Habits

I recently heard that it takes 27 days to make something into a habit (+ or - some in case you're thick-headed, etc.) and in that 27-day period the results will look like a flat line. Then, at 31 days the graph starts to go up and after that accelerates. (In reference to dieting...)

So lately my life has been around making day-to-day decisions and trying to form them into habits. Thanks, sis, for the encouragement and the nasty drink mix, that cost wayyy too much, that you shared with me. Aldo's sister and I were talking about losing weight, and I've been wanting to for a while. The last few months have been spent "getting back to normal". Starting in October, after Nayelli's birthday, I started weaning her from breastmilk. I've accomplished something! I did it. It really was a major feat. The trick for her was chocolate milk. She didn't like regular milk; my guess is that it was not sweet enough. She still doesn't like it. I have to fool her with 3 parts chocolate milk and 1 part whole milk. And now she'll drink horchata or juice too. (And we also found that she's allergic to soda pop! We've concluded that it's too much fructose corn syrup for her little belly that will make her have the runs and the bile will break out her booty in a rash. TMI?)

Back to habits. So I've been wanting to diet. And exercise. I just want to be proud of my body. I want to look and feel good. So I started with weaning. I've had two periods now and I should be on my third, but I'm not totally back to normal I guess, and I can prove now that breastfeeding takes the energy out of you!!! I feel like I can do anything I set my mind to. It just comes down to GETTING MY MIND SET.

And it's one thing at a time. This past week I started to cut out cereal and replace with that nasty drink. Honestly, I don't see it fulfilling my hunger needs, but I'm going to stick to it. I only started on Tuesday and then on Saturday I decided to get cereal out of my household by eating the last bowl. And on Sunday, I split a pizza with Aldo at church for our last service as children's pastors. Today, I didn't have anything. But I've realized that I have go-to snacks... like chocolate, that I just want to nibble on throughout the day. That's going to have to be another goal.

And it's not just a cut this and this out when you eat. It's body, spirit, mind thing. So I also started praying, journaling and reading my Bible. THAT makes all the difference. I have more drive, I think. When it's backed up with prayer, then it's like God helps you, you know. I feel clear. I feel loved. I am emotional once in a while and my back hurts, but that has everything to do with me missing my period this month. I Googled that, by the way. I wondered... what are the odds of pregnancy after vasectomy + the odds per day of missed period? I found that after weaning a lot of women can have irregular periods for months. (Technically a period is only considered missed if you don't have a flow for 6 or more weeks after the start of the last period.) I started reading on Thursday, and took a break on Saturday and Sunday, and restarted right up again for this week. I haven't been getting up early in the morning. Sometimes it's during nap time. Sometimes it's here or there, but I found the time and I took it, and I made it a priority to do it. And there hasn't been mind-blowing moments. But one day I did read something marvelous and then later saw on Facebook that one of my friends was prophesying the same word. It really confirmed with my spirit that I was doing the right thing and that God loved me and wasn't mad or anything that I stopped reading for months. And that He would still use me. He would still talk to me and tell me important things.

I'm not sure when I'll add in exercise. I have this re-occurring idea that if I do burpees I'll lose the weight in a flash. <eye roll> ONE: I hate burpees. TWO: Not sure if it would do a thing with my belly jiggling all over the place. THREE: I don't know if I can do one burpee. I don't know if I can do one pushup!!! Should that be a goal? Be able to do 10 burpees? HA!

I've realized that being a stay-at-home mom is not for everyone. I have realized more about myself in this stay-at-home period. For example, I like the bed made. Hmmm... all this time! I've been able to let things go here and there because of kids and things like that, but more and more I'm starting to feel like myself again, and once a long time ago myself liked having the house clean. Now, I just find the energy and opportunities to do it. And I've kept up with the laundry and dishes. It isn't always pretty, but it's at a manageable thing where we wouldn't have to overhaul if friends or family decided to come over within the hour.

I've realized that I need things to look forward to. To plan for. To be a celebration and use my creativity, for me to expend my time on, for me to look forward to. Right now it's our trip to Germany in August 2020 with Granddad. I've done a ton of research on it. I've looked into travel companies - cruises, bus, itinerary planners - I've looked into the places, the costs, the history, the hotels, the bus/train system. I've got it down to where we could do the traveling and planning ourselves hitting up all the stops for a third of the price. But now I'm at a stopping point and can't go any further. Now I need the feedback of Granddad and mom and Nancy. I need the go-ahead to start booking. But I won't be able to do that until March because Granddad recently found out that prostate growths have returned. I don't know the seriousness of this. I don't know if he'll be able to travel come August. And so now I must wait. And I'm not good at waiting.

So in the meantime, what do I do? What should I expend my energy on? That's the crossroads that I'm at. In the morning I've been trying to keep up with Mila and school. I signed her up for Kindergarten roundup at the beginning of April. We'll see if schooling with me has helped in any capacity... I've been trying to keep up with the house. I can do that to a point. There is the vicious cycle that it just gets messy again. And I can't be the only one putting in the work. It's a family thing. So I'll do a little bit at a time. Luke is doing 4H again with Bandit, and he's added in some other projects that we'll attempt this year. Can't do any of them yet though, not until about June. We just eliminated children's church from our responsibilities and we have no obligation in ministry. That's not saying that I don't want to be apart of ministry, or that I'm not that in my home life or when I go to the store, etc. And like I said, I'm reading my Bible. But I'm not cramming it all in. I'm taking a bite at a time and letting it soak in. So now again... what do I do? What do I look forward to?

Should I make it about getting healthy? I'm 223 pounds and 31 years old. I had gestational diabetes with my 3rd kid. I'd like to not run the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, and certain cancers. I'd like to live a long, healthy, enjoyable life. (The other day I tried a yoga kid pose and I couldn't bend down because my belly got in the way.) I'd like to be able to keep up with my kids.

I think I should put some work into my health. And I know it takes one decision at a time.

My mom says I need to continue blogging...

Little does she know I already am...

3 Months

Nayelli Grace (2 Months)

I actually haven't forgotten to write; I've just been really, really busy. From October through December we had been working on the Christmas play at church. It seems I was there at least three times a week. I was worried because it wasn't your typical Christmas play (a modern day Scrooge), and second it wasn't your typical nativity story that you would see in church (a modern day Scrooge with a spiritual twist). Furthermore, I had to do the set all by myself. And I had a newborn! And a three-year-old that can't sit still. Thank goodness Dad let me borrow his Netflix password, otherwise we would never have gotten it done.

