Texas

We have now been in Texas for two weeks although it feels much longer to me. Not in a bad way like I feel like it's dragging on or anything but I think just because it is such a big change. Papi and Nona have been wonderful hosts but the kids have struggled much more than I expected with the move. Nona and I flew with the kids back to Texas after the family reunion while Eric and Papi flew back to Oregon to finish packing up the house and the moving truck and drive it all down to Texas. So I had the kids by myself (essentially although Nona was very helpful) for about 4.5 days. Once again, I just don't know how single parents survive. Those four days were plenty long enough for me and I am supremely grateful that Eric pretty much never travels for work! We did ok, but I wouldn't have wanted to do it any longer. Bedtime was especially difficult because by even the second night Levi was already missing his daddy a lot and he would cry and just want to talk to him on the phone and he would cry and throw a fit when I would take the phone away. It was both adorable and super aggravating because I was trying to get Emery to bed at the same time. Then when Eric came back, the kids became super clingy to him! His first day here, he couldn't even take a shower because Levi threw a huge fit when he tried. Both kids did not want to let their daddy out of their sight. I guess they were scared he would go away again! It's getting better now, but for the first few days they definitely both had a huge surge in separation anxiety. So that's been challenging. But definitely the biggest challenge since the move has been with Emery's sleep. Her sleep has just fallen all to pieces in the last three weeks. And I understand why because she's so unsettled with all the changes! First Colorado, then here in Texas upstairs sleeping in the closet off of my room in a pack n play, then when Eric got here we set up both kids beds (their regular beds from home) in one of the downstairs bedrooms so now they're sharing a room. And then there's been the two time changes and also she got two new top teeth the last two weeks and add that all together and it's just been a sleep nightmare. Thank goodness Levi is a heavy sleeper because he usually sleeps through her nighttime waking but it is definitely exhausting and frustrating for me and Eric (and probably Emery too!). And it doesn't seem to be getting better which is discouraging. A couple of days ago I was just so done that I was like, "that's it. We cannot hold her anymore at night! When she wakes up and doesn't soothe herself back down, one of us will go in and pat her and hum to her for a minute of two but we are not taking her out of her crib!" So we've been trying that. Emery hates it. And she is a stubborn girl! This morning she fussed for an hour with me or Eric going in every three to five minutes to calm her before she finally went to sleep for her nap but by then she only got a 15 minute nap in before we had to wake her up for church! And last night she was obviously uncomfortable. I think she was having issues with gas or something because we haven't been giving her a probiotic (rectifying that situation ASAP!) because she woke up every 10 minutes between 1:40 and 3 ish I think when I finally did have Eric pick her up and give her a drink and some Tylenol and hold her till she fell asleep! She soothed herself to sleep most of those times she woke up but obviously not very successfully because it wasn't long before she was up again. Oh man. I just don't know what else to do to help her. She wants to nurse all the time but I am getting really done with it and so I am limiting her to first thing in the morning, and then before naps and bedtime. I love the tender closeness of nursing but I also want her to wean. She will do the "more" sign and point at my chest multiple times a day and so I've started just offering her milk from a cup or water or a snack whenever she does that but a lot of times she refuses them. She's such a sweet girl and so friendly and loving and gives the best hugs and kisses but this is just a really challenging time for her and for us.

 

Sunday night before we left for Colorado when Emery was sick with what we now believe was Roseola. This was the start of the bad sleeping which has not abated yet. 

Poor tired girl just wanted to snuggle her daddy.

Anyway, Emery's issues aside, I've been trying to help the kids (and me) have a smooth, fun transition to Texas. We've gone swimming a lot in Papi and Nona's pool, we've explored storytime both here in Denton and down in Frisco, we've played with cousins at Mike and Kristie's house and we got to meet up with Shalece and Lincoln and Cassidy at a splash pad and then again at the library in Frisco last week! Their family is here for a 10 week internship this summer and it is just so fun to get together with them again! Levi and Lincoln picked up their friendship again quickly and it is so cute!

Levi and Lincoln holding hands at the park

Also, I took Eric on a date last night down to Frisco for a star-fest. The Frisco Astronomy club puts on these public starfest events where members set up their telescopes for people to look through. It was pretty cool! We got to see a really good view of the moon and also Jupiter. It was the first time I've seen Jupiter well enough through a telescope to see the stripes on it! So that was fun. I really like Frisco and all the conveniences, shopping, events, etc that it offers.

On the job and house-hunt front, after some negotiations, Eric accepted a job offer yesterday and he starts tomorrow! It's a part-time one-month trial before he can get hired on full-time. It's for a company called MedQ down in Plano. So he's in for a long commute for the next month! And it means I will be car-less three days a week which makes me want to get a minivan ASAP. But the exciting thing is that it pays well and once he gets hired on full time it has good benefits! Yay! And this means that we can start the process of getting pre-approved for a mortgage and then start house hunting which I am beyond excited for! With Eric working in Plano we probably will want to focus our search in southeast Little Elm, Frisco or the very west edge of McKinney. I've been looking at houses for forever and I have big plans for the house we don't even have yet!

As far as my job goes, I've gotten a little frustrated with my contract company because all I've heard from them is crickets. So I actually just applied for a job directly with Plano ISD yesterday. I don't even know if the position is really still open because it's been online for a long time but just in case I figured I would apply anyway. It would be super awesome to work in the same city as Eric will be working but we'll see what happens.

