Preston goes to school!

Well, that time of me having to let go finally happened. On Tuesday Preston started his first day of montessori school. I cannot even begin to describe all the different emotions that I felt the days before the big milestone. Rob and I both were very excited for him to make this next step, but as a mom that stayed home with him every day of his life it was still hard. 
We have been talking about the school place for a while and although he didn't know what it was, he knew the word. So Tuesday morning I explained to him that we were taking him to school that day and that he would make new friends and play and have a lot of fun. He didn't seem to impressed but I often talk to his as if he really understands everything I say. Well, we dropped him off and said a quick goodbye. As soon as I walked out of the gate I could hear him crying, guess it was my "mommy ear" because Rob couldn't tell over the other kids! I immediately felt guilty and the tears started to form. I rushed to my Jeep and Gracie and I went home and Rob went to work. Once home it was so odd to only have one kid there. I really didn't know what to do, which made me cry a bit more. Although I am not the most emotional person when it comes to my kids it's a different story. I looked at the clock all morning and it seemed like 3 hours took forever to go by. At 11:37 Gracie and I headed to pick him up. Although pick up time isn't until 11:45 and it took 30 seconds to get there i couldn't wait any longer. When I went to the gate they were all outside playing and he ran up to me and I was so excited to see that smiling face. It felt like it had been days! I signed him out and once we got in the car I asked him all about his day. He went on and on and I understood every 3-4 words, but he seemed very excited. He kept telling me about circle time, the class bird(which he is calling Jewel because of Rio, but that's not the birds name), something about the pet snake and counting red apples. We went about of normal afternoon and night time routine and by 8:15 he was asleep. Not sure what they are doing all day but it is wearing him out! Although this is one of the hardest things for me to do and to let someone else have control when it comes to my child, I know that it is the right choice for him.  I can only teach him so much stuff and while when it comes to numbers, letters and simple reading he is amazing, I can't teach him the social skills that he needs and that that he will experience from being around so many other children. The teaching style on montessori is so hands on that I know he will thrive in this type of open classroom environment. He will go Monday-Friday from 8:45-11:45, and get the normal breaks that most schools get during the year. I will do an update next week of his progress and my progress too!

                                                                     The school

                                                               Ready for school

                                             I asked him if he was excited, this is the look I got

                                                Only wanted to drag the backpack, not wear it

                                                            Eating his breakfast

                                                  Running down the stairs to go to the car

Warming up to this place...a little bit

Well, I have now been in the fun state of California for a little over a month. I don't think that it has really hit me that I live here until we go over to the city(San Fran) or I see sigs on the freeway for Sacramento and Oakland and other bigger cities. Although I am not crazy about being out here I have come to like some things. Our house, it's location is perfect. I can walk Preston to school, we can walk to dinner and we are close to some amazing places to shop. Speaking of shopping, there has not been one store out here that I have wanted to go to that is more than 20 minutes away. There is no Waffle House, Moe's or Buca near by, but there are a ton of other places and a Chick-fil-a is set to open soon! I also like the weather. It starts in the 60's most mornings and goes up to maybe 80 during the mid day and by night time you need a sweater. I have learned to dress myself and the kids in layers. I also love having a gas stove, it so much faster to cook on. I am a huge fan of the time change. As far as football and any other shows I watch and would stay up late for there is no longer any need for that. No staying up until 11 to watch Chelsea Lately she comes on at 8 here. That also means no excuse for me not to go to be at a decent hour..... Oh I also like how close we are to San Diego. Although it's not a quick drive, after all of our trips to Miami and Tennessee a 6-7 hours car trip really isn't a big deal for us to do. Overall, this place is growing on me. I have moments when I get super home sick, but I have honestly been too busy getting the house together to have that much down time to really dwell on it. So I guess Pleasant Hill is kind of a pleasant place to live, I am sure there are a lot worst places we could have gotten orders to!

COUCH GATE 2011!

So when I met Rob he had recently moved from San Diego to Valdosta....Depressing huh? Well, anyways he talked a lot about the pub he used to frequent there and an annual event called Couch Gate. Between deployments and being pregnant I never got the chance to experience this crazy event until this year. This was our second trip to SD so I already knew the pub people, I had fallin' in love with the Mexican place next door to the pub and even had a sitter out there that I LOVED! Once we got all the details of CouchGate we made plans to be there. It is basically what it sounds like, tailgating with a couch!  We loaded up the Jeep on Thursday morning with snacks for the kids, juice, Red Bull, Jack and beer! We headed to meet up with everyone at the pub and then all went to Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers game did not start until 5pm, but we started around 1pm! We parked the Jeep opened up all the windows and the back and turned on a movie for the kids! The best thing about SD has to be the weather, it was the perfect tempt in the Jeep and such a nice breeze blowing. While all the kids watched movies, we ate, took fun pics, had lots of jello and of course did some drinking. Unlike most people I stuck to beer because I didn't want to feel like death the next day! The kids were so good, Tre' liked the fact that he got to play his games with out us bothering him and we were able to hang out with friends with the kids there!!! The kids even hung out for a bit, may have to get them shirts next year! We left the parking lot around 5ish and headed to the hotel to get the kids ready for the sitter and to get dressed to go out to the pub. We had a great time overall that night and I laughed all night. The best part was the California burrito from Sombrero's. I usually eat these for 2-3 of my meals while in SD! Overall, it was a great time, with fun people and I look forward to next year!