Our Amazing Trunk or Treat (and First Family Photo)

Nayelli was a Unicorn Princess

After that we were sick for a while. About four rounds of itchy throat and runny noses, and pure exhaustion. I didn't feel much like talking about that. Actually, Nayelli had to be observed overnight at Children's Mercy because she had a temperature. Aldo had forgotten about this, but because of her young age, a slight temperature is something to worry about. It was rough. Aldo had to stay home with the kids and with Bandit. I had to stay at the hospital alone overnight. Nayelli had to sleep in a big girl bed/crib hooked up to monitors. Of course, she slept through the night proving the point that she is a "perfect baby". I slept in the rocking chair right next to her with lights on and waking up every hour to pump or for vital check, etc. I'm grateful though, because from this experience we learned that she can, indeed, sleep alone in her crib through the night. So when we got home, we swaddled her and put her in the crib. Since then she's slept through the night.

Nayelli's First Visit with Abuelito

The holidays were nuts. Absolutely nuts. Honestly, where do I come up with these ideas? And why do I open my big mouth? Why do I agree to things? For Thanksgiving, I decided that I wanted to see Dad's side of the family. We hardly ever see them for holidays. Then, Aldo's dad announced that he was moving to El Paso after Thanksgiving, so this was our last time to see him. And Aldo's mom would be going to central Mexico on vacation for Christmas. And Vero wanted to host, but not late at night. And Jerad would host, but he would have to do it later for the kids. It was all mixed up this year! Long story short, we made it to all three, but we were late to both of mine and I didn't get to do my favorite thing... play games! Never. Again. Never, ever again. Two Thanksgivings is enough. Three Thanksgivings is straight up coo-coo.  

Merry Christmas 2018! 

 The very first in our new house...

Christmas, I thought, might go better since we were hosting (Aldo's idea). I knew it was coming because Maecy hosted last year, and when we bought the house Aldo said we would host the next one. Hosting is just as bad as being the one to travel. I don't know who decided we'd be the only ones cooking... I know who. It was Aldo! IT WAS ALDO!!! Aldo told all of my family that we would cook mom's ham, buy a turkey as well and cook it, make mashed potatoes (because J and Amy might not be coming and they're easy), and I'd cook the green beans (per usual because I make his favorite). He told his family not to worry about a thing, that there would be plenty of food, just bring themselves!!! I was like, whoa now... if we're hosting two families at the SAME TIME, we're going to need more. Jerad brought a ton of soda. Granddad was supposed to bring the rolls (he brought hamburger buns). Maecy brought her pretzel salad dessert (delicious!), Mom made stuffing, and Jul came with (what he brings every year) pecan pie. Everyone came at the same time! IT WAS INSANE! Thanks to Granddad and his horrible memory, and Jerad's "5 minutes" turning into a solid hour, my side ended up at the house between 1:30-2:00. Aldo's side, running on CPT, got there immediately after. We were supposed to serve at noon. And I hadn't eaten breakfast. I was starrrrving! And you know what else??? We had two gift exchanges. And while everyone was playing games on the Cooper side, we had the Secret Santa with the Alvidrez'. And while they played the cube game and I almost burnt the second round of green beans, I also had to show the Coopers how to work the remote. Entertaining is stressful. All I wanted to do was play games!!! I had spent YEARS waiting to get to the adult table... it was like, my greatest accomplishment when I was finally able to sit down with everyone and be taken seriously at Up and Down the River... and now, I might actually strategize and win! Sheesh. Afterward, Aldo agreed that hosting both sides at the same time, even though we had enough seating probably wasn't the best idea. So now, we plan on switching years at hosting between the family. 
How did New Years come up? Aldo. Still Aldo. He told friends that he wanted to have them at our house. And invited more friends. Someone's kids invited their friends. And so on. Aldo had worked a regular shift, came home and grilled up some tacos, and hosted til past midnight. For a while there, it was a ton of music and, for me, running up and down the stairs to take care of Nayelli. Then for a while we played Texas Hold Em'. Midnight came, and since then we haven't had a spotless house. (Was it seriously ever going to be spotless? And with a dog that sheds?) Confetti was everywhere! I knew we'd have confetti to sweep up, but darn it, some kid took it upstairs and tossed it all over both of our kids' rooms and in the bathroom too! There's confetti in between the crack of the seat of our couch. There's confetti in our air vents. There's confetti in our vacuum that we emptied at least three times. And there's still confetti in our room (which was locked that night), from sticking to the bottom of our socks and shoes and being carried in there! Forever confetti. Fun night though. Since then, everybody wants to come to our house. I don't know why... we have hardly any seating. No one eats at the dining room table. Our dog goes bonkers when anyone comes over. Maybe I should stop smiling when someone throws out these bad ideas..... I'll replace it with Aldo's "grumpy cat" face.

I forgot to mention that in between the holidays, right before Christmas to be exact, Aldo decided to get a vasectomy. So there's that. I don't want to go into too much detail, but let's just say it was a bad experience for both of us. What should have been a 5-10 minute operation, ended up being 45 minutes. And the recovery was longer. And it's hard as a "nurse" when you don't know how to help the "patient" and how to empathize with what they're going through. All you know is that it was traumatic. And you know, it being the sensitive and prized area... all the more traumatic. 


Currently...

Nayelli
Gosh, because this is HER first year book that I'm working on... 
She's amazing. Absolutely amazing. I already said that she sleeps through the night. A typical day goes like this:

5:00-7:00 am • Wakes up after sleeping through the night for first feeding and goes back to bed
9:00-10:00 am • Wakes up for good, is very attentive and happy (I get most of my cleaning done)
Eating in between
12:00-2:00ish • First nap
Eating in between
Attentive, but wants attention. A good time for games, toys, and learning.
6:00-8:00ish • Second nap
Eating in between
10:00-11:00ish • Bedtime

She recognizes and loves my face. Daddy is pretty high up there too. More importantly, Bandit is interesting now. Except that I've caught him licking her hands, feet, and head while she's in the swing, so you have to keep an eye out. And on top of that, she likes to stick her hands in her mouth as fists. It's really cute. But what's not so cute is when she does it right after Bandit licks them. She also blows raspberries and will chatter at you and raise her eyebrows and smile, like she's telling you a story. Cutest thing ever! She drools a lot. Can babies cut teeth this early? Google says some babies are born with teeth, so at three months it could happen. Typically, they cut around 6 months, but a baby can start showing the symptoms as early as 3 months. If that's so, she might be slobbery in every picture from now til then. Just saying. Last, blankets now go to the mouth too. Today, I caught her examining her hands. The time when she starts examining all sorts of things with her mouth is coming. It's right around the corner.