Anyway, this transition has been stressful for sure but I do like being out here on the ranch. It is very peaceful out here. I love the beauty of the fields in the morning, the big sky, the horses, the fact that I can open the door and let the kids out without worrying about them running into the street or any weird or creepy neighbors.

Big beautiful Texas sky after a thunderstorm

That thunderstorm had 70 mph winds that knocked down Mike and Kristie's basketball hoop!

Morning fog on the ranch making the trees look all ethereal

 It's hot but honestly not as bad as I expected. And Papi and Nona are wonderful and very accommodating. We're still working to get a routine and to figure out meals (which ones we're sharing, who's cooking, etc). I'm trying to keep my family eating just our food because I want to be as small of a burden as possible but the kids like Papi and Nona's food and Nona loves to share with them. I am very grateful we have this place to be until we find a place of our own.

 

Levi being a little model. Like seriously? I can't even! 

When Emery falls asleep in her carseat, her pigtails get a little wild! 

Annual 4th of July fruit cookie!

Happy 4th!

Levi and Emery both LOVED their first experience with family dinner and playing with cousins. Emery was especially having a ball with Katie and Declan. Declan was just too cute with her! He was carrying her around all over the place and she was following him around it was just super tender and adorable. 

The other night we went down to the Nebraska Furniture Store in Frisco to look around with Curtis and Megan and their kids. I had fun looking at flooring, tile and quartz options and Emery had a blast "running" all over the place and exploring. It was so cute! 

And now for a whole bunch of cute pictures of my family enjoying life on the ranch!

Vroom vroom!

 

Levi and Emery love to go jump on Mike and Kristie's trampoline! 

The pond overflowed due to a pump malfunction and Emery just sat down in the puddle in her jeans and started splashing around. Girl just loves water! 

 

Love my boys!

Levi really likes to help water plants

Emery likes to play on the old playground- climbing the stairs, going through the tunnel, going down the slide and most especially playing on the old wooden wobble bridge which totally freaks me out because it's got a huge gap she could totally fall through! But I hold her hands and let her play on it anyway because I love seeing her explore! 

It's Fun to Stay at the YMCA!

We family reunioned with the whole Martino clan the last week of June! The weather was awesome, the views were awesome, the people were awesome, the not having to cook any meals or do any clean-up from said meals was awesome! Emery being sick with roseola, puking in our bed in the middle of the night and having the be quarantined and go to urgent care our first day was not so awesome. But on the whole, it was a great vacation!

Some highlights:

Family game night! We played a game where we put shaving cream on our family members' heads and had to throw cheese balls and make them stick.

Eric and I made a great cheeseball throwing team!

And we also did Seran Wrap balls and it was hilarious how into it we all got! So much great energy in that room and so fun!

Playing sand volleyball with a bunch of us adults while the kiddos napped or played together.

Sister's evening just chatting.

Archery with Mckenna, Greta, Carma and two of her kids, and Joseph and his older boys.

McKenna and I Vana Whiting it up!

The crazy hike that was DEFINITELY not stroller friendly even though they had told me over the phone beforehand that it would be. It had amazing views and would have been a super awesome hike for just adults and older kids but was not ideal for little kids due to the cliffs and dangerous river right by the trail! Also poor Eric ended up just carrying the stroller because it was impossible to use on the trail while sweet Uncle Mike ended up carrying Emery almost the whole way and she fell asleep on his shoulder! It was adorable. And I did enjoy the hike I just felt bad that Eric had to carry the stroller for almost the entire 3.5 miles of it!

Anson and Levi setting out for the hike together hand in hand. So cute!!

Emery was so tired and like, "why am I not in my bed right now?!"

Such a trooper of a husband! 

The views were pretty sweet though! 

End of the hike: we made it! (Emery beat us back as she was up ahead with Uncle Mike)

Campfire with smores the last night in the most beautiful clearing ever. It was so fun to see the kids play in a more natural environment.

 

Levi and Evan making a "stew" of grass, flowers and dirt in a gopher hole by the campfire.

Sweet baby Rachel sleeping in Eric's arms

Emery with cousin Katie

Games, including heads up, and chatting with the other adults after the kids were in bed.

Getting to see our kids form new friendships and spend quality time with their cousins!

Levi and Anson painting their wooden planes in the craft center. Levi was a very careful painter. 

The boys (Anson, Hyrum and Levi) with their finished airplanes. 

Emery "holding" baby Rachel

Ben and Emery

 

Emery had a lot of fun climbing into our luggage. She's so silly!

On the night we had to take Emery to Urgent Care, Papi and Nona kept Levi for us and teamed up with him to help create a family portrait out of candy. Levi loves being around his Papi and Nona! 

Mealtimes were cafeteria style and crazy! Loud, lots of teenagers from various camps, and lines for mediocre food. But on the plus side, we often got to eat together and no one had to worry about cooking and cleaning (except cleaning Emery up from the very messy experience of eating in a high chair without a tray!)

Levi loved getting to sit with his cousins for meals! Although I have to say, he did not get as much eating done as he would have if he hadn't! 

I am so grateful for this amazing family of mine and for our tradition of doing family reunions! I am sure we will have many more great ones in the future!