filled this monstrous truck. The packers packed in 2 days and loaded in 1. I felt so blessed to have their help because we were busy finishing up the house and getting the "things" to stage the home. (Thanks to the Ladies in my family on their feedback for the staging!)

The staging turned out wonderfully. The pictures just do not do it justice, IMHO. Funny enough, our realtor has been contacted by other realtors who want to hire the professional who staged THIS townhouse. Ahem, that would be me. Maybe a minicareer waits for me doing this while I raise my boys? BTW, I staged our home for a FRACTION of what a "real" stager was going to charge. That is because I am cheap and super cool. Nay, a genius. Amen.

So, in the midst of this, the "association" decides that a hard to reach board(s) on our ROOF need to be a certain color. We care what the "association" has to say because we need the "association's" approval before we can sell. And, we REALLY want to sell this amazing place (insert shameless plug, I should include the link, too: See Awesome Townhouse)

In the eleventh hour, Erik is painting really high in the air. And, does he just stop with our house? No, this stellar neighbor went ahead and took care of our neighbors' houses, too, so that they would be in compliance--ah, what a guy!

In the eleventh hour, the cleaning crew hired to clean the house makes a TERRIBLE mistake. sigh. sigh. sigh. The only time I have hired someone to clean my house and they screw up, bigtime. (insert one of Sheila's ranting moments)

I don't have words to describe just how stressful the last weeks were. Replacing windows, light fixtures, painting, fixing problems from the previous owner (although they were cosmetic, they took a LOT of time), runs to Home Depot, runs to Lowe's, runs to the "association" (see "replacing windows"), irritations . . . nightmares with matching paint, deciding what to take to the apartment in Texas (What will I need in the next 6 months?), more runs to the "association," insert about two million breakdowns from Sheila, and all with a toddler and a newborn. I am newly overwhelmed just thinking about it.

We only made it out of the kindness and sacrifice of our friends. Sweet Bonnie who watched Everett at the eleventh hour so that we could get it DONE before we flew to Texas on the next day. Awesome Home Teacher Jimmy who had a great eye for details (at least on our roof) and probably has stained hands still from the black bark, and the Awesome Duo The Stevensons and Awesome Duo The Wilcoxes helped us paint and paint and paint. Other angels Elise and Erin who watched Everett, family and the diehard friend who listened to Sheila rant, and then the ones that just sent their positive vibes and prayers . . . these are the reasons why we made it. I am not trying to be overly dramatic. It was hell. And, sweetness, it is OVER!

And, ceremoniously, these pants were left behind. Amen, again.



We are enjoying our transition to Texas. There were many friends that we would have liked to see one more time before we left . . . I guess that just means we'll be back in DC at some point to do just that.

Chills and Thrills, Part II

I totally forgot about the shameless plug of the awesome townhouse that we have for sale in Reston, Virginia. Seriously, this is a sweet pad and a great place to plant some roots in a stable community.

Click Here to see the Awesome Townhouse

Click Here to View Through Another Database (easier to see the pics)

Along with an oversized deck in back that looks on the golfcourse, this townhouse also has a screened in porch that is off of the dining room. We mostly used the screened in porch for breakfasts, for the "drink" area when we had our par-tays, and for hanging out with guests on nice nights (without the bugs). When Everett came along, it was our space for "making" things and for looking at the squirrels and birds. It is a lovely area for cuddling up with a book. Don't take my word for it, go check it out yourself!

Merritt at 3 Months

STATS

Weight= around 15 pounds

Height= 24 inches

Merritt is talking and talking with giggling interspersed. He is just as ticklish as his brother and it is so fun! He loves the images on the TV. In fact, I have to make sure the TV isn't on when he is feeding.

He is starting to do stomach crunches, building that truck strength. He loves to sit-up, stand, and pull himself to sitting (with help of course).

Merritt is a snuggler. We started sleep training this week. No, not to sleep through the night but to be able to have the skills to get sleep on his own. I didn't know if the method I devised and used with Everett would be okay with Merritt, but, so far, it hasn't been too hard. I wanted to start earlier, but with the move, it wasn't a good idea. I just can't tolerate crying/fussing when I am stressed and super sleep deprived.

How Big Is Merritt?
I'd like to introduce The Catepillar. I had a hard time finding an animal that was the length of Merritt when he was born. (Most of you will remember The Bear that I used with Everett to visually track growth.) So, I took The Catepillar, made a quick cut to the appropriate length, and tada--The Catepillar was ready for the upcoming photo shoots.

You can tell from the picture that Merritt has grown quite a bit already!

We have enjoyed getting to know him and are enthralled with how he changes each day! The following pictures of him include some of the two brothers. Everett is quick to include Merritt in his playing and in making sure that Merritt is "OK!"

This one shows him just staring at his feet. Those socks really brought them to light.

Please excuse the various states of undress for the toddler. That is how this toddler rolls these days.

Chills and Thrills

The past week, like last week, was really busy. I haven't posted much because I've been bit sick. Kind of inevitable since we are so run down.