Mila
Oh, Mila. She is a wonderful big sister. She doesn't try to "help" by taking care of the baby herself like I feared she might. Instead, she warns me when the baby is crying and I need to get out my "special leche". She'll grab you diapers and wipes if you ask repeatedly. And, she'll play with Nayelli by taking her toys, giving Nayelli a high-pitched voice and having a conversation for her, or by telling her she's "so cute" and reminding me to put bows in her hair. Everything is still "so cute". Nayelli is a "princess". Speaking of which... we had a conversation today:

Me [in control of Nayelli's hands]: Come at me, Mila. I'm gonna punch you. Come on. Come at me!
[Mila giggles]: No!
Me: Come on...
[Still giggling]: No!
Me: Hey, guess what, Mila. I'm a princess boss. 
Mila: No, you're not a boss.
Me: Yeah, Mila. I'm a princess boss. Mila's not a princess boss.
Mila: No!
Me: Yeah, I'm a princess boss. Mila's a baby!
[Mila giggles]: I'm not a baby! You baby! 

Gosh, she's so smart. And gorgeous! Both of my girls are GORGEOUS. I mean... watch out! But back to smart. I was worried because I haven't been able to work with her like I did with Luke. For a good portion of his life, Luke watched Elmo and that's how he learned everything. So I was very happy when she picked up Mickey's shapes book. And counting from "monkeys jumping on the bed". And colors from... well, I don't know where they came from. Power Rangers, maybe? I'm so proud.
Hopefully soon we'll be able to get back to the library, where she can have some big girl time and learn with kids her age. Get used to kids her age! She wants to go to "school" and calls the library her "school" and also church her "school". She'll tell me she has "homework" and then play with her toys for a while. I honestly have no idea what she's doing, but if it keeps her occupied for a little bit, then that's good. The girl is constantly talking, or singing, or moving. She's seriously a special kind.

Luke
This is the part where my mom said I should start blogging again. It comes from the fact that I enrolled Luke in 4H. He decided his first project should be with the dog. Actually I encouraged it. Dog Care & Obedience to be exact. Win-win! So we had our first class (without the dog). Class went well with three kids. The trainer is really nice and funny, seems down-to-earth and easy-going. She ended up giving out homework to work on this first week. Made sense since next class will be wild with 10-20 dogs, several of them less than a year old, meeting other dogs and other people for the first time in a new place with new smells. Some who haven't been on a leash that much. Some who haven't been in the car that much... like ours for instance. I imagine that we'll want to quit after the first week. Anyway, the homework was: to work on their name (a dog should look you in the eyes when you say their name, that way if you're out in a field and shout their name... they at least acknowledge you), work on a "stupid trick" that I can only describe as dog touches their nose to your open hand, and the basic trick of sitting. If the dog is already pretty good at sitting then you can toss them treats (which leads to staying). Well, we get home and Luke and I look at each other and say, "Hmmm... let's see what Bandit can do!"
Bandit is not a dumb dog. Close, but not the dumbest. He knows his name. Woohoo! He instantly wants to come at your hand if you put it out. Instead of a nose touch, it has turned into let me go above and beyond and lick your hand up and down for the treat. I will wrap my tongue AROUND your hand, that's how much I want a treat. :| And, for a treat... he'll sit right away. He'll also sit for praise. He likes attention. So, we're like... let's move on to the treat toss. The very first one bonks him right in the middle of the forehead! It was hilarious and sad. I've noticed that he's not very quick at sniffing things out. Apparently he's not very good at seeing things fly towards his head either. I will give it to him though, the treat is tiny like pea-size. I suggest we try a toy instead. So Luke and I do the trick with Bandit's squirrel that he just got for Christmas. He did sooo good! And Aldo taught Bandit to "drop it" so it's been turned into a really fun game! After 20 or so treats and fetches, we're done and I go upstairs. Before I know it, Luke comes up and tells me he has bad news. Bandit ripped up his squirrel. There's stuffing everywhere. Ok, no biggie. He's also ripped up my bra. My last bra. Ugh. THIS DOG! The trainer said to pay attention to how much praise vs. "no"s we tell our four-legged companions. I tied up the count real quick. (To be noted: Bandit has gone after my bras forever. Is it my smell? Is it the breastmilk? Is it the fact that it's just mine and he wants it? I don't know why he went for it, but he's on my Do Not Trust list. Cannot leave bras around, even if on the highest point of the couch or counter. He WILL find it. He WILL go for it.)

Aldo & Myself
Right now our church is doing a 21-day fast. It's been good so far. It is only Day 3...
In the midst though, we have been planning for the Children's Church ahead of schedule, which is nice (for me especially... the admin). We went on a "date" last night to go pick up a foosball table in middle of nowhere, Holton, KS. During the ride we talked about dreams that we've had on trips to go on, retirement, aspirations, work-related goals, etc. Today starts the day where I start getting the house in order and our five year plan written out, a budget in place and so on. Aldo and I are finally in agreement to do the insurance thing (not with the original company), AND in agreement that I should go back to school to become a CPA. I've looked into it several times and every time I think - Oh my gosh, I haven't done a math problem in forever and now companies and people are going to trust me to help them with their finances and taxes! I can't do percentages off the top of my head like Aldo can! I don't understand stocks! I would have to be attached to Excel and whatever other programs they have now. And, would working with numbers all day be mundane and dull? But, I am encouraged to try out a class at least. I can do it. If it doesn't work out, well, like Aldo's insurance job... it wouldn't be "the dream job"... but a means to the end. In all seriousness, I've made the dream job. I'm a mother.

Buying a Home for Newbies

I just wanted to make a quick post here to pass on my expertise to the next first-time homebuyer...

1. Be prepared for a range of emotions. The first house you come across probably isn't "The One". Even the first one you think you're going to put an offer on probably isn't "The One" (unless it's a brand spankin' new house). As hard as you try not to get you're hopes up, the experience is so exciting and scary at the same time that if you're a breathing human you're bound to be disappointed when something doesn't work out. That's okay. You're going to have some connection with the properties. But don't be devastated, because there are more houses to come. You will find "The One" and it will be perfect. Take your time.