We Are no LONGER HOMELESS

So we found a home!!!!!!!! After hotel living for almost a month we were advised to look on Craigslist... yeah I had my doubts about this but decided that it wouldn't hurt. At this point we were staying in our 11th or 12th hotel and I was a pro at living out of a suitcase but also tired of it...I saw a place in Pleasant Hill which was an ideal location for a number of reasons. At this point the two schools that we had in mind for Preston were in Concord and Pleasant Hill. Both of these schools are over a toll bridge. If we were to live somewhere besides Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill or Concord, we would have to pay a toll everyday of $5 to get to his school and I would either have to find something to occupy my time ever day he is in school or go home and pay another $5 to come back and get him. Also Whole Foods, a nice mall, Babies R Us and Target were near the trio of locations I listed. Rob decided that a commute of 30 minutes a day and a one way toll bridge for him was okay if it meant I wouldn't have to commute, pay a toll or drive really far for basic shopping.  So back to Craigslist. I literally found this place minutes after Lisa posted it. We called the number set up a viewing and LOVED it, even though it was 3 stories, talk about the stairs. Within 2 days we signed a lease and had a place to live!! And it get better, the townhouse is walking distance from Preston's school. those that know me, know that I don't walk anywhere and the thought of exercise bores me into a deep wine/jack induced slumber . But it will honestly take more work to load the kids in the car and drive than it would to walk. So we are all moved in furniture delivered and I am unpacking as fast as I can. I will attempt to find my camera cords tomorrow and back track and upload pics. Until then NIGHT!!!

playing catch up....again

Well, we have been without internet for, well too long so now I must play catch up. I will start with Tre' coming! Usually during the summer Tre' comes for 7-8 weeks, since we moved we decided to wait until we got to Cali. no point of making him ride cross country and we really wouldn't have had room for another person yet along more stuff! So anywho, we picked Mr. Tre' up from the Oakland airport. Before I move on here is my take on Oakland....It is kinda HOOD. Driving over the bridge from our area to there makes you not want to go there, but that's a different story. Well, we picked up Tre' and headed out to dinner. Tre' is 12, will be 13 in November so the whole thought process of a pre-teen is always....fun. We went to Outback, which was close to the hotel and Tre' fav. During dinner he brought up the topic of SEX!!!! Yup SEX! Apparently teachers now teach the basics and then tell the child to go home an ask their parents any questions they have about the topic. Tre' did just that! He told me the instructions and proceeded with his questions. Oh the questions he asked. "Is sex pleasurable?" and "What did you do during sex?"......WTF!!!! How do I answer this and to top it off Rob had gone to the bathroom at this point.  I redirected the convo and made Rob answer. This was just night one with Tre'.  Some of the things he says makes me laugh so hard and I swear some of the stuff he doesn't even realize is funny. Preston and Gracie, who don't like anybody were beyond excited to see Tre' and started playing with him as soon as he got here. Preston has also mastered saying Tre' it is the cutest thing ever! The first night I wrote Tre' down on a piece of paper and Preston said three!!!! Once he realized Tre's name he didn't stop saying it! I wonder if they realize that Tre' is their big bro....age difference and all!

California living

Well, I guess I am officially calling CA home for the next two years. This house hunting process is a pain in the ASS to the fullest 100% plus some. We have looked at great houses in awful areas, we have looked at great houses in great areas way, I mean way out of budget. Currently we are trying to find a place to rent, we don't want to buy, because we will only be here for 2 years and I honestly have no desire to settle down in North Cali. Our budget is between $2,000 to $2,500 a month, of course $2,500 is the very top of our budget and we really don't even want to spend that much. Well, I see why the bay area is such an expensive place to live. We found an amazing 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo with great upgrades and amenities a whole 1,100 square feet for $2,295.....yup that's what your money gets you here. It's kind of depressing, but we gotta live. I'm sure we could find a place with an old basic kitchen with no upgrades, no amenities, just a basic place to live, but that's just  just not our style. We have become used to certain things and if I am going to be in a new town with no friends and not really knowing anyone, I want to at least be in a home that I am completely comfortable in and that makes me happy to come home to everyday. Since getting out here I am so thankful for my parents exposing me to so much, so many different cultures of people and just being able to travel and see the world. If it wasn't for that, being out here would be a huge cultural shock. I am a southern girl so the lack of grits and Cracker Barrels is a big adjustment. The weather is also very different. The hottest it has been is 80 degrees. In the morning it is in the low 60's, slowly creeps up to the high 70's low 80's and at night it is low 60's again. Layers are a must, it's so odd for it to be so cool this time of year for me. All the pools are heated because, it  just doesn't get that hot! My nose is also trying to adjust to the dust in the air. I am popping Alegra and Claritin like crazy. Another thing I do like is the cheap wine. Wine I paid $17 a bottle for in Valdosta is $10 out here. Drinks are way more expensive when you go out to eat, but living in Valdosta will spoil you when it comes to expenses.  Fingers crossed on this house hunting mission!  

Finally HERE!

Bakersfield, California to Fairfield, California 287 miles about 5 hours. Whooaaaaa!!!!!! We did it and we are all in one piece not ready to kill each other! I can officially say that I drove cross country with my two mini-me's in tow. Today wasn't that bad, I didn't want to do it, but I knew I was so close to being done, that I had to finish. When my parents first found out that I would be driving my Jeep they kinda flipped out and were really worried. I guess I am still 12 in their eyes. My dad even offered to drive my Jeep out there and when I said no he told me that along the way if I couldn't do it anymore he would fly into the nearest airport and finish the drive for me. I decided to call him today as a joke and tell him that I couldn't finish the last 5 hours....He of course was ready to fly out and relieve me. I told him I was joking, but he insisted that he would do it, if I needed him. we made it to the base and checked in and went to our hotel. The next few days or 8 days we will spend house hunting and school hunting.....easy to type but hard to do!