Last weekend Nana and Poppa came to visit and we had a GREAT time! The boys warmed up to them right away and they played on the play ground, played "ball-bat" (baseball) with Everett, helped us return the rental car, and just were cool to hang out with as we continue to get to know the area and recoup our energy. Everett has mentioned them several times since they left and looks forward to playing "ball-bat" with them, again.

The Honda was gifted with a new clutch last week. ooooo, aaaahhhh, and it runs so much better with it. There were several other parts that needed to be replaced, but I don't remember what they are and it really doesn't matter, except we were fortunate enough to find a great place that was honest and helped us repair our lone horse. I need that car to give us another two years even though it has 170,000 miles on it already.

Erik is acclimating to work. The dress code is, well, casual. Kind of hard to get used to after years of full suits. I am pretty sure we'll have to go buy him new clothes . . . knit shirts. He is enjoying getting to know his coworkers.

Merritt and Everett are a hoot. They are continuing to acclimate. This is now "home" according to Everett. Evy is now an accomplished escape artist. I don't know if I have mentioned it yet but he is also perfecting his current trade as RUNNER. So, between the two, we've added another "keep the kid in" tool to all the deadbolts (because, yes, he can reach and open all of them).

I am slowly getting there. On Cooking Night, Deborah and I made artichoke manicotti. Last night was Cooking Night again and we perfected the pie crust and two types of quiche. It was delish!

The weather has been beautiful this week. Oh, so beautiful. We've had the door open, we've been outside so much, and the heater hasn't been on at all.

On Tuesday, Erik came home, we ate dinner, and then we played outside for over an hour (until it got dark). Not having a DC commute really makes it easier on the family. I am loving it!

Under Dressed

Everett, in the buff, just ran to tell me that his clothes were dirty (they are completely clean) and that is the reason why he refuses to wear them. I predict that I'll have to redress him at least five times today. Darn the fact that he can even get his potty training friendly pull-ups off faster than I can get them on him.

Texas: The First Week

So, our second day in Texas, there were tornadoes in the Dallas metroplex. We spent around 30 minutes that evening in the master bedroom closet with two sleeping boys as we waited out the tornado sirens and impending doom reports on the TV--listening for the "all clear." Yeah, we are back in Texas.

On the way to check out Erik's work, we saw a monster truck at the post office that was an extra 2 feet off the ground than a normal big truck (Evy thought that was really cool), and we saw this--


I have no words except to add that the dog was chained to the tool box while his driver was going 45 miles an hour down the road. Okay, maybe I have a word: horrifying. Just for the record, you don't see this very often in Texas. But, I have only seen it in Texas.

Our new place has lots of cool things to do like play in a sandbox (sand volleyball), put our feet in the wading hottub, play in the inside basketball area, and see movies on the indoor theatre. Yes, there is an indoor theatre area. Yes, I like to spell theatre that way.

We are acclimating. We've seen our beloved "Texas Truck" commercials. We unpacked our 150 boxes that we brought from Reston. The rest of our stuff is in permanent storage (like it costs $100 to access our stuff). Even though 150 sounds like a lot, they overpack with paper. Like one box was a small lampshade. Got lots of arts and crafts paper, now.

Today I found my thrift stores; I am looking for a cheaper grocery store; I've already done loads of laundry. The only thing left to do to feel completely at home is to scrub the toilets. I'll wait on that for a day or two. Don't want to do it all at once, do I?

Dancing with Dad

Insert sounds of music pumping and toddler screaming and you get the idea.

Bros

Everett and Merritt are quite a pair. Everett constantly asks to hold Merritt and help with Merritt. I, personally, enjoy having a pair of eyes in the back of the car.

"Evy, is Merritt awake or asleep?"

Evy looks over and then exclaims, "Asleep (or awake or crying)!"

Evy loves to share his blankets with Merritt and has learned that his screaming can wake Merritt and make him cry.

The following pictures were taken when Everett wanted to hold Merritt and share his blankie. He also wanted to touch Merritt's eyes. He knows better and just wants to taunt me sometimes.

We make sure to include Merritt in all our fun. On this day, Everett really thought that Merritt should try "just tasting" the play dough. And, the Little Scamp was almost successful in providing that taste testing to the poor unsuspecting baby.

The pair of them have lots of fun together. Well, at least Everett thinks so.

Chills and Thrills

I just wanted to put out a quick update for those faithful readers out there who are wondering.

• Yes, we are alive.
• Yes, we have many a story to tell about getting here and our first week here. Included in that are The Devil In the Dress On the Plane, The Cleaning Crew Mistake, The
  Tornado Forced Us to Shelter, and The Dog On the Truck
• Yes, we do have pictures, especially of the boys. When I get more than 10 minutes on the computer, I'll post them. Man, are those boys CUTE!
• Yes, I love how cheap it is. We've had our share of expensive and unexpected occurrences in the past two weeks, but, hello, a diagnostic test on a car is $36 here, no $75-$150 like in DC. Love IT!
• Yes, we have seen and patted the nose of a horse (we actually saw the whole horse but I just can't word this right)--(my mom's horse and if I were a better daughter I could tell you what kind of horse it is other than it looks almost black) For the horse lover, here is a link to more.
• No, I don't miss DC traffic. It takes us 10-25 minutes to commute to Erik's work depending on the traffic. This morning we were motivated to get there quickly, took us less than 10 minutes. Oh, yeah!
• No, Erik hasn't been in the pool yet. But you know he has tried.