In our story, I've already shared the first day of major house visiting. The second round was even more exciting because we were THAT much closer. The original plan was to view the house with Aldo's dad and if it passed with him, then we were to make an offer. Well, our visit went from seeing the one to seeing two, then seeing four! Alright, we have "backups", we thought. It's a good thing we planned it this way because as we went through the house for the second time, we started finding smaller things we ignored the first time around - like the bite marks on the stairs from the family dog, the dips in the deck surrounding the pool, evidence of age of the pool, the entire layout of the basement (which I couldn't even remember! You think the house you're planning on moving into, you'd remember...), and the mold growing in it. Yep, that's right. Abuelito found live mold in one of the storage rooms downstairs. So with that, we had to walk away. Who knows how much the mold had spread and the cost to fix the problem? On top of that, mold is not something I want to mess with health-wise. Living in my mom's basement led to worries of mold and it's effects on my kids' asthma. Walking away is a hard, but a wise thing to do.

We went on to the second house. Going in I was bummed and kind of done with the day. This was the second time we found a great place and it fell through. First, foundation issues. Now, mold. What's next? The second house was a ranch house, super plain. No basement. Only 3 bedrooms. Not old at all. A decent size to take care of. An open backyard, and only one neighbor because it sits at the end of the road next to a field. Aldo and his dad were in love. For the right price, this could be it. To me, it felt industrial, almost like a larger apartment.

The third and fourth were in HOA territory, which early on we wanted to avoid. We agreed to look at them because the dues were low and had heard that the restrictions weren't all that bad (ask permission before erecting a shed, two animals per property, etc.). I knew immediately walking into the first HOA that it wasn't the one. You had to go up stairs to get to the kitchen and main floor, the downstairs room was ugly from imitation wood flooring and a country (mom-type) sink. Ugh. AND, the carpets were so spotless and off-white in their color that the owners requested we wear booties for our look through. It felt like the house was too high class for us. I knew that if we moved in, I would be anal about keeping it in the same condition. I want freedom in our house. Freedom to enjoy it and live in it. Here I couldn't do that. The second wasn't too bad, but I just didn't care for the layout. It was also the highest priced. I agree with what my dad said to me later that night, "If you have to pick up extra hours to buy the house, you want to love it so much that you can't stand being away from it." Okay, so that may be a little dramatic, but the thought holds value.

2. Give yourself wiggle room. Ask the what-ifs. What if I lose my job and it's just Aldo paying for it? What if we get pregnant again? What if we decide to get Luke a dog? What if we can't afford to maintain a pool? So with all of those questions, we cracked numbers for worst-case scenario and knew what our "sweet spot" was and what we were watching for. With Aldo's logic, I realized more and more that house #2 from our second visit, was more of a possibility. Probably a good business deal. And that's what home-buying is. It's a business deal. You buy a house to make money, not because you dream of being a home owner. At the right price and when looking at a 5 year plan (Fact: on average people only live in their homes for 5 years), house #2 was looking like a sweeter deal.

3. Understand the process. And understand what you're signing. I took a free class online a while back that ends in a certificate (which some lenders require you to take). It's through United Guaranty and you can find it at - https://www.ugcorp.com/homebuyers/homebuyers-educational-certification-program.html. We also got pre-approved and had a financial advisor break down what our upfront costs would be and what our expected costs would be later. With all that info, plus asking for utility bills from the homes we were looking at, etc. we were able to budget like homeowners. And prepare for the "earnest money" (good faith money that is put toward the payment later = $1000), the inspection and appraisal, down to the loan application fee.

So yesterday, we put an offer on house #2. We have a really good "broker" aka our real estate agent who has explained everything as well. She has worked non-stop at getting comparable home prices, talking with the buyers' agents, and adding in her own advice. She went over the contract that you sign when you are making the first offer. Did you know there's a timeline on when you can have an inspector look at the house, otherwise you waive your rights? Did you know if she is someone else's agent and they are also interested in the same property, she can show them? Did you know that if the seller fails to pay the commission of the agents, it falls on you? Do you know when the contract is void? From what I can tell, since the seller appears to be a "trustee" for someone and knowing that the property has been vacant for a year, something happened with the homeowner (death or moved into a home) and someone else took it over. Now they're selling it. I'm hoping that the person wants nothing to do with it and they're just ready to get rid of it, and give it to us at this initial offer. That would be awesome and a miracle!

Our contract ends today. If it is agreed on then our closing date is set for 11/30/2017. Here's some more things to blow your mind... we have to give 60 days notice to our apartment complex before moving out (that would be Oct. 21) and our lease is up Dec. 31. If all works out, we'd be able to move into the house Dec. 1 and take a month doing so. !!! Now I'm eager! But the key is to remain calm and think clearly. Make smart decisions no matter how eager you are to get into the house.

Sorry, my short post turned into a long one. Thankful for favor! <3
(Oh, and praying for peaceful sleep! I've found myself waking up at 3 o'clock in the morning cracking numbers. #lifeofabudgeter)

Unless the Lord

Psalm 127

Unless the Lord builds a house,

the work of the builders is wasted.

Unless the Lord protects a city,

guarding it with sentries will do no good.

It is useless for you to work so hard

from early morning until late at night,

anxiously working for food to eat;

for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Children are a gift from the Lord;

they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man

are like arrows in a warrior's hands.

How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!

He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

I haven't been able to sleep lately. I have a lot of things going through my head... mostly cracking numbers and saying "what if -this-" and "what if -that-". We're looking for a home. Like an actual downpayment, homeowner's insurance, pay taxes, maintenance-upkeeping, equity-type home. We thought about it before when Mom put her house up for sale and made those wild plans to move to Tennessee, but since we didn't have the lines of credit at the time we chose to rent until the possibility presented itself. Now, having rented for a year, the time has come. I'm filled with excitement and overwhelming alarm. Haha! But mostly excitement.

The home search has been fun. Our financial advisor came highly recommended from a trusted source, and he recommended our real estate agent who is seriously top dog in her field. And then we're surrounded by people that know what they're talking about in certain areas. 

