Waking up

Babies waking up from a nap are the sweetest sight ever.

 LOVE!

Joyful Jovie

She was so little when we first moved in here.  She is still little now (size-wise), but goodness 2 years later, she looks so grown up!

I'm struggling with knowing these are the last few days before chaos starts, so focusing on positives

My sweet firstborn girl.

Her name means joyful, perfectly fitting for her.  Even amidst the dreaded three-nager year, filled with drama, sass and fuss I still get glimpses of her joyful little spirit.

I cannot believe how old she is getting.  So grown up looking lately.

What a joy, my Jovie Reese is!

Kip turns 5

We celebrated Kiplin Miles a bit early, since we are set for closing on the sale of our house on his actual birthday.  How lame is that?!

He requested an angry bird balloon and ninja turtle cupcakes.  Easy to please.

He was NOT a fan of us singing.  But he did like the ninja turtle cupcakes, and a "number five fire" on his cake we made.  

Then they all waited patiently while Paul got the huge yellow ball all blown up.

The majority of the day was spent outside

 He was super excited that "I am a whole hand, cause I'm bigger now, cause I'm FIVE!"

 It really just felt like a normal day around here.  We are so busy with the hustle and bustle of moving that just having a normal day, playing around outside, being silly with our kids felt like a treat.  I know my Kip sure had a great "birthday"

 His daddy, brother, and sister had a great day too.

 After playing outside all afternoon, we came in to let him open his gifts.  My sweet youngest boy!

 and his angry bird balloon

 Happy birthday buddy~

Kip's favorites at 5 directly stated by him:
Color: "red, like Raph the ninja turtle.  I like Raph cause he is the coolest."
Movie: "Lego movie cause it is cool"
Shoes: "My red crocs, when I hafta wear shoes cause dad makes me"
Thing to do: "build stuff with Legos, yeah, that.  And jump on the trampoline with you mom"
Eat: "Fruit leather, that new kind that is orange.  It is good.  So is the strawberry and apple kind.  And the granola bars with chocolate on it"
Fruit: "Strawberries, ga-banas like the minions, apples when they are big and not in slices"
Veggies: "YUCK"
Drink: "Lemonade and water.  Mostly water cause that is the drink for thirsty, and I do things that make me need water a whole mega lot."
Game: "what do you mean, like hide n' seek?!  Yeah I like that the best.  And dominos too, I like to stack em'"
When I asked to spell his name:"K-I-P-L-I-N, DUH!"
When I asked him to spell his last name: "it is too long, I'm done talking with you now…"
Then he ran off.  A whole 5 minutes of focusing, I was quite impressed.

He wears size 4T clothes, size 9 toddler shoes.  He is super quirky with clothes - must have on long sleeve shirts and long pants to wear at bedtime, regardless of season.  And socks, he always wears socks, even on the slip n' slide before.  He's my independent, middle child.  Likes things in order, in fact, must have his room straightened up before he can settle down and go to sleep at night.  Everything has a place in his room.  He's part ninja and part gymnasts, and I'm sure he'll be my first kid who breaks a bone.

Happy 5th Birthday Kiplin Miles!

Plans coming together

We finally have things set.

A closing date for the sale of our KY house (8/21), and the purchase of our MS house (8/25).

Yes that is right, we have a house to move into, with just a 4 or 5 day window in between homes.

Those 4-5 days could be interesting.  Hotel living, plans to drive from KY to MS with about "twenty-two-five-thousand" pit stops for stretching out/potty breaks/breastfeeding/diaper changing.  My little creatures of strict routine might not take to this lack of schedule, but we will get through.  We always do.

So.much.change.ahead.

It is setting in, and I am feeling overwhelmed.

Instead of letting the overwhelming feelings of worrying about the transitional phase ahead, Paul and I made a pact to focus on today.

Doing that makes the changes more tolerable.

Today is filled with so much sweetness.

Goodbye NBH

I walked out of NBH for the last time today.

A hot pink stethoscope, gifted to me from on of my sweet coworkers, hanging around my neck.

Such a thoughtful gesture, and a token of love that I'll carry on to my next job.

Proof that this WOW family of nurses I've had the joy of working with the past 2 years were exactly the people I needed around me.

I always told Paul that this job was not my ideal.  

When I felt the necessity to switch from my mother/baby RN position to this one because of the schedule/pay.

But I was so wrong.

It was a job, yes.  

But goodness it was so much more than that.

12 hours spent caring for my 5 patients yes…

but 12 hours also spent with other amazing nurses.

Nurses who made me a better nurse.

So I cried.

Goodbye blue scrubs

and WOW (work on weekends) family.

I can honestly say, I've learned from the best.

For that, I'm forever thankful and grateful.

Goodbye to the first real career I've ever had.

Goodbye to the building that made me a nurse.  A real nurse.

A nurse filled with confidence and uncertainty all at the same time.

Who felt changed by people every single day.

Changed to love more, care more, learn more.

BE more

Always.

I hope I will carry this on.

To whatever position I land next.

Grateful, changed, and better because of NBH.

Ordinary Tuesday

I love mornings that begin like this:

But equally as adorable are afternoons when Hartley naps and the other three littles all get wild outside

 Sheer joy:

 He takes squirt gun fights seriously:

In other news about The Great Loprinzi Move to Mississippi:
This morning we put an offer in on this house.  Fingers crossed it works out because as of 8/21/14 we are out of our current house and have no where to go.

14 hours in the car.

Paul left mega early and drove to Mississippi this morning, 7 hours in the car.

He looked at 4 houses, in hopes of putting an offer in on a certain one we liked online.  It was a doozy.

Then went to fill out some paperwork with the mortgage guy, and with Ole Miss HR.

Then drove 7 hours back home.

A recap: 14 hours of driving, 4 houses to view, 3 red bulls consumed all in the span of about 20 hours for the goal of: FINDING A STINKING PLACE TO LIVE IN 16 days.

He's on his way home to show me pictures, so we can hopefully figure out what house to put an offer on.

This guy…SUCH a hard worker.