BTW, for those not in the know. We live in Texas now.

We are currently potty training. Everett is in charge and is doing pretty well at it. He's pretty laid back. So, I just follow his cues and remind rather than pushing. He "graduated" to the big boy bed but still prefers to sleep in the pack-n-play more than not. I think it is his way of moderating how much change is going on right now. I came across this quote recently about toddlers,"Do not over-praise, as this age group does not like to be too compliant." It made me laugh.

Merritt is doing well. We are still eating every two hours during the day. Though, a couple of nights we slept longer than an hour and a half at a time. Sleep, bliss, I am looking forward to more of it.

Our corporate housing is great. People have been so kind to us.

Our family ROCKS! We had fun with Mandy and her kids this past weekend. We'll be having fun this coming weekend with Dad and Laurie. Papa and Grandma Albritton have fed us several times, helped us move in including picking us up from the airport, and made sure we had the basic supplies for the next day--and those are just a few of the many things that they have helped us with in even the short time we've been here.

Tonight is cooking with Debbie (the little sister). We are making artichoke manicotti and roasted chicken. We are going to try and cook together every week.

BTW, Did you hear? Our townhouse in the DC area is for sale. (click it to check it out) And, yes, I will probably mention this ad nauseum until we get it sold. So, do us all a favor and tell your friends who are looking to check it out.

For Sale

Interested in some new digs? Know anyone moving to the DC area that needs a sweet pad?

Check out the listing for our home. COOL TOWNHOUSE FOR SALE

So, yes, I am the one that thinks it is pretty cool. But, I have great taste, right?

right.

We Made It!

. . . sigh . . .

Many stories and pictures to come. But, two tangents.

While we were at the townhouse waiting for the carpet to dry so that we could go in and work some more, Everett wanted to go in to play. I tried to explain that we couldn't. He became upset and said,"My home. I want to go home!"

Yesterday, he looked around at our new digs (corporate housing) and said,"What are we doing here?"

I explained that it was our new home. He turned his head to the side, paused, and said, "Cool! Neat!"

-----------------

We were at a Bar-B-Que place for lunch getting our first taste of Texas Brisket since returning and it was pretty clear that we were tired. I explained to the cashier that we had just moved here and were excited to be there.

The cashier looked at me and said,"You moved, and you moved here to McKinney?" She was amazed that it was a choice. Yes, we moved to McKinney and are excited and happy to be here.

We are tired (not surprisingly) but are grateful to have arrived safely. We'll be without regular computer access for a few weeks but will get a chance to post when we can.

This Is It

This will be the last post for the Sjolseths in DC. The computer will be packed up and hitting the road shortly. The next time I log on to record our experiences we'll no longer be the "Sjolseths in DC." I'll have to change the header and fight my brother and sister in law for the title "Texas Sjolseths"--(wink, wink).

Did I just write out "wink, wink"? Yeah, I am pretty tired, but we are making it. The movers have only packed a couple of things that I still needed. Not bad considering how many balls we are juggling here.

So, we are making it. BTW, Erik is brilliant.

In the words of Tex, the UT voice system, "Goodbye, and good luck!"

Merritt's Blessing Weekend

Merritt was blessed on January 25th. Many people traveled for the occasion and many more sent their best wishes for our little boy.

It was coincidentally in the middle of the mad rush to get ready to sell the house and move back to Texas. So, Sheila's heavy lifting Mom, Dad, and Sister Mandy were here to paint, clean, watch the boys, listen to Sheila whine ad nauseum, help stage, and just be a hand wherever one was needed. We replaced light fixtures, fixed things that previous owners had messed up, started staging the house, and basically turned our home into a showplace (insert smile). We were so lucky to have them here for the occasion of blessing our boy and for their support in this super stress time.

Aunt Rosie, Everett's godmother, was able to attend the blessing and it was great to see her and have her meet Merritt. She is a very special lady. Sheila met her at work and is grateful that she'll be a major part of Merritt's life.

Merritt is a very sweet little boy. After the blessing we had a party here at the house for him where friends came to meet him and say goodbyes to us. We hadn't intended for Merritt's blessing weekend to come right in line with leaving Virginia, but it made it extra special to recognize just how rich we are with friends here.

This was taken while Everett and Sheila were clowning making Merritt smile. His smile reminds Sheila of Baby Riley's smile.

Everett had his own little show going during the weekend. This usually mild mannered boy pushed everyone and we all used our tricks to try and keep him happy. (He also managed to run up onto the podium twice during the Sacrament service.) He was always readily available to play with Merritt, hold Merritt, and help take care of Merritt. He is a great big brother.