Well, you know me... conservative with a capital C and Aldo is "cheap" according to his BFF. lo So the first house we looked at was well below our price range. (We got approved for a $280K loan! Isn't that ridiculous?! I'll give you some comparison... we rent right now for $685/mo + storage and utilities. A $280,000 home has a payment of over $1800/mo. That's more than double what we're paying now! That's more than one of Aldo's paychecks! One and one don't equal two in their world of math I guess.) The first house we looked at was listed at $146K. It looked like a small box and I didn't like it from the pictures. Lack of garage and lack of yard were a turn-off, but I thought you know what, maybe we should check it out. Maybe it just looks small. Maybe small is what we can take care of to start. My first impression was right in this case... it is a box that needs to be torn down. It's not worth fifty bucks. I think it's been abandoned (should be condemned) for years and just recently the seller painted some walls and put it on the market. Yikes! When we first walked in the floors were on a slant, the upstairs rooms Aldo could barely fit in because the ceilings were low, and we couldn't tell which room was the "master bedroom" because we wouldn't be able to fit our bedroom furniture altogether in any of the rooms. 

We looked at a range of houses in one day. So our next house was off of main street in a quiet little neighborhood. The owners had lived there 40 years. When we walked in it immediately reminded me of my Grandma because of the taste and narrowness of the hall. It was listed at $199K, but it was probably more in the $170's. There were so many rooms in the house, I felt like we don't have enough furniture to fit in it all. And the backyard was HUGE with a gated, above ground pool. The problems I had with it were the age of HVAC system and other things like that which would definitely need replaced in the near future, as well as the small bathrooms for oompa-loompas (we'd have to knock out a wall to fit comfortably in the bathroom), and the care for the HUGE backyard and maintenance of the pool. Also, I would just feel bad asking a sweet grandma for a lower price. I know... I know... it's business.

The final house of the day was off of my old street "Hickory" in what was the newer, rich part of town when I was growing up. The home was a 3 bedroom with a 4th non-conforming (without windows) bedroom and they were asking $209K. A bit high for us, but we wanted range. The house was alright, nothing red flagged. Mila liked the open kitchen. And plenty of parking. My issue was the backyard. It was another house with an above ground pool AND jacuzzi, but because of the extravagance of those the yard had been taken up. I want our kids to have space to run and play catch, play tag, practice soccer, whatever! We made the choice to keep looking.

From the beginning, my desire (and Aldo's too) has been to follow God's will. If it's His will for us to move, we'll move. If it's His will for us to stay, we'll stay. I know that God opens doors and He closes them. I know that the right time will come for a house. I just want it to be the right house. I put my needs and requests before Him (kind of like the red, 10-speed bike story)... a 4 bedroom or 3 bedroom with room to expand, an ample yard, in the school district we chose, at a price we could afford, and if at all possible before December so we didn't have to sign on for another 6 months or go month-to-month.

I thought we may have found that home THE NEXT DAY. The next morning after praying I woke up to find a home that had gone back on the market at $198K after a sell had fallen through. It was next door to the older home in that charming little neighborhood on the corner lot. IT WAS PERFECT! The layout made sense. The covered deck to uncovered deck was beautiful. The yard space was -no words-. And the storage space was ridiculous. It even had a tree fort with a homemade zip line in the backyard. When we looked at it, Luke's cousins were with us and you could just feel that it was a perfect family hangout. Yes, there were some small projects here and there like the main shower needed more tile, doors replaced, rooms repainted and more caulking in areas... and some larger things that weren't immediate like the driveway completely redone and a large tree removed from the backyard. But nothing seemed too big. Until the basement. There were cracks in the basement. I've researched this and not all cracks are bad; cracks can be a sign of settling which houses do that. Vertical cracks are common and can be solved with epoxy and are fine for another 50 years. The most serious cracks are horizontal. You're looking at building an entirely new foundation for between $30,000-40,000. These cracks, were unfortunately, bad. And I don't think they would go down thirty grand from what our initial offer would be (looking in the $130-lower $140's).

I wasn't devastated, but I was bummed. Houses in the area aren't really coming up on the market, and when they do, they aren't up for long. I cracked numbers again and again and again. Our "sweet spot" is the $180's. We can afford the insurance, the lawn mower, the internet, even put Luke in sports and save money in the $180's. I could choose to go back to work another day or stay home still. We could pay off the car or not pay off the car. There's wiggle room. There are choices. If we want to get a house this year, our final option was one up-and-coming home in a new neighborhood that we'd be able to actually design a little bit for $235K. With that we'd have to pay off the car, Aldo get a raise, and me pick up more hours (and not eat... j/k) to get by. I was actually pumping myself up... you know we could do it. We could get a new house. But then, I thought "what if". What if something happened? What if Aldo wanted to go back to school? What if he lost his job? What if he had to take a pay cut? What if his hours changed... could I change my hours so easily? I didn't like the feeling of "STUCK". We would be stuck in whatever situation to barely make it. I want to enjoy my home. Not despise it. So new home was a no.

I don't know what made us look back at it, but I'm glad we didn't cross it off of our radar completely. 

Before I go into further detail, I want to say this: There's pros and cons to a pool. 

PRO #1 - Easy family time and entertaining. Welcoming friends and yahoos from all around. Bonus: jacuzzi would surely entice our friends to come visit and stay a while.

PRO #2 - They don't affect the value of the home (if above ground) either way, good or bad. 

PRO #3 - You can disassemble. You can resell (and get a good amount depending on age and care).

CON #1 - Lack of yard.

CON #2 - Another thing to maintain. And cost comes with that also.

CON #3 - Liability. It will increase insurance by about $50 because it is a safety issue.

We looked back again at the one with the pool and jacuzzi and small yard... the one where Mila felt comfortable in the kitchen... the one that had a recently updated HVAC and water heater... the one that seemed out of our "sweet spot". We looked again at the comps; they were in the $180's. Is the only thing keeping us from reconsidering this house the pool and lack of yard? Earlier, when I was researching pools and maintenance of them I found that it only costs about $200-250 a year per the national average. And since water bills should be that high anyway, a double in water bill still wouldn't be high. Since this house is in our "sweet spot", we could afford it with the pool and live comfortably. Luke could still do sports. There is still wiggle room and space to get out. If we had to, we could sell the pool! I thought about it and I'm thinking logically (I think) -

We could buy the house. For the first year, keep the pool and jacuzzi and get experience and enjoy it. We could have pool parties for birthdays. We could still get a small dog if we want (a $50/mo expenditure) and even it would have ample space to run in the backyard. We could get a handle on mowing that amount of space. The kids could use the front yard if necessary. And, if after playing with it a little we decided to sell the pool and jacuzzi; we could do it. And build a better deck. And have a larger yard. There is still movement. There are still possibilities. We can do it! So, next week we are going to look at it with Aldo's dad and possibly put in an offer. That is the plan.

