Happy birthday Grandmommy!
Stephen's Grandmommy celebrated her 85th birthday and we were lucky to be there to celebrate with her. We had a good time in Austin and stayed with Stephen's Papa. On Sunday we even had the chance to poke around the UT campus. Definitely brought back memories and made me realize just how badly I hope Carter and Jack will go to Texas someday!
House for sale
After some serious intervention from a cleaning crew, a landscaper and a storage unit, we finally got out house on the market. But as we found out, when putting a house up for sale with two small children, cleaning up and staging is only half the battle, keeping the house clean and being on-notice for showings at the drop of a hat is draining. Our solution?? Keep the kids out of the house as much as possible! We have been eating out a lot these days and trying to stay gone on the weekends.
Last visit to Granddad
My mom's father turned 90 back in June, but because he was undergoing radiation treatment for lung cancer, his birthday celebrations were postponed to August when he would be finished and have some of his strength back. The actual celebration weekend coincided with Grandmommy's birthday celebrations, so we made a separate trip the next weekend to wish him a happy birthday and let him meet Jack - who is named after him (John). I knew something was not right when I got a call from Grammy while we were still on the road. She just said that Granddad wasn't feeling very good and to call once we got there and see if it was a good idea to bring the boys in or not. I tried not to read to much into the phone call, and when we got there I called like she had asked. She said to go ahead and bring the boys in for a short visit but that it might not be a good idea for them to stay long because Granddad was in bed and resting. He was very tired and weak when got there and he was oxygen and having trouble catching his breath, but we brought the boys in one at a time to say hi, and then Stephen took them to the hotel and I stayed behind to visit with Grammy. I had no idea that would be the last time they would see their great Granddad.
While I was there, I sent a text to mom asking what I could do to help since Grammy seemed like she was pretty much on her own taking care of Granddad. Mom didn't get the text until later that evening while we were on our way to have dinner with friends, but she immediately called to ask me what was going on. I told her what I saw, but didn't think it was that big of a deal...I hadn't seen him since December, before he was diagnosed with the cancer and before he had undergone the radiation, but mom's concern was palpable, and it turned out to be very founded. He was back in the hospital by Monday, and I made plans to come back to see him the second weekend in September, but by the end of the following week my mom and her family were making hospice arrangements. It all happened to fast, I never guessed that this weekend would be our last visit.
My baby sister the Aggie
Because Mom was in Dallas helping out with Grammy and Granddad, the boys and I headed to College Station to help Becca move into her dorm. It was so funny to see how tiny the dorm rooms were and reminisce and just be excited for Becca as she starts this new chapter. I'm not sure how much physical help we were, but hopefully we provided some moral support; Jack was our little move-in mascot, he had a blast playing in the boxes!
Supper Club
Because our infamous waterbaby group just can't get enough of each other, we started a monthly supper club a while back to give us a chance to socialize as couples. I absolutely love this group of women and hope our husbands continue to put up with our shenanigans! :) Great memories are made every time we get together.
Seattle and (almost) Portland
It was a trip two years in the making, and it was well worth the wait. We have so many pics, I'll put them in a separate post. Mr. C and I had a fabulous time in Seattle and a fabulous day in Portland. Our trip was cut short when we got the news that Granddad had passed away. While we were dissapointed we didn't get to meet sweet Caroline who we had been so excited to visit, we got to have a great dinner with Caroline's mommy and daddy and are definitely planning for a Portland do-over next summer! :)
I'm 30??
Our last night in Seattle, Stephen and I had dinner at the top of the Seattle Space Needle, and on our way to dinner, we stopped off at the flagship Nordstroms to pick up my birthday present - a new pair of boots!
It was just a perfect night, but the next morning was when I got the call about Granddad, and the following day we were on a plane back to Houston. As we touched down, Stephen leaned over and whispered "Happy Birthday!" It completely caught me off guard because in all the chaos of changing our travel plans, I had totally forgotten about my birthday. I had plenty of opportunities to celebrate, including a delicious italian dinner at my in-laws when we arrived to pick up the boys, but the actual day-of was just very emotional and surreal.
I missed the boys SO much...the trip had been the longest I had been away from either of them, and I definitely underestimated how much I would miss my little guys. At the beginning of our trip, Jack decided he didn't want to take a bottle and that didn't help things, but Grammy C had it under control and worked her magic. By the time we got home, Jack was taking the bottle beautifully AND he had packed on some weight! And as it turned out, I got to see the boys on my birthday, and truly whatever the circumstances were, there was absolutely no better birthday present imaginable.
Jack's First Tooth!
As if getting to see my happy and thriving boys ON my birthday and to see how much fun they had been having with Grammy and Grandpa was not amazing enough, Jack cut his first tooth on my 30th birthday. What a special milestone, and I'm so glad I was there to catch it.
Saying goodbye to Granddad.
Reeling from a whirlwind month, we loaded the car up for one last road trip. I wish I could say we ended the month on a happier note, but it's never easy say goodbye to a loved one.
So, between our crazy May and our emotional August, I can say we are eager to put summer behind us and move forward into fall and all the comforting routines and holidays that come with it.
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