Here is the final point I want to make and it goes back to the beginning (HAHA, that's ironic. "Alpha and Omega... Beginning and End... #pastorpuns) - 

Unless the Lord. 

Unless the Lord makes it happen, we're not moving into that house. Unless the Lord sends peace of mind by His Holy Spirit, we're not buying. We won't budge. The Lord has surrounded us with multiple advisors and examples; we're going to listen to that sound counsel. We're going to succeed in our home search but it's only with the Lord's direction. And I know, without a doubt, He loves me. So what if he threw in a pool and jacuzzi because he knew that the first year or so we wouldn't need the yard? What if he threw in a bonus (a well, taken care of bonus that would give us money back in the future)? I don't know. The future is full of possibilities, isn't it?

P.S.
I had a dream with House #4 (bad foundation house). God asked me if I was ready for the responsibility of owning a home. I weakly said "Yes, I think so." And He smiled and showed me a vision of a father asking their child if he or she was ready for the responsibility of taking care of a dog. And of course, the kid would say yes. And then after a week of taking care of the dog, they'd slowly get away from it. But mom and dad would make sure the dog got taken out for walks or to go to the restroom, went to the vet, and made sure it had plenty of food. The dog was taken care of. In that, God was showing me that He's my Father. Yes, he'd give me the responsibility of homeownership, but He'd still be there to provide like a parent. He's the BEST.

California Knows How To Party

2 Years Old

  

 Birthday Girl & Her Cupcake

My little girl turned two last Thursday. We didn't do anything huge because 1) we already had our California trip coming up and most of our money was going to that 2) personally I was worn out from all of the other birthdays throughout the summer and weddings... I just didn't have the energy to give her a fantastic birthday party 3) I couldn't find the right time or venue that would bring all of her favorite people together at the same time and 4) she's young enough that it isn't as big of a deal to her yet. I WILL throw a big party for you baby girl... just you wait! Seriously thought, I can't wait myself. It's going to be fun and a huge success! So on her birthday, we went to Strouds and she had a lot of packaged crackers and green beans. (She's so weird. I've never met a child who loves vegetables and iced tea and things like that as much as she does.) I was surprised that she ate the cupcake they gave her. It did have a sparkler on it though.

The next morning we set off for our trip to California.
So...

Day 1 - Friday, August 11th
We woke up at about 3 o'clock in the morning (but really it didn't feel like we even slept) and left for the airport at 4:15. Thankfully I had a list of everything I had packed prior in the week and what still needed to be put in the bag as far as toiletries, etc. We got to the airport and check in was so easy. First, we used a valet service. Just so you know, valet is about as much as economy parking except that they drive you to the terminal you need rather than walking and they'll pick you up when you return. My coworkers bragged about it. Was it worth it? Eh.... I don't know. I guess we'll see when we go on our next trip and opt for the cheap "nosebleed" parking.
Mila was awake. That was completely unplanned! We purposely made sure to wear her out the day before and NOT take a nap... but she was wide awake at the airport. She knew something was up. She wanted to carry her monkey bag and sit in her car seat (because it's different having it OUT of the car). Our flight with Delta left at 6 am and flew for 3 hours into LAX. Some things to know about flying these days:

• If traveling with children, you can take a car seat and stroller for FREE.
• Every person with a ticket gets one personal bag (diaper bag, purse, etc.) that has the ability to fit under a seat AND one carry-on bag for FREE. Carry-ons have to be a certain size though. AND if you are putting your liquids, creams and lotions in there then you have to follow the 3oz. rule in a zip lock bag. Checked bags cost $$$ and if less than 50lb. it's really not that horrible of a price. You can take any amount of liquids in the checked bag.
• Airplanes have wifi now! But you have to download the app. So do that before taking off if possible. That way you're set in the air.
• If you are getting snacks on the flight, get the drink too. Because the snacks make you thirsty. And the cookie snack isn't really a cookie snack. It's a hard European cinnamon cracker. Just be forewarned.

The car rental was fun. We picked our own out. Something we most definitely would do in the future as needed. Aldo said that driving in California was difficult for him because it's so mountain-y and has so many curves and turns, it's hard to figure out the system. Like, are you following the coast? What's the reason for the layout? It's not like Kansas where you can easily figure out where you are if you miss a turn or where you need to go. It's not a grid for sure. So we drove 2 more hours to Oceanside. There, we met up with our friends Zac and Rose, and their son Peter (who's slightly older than Mila), who we would be staying with for the next few days. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and getting ourselves situated. Zac had a cook out he was in charge of at the park, so we spent a couple hours there before napping from exhaustion on their couch.

Excited for the Plane Ride

I should back up real quick. Sorry this is so out of order here. But I have to tell you...

We had been planning this trip for months. And weeks before, Zac and I had talked. He asked me what our plans were for going out there. Well, Aldo and I wanted to go to the beach a lot and also our number one choice of hot spot was the San Diego Zoo. Since we had such a good time in Omaha and the kids would all enjoy it, AND San Diego is ranked #1 in the nation... it was a no brainer. Zac and Rose said they wanted to go to Lego Land too. I was ok with that. Luke would be thrilled and Mila always plays with Luke's legos so I think she would like it too. That's when he announced that they were talking and thought it would be best if they bought the tickets for everyone since he gets a good discount through the military, and that it would be more of a "CityPass" - which gets you tickets into Lego Land, the Zoo, Sea World, and....... Disneyland and California Adventure for 3 days! Say what?! I was so thrown. You got to be joking. But they weren't. I had to Google it... City Passes go for $300+ a person. Thankfully Mila is still free to get into those places, but if you count three people that's about $1000 dropped. I honestly couldn't believe it. What excited me though, was that Aldo, Luke and Mila didn't know. I kept it a secret for about a week and a half. It was so much fun scheming and planning. I searched what the must see places were at Disneyland and looked up all the tips to get the most out of the experience. I bought a My First Disney Pins and Lanyard game. I was ready!

Of course, Aldo ruined it because he called up Zac the day before, on Mila's birthday, and I remember him saying... and I quote... word-for-word, "What's your itinerary?" I knew then, that the secret was coming out. Zac nonchalantly told him the plan. I have pictures of Aldo's reaction. #priceless

So what was a relaxing vacation turned into a very busy, attraction-packed vacation. Thank goodness though, Zac made the executive decision NOT to buy the CityPass. After thinking it over, they thought it would be too much for the kids to do all of those things. (I think he underestimates how much energy they have... but still so happy they made that decision.) Instead, they bought the tickets to just the Zoo and one day at Disneyland. Still, incredible!

Day 2 - Zoo Day
Nothing in Southern California is close. It takes at least 30-45 minutes to get anywhere. And another thing, Zac and Rose are early risers. We, the Alvidrez clan, wake up usually around 10 (except me and at times Luke) and go to sleep late at around 11:30 pm. California is 2 hours difference from Kansas. So if it's 7 am in California, it's 9 am in Kansas. It was the perfect time change. When we had to get up at 7 to get to the Zoo somewhat early because it's about a 45 minute drive... we were only waking up at 9 o'clock. Yesssss.
Here is what I can tell you about the San Diego Zoo. There are a lot of aviaries. No joke. I think we walked through at least five aviaries to get to other places. And, I can't really make a decision on how I liked the zoo because I don't think we started off right (We immediately went to the oversized tortoises. You don't go there first! You go to the animals that are awake and playful, that in the heat of the day are going to go into hiding. Tortoises aren't going anywhere... they can't move that far... you can see them nearly at any time. Bad decision on our part.). And, I don't think it was Peter's best day either. We have become zoo snobs. I have made the ultimate decision (and you think we would have learned from previous experience) that we just need to go to zoos alone. It's my goal to get through a zoo in one day. And we could have done it, I think, even at San Diego. So during our stay this time around, we probably only made it through half of it which consisted of tortoises; snakes (legless, eye-lidless lizards) and other reptiles; birds, birds, and more birds; and kind of monkeys that didn't do much. At the end we took a double-decker (after waiting half an hour in line) to see the regular zoo animals: zebras, elephants, giraffes. Except a lot of them were hard to see, Mila was napping so she didn't get to experience the large-scale animals which I would have liked to see, and Luke also couldn't get a very good snapshot because we were breezing by on the ride. Not the best zoo experience we've had, but I'm not opposed to going to San Diego Zoo again if the chance ever arises. I'm willing to have my mind changed about it. But let me say this... Omaha is a hard one to beat.

Turtles & Tortoises

Fun Fact: Back in the day, these giant tortoises were fed dog food. The dog food had so much protein that it made their shells grow too fast and so now some of them can't fully extend their legs out how they're supposed to because the shells don't fall where they're supposed to. (Ok, so NOT "fun" fact.)

<3 They Love Each Other  <3

A Long Day at the Zoo

Ooh, also during our stay Zac and Rose took us out to a lot of delicious places to eat. One of my favorite spots was Wulan Ramen Tap House in Oceanside. I don't know if it's Japanese or what, but their spicy shrimp appetizer and bbq pork sticky bun things were sooo good. I imagine it is something I would crave and go to if we had one in our area. And the ramen soup or teriyaki rice is incredibly flavorful. They also took us out to In-N-Out Burger the day before (the cool part about here is that they have a secret menu) and to a bubble tea place (the drinks that have the extra large balls of black tapioca in them). <Shakes my head> Zac and Rose and their bubble tea. #noted

The Delicious Ramen of My Dreams

Day 3 - The Beach at Oceanside
The plan our hosts came up with was that it would be wise to go back and forth from big day to relax day. That way the day before our flight out wouldn't be extreme. Makes sense.
For our beach day we started out with brunch at Swami's. A little expensive and one of those ... organic, vegan, weirdo hang outs. The smoothie was delicious. But I ordered straight up coffee. Oops. And the eggs and croissant were delicious, and so was Mila's black bean burrito (which she DID eat, but couldn't finish).

Our Day at the Beach

~ water so cold and sand so hot ~

Livin' Up Every Moment

 Beach Babes

(yes, I got burnt)

Palm Trees

The beach was wonderful. The sand was hot until you go to the wet sand, which was cool and smooth on your feet. The water was ice cold, but felt like it came to life when a small wave would hit you, or the broken white of the wave would chase you back to the beach, and the water would slowly creep up more and more to where the towels were because the water changes like that. Aldo and Luke were amazed by the grandioseness. And how salty it was. Mila, surprisingly, was made for the beach too. She loved it just as much. She didn't care if a wave pulled down her britches, or made her running slightly more wobbly. It was fun. It was a game. It was thrilling. I spent a lot of time chasing Mila. Aldo and Luke, along with Zac, spent a lot of time trying to catch waves on the boogie board. Only to find out later that the board (we bought from Walmart) was too small and not enough weight for someone large. You have to be able to ride ON TOP of the wave, otherwise you aren't going very far. But it was perfect for Luke. He had one really sweet wave that I didn't have my phone on me for. After that, he wiped out and went under, and didn't want to get in again. But we convinced him. And he probably had at least four more really nice runs. I got to try too. It's hard because the waves you don't want to catch keep bringing you back in toward shore and carry you a little farther sideways too (if you've been aiming for where the water breaks). And if you go deeper, you can't touch. Must be a good swimmer. And, I wasn't going to "duck dive". I get too many ear infections to do that. And I knew how salty the water was. I imagine salt in my eyes would sting and salt in my ears would be hard to get out. One day, maybe. Maybe on something bigger like an actual surf board.
Zac and Rose left early because Peter and Rose aren't water people. So we spent another 30 or so minutes taking it all in. And then slowly made our way back to the house. For the next beach day, know this: wear clothes and sandals, take beach bags and towels that you don't mind getting sandy. Leave the purse in the car. SAND GETS EVERYWHERE. And it's difficult to get off. And, it can burn too when you're scratching it off.. so don't shave on that day. My legs still hurt from that. Also, don't use spray sunscreen. Or if you do, make sure you get every part of your body. Otherwise you'll end up with an abstract, ink-blot-test on your back. Just take my word for it.
A plus - no sharks in sight.

A quick word on sharks. Before our trip I had a very scary dream where we were attacked by sharks and basically shredded like paper. Afterward I couldn't keep myself from looking up the migration of sharks in California's waters. The latest news said that there have been increased sightings because it's a nursery for great whites. Over 40 shark sightings were logged since May and for a time there was a group of baby great whites that weren't moving along. A lot of beaches closed. I researched shark defense.

• Don't look like a seal. On a board? In a boat? Flopping around? You look like a seal. Don't look like a fish either. Bright swim suits and shiny jewelry look like the metallic scales of a fish.
• Don't go swimming when you're bleeding. Duh.
• Swim with a buddy. The more the merrier. Don't swim at night though.
• Avoid areas where sharks are known to be. And also, watch the turtles, fish and birds. If they're freaked out, there's a reason.
• If attacked, go for the nose, eyes or gills. 

I just looked it up using the Dorsal Fin app. There was a great white sighting on August 12th (our zoo day) at Oceanside. About 12 ft in length and 7000 yards from shore. And there were several sightings near Capistrano Beach (which I remember seeing a sign for on our drives) where the shark was 20 yards from shore. How far out were we? Aldo and Zac could have been 30 yards out easily (120 yards is a football field and you've heard of "10 yard lines" where each line is marked). Oy vey.
Remember this: "You're more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than a shark."

Day 4 - Disneyland

"The Happiest Place on Earth"

 Pulling the Sword from the Stone

Another early start for us. Finding parking takes quite a bit of time, so some advice would be to show up 30 minutes early for that reason alone. Do you need to do the early morning thing? No, not really. As long as you have a MaxPass on a busy day, you'll have no problem. I think for our stay the crowds were rated as a 6 out of 10. All I know is that there were 70 min. waits for rides, which is ridiculous. But with the MaxPass we could save our spot in line for a ride about every 30-45 minutes and it would give you a time window to show up. In between those windows you could find another ride, most likely a kiddie ride, or eat or shop or meet characters. I wish we took time to meet more characters, but overall we did a good job. Don't waste your money on the button trading. Characters DON'T have buttons. Helpers at the end of the lines have buttons and very few of them are cool. If you purchase a button, it's like $7 alone and a pack is around $30. That's just crazy. Disney is not going broke any time soon. Just saying. Luckily, I had a short list of rides that were "musts" according to various blogs, and I looked up how thrilling they were to see if Luke would ride it or be traumatized by it. Here's what we rode: Storybook Land Canal Boats (total waste of time and boring as all get out), Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (twice!), Star Tours, Space Mountain, and the train that was more of a way of transportation to get from one "land" to another than a ride. I just realized... we didn't get to see Peter Pan, which was on my list.  :( Bummer. And unfortunately the Fantasmic Show didn't have any passes available by the time we could save our spot. We also saw the Electric Parade, but from far away. And we were at just the right spot for the "Dreams Come True" firework display by the castle... only for it to be cancelled due to wind conditions. It really wasn't windy at all.

Waiting in Line for Indiana Jones

 Buzz Lightyear Ranking

(Aldo DID NOT get Level 7... more like Level 3)

What I found out was that Disneyland is different from World's of Fun in that the rides are not really focused on as much as getting into the "theme". So while Pirates had a couple of dips, it was more focused on being IN the world of pirates. And fun fact, Pirates was a ride before the making of the Pirates movie. Only after was Jack Sparrow added in.
Two apps I used a lot were: Magic Guide (great for showing wait times and what "lands" the rides are located in) and the Disneyland app (to operate the MaxPass, wait times, where characters are located, and find showtimes). Another handy thing was the $30 battery pack we bought to charge our phones on the go. After all the MaxPass business and taking photos, it drains the phone's battery and we really needed it to find our way back to the house. I hear from a lot of people that you really need to spend at least 2 days exploring, but I think we could have done it in one. I know I said it before, but my only wish was that we got there at opening so we could meet with more characters. And, that we wore our Disney shirts, which I still don't have one, and bought our merch (like the Minnie ears) through Amazon rather than at the park.
This was hands down my favorite day. Nobody had attitudes. I felt like it was a vacation day with my family. Everyone enjoyed it, even Mila, who was able to ride quite a bit actually. And Luke rode all the bigger rides twice with the Rider Switch (where if you have a kid in a stroller, one parent can go with older kid and then immediately after the parents switch and can go to the front of the line). Luke's favorite ride was Buzz Lightyear where you shoot at Zerg and evil aliens. I agree that it was fun because we could all go, all shoot, turn our "cars", and get a score and a picture in the end. I also liked the Pirates but only because Mila wanted to cuddle with me after the two dips. Space Mountain was even too fast for me. And I was surprised that there was nothing more than utter blackness and then some stars, galaxies and time warps thrown in. Space Tours was better. It was like you were riding a ship in the Star Wars movie. It had humor thrown in which I liked. But, Aldo's ride with Luke on Space Tours was different than mine. He wasn't attacked by a giant underwater crocodile-like monster, and an alien didn't throw paint on their windshield in the end. I guess that one needs to be ridden a few times too. By the end of the day, we were all worn out. Mila even fell asleep on my head, when I put her on my shoulders to get a better view of the firework show that we didn't see. Haha!

Disneyland's Famous Castle

A Fun Day with the Fam

Day 5 - Trampolines & Rest
Zac and Rose wanted to take us to an indoor trampoline place. Peter was ALL over it. Mila also enjoyed it, but she hasn't figured out how to jump off of both feet yet. She enjoyed racing up and down the long trampoline in the kiddie area and throwing (or I should say "cleaning") the foam blocks back into the pit. Luke got better at his front and back flips. And Aldo and Luke worked on walking across a tight rope type thing. By the end, both of the boys were sweaty, so it must have been a good time.
When we got back, we rested and packed up for an early morning because we had to leave at 4 am. It was a bittersweet goodbye. Peter was finally getting used to having us around (although he and Luke kicked it off right away). And Mila was finally understanding how to treat Dally, their skittish dog. But it was probably the best we could have done anyway.

 Pretending to be "Tired"

 Way to Balance, Luke!

Day 6 - Back to KC
We could have slept in. We made time on the highway because we used the carpool lane most of the ride and not too many people are awake at 4 am, except in LA. The reason we left so early was because of the 2 hour drive and also, LAX seemed like a busy airport. Check in was right outside the terminal doors and super easy. Security pushed us through as fast as possible. So we were stuck in the waiting area for nearly an hour and a half. Kids. Wide. Awake.
On the airplane back, Mila did sleep for at least an hour, so I took advantage of the time and watched a partial movie. Luke and Aldo watched Harry Potter on the other side. American Airlines didn't let us on first to set up the car seat (which I liked about Delta) and we had a bit of turbulence in KC from storms. Other than that, it was a great flight. Toward the end, you could tell Mila was itching to get out because she wanted to play with the tray on the back of the seat.

My final thoughts: It was a great trip, but in the end... there really is "no place like home". (So timely because I just saw a coworker in the production of The Wizard of Oz and... we're from Kansas and... we took a bunch of KC gear to Zac and Rose.

Probably our last BIG trip for a while, but for sure one